Help end an unlawful Department of Corrections’ policy

Emiliano LópezSeptember 11, 2025

Did you receive your $200 gate money when you were released from prison?

The UC Berkeley Criminal Law & Justice Center, founded and directed by Chesa Boudin, filed a class-action lawsuit last year against CDCR for failing to provide the legally required $200 gate money to people released from prison. Our case seeks to recover the money owed to hundreds of thousands of people released from California prisons over the past 30 years who were denied this crucial financial support.

As part of our work, the Center is now looking to speak to people who did not receive the $200 gate money payment to which they were entitled. If you or someone you know fit the following qualifications, please consider contacting us to discuss your experience:

• Released from CDCR custody between January 2013 and July 2021

• Spent more than six consecutive months in CDCR custody

• NOT released from prison into federal custody or another state’s custody

• Received less than $200 gate money upon release

You can reach the Center by phone at 510.239.3119 or by email at rioscharf@berkeley.edu.

The case is moving along quickly, so please contact them soon.