This NEWS BLOG contains articles and studies relevant to prisons, criminal “in” justice and laws, as well as Press Releases.
California’s Property Crime Rates Hit Historic Lows in 2024
NEW REPORT: CALIFORNIA'S PROPERTY CRIME RATE HITS HISTORIC LOWS IN 2024 Just-released crime data shows a 7% drop in total crime...
Common’s Response to SB672
Thank you to @sensusanrubio and the California State Senate for voting on #SB672. I believe in, and have witnessed, the power of...
L.A.’s new federal prosecutor erases felony verdict in Trevor Kirk case
It took a federal jury an hour to convict a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy of using excessive force after he assaulted and...
New district attorney in California county withdraws from historic death penalty resentencing
Alameda County's new district attorney is rejecting her predecessor's recommendations to resentence people on death row —...
Todd Chrisley exposes cruel black inmate treatment upon prison release
Todd Chrisley, the flamboyant patriarch of Chrisley Knows Best, spoke at a Nashville press conference following his prison...
SB 672 (Rubio): The Youth Rehabilitation and Opportunity Act
Existing law requires the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a youth offender parole hearing for offenders sentenced to state...
NEW REPORT: AB 109 FUNDS ARE DUE FOR REFORM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 24th, 2025 CONTACT: Tina Curiel, cjcjmedia@cjcj.org, (415) 621-5661 x. 103 AB 109 funds...
Brush of Kindness
A Brush of Kindness: Restoring Community, Reviving Hope! On Saturday, March 15, 2025, a powerful act of service unfolded at the...
Just the Facts on California Crime Rates
CRIME IS DOWN. YOUTH ARRESTS ARE DOWN. YOUTH JUSTICE TRENDS, AS PERCENT OF POPULATION AGES 10-17, 1990-2023 Comparing 1990 to...
Racial Justice Act
The California Racial Justice Act or “RJA” is a landmark law in California to confront racism in the courts. This law empowers anyone who went to state criminal court in California to challenge discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or national origin in their court proceedings from arrest to sentencing.
Analysis of California 2025-26 proposed budget
Here is our community-based analysis of California's 2025-26 proposed budget: B2SL+2025+Proposed+Budget+Analysis+(1)
Ending Mass Incarceration is on the Ballot
by Mike Wessler A guide to how 19 offices you may be asked to vote on can help end mass incarceration in America. Election Day...
Mass Incarceration – The Whole Pie
This report and comprehensive graphic provide the big picture: over 1.9 million people are locked up in more than 6,000...
STOP LYING ABOUT CALIFORNIA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 CONTACT: Tina Curiel, cjcjmedia@cjcj.org, (415) 621-5661 x. 103 --- NEW...
New Polling Demonstrates Ongoing Support for Criminal Justice Reform and Policies to Reduce Incarceration
Voters are much more likely to say that mass incarceration makes communities less safe than they are to say that we are safer...
Crime in California Remains Well Below Historical Peaks
1. Crime in California Remains Well Below Historical Peaks California Budget and Policy Center article by Scott Graves, April...
Recent Studies by Prison Policy Institute
Death Penalty Death By Design: Part 1 by The Wren Collective, December, 2023 "In all 28 Harris County capital cases we reviewed,...
SB94 TOOLKIT Now Available
TAKE ACTION! Please download this Toolkit [PDF] for use in support of SB 94. SB 94, Judicial Review of Old Sentences, authored...
California Supreme Court Rules Against Hardin – Rules Against Reason
After much anticipation, a disappointing ruling has been issued in the case of People v. Hardin. In this case, the court...
Collective Remake
Collective REMAKE is a unique social enterprise designed to support the creation of worker-owned businesses in communities...
NPR: U.S. prison population is rapidly graying.
"When you think about geriatric medical needs, many of the prisons across the United States are not equipped or weren't designed...
Recent 2023-2024 California Opinion Articles
Note that several of these articles may be behind News Organizations' firewalls and available only to subscribers. California...
L.A. County legal spending skyrocketed to $1 billion last year, as Sheriff’s Department settlements balloon
The amount the county spent on overall claims — including worker compensation cases and related legal fees — was more than $982...
US Prisoners are part of a hidden workforce for popular food brands
Published January 29, 2024 BY ROBIN MCDOWELL and MARGIE MASON for AP NEWS Link to full illustrated article on AP NEWS ANGOLA,...
New Yorker Article: Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away
A draconian legal doctrine called felony murder has put thousands of Americans—disproportionately young and Black—in prison. By...
Special Circumstances Conviction Project Report
Life Without Parole and Felony Murder Sentencing in California Download this 2023 report of the Special Circumstances Conviction...
UN Human Rights Committee Calls for Moratorium on Life Without Parole in U.S.
Visit original article at Center for Constitutional Rights web site Contact: press@ccrjustice.org Groups fighting Death...
How We Walk The Yard At Pleasant Valley State Prison “A” Yard
By Mentor Delfino, Muñiz H43407 Edited by Mentee Michael Russo #BS8157 August 25, 2023 Over the years of my incarceration, I had...
Human Rights Watch Report: The Reintegration of People Sentenced to Life Without Parole
In 2023, The Human Rights Watch organization published an excellent report: "I Just Want to Give Back": The Reintegration of...
Walking the Yard Event at Pleasant Valley State Prison 2023
Walking the Yard Event at Pleasant Valley State Prison on March 5, 2023. Chairman Delfino Muñiz is giving a speech to the...
Welcome Home Re-Entry Resource Fair: April 9 2020
Thursday, April 9, 2020 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Lincoln Memorial Congregational Church 4126 Arlington Ave LA 90008 WELCOME HOME...
Fair Chance Project Lecture and WordsUncaged Closing Reception
Fair Chance Project Lecture: How Prisons Intersect Our Lives Held at avenue50studio in Highland Park Los Angeles The Fair Chance...
Memo on the Status of the Young Adult LWOP Bill Idea
Posted on February 25, 2017 To: People interested in the fate of young adults sentenced to LWOP From: The LWOP Working Group,...
Heated debate over tougher punishment for sex crimes as some worry it could unfairly affect California’s minorities
This is from the L.A. Times: Heated debate over tougher punishment for sex crimes as some worry it could unfairly affect...
Letter to Governor Brown: Please Sign Assembly Bill 1909 (Lopez)
August 30, 2016 The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor California State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: Assembly Bill 1909...
New report by the Justice Policy Institute seeks to rethink America’s approach to violence to combat (over-)incarceration
Defining Violence: reducing incarceration by rethinking America’s approach to violence A report by the Justice Policy Institute...