*1 Hour Elimination of Bias MCLE Credit in California*

Artie Gonzalez is the Program Director for the Prosecutors Alliance Prison Visit Project.

A juvenile-tried-as-an-adult at age 16, he spent 21 years of a Life Sentence in the California prison system, 8 years of which included housing within Pelican Bay's notorious super-max Solitary Confinement unit. It was here that he evolved past the brutality of his surroundings and committed himself to rehabilitation and non-violence.

Released as a model prisoner by the Board of Parole Hearings in 2015, he then dedicated himself to building a new life. Applying the same acumen and intelligence that helped him survive the often inhumane conditions of our prison system, he has become a leader in his community, an advocate for legislative reforms, and a member of several social justice organizations.

As the Program Director at Prosecutors Alliance, Artie coordinates prison visits for prosecutors and other key criminal justice system stakeholders. These visits provide an opportunity for prosecutors and other decision-makers in the criminal justice system to meet face-to-face with the people incarcerated in our prisons and witness first-hand living examples of rehabilitation.

Artie's ground-breaking work serves to fulfill Prosecutors Alliance vision of encouraging prosecutors and other decision makers in the criminal justice system to exercise their enormous discretion in a way that balances accountability, justice, and a human being's infinite capacity to change for the better over time.