After years of pressure from community members and a coalition of over 80 organizations, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has announced plans to close the infamous California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, CA, by the fall of 2026. But organizers say this is just the beginning—they are fighting to close more prisons in California and prevent the government from re-opening shuttered facilities for immigrant detention. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, host Mansa Musa speaks with Woods Ervin of the grassroots organization Critical Resistance about California’s prison system and the growing abolitionist movement working to dismantle it.
Guest:
- Woods Ervin is the National Co-Director of Campaigns and Projects at Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization seeking to build an international movement to end the prison-industrial complex.
Additional links/info:
- Critical Resistance website, Facebook page, and Instagram
- Alicia Ramirez, The Riverside Record, “State to close California Rehabilitation Center In Norco by fall 2026”
- Victoria Valenzuela, Prism, “‘We’re not sure if ‘reform’ is cutting it’: Activists call on California to close 10 prisons”
Credits:
Producer / Videographer / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino…