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#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
Books & Justice

WLA Editor leading writers panel Saturday at LA Times Festival Books

April 20, 2025
Guns

Concealed Carry Murders: Permit-Holders Killed More Than 1,300 People in Last Decade

October 22, 2019
23 Comments

Individuals with approved concealed carry permits have killed at least 1,335 people — not in...

Courts • Crime & Consequence • Crime and Punishment

Report Shows “Coercive” Court-Ordered Community Service Sits “at the Intersection of Mass Incarceration and Economic Inequality”

October 21, 2019
3 Comments

"There is a lot of fear. Even people with traffic violations are anxious about being jailed for not...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • Dispatches from San Quentin

Dispatches From San Quentin: Is San Quentin State Prison the Future of Prison Reform?

October 20, 2019
4 Comments

One thing prisons can’t address are the socioeconomic factors that make crime more likely in...

Mental Health • Police

Taking the Police Out of Mental Health-Related 911 Rescues

October 18, 2019
17 Comments

Editor’s Note: Eugene, Oregon’s Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS)...

ACEs • Community Health • Violence Prevention

The National Cost of Childhood Exposure to Crime Tops $458 Billion Per Year, Study Says

October 17, 2019
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A growing body of dozens of studies and reports has revealed the far-reaching negative effects of...

Alex Villanueva

Why the Board of Supervisors are Determined to Get Subpoena Power for the LASD Civilian Oversight Commission

October 16, 2019
26 Comments

If the LASD says no, everyone goes to court, Huntsman said. Litigation "is a fine process," he...

Bill Watch

Wave of Bill Decisions — Including a Vetoed Safe Jail Release Reform — Signals Official End to CA Legislative Session

October 15, 2019
8 Comments

Newsom rejects late-night jail release reform and bill to keep kids out of state lockups, but bans...

DCFS • Foster Care

Los Angeles Foster Youth About to Get Free, Pre-Paid Smartphones Complete With Mobile Hotspots for Unlimited Online Access

October 14, 2019
6 Comments

Los Angeles foster youth between the ages of 13 and 26, which includes vulnerable...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • District Attorney

Op-Ed: L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey Failed the Victims of Ed Buck

October 11, 2019
17 Comments

"Because of her inactions, Timothy Dean died and multiple other young Black gay men continued to be...

Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • Gangs • Police

Op-Ed: California Gang Laws Are Normalized Racism

October 10, 2019
22 Comments

"CalGang gives police increased authority to approach and harass people for virtually no reason at...

Bill Watch

Nearing His Legislative Deadline, Governor Newsom Signs 2 Dozen Crucial Criminal and Juvenile Justice Bills

October 9, 2019
12 Comments

On Tuesday evening, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he had taken his signing pen to...

Juvenile Justice • LAUSD • School Discipline Reform • School to Prison Pipeline • Youth Justice: Healing Not Punishment • Zero Tolerance and School Discipline

LAUSD Plans to Expand List of Offenses Eligible for Diversion to Reduce Racially Disparate School Arrests

October 7, 2019
1 Comment

The district's goal is to reduce student arrests on school grounds by as much as 80 percent.

District Attorney • LAPD • Law Enforcement

400,000 Old Warrants & 1.7 Million Citations to Be Wiped Clean Through LA’s New Multi-Agency Initiative

October 6, 2019
17 Comments

On Wednesday, October 2, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, Los Angeles County District Attorney...

In Memoriam

Remembering Joan Petersilia, the Brilliant, Award-Winning Criminologist Who Advised Governors, Inspired Students, & Helped Change the Future of California

October 4, 2019
9 Comments

Editor’s Note: I first met criminologist Joan Petersilia in 2003, after I read her book...

LA County Board of Supervisors • LASD • Los Angeles County • Los Angeles County Sheriff

Why the LA County Supes Responded to Sheriff’s “Ballooning” Budget Deficit by Freezing LASD Spending and Hiring

October 3, 2019
87 Comments

The LA County Supes are holding Sheriff Alex Villanueva accountable for a $63.4 million budget...

Civil Rights • Columns, Op-Eds, & Interviews • Police

Op-Ed: When Is a Shooting “Necessary”? Legal Questions Remain After the Passage of CA Bill to Restrict Deadly Police Uses-of-Force

October 1, 2019
14 Comments

California is known for its progressive policies. However, in the area of civil rights, California...

LA Probation Oversight Commission

Supervisors Vote Unanimously to Trigger a Civilian Oversight Commission With Teeth for the Nation’s Largest Probation Department

October 1, 2019
9 Comments

On Tuesday, October 1, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously—and...

#MeTooBehindBars

Victims Say They Feel Betrayed By Judge’s Sentence of 2 Years in Fire Camp for Former LASD Deputy Who Sexually Assaulted 6 Women in LA Jail

September 30, 2019
51 Comments

There is no consenting. It’s like saying a child is choosing to be molested, even though they...

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