Felony Murder Elimination Project encourages our supporters to take action today and tell California Governor Gavin Newsom to Sign AB 2434, the Visitor Protections and Safety Act.

Authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) as part of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus priority package, and co-sponsored by Essie Justice Group, AB 2434 aims to reform and standardize visitation rules across California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) facilities to protect families and incarcerated individuals from arbitrary or discriminatory visit denials. The bill would establish clear, enforceable standards limiting when a visit can be denied, establishing guardrails for searches, and prohibit same day denials when a visitor has traveled over 170 miles and has not visited within 30 days.

AB 2434 has passed the Senate Floor and is headed to the desk of California Governor Gavin Newsom, awaiting his signature.

Key Provisions

• Visitation Access: Requires facilities to be open for visitation at least three days per week.
• Protection Against Denials: Prohibits canceling or denying visits based on race, sex, religion, or criminal history, or due to unrelated disciplinary matters.
• Travel Protections: Restricts facilities from denying same-day visits to visitors who have traveled more than 100 miles or have not visited within 30 days, absent a documented security threat.
• Correctable Issues: Mandates that visitors be given a reasonable opportunity to fix minor compliance issues (such as dress code infractions) up to an hour before visiting hours end.
• Search Standards: Requires voluntary, informed written consent for searches and places strict limits on invasive search procedures without proper protocols or warrants.

We ask our supporters to Please submit a letter of support for AB 2434 by Wednesday 9/2 at 4pm PST using this template letter to help amplify our message to urge Governor Newsom to sign.

We also encourage supporters to amplify the message on their social media channels. You can use the digital toolkit to urge Governor Newsom to stand with women, children, and families impacted by visitation policies by signing AB 2434.

We thank you so much and are deeply grateful for your shared work toward our continued goals of a fairer and more justice criminal justice system as we continue the work together to make our families and communities stronger.