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#JusticeBriefs

Three judges from the 9th Circuit weigh in on the Trump v. Newsom battle over CA’s National Guard

June 20, 2025
#NoSafePlace

LA County Pays $2.7 million to teenager who was the victim of “Gladiator” fights at youth hall

June 5, 2025
Journalism Awards & Prizes

WitnessLA is a finalist for SoCal Journalism Award!

June 1, 2025
#JusticeBriefs • #QuickTakes

The Case of the Vanishing Editor

May 30, 2025
#YouthJusticeReimagined • LA County Probation • LA Probation Oversight Commission • Probation • Unsuitable 4 Youth

Probation Moving Incarcerated Kids Out of “Unsuitable” Juvenile Hall After Court Approval, But Oversight Commission Says Simply Relocating Kids Won’t Solve Root Problems

May 29, 2025
#Documented/Undocumented

Undocumented: The Price of the Promised Land

April 30, 2025
Jail

Rising Jail Spending Hit $25 Billion, Pre-Pandemic. The Impact of COVID-Reduced Jail Populations Is Not Yet Clear.

February 2, 2021
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Between 2007 and 2017, there was a 20 percent overall decrease in crime nationwide, and a 19...

LA DA George Gascón • Reform at the LA DA's Office

LA District Attorney Gascón hires 2nd in command at LAPD to run DA’s Bureau of Investigation

February 1, 2021
24 Comments

On Monday, February 1, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón administered the oath of...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • Reform at the LA DA's Office

Op-Ed: The importance of George Gasćon’s Three Strikes reform & what you should know about the pushback from LA prosecutors & police unions

February 1, 2021
14 Comments

California’s three strikes law has done 28 years of damage to our state. Now, L.A’s...

Bill Watch

California Lawmakers Try Again to Get Rid of (Most) Cash Bail

January 30, 2021
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On Wednesday, a trio of California lawmakers introduced bills that would set bail at $0 for all...

Sex Trafficking • Women and Justice • Women's Issues

Victims behind bars: Trafficking survivors still struggle despite state laws

January 28, 2021
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California has evolved in how it treats victims of sex trafficking. But many victims, most of them...

Death Penalty • Justice Watch • LA DA George Gascón

As Biden Dumps For Profit Prisons With New Exec Order, 100 Criminal Justice Leaders — Including LA DA George Gascón & a List of Other Prosecutors — Urge POTUS to End Death Penalty

January 27, 2021
2 Comments

"Over the past year, we witnessed thirteen federal executions, all an assault on human dignity and...

Care First Jails Last • Homeboy Industries • LA County Board of Supervisors • LA County Jail

As LA Moves Toward Closing Men’s Central Jail, County Supes Vote to Move Toward Building a Restorative Justice Village

January 26, 2021
21 Comments

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion from...

LASD • Los Angeles County Sheriff

Citing Allegations of Misconduct, Retaliation, and Excessive Force, CA Attorney General Announces Civil Rights Investigation Into LASD

January 22, 2021
187 Comments

On Friday, the California Attorney General’s Office announced an investigation into whether...

COVID-19 & Justice

Added to Fears of Getting the Virus, Some Incarcerated People Find COVID-19 Extends Their Prison Sentences

January 21, 2021
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"“Do I turn myself in and deal with the increased chances of getting COVID,” said Smith, “or...

Reform at the LA DA's Office

Prosecutors From All Over U.S. Support District Attorney Gascón Against Attempt to Shut Down LA DA’s Promised Justice Reforms

January 20, 2021
55 Comments

On November 3, 2020, long time cop, and former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón...

Bill Watch

New Bill Seeks to Help Defendants Fight Racial Bias in Convictions and Sentences

January 19, 2021
2 Comments

On Sunday, four California lawmakers announced the introduction of the California Racial Justice...

#BlackLivesMatter

Thinking About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – A Change Is Gonna Come

January 18, 2021
13 Comments

As we celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, our nation's capital is an...

#YouthJusticeReimagined

Groundbreaking Settlement Between LA County & AG Becerra Demands that Kids In LA Lock-Ups Must Be Treated as If they matter

January 15, 2021
23 Comments

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra  has announced a legal settlement with Los Angeles...

Law Enforcement • Law Enforcement Reform • Police • Race • Race & Justice

Examination of 4 Million CA Police Stops From 2019: Black Civilians Searched at 2.5 Times the Rate of White People

January 14, 2021
31 Comments

The latest annual report on racial and identity profiling based on stop and search data submitted...

Death Penalty

Despite multiple Judicial Stays, On Tuesday Night the U.S. Supreme Court Cleared the Way for Lisa Montgomery to be Executed. She Died at 1:31 a.m. Eastern

January 13, 2021
2 Comments

When we last wrote about the case of Lisa Montgomery in a story published Monday night,  we...

Death Penalty

US District Court grants Lisa Montgomery last minute stay of Jan. 12 execution, scheduled as part of President’s 13-Person Killing Spree

January 12, 2021
21 Comments

Montgomery's advocates hope that the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't decide to step in, as the Trump...

Insurrection & Homegrown Terror

Insurrection & Homegrown Terror: As the Days Pass, New Pieces of the Story Emerge

January 11, 2021
5 Comments

The leader of one group, took to the popular (and recently shut down) social media outlet, Parler...

Department of Justice

As the Nation Reeled From Its Dark & Dangerous Day, Joe Biden Announced His Pick for Attorney General & the Need for Equal Justice Under the Law

January 8, 2021
66 Comments

At around 2 p.m. Eastern, on Thursday, January 7, President-elect Joe Biden announced that Merrick...

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