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#JusticeBriefs2026

Op-Ed: The Conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas Is Not a Joke: Representative Democracy Is at Stake

October 9, 2026
#Justice • #The California Justice Report

WitnessLA Comes to Substack

October 7, 2026
#NoKings

A quick look at how SCOTUS ruled in favor of Democracy, then our nation went to war, and the president threatened the Supremes

March 18, 2026
#NoKings

Judge first knocked down CA’s “No Secret Police Act,” but gave the go-ahead to the “No Vigilantes Act.” Then things changed

February 10, 2026
#DangerousJails

Dying In LA County’s Jails: Now there are 7 deaths in 2026

January 31, 2026
#NoKings

The No Kings Act & the fatal shootings by ICE of Alex Pretti & Renee Good

January 27, 2026
Charlie Beck • Juvenile Justice • LAPD

LAPD Chief Opposes Blind Lineups, 13-Year-Old Charged with Murder to be Tried as an Adult…and More

September 18, 2012
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THE INNOCENCE PROJECT ON LAPD CHIEF BECK’S DISTASTE FOR BLIND LINEUPS According to the...

Crime & Consequence • Death Penalty • District Attorney • LA County Jail • LASD • Sheriff Lee Baca

DN (Almost) Calls for Baca Resignation, Debt Collection Companies Use Misleading Scare Tactics, and a Compelling Case for Clemency

September 17, 2012
8 Comments

REACTIONS TO THE LATEST JAILS COMMISSION HEARING In the wake of the findings presented at the most...

CDCR • Death Penalty • Gangs • Prison Policy • Zero Tolerance and School Discipline

New CA SHU Policies, LA Officials and Experts Work Toward Zero Tolerance Alternatives…and More

September 14, 2012
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NEW POLICIES FOR CALIFORNIA PRISONS’ ISOLATION UNITS GET BOTH YEA’ED AND NAY’ED...

Education • Juvenile Justice • LAUSD • Zero Tolerance and School Discipline

The High Cost of Punishing Kids For “Willful Defiance” – by Matthew Fleischer

September 13, 2012
3 Comments

California schools suspend more kids than they graduate—a bleak fact that policy makers have...

Bears and Alligators • Life and Life Only

WitnessLA is on vacation today due to tech-related matters beyond our immediate control

September 12, 2012
7 Comments

I just arrived in West Glacier, MT, where the mountains and rivers are gorgeous but the Internet...

Criminal Justice • Families • Health Care • Juvenile Justice • LA County Board of Supervisors • LASD

Families Locked Out of Juvenile Justice Process, High School Sports Participation Reduces Suspensions and Serious Crime…and More

September 11, 2012
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INCLUDE FAMILIES IN JUVENILE JUSTICE PROCESS, SAYS REPORT Justice for Families released a report...

FBI • Jail • LA County Board of Supervisors • LA County Jail • LASD • Sheriff Lee Baca • The Feds • Uncategorized

Jails Commission Findings Say Baca Ignored and Tanaka Tacitly Encouraged a Troubling Culture of Violence in LA’s Jails

September 10, 2012
50 Comments

At last Friday’s hearing for the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence—the final time the...

ACLU • CDCR • DCFS • Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Jerry) • Families • LA County Board of Supervisors • LAPD

News Conference Addresses Issues Raised by Alesia Thomas Death, Family Reunification Week…and More

September 10, 2012
1 Comment

LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR RIDLEY-THOMAS CALLS PRESS CONFERENCE WITH NEW CONCERNS ABOUT ALESIA THOMAS...

Jail • LA County Jail • LASD • Los Angeles County • OIR • Sheriff Lee Baca

Final Jail Commission Meeting Friday & Office of Independent Review Releases 10th Annual Report

September 7, 2012
42 Comments

LAST JAIL COMMISSION MEETING ON FRIDAY AT 9:15 AM—NEXT UP, THE COMMISSIONS REPORT IN...

2012 Election • California Budget

Democrats and Republicans on Criminal Justice Policy, CA Corrections Spending Vs. Higher Education…and More

September 7, 2012
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THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC COMPARISON ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY While the Democratic and...

Homelessness • How Appealing • LAPD • Life and Life Only

It Turns Out the Skid Row Homeless Have 4th Amendment Rights Too….and More

September 6, 2012
6 Comments

9TH CIRCUIT PANEL SEZ THE LAPD CANNOT SNATCH AND TRASH PROPERTY OF LA’S HOMELESS Okay, yes...

Civil Rights • Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Jerry) • Free Speech • LAPD • LAUSD • Zero Tolerance and School Discipline

New LA Partnership to Leave Zero Tolerance Behind, African American Activist Says There’s More to Alesia Thomas Story…and More

September 5, 2012
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LA OFFICIALS TEAM UP TO REFORM SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICY LAPD, LAUSD, LA County Probation, and city...

American Artists • American Voices • Crime and Punishment • Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Jerry) • Immigration & Justice • LAPD • LASD • Realignment • Sheriff Lee Baca • Supreme Court • Writers and Writing

The NY Times on CA’s Trust Act, the Fiscal Incentives for ICE Enforcement….the MacDonald Murders… and More

September 4, 2012
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THE NY TIMES SAYS JERRY BROWN SHOULD SIGN THE CALIFORNIA TRUST ACT The Trust Act is one of the...

ACLU • Charlie Beck • Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Jerry) • Education • Immigration & Justice • Juvenile Justice • LAPD

LA Co. Juvie Probation Camp Raises Education Bar, Santa Clara Sheriff Urges Gov. Jerry to Sign TRUST Act, and LAPD Chief Beck Addresses Use of Force Problems

August 31, 2012
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LA COUNTY’S LARGEST YOUTH PROBATION CAMP SEES MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS ON FORMERLY APPALLING...

Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (Jerry) • Juvenile Justice • LWOP Kids

Will Gov. Jerry Cave to Political Pressure & Veto SB9, the Juvie LWOP Bill?

August 30, 2012
2 Comments

Is Jerry Brown really considering vetoing SB9, the bill that would give some of those sentenced as...

2012 Election • Homeboy Industries • Juvenile Justice • LA County Board of Supervisors • Prison

Update On the Fate of LA Juvenile Probation’s Sports Program, GOP Platform Calls for More Inmate Rehabilitation…and More

August 30, 2012
2 Comments

LA SUPERVISORS DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF CAMP KILPATRICK’S SPORTS PROGRAM There are concerns that...

Anatomy of the Jails Commission • Jail • LA County Board of Supervisors • LA County Jail • LASD • Sheriff Lee Baca

ANATOMY OF A JAILS COMMISSION: Part 5 – Revisiting the Testimony of Undersheriff Paul Tanaka

August 29, 2012
74 Comments

Tanaka’s testimony may not have provided the commission members with the answers they hoped to...

California Supreme Court • Criminal Justice • Death Penalty • Marijuana Laws • PTSD • Sentencing • War on Drugs

The Push to Make PTSD a Qualifier for OR Medical Marijuana, the Dangers of Being a Confidential Informant in the War on Drugs…and More

August 28, 2012
2 Comments

VETERANS’ PTSD NOT YET A QUALIFIER FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE Right now, Oregon veterans...

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