PRESS RELEASE: A Historic Victory for Family Reunification: AB 1201 Signed Into Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2026
CONTACT: Nathan P. Kempe | nathan@startingoverstrong.org | (818) 749-6856
A HISTORIC VICTORY FOR FAMILY REUNIFICATION: AB 1201 SIGNED INTO LAW
SACRAMENTO, CA – AB 1201 (Jackson), AKA the ReUNITY Act (Reuniting Engaged families through Understanding, Nurturing, Individualized Treatment, and Youth), was signed into law Sept. 28 by Governor Newsom.
“As a mother, I know just how important the bond between a parent and child is. A conviction should not automatically stand in the way of preserving that connection,” said Pamela Marshall, Deputy Director of A New Way of Life. “A New Way of Life was proud to support AB 1201 because families deserve the opportunity to reunite, heal together, and move forward. This bill does just that and gives justice-impacted parents a fair chance to build a stronger future with their children.”
Under AB 1201, parents living with past criminal convictions unrelated to caring for a child will no longer be automatically denied family reunification services. In other words, more justice-impacted families will have the opportunity to stay together, and more children will experience improved adult outcomes as they grow up with family, not in the system.
“This victory belongs to all who refused to stop believing that families deserve the opportunity to heal, reunite, and thrive together,” said Fidel Chagolla, Organizer, Riverside All of Us or None (AOUON). “When we use our collective power to come together, organize together, and fight for one another, change is possible!”
This landmark achievement disrupts the cycle of family separation & intergenerational trauma. Furthermore, it represents an important step toward the California we envision for our children: a future divesting from systems rooted in policing and incarceration and instead centering healing, transformation, restoration, family, and meaningful resources for our communities.
This win was made possible by many organizers, sponsors, and community members who poured their time, energy, resources, and heart into fighting for our families. We are especially grateful to our system-impacted advocates and families, who championed this bill: drawing from their own experiences with the grief and loss of separation while holding fast to their love for their children.
Our thanks to our legislative co-sponsors: Family Reunification, Equity & Empowerment (FREE) Project, Riverside All Of Us or None (AOUON), A New Way of Life (ANWOL), Families Inspiring Reentry & Reunification 4 Everyone (FIR4E), the Solis Policy Institute Trauma Service Prevention Team, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, the National Association of Council of Children, and Women’s Foundation California; as well as over 20 statewide community partners including Participatory Defense of the Inland Empire (PDIE), Riverside County Democratic Party (RCDP), Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LPSC), Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (EBCHR), Can’t Can’t, The Rubicon Foundation, the California Black Power Network (CBPN), Time for Change Foundation, Community Defenders, Watts All Stars, and many others.
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