Editor’s Note: I first met criminologist Joan Petersilia in 2003, after I read her book...
Why the LA County Supes Responded to Sheriff’s “Ballooning” Budget Deficit by Freezing LASD Spending and Hiring
The LA County Supes are holding Sheriff Alex Villanueva accountable for a $63.4 million budget...
Op-Ed: When Is a Shooting “Necessary”? Legal Questions Remain After the Passage of CA Bill to Restrict Deadly Police Uses-of-Force
California is known for its progressive policies. However, in the area of civil rights, California...
Supervisors Vote Unanimously to Trigger a Civilian Oversight Commission With Teeth for the Nation’s Largest Probation Department
On Tuesday, October 1, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously—and...
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
There is no consenting. It’s like saying a child is choosing to be molested, even though they...
Key Criminal Justice Bills Await Their Fate on Governor Gavin Newsom’s Desk
California Governor Gavin Newsom has just under two weeks left to sign a tall stack of...
Now that Noah Quatro’s Parents Have Been Charged For Their 4-Year-Old Son’s Murder Are We Any Closer to Knowing Why No One Intervened to Prevent the Little Boy’s Death?
UPDATED: On September 30, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that...
After 19-Year-Old Andrew Martinez’s Death, LA County Supes Vote to Bolster Support for LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care
On Tuesday, in response to the suicide of a 19-year-old transgender foster youth on September 4...
New Lawsuit Spotlights LA County’s Uniquely Dangerous Deputy Gangs
Last week eight Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies, represented by attorney Vincent...
Dispatch From San Quentin: Anticipation
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...
DJJ Watch: Governor Newsom to Replace Head of State’s Youth Justice System Chuck Supple. So Who Will Follow?
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...