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#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
#DangerousJails

Dying in LA County’s jails: One more death today

January 22, 2026
#DangerousJails

A new deadly year begins in LA County’s Jails

January 14, 2026
#SupportWLA

Dearest readers, If you’re looking for charitable donations to make before midnight on Dec. 31, 2025 please consider WitnessLA

December 31, 2025
Prison Policy

The Menendez Brothers, Part 3: the Myth of the Model Inmate

December 30, 2025
Race & Justice

Two Newly Passed Board Motions Hope to Reimagine Los Angeles Forever – Including Turning LA Into An Antiracist County

July 22, 2020
44 Comments

"These two big things happening in our lives," said the supervisor, "the moment of George Floyd and...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews

Op-Ed: People are dying in US prisons, and not just from COVID-19

July 21, 2020
5 Comments

Randall Jordan-Aparo, Darren Rainey and Latandra Ellington are not household names. But like...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • LA County Board of Supervisors • Youth Justice: Healing Not Punishment

Op-Ed: When Reimagining Justice in Our Communities, Probation Must Be Part of the Conversation

July 20, 2020
7 Comments

We recognize this is a time of change, and we believe that challenging preconceptions is healthy...

In Memoriam

R.I.P. Congressman John Lewis: February 21, 1940 — July 17, 2020. Thank You for the “Good Trouble.”

July 17, 2020
7 Comments

“We’re going to have generations for years to come that will be prepared to get in trouble...

COVID-19 & Justice

Op-Ed: Prisons Are Overwhelmed With COVID-19. Why Aren’t Governors Doing More?

July 17, 2020
6 Comments

How governors respond to this pandemic will define their legacy. They all face a choice: save lives...

Gangs

CA Attorney General Blocks Law Enforcement Access to Quarter of State Gang Database Entries Amid Investigation Into LAPD Misconduct

July 16, 2020
7 Comments

After a CA DOJ investigation into allegations that LAPD officers falsely labeled people as gang...

Hot Topics • Law Enforcement • Law Enforcement Reform • Police

Most Americans Support Ending Qualified Immunity for Police, But Support for Defunding the Police Is a Different Story, According to New Survey

July 14, 2020
4 Comments

Two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans say civilians should have the power to sue police officers for...

CDCR & COVID-19 • COVID-19 & Justice

CA’s Lethal Prisons: Yes, Gov. Gavin Newsom Plans to Release 8000 COVID-Threatened People From the State’s Prisons, But For Many That Will Be Too Little & Too Late

July 13, 2020
26 Comments

"It feels like the Governor’s office and CDCR officials are trying to navigate the tricky terrain...

COVID-19 & Justice

COVID-19 Numbers Spiking in Youth Lockups, as Juvenile Incarceration Rates Creep Back Up

July 10, 2020
5 Comments

An April survey of juvenile justice agencies in 30 states showed a 24 percent decrease in the local...

Native American

Native Americans Left Out of Public Discourse About Race and Justice, Despite Criminal Justice’s Deep Impact on Native People, Says Report

July 9, 2020
9 Comments

America’s indigenous people are “consistently affected,” by the criminal justice system...

Journalism

WitnessLA Is a Finalist for Two Southern California Journalism Awards

July 8, 2020
7 Comments

While no one is exactly sure how, where, and when the physical awards will be presented this year...

LA County Jail • Los Angeles County Sheriff • Mental Health & Justice

LA County Supes Order Plan for Closing Men’s Central Jail Within a Year

July 7, 2020
152 Comments

In August 2019, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors made the historic decision to cancel a...

LA County Probation • Youth Justice: Healing Not Punishment

Disturbing new lawsuit alleging 16-year-old boy forced to take estrogen in LA juvenile hall as behavior control “medication” points again to urgent need for oversight of nation’s largest probation department

July 7, 2020
45 Comments

On June 7, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted on a new motion co-authored by...

COVID-19 & Justice

How COVID-19 in Jails and Prisons Threatens Nearby Communities

July 6, 2020
6 Comments

Two new studies show that jails can contribute enormously to coronavirus case totals outside their...

COVID-19 & Justice

First LAPD Officer Dies of Covid-19

July 4, 2020
6 Comments

Early Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department announced via Twitter that, on Friday...

Community Health & Safety • Hot Topics • Juvenile Justice • LAUSD • Law Enforcement • Race & Justice • School Discipline Reform • School to Prison Pipeline

LAUSD School Board Votes to Redirect 35 Percent of School Police Funds to Services That Support the Needs of Black Students

July 4, 2020
22 Comments

The largest independent school police department in the United States will see its funding drop by...

#ArtSavesLives • American Voices • Life and Life Only

Happy 4th of July, 2020

July 4, 2020
Add Comment

….And, if you’re staying in, here’s one way to celebrate.

Alex Villanueva • Juvenile Probation • Youth Justice: Healing Not Punishment

Defunding 2020: Yes, the LA County Supes Cut $145.5 Million from the LA Sheriff’s Budget & $49.1 million from Probation, Then They Killed the Probation Oversight Commission. (Unless…)

July 2, 2020
63 Comments

At Monday's Board of Supervisors meeting, prior to the vote on Los Angeles County's 2020-21...

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