From its birth on March 12, 2007, for the next 14 years, WitnessLA has featured a comment section...
Parole Trends in the Time of COVID-19: Fewer Hearings, Fewer Approvals
Only five out of 13 states actually increased the number of people granted parole during the first...
In Blistering Ruling, Federal Judge Orders Video Surveillance & Body Cams in 5 CA Prisons to Stop Abuse of Men & Women With Disabilities
On Thursday, March 11, Senior U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken handed down a blistering ruling...
UC, Cal State police much less diverse than the students they serve
At 32 of 33 UC and CSU campuses, police officers are whiter than the students — and in many...
Op-Ed: California Can’t Waver on the Governor’s Promise for Youth Justice Realignment
I know about the trauma, abuse and neglect that happen every day across the state’s network of...
Will County Leaders Accept State Funding to Divert More People Declared Incompetent to Stand Trial From LA’s Jails?
Los Angeles County currently has the opportunity to take two substantial pots of funding from the...
Are opponents of LA’s new reformist DA using crime victims as political footballs? A new LA County poll suggests the answer is yes.
In the ongoing battle between those who are in favor of the newly instituted justice reform...
Bill Would “Sunset” Old Felony Records That Limit Access to Employment, Housing, and Education
An ambitious new bill, SB 731, would automatically and retroactively seal conviction and arrest...
Children’s Defense Fund To Discuss “A Call for Radical Transformation” in the well-being of California’s kids!
Tomorrow morning, Friday, March 5, the Children’s Defense Fund, is hosting a virtual...
The LA Times Book Awards Finalists Have a Lot to Say About Justice
The finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Awards were announced on Tuesday morning, March...
Over-Representation of LGBTQ+ People in Prisons Largely Driven by Outsized Incarceration of Queer Women, Data Shows
People identifying LGBTQ+ are overrepresented at all points of the criminal justice system. A new...
Awakening in Yard D: A conversation with formerly incarcerated Buddhist practitioner Edwin Paragas
As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home. —Jack Kornfield, After the Ecstasy...
A look at how the CA Supreme Court came to rule unanimously that 14 & 15-year-old kids can’t be tried in adult court
On Thursday morning, February 25, the California Supreme Court ruled in a very...
LA County Supes Take Next Steps in Effort to Decriminalize Mental Health Crises
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed two motions to improve mental health...
The Newly-Introduced Promyse Act Aims to Make Sure a Big Pile of State $$ Gets to Effective Youth Programs, Not Law Enforcement
Last Wednesday, February 17, Senator Steven Bradford introduced Senate Bill 493, The PROMYSE...
The Voices of Youth Locked in San Francisco’s Soon-to-Be-Shuttered Juvenile Hall
On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in favor of legislation to...
Op-Ed: Gascon’s Evidence-Based Policies Will Help Reduce Wrongful Convictions & Move LA Forward
As part of innocence organizations representing people who were wrongfully prosecuted and convicted...
On June 30, 2023, CA’s Youth Prisons Will Close Their Doors, But Right Now There Are Essential Steps to Be Taken for Youth Safety
Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2021-22 state budget nails down plans for the closure of the...