Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case of Michael Johnson, a man confined...
The Real Culprit in the Overuse of Solitary Confinement: Prison Disciplinary Systems – Part 2 of a 3-Part Series
Understanding what actions constitute misbehavior is key to the campaign against solitary...
LA County Supervisors Call for More Data Collection, Staff Searches, and Treatment Programs to Stop Jail Overdose Deaths
On Tuesday, December 19, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion aimed at...
How I Motivate My Incarcerated Brother, Even When It Feels Pointless
As the sister of an incarcerated younger brother, I am at a loss when it comes to motivating him to...
New Laws Part 5 – Crime and Courts
This fall, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed and vetoed hundreds of bills. As the new year...
Supreme Court Justices Weigh Constitutionality Of Disarming Domestic Abusers
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to uphold a federal law which bans domestic abusers from...
New Laws Part 4: Help for Victims
In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom made the final call on what remained of hundreds of...
Head strikes in LA County Jail & the power of independent journalism
On August 14, 2023, WitnessLA filed a motion to unseal six sealed exhibits containing six jail...
Most states ban shackling pregnant women in custody, yet many report being restrained
Ashley Denney was about seven months pregnant in 2022 when police handcuffed her during an arrest...
3 classic novels that have made prison life more bearable
Many years ago, I began a journey of escape, one that has taken me on fabulous expeditions around...
New Laws Part 3: Youth Justice
In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed and vetoed the last of hundreds of bills...
The BSCC takes a new look at Los Padrinos & Barry J Juvenile halls, and finds them “out of compliance” 22 times
Specifically, the BSCC found that Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall is out of compliance in 12 critical...
Cash bail policies are under fresh scrutiny
By Amanda Hernández, Stateline States can’t figure out what to do about cash bail. The...
Chaos at Los Padrinos Youth Hall—while drug investigative team is still removed from duty
At the beginning of the month, for example, there were two incidents at Los Padrinos, in which...
To our nation’s veterans, with deep gratitude
As we celebrate our nation’s veterans, those of us who live in Los Angeles County or the city...
Thoughts about this week’s four LASD suicides
Darrin Harris, 56, an active-duty commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was...
New Laws Part 2: Governor Signs and Vetoes Policing Bills
In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed — and vetoed — the last of hundreds of...
This isn’t your usual article about how bad domestic violence is; it’s about a solution
This isn’t your usual article about domestic violence, the one that’s pretty much been...