Announcing a major policy win for Rise Up Leader Amika Mota and Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition!
On September 27, 2026, California Senate Bill 337 (SB 337) was signed into law, establishing stronger safeguards against staff sexual abuse and misconduct in California prisons.
The new law strengthens oversight and accountability, expands options for incarcerated people to report sexual misconduct, and establishes additional safeguards to prevent individuals with histories of substantiated sexual abuse from working with incarcerated people.
This is the progress we hoped to share when we featured Amika in our August 2026 edition of Global Good News.
At the time, Amika and Sister Warriors were working alongside currently and formerly incarcerated women and transgender people to advance legislation shaped by those who know the prison system firsthand.
With early funding and support from Rise Up Together, Sister Warriors helped bring survivors to the State Capitol, gather evidence from incarcerated people, and build coalitions to advocate for stronger protections.
“You simply cannot design effective policy without the people who have to live with its consequences leading the work,” Amika shared with Rise Up Together.
Now, that collective advocacy has helped advance a new law. While implementation will be essential to turning these protections into meaningful change, SB 337 represents an important milestone for survivor-led advocacy in California.
We congratulate and celebrate Amika, Sister Warriors, and the many advocates and partners who helped make this policy win possible.
