While 49 states and D.C. have laws and programs in place that allow for the “compassionate...
LA Sheriffs Arrest Suspect in Death of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos—Amid Conflicting Media Reports, and Many Lingering Questions
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has arrested the boyfriend of the mother of...
Report Urges CA to Dump Private Agencies That Collect on Criminal Justice System-Related Debts
California’s system of criminal fines and fees, and its use of under-regulated private debt...
WitnessLA Wins 2nd Place Prize for Online Investigative Journalism at Sunday’s LA Press Club Awards!
We were very surprised when WitnessLA was awarded 2nd place in the unusually competitive...
#MeToo Behind Bars: Will Proposed $1 Million Settlement on Case of Alleged Sexual Assault of Girl by LA County Juvenile Probation Officer Help Push Department Reform?
Last September, Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer, Oscar David Calderon Jr., then 33, was...
Will the Death of This Little Boy Drive Up Foster Care Removals In LA County?
EDITOR’S NOTE: The death late last week of Anthony Avalos, a ten-year-old Lancaster boy, is...
Op-Ed: Why America Needs More, Not Fewer, People Seeking Asylum
Editor’s Note: Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered judges to deny...
$4 Million in CA Budget to Decriminalize Foster Youth in Group Homes
The new 2018-2019 state budget California lawmakers sent to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk...
LA Moves Closer to Building a $2.2 Billion “Mental Health” Jail
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with the...
Op-Ed: A Psychologist & Trauma Expert Looks at U.S. Border Policies With Alarm
“We Are Better Than This” by Claire Thomas-Duckwitz, M.A. Ph.D. L.P. I visited Dilley...
Separating Immigrant Kids From Their Parents & What We Know About the High Cost of Childhood Trauma
An immigration official announced this past Friday that, in the 42 days between April 19 and May...
Why So Many Formerly Justice-Involved Young Adults Are Homeless & What We Need to Do About It
According to a recent series of research briefs on youth and young adult homelessness by Chapin...
Prop. 47 Reduced Recidivism & Infused Money Into Rehabilitation, but Also Boosted Theft-Related Crime Rates, Report Says
While California crime rates remain at historic lows, voter-approved Proposition 47 appears to have...
This Town Has a Plan to Protect Kids From ICE
By Matt Vasilogambros After Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers descended on the Midwest...
More Training and a “Change in Culture” Means Fewer Serious Uses of Force in LA County Jails, Sheriff’s Report Says
Serious uses of force against inmates are down in LA County’s Inmate Reception Center...
Why Aren’t We Spending More on Prisoner Education?
By Stephen Steurer Education reduces crime, plain and simple. The RAND Corporation underscored the...
Supreme Court to Decide Whether Deputy Should Be Shielded From Lawsuit in Shooting of 13-year-old Carrying Pellet Gun
This week, the U.S. Supreme is going to be asked to grant a northern California deputy a special...
Former Inmates Push U.S. Senators to Pass Controversial, Trump-Supported Prison Reform Bill
On May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 5682, the prison reform bill more commonly...