audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - California is two months away from its latest deadline to reduce its state prison inmate population to no more than 137.5 percent of capacity, the first step to address what was deemed inhumane overcrowded conditions. The most overcrowded are women's facilities. Last September, Sacramento County probation officers conducted a routine search on Sonnita Dixon's apartment and discovered 20 grams of cocaine. They took Dixon to jail, and prosecutors filed charges against her Ð for the 22nd time in the past 14 years. In the old days of California criminal justice, Dixon, 34, very likely would have served a third term in state prison, cycling through with tens of thousands of others like her, who for years have been punching their clocks in and out of the system on small-time convictions. Today, with the advent of California's criminal justice realignment, aimed at reducing state prison inmate populations, lower-level offenders are part of a new sentencing frontier; and for Dixon and about two dozen other select offenders in Sacramento County, the focus on helping them change has never been more intense.
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Jan. 22, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - Afraid to show his report card to his mother DA'VONTAE RICHARDS, 9, shares it with his aunt SONNITA DIXON. ''This is not good Da'Vontae, you should not have been allowed to go out and play today,'' she explains to her nephew. Most nights Dixon is left to watch her sister's two children and her son as her sister goes out in the evening and doesn't return until very late at night. Dixon had to review and sign the report card in her sister's absence.
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Jan. 22, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON reviews homework with her nephew DA'VONTAE RICHARDS, 9, left, and niece An'Tanayah Richards, 6, with MUHAMMAD her 11-month-year old son in her arms. After a full day of classes in the re-entry program for realignment, she comes home to care for the children.
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Jan. 22, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON says she hopes she will succeed in the re-entry program for MUHAMMAD her 11-month-year old son. At left is her nephew DA'VONTAE RICHARDS, 9. She credits her Probation officer Travis Braden for keeping her on track with the program. ''I can't let him down,'' said Dixon.
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Jan. 22, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, 34, pulls MUHAMMAD AFZAL, her 11-month-old son over to the couch to eat a dinner of macaroni and hamburger she cooked for dinner. In the background is her nephew DA'VONTAE RICHARDS, 9, who live with her. Her sister and her two children have since moved out of the apartment, but she will continue to help babysit them.
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Jan. 23, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - As her father steps outside to take a cigarette break, SONNITA DIXON, 34, and her son MUHAMMAD AFZAL, 11-months old, take a break outside of the apartment that she lives in with her sister and her two children. She is dependent on her father and sister to watch her son because there is no daycare support for her to go to the Adult Day Reporting Center every day as part of her re-entry program.
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Jan. 23, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - As her dad steps outside to take a cigarette break SONNITA DIXON, 34, and her son MUHAMMAD AFZAL, 11-months old, get some fresh air outside an apartment where she lives with her sister and her two children.
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Jan. 30, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, 34, explains to her caseworker IVONNE ELLIS, right, that she asked her sister to move out.
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Jan. 30, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, 34, center, most recently was one of two women admitted into the re-entry program for realignment until the first one dropped out. Most of the students are males since they make up a majority of the prison system. Here she answers questions during a Seeking Safety class.
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Jan. 30, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON hopes to study cosmetology at City Collage as reflected on her success card that she moved up to the level 2 position. As part of the re-entry program for realignment students are asked to focus on their future and create a plan of action on how to succeed.
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Jan. 30, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, 34, leaves the day reporting center at the Sacramento County Probation department to catch the light rail back home to care for her 11-month old son. She spends several days a week taking classes as part of the re-entry program for realignment.
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Jan. 30, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON hugs a former inmate AZENIA CORLEONE that she knew in prison while waiting for light rail to take her home. Last September, Sacramento probation officers conducted a routine search on Dixon's apartment and discovered 20 grams of cocaine. They took her to jail and prosecutors filed charges against her. As a low level offender Dixon has been accepted into a re-enter court as part of the County's realignment program.
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Jan. 31, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, left, goes over her living situation with PAIGE HEIN, Assistant Public Defender before entering the courtroom for her question and answer with a judge who presides over the weekly re-entry court. In the foreground is MUHAMMAD, her 11-month-old son. Contrary to the men's re-entry program, there are no dorm style rooms for the women and no daycare for her son which makes her case more difficult.
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Jan. 31, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON, right, joined by MUHAMMAD her 11-month-old son in stroller, center, and Probation Officer TRAVIS BRADEN, left, explains to Sacramento Superior Court Judge LARRY BROWN how stressed she is because she has asked her sister to leave but she has no control if she will or not. Dixon was facing eviction if her sister did not vacate the apartment because she was the only one on the lease. Sonnita depended on her sister to help care for her son while she was in mandatory classes.
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Feb. 4, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - TRAVIS BRADEN leads the way into Sonnita Dixon's rental apartment for an unannounced inspection. As part of the re-entry program Dixon is subject to random probation searches.
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Feb. 4, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - Although SONNITA DIXON felt bad to have to evict her sister TAHESHA SMITH, 27, she knew to stay in the re-entry program. Her landlord said her sister created too much traffic in and out of the apartment and the dog was creating a mess in her room.
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Feb. 4, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - SONNITA DIXON said she was very excited to give MUHAMMAD AFZAL, her 11-month-old son, his own room, after her sister moved out. ''I've got to keep on pushing,'' she said. ''I'm not in position to have come this far and then lose everything.''
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Feb. 4, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - Probation officer TRAVIS BRADEN searches though Sonnita Dixon's bedroom as MUHAMMAD her 11-month son sleeps on her bed. He found several bus passes and a prescription for pain medication that he questioned her about. The medication was for her father who cares for her son while she is in re-entry court classes.
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Feb. 4, 2014 - Sacramento, California, U.S. - After her sister moved out, SONNITA DIXON steps outside to smoke a cigarette and drink a cup of coffee with MUHAMMAD AFZAL her 11-month-old son nearby.
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