Governor Gavin Newsom opened an 81,000-square-foot Learning Center at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, marking a turning point in the state’s approach to justice and emphasizing rehabilitation and public safety.
Nathan Hochman promised to bring “balance” to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, but his record so far suggests a retreat from prosecuting police misconduct cases, with charges being downgraded, dismissed, or resolved without incarceration.
Meditation has been shown to have a transformative effect on incarcerated individuals, helping them to manage anger, stress, and existential questions, and providing them with a sense of inner peace that can aid in successful reentry.
A judge in Orange County set $5,000 bail for a man who has been in jail for seven months, raising questions about the fairness of cash bail in the court system.
The Vera Institute of Justice released a new platform to counter crime fearmongering, rebuild trust with voters, and deliver safety, while highlighting the importance of investing in schools, jobs, housing, and treatment, and ending the overdose crisis.
Pamela Winn, an Atlanta-based activist, shares her experience of being incarcerated while pregnant and subjected to brutal conditions, highlighting the need for dignity, care, and accountability in the carceral system.
Indiana lawmakers are reconsidering the use of the firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection, amid concerns over cost, fairness and the risk of executing innocent people.
The Prison Policy Initiative has released a report challenging the effectiveness of specialty courts as an alternative to incarceration, arguing that they often fall short of their goals and can even expand the reach of the criminal legal system.
The Prison Policy Initiative has found that specialty courts, while intended to reduce jail and prison populations and support rehabilitation, often fail to meet these goals and can even expand the reach of the punishment system, while also undermining community-based solutions.
The Biden administration’s criminal justice reform efforts have been criticized for relying on short-term measures and political signaling rather than durable policy changes, leaving the system vulnerable to reversal under future administrations.
Reentry services are essential for helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reintegrate into society, and cutting these services will only perpetuate the cycle of incarceration and negatively impact communities.
The ACLU of Georgia released a report documenting chronic overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail, which has led to 32 deaths since 2021, and outlining policy changes to reduce the jail population and improve conditions.
The Supreme Court ruled that restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is criminal punishment, and that the government can no longer retroactively hike interest or extend payment deadlines on old cases, effectively moving the goalposts on people who have already served their time.
Civil rights advocates are urging California to make Clarence Ray Allen’s execution the last by permanently ending the state’s death penalty, citing its high cost and ineffectiveness as a deterrent.
Termaine Hicks, who was exonerated after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, will share his experiences with the justice system at the U.S. Marshals Museum’s “True Crime Tonight” event.
Tracy Miller, a veteran prosecutor, was retaliated against after reporting sexual harassment by a politically powerful insider in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, leading to her filing a landmark lawsuit against the office for its failure to protect its employees and uphold justice.
A Yolo County Superior Court judge granted judicial diversion to an accused person facing multiple misdemeanor charges who is participating in an addiction treatment program, rejecting prosecution arguments that the accused’s criminal history made them unsuitable for diversion.
Andre Brown, who was convicted of a 1999 double attempted murder, had his 40-year sentence converted to two 20-year concurrent terms, meaning he will not have to return to prison, after a resentencing motion was granted due to ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing.
California has not executed anyone since 2006 and advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant clemency to all those sentenced to death, citing racial bias, innocence claims, and the high costs of capital punishment.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2027 budget has been criticized for not adequately addressing the high costs and human consequences of incarcerating a growing elderly prison population, as the state prison system increasingly functions as a de facto nursing home.