Editor’s Note: As most readers know, WitnessLA has been publishing a series of essays written...
At the Current Rate, Cutting the U.S. Prison Population by 50 Percent Would Take 72 Years, Report Says
From 1972, the nation’s prison population exploded, growing 700 percent until it peaked in...
Motion Calls for Investigation, Plus Boosted Support Systems After LGBTQ+ Foster Youth’s Suicide
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a motion that would...
LA County Probation Chief Terri McDonald Unexpectedly Announces January Retirement
In a surprise letter to the LA County Board of Supervisors, Probation Chief Terri McDonald informed...
Governor Newsom to Replace Head of State’s Youth Justice System Chuck Supple. So Now Who Will Run the DJJ?
On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced he would be replacing the top person at California...
A conversation with Michael Nash, head of LA’s Office Child Protection, about his newly-released report—and the things we still don’t know about what could have saved 4-year-old Noah Cuatro
It’s been more than two months since the death of four-year-old Noah Cuatro and, despite the...
Bill on Governor’s Desk Aims to Reduce Childhood Trauma by Diverting Parents Into Treatment, Instead of Prison
An estimated 10 million US children have parents who are currently locked up, or who have...
LA County May Soon Create a Civil Justice Defense Program to Address the Collateral Consequences of Incarceration
Public defender offices in jurisdictions elsewhere in the nation offer representation for indigent...
Study Shows CA Juvenile Lifers Less Likely to Be Paroled if They Are Black or Indigent
In 2013, then-California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 260, a law that gave a second chance at...
New Study Details Long Shadows Cast On Children When Parents Are Locked Up
Having an incarcerated caregiver was shown to increase the risk of having an anxiety disorder...
Lawsuit and CA Bill Aim to Reduce Discriminatory Discipline in Schools — UPDATED
Update: On Monday, September 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 419, which will expand...
Op-Ed: The False Claim Of An LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Being Shot By A Sniper Leads To A Classic Fail in Crisis Communication
We both advise companies & organizations on how to communicate with the public during a crisis, &...
‘You Don’t Own Me’
Larry Rosser spent 23 years in prison for killing his abuser before parole commissioners became...
“Mexicans Are Not Muslims” – New Lawsuit Alleges that Muslim Inmates in LA Jails Not Given the Basic Elements of Worship
Last week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit alleging mistreatment...
Hitting the Assembly Floor: Bills to Expand Access to the Political Process to People With Felony Records
The California Assembly will soon consider two important measures that seek to expand access to...
New Report Fills in Gaps in What We Know About Recidivism and “Frequent Utilizers”
A new report reveals that there are at least 428,000 so-called “frequent utilizers”...
Success of Red Flag Laws Might Depend on Mental Health Teams
[Editor’s Note: In California, counties have varied widely in their use of the state’s...
String of Fatal Overdoses at Lancaster Prison Points to Urgent Need for Treatment on the Inside
David Weed was two months shy of his 38th birthday when he died from an overdose of fentanyl and...