It’s not yet a done deal, but absent some kind of dramatic intervention, it appears that the...
Dispatch From San Quentin: Sticks and Stones
Editor’s Note: As many readers are aware, WitnessLA has been publishing a series of...
CA Supremes Shut Down Deputies’ Union’s Attempt to Block New Transparency Law
On Wednesday, January 2, the California Supreme Court shut down a San Bernardino Sheriff’s...
Counting Prison Inmates Differently Could Shift Political Power to Cities
By Tim Henderson More states plan to count state prisoners as residents of their home communities...
Some of Our Best Work From 2018
This past year, WitnessLA published various stories and investigations that we know made a...
A New Year’s Eve Message From WitnessLA
This has been a full, complicated, and always interesting year in the world of justice in Los...
Los Angeles Ends 2018 With Violent Crime Down!—Along With Other CA Cities
“For the first time in 5 years, violent crime and homicides are [down] in L.A.” Los...
Op-Ed: Recidivism Risk Assessments Won’t Fix the Criminal Justice System
By Stephanie Lacambra, Jeremy Gillula, and Jamie Williams, Electronic Frontier Foundation The...
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year
WitnessLA’s posting will be lighter until 2019 rings in. Then we’ll be back in full...
Stepping Into 2019 With New Criminal Justice Reforms
Trump and Congress Take a “First Step” to Reduce Mass Incarceration On Friday, December...
LA County Commits to Expand Arts Investment for Justice-Involved Kids
LA supervisors see this Arts Justice Fund grant as an opportunity to expand the overall arts...
Dispatch From San Quentin: Parenting From Prison
This video is part of a series of essays and videos WitnessLA is publishing that are written and/or...
Getting Body Cams ASAP, Getting ICE Out of Jails—and Other Campaign Promises Made by New LA County Sheriff Villanueva
“If I’m elected, on day one, we’re going to set an entirely new course for the...
LA Supervisors Point to Soaring Use of Pepper Spray As Symptom that County’s Juvenile Halls Are Not Safe
On December 11, last Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas read an urgent new...
Op-Ed – Looking to Oakland for Gun Violence Reduction Strategies That Work
My Turn: What Oakland Can Teach California About Gun Violence Prevention By Reygan Cunningham and...
Two Databases Filled With the DNA of Innocent People Face Uncertain Fate
In 2009, California ramped up its DNA collection operation, requiring samples from every person...
LA County Supes Vote to Keep Pregnant Teens Out of Lockup
In February 2018, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to look at ways to better support...
San Francisco Police Have Bizarre & Unhelpful Habit of Reporting 89 Percent of their Youth Arrests As Non-Specific Offenses
San Francisco police fail to specify charges in nearly 90 percent of youth arrests in 2017 by Mike...