Justice - CalMatters

Kern Valley State Prison in Delano on Nov. 15, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

A top prison expert on the California ‘disaster’ and how to salvage it

by Nigel Duara December 2, 2022December 1, 2022

The state’s prisons are no longer a world rehabilitation model, but Stockholm Prize winner Francis Cullen says the system could return to greatness.

A guard tower at Kern Valley State Prison on Nov. 15, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Mentally ill prisoners in California are three times likelier to get shuffled around

by Byrhonda Lyons, Jocelyn Wiener and Erica Yee November 21, 2022November 18, 2022

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Fatal shootings: California’s bid to police its police is lagging

by Nigel Duara November 10, 2022November 9, 2022

Four justices vie to keep spots on ‘collegial’ California Supreme Court

by Byrhonda Lyons October 25, 2022October 26, 2022

A solitary confinement cell at the Main Jail in San Jose on Dec. 16, 2019. Ben Margot, AP Photo

A veto for the ‘Mandela’ bill that sought to limit solitary confinement in California

by Nigel Duara September 26, 2022September 30, 2022

A sheriff's deputy puts up crime scene tape following a shooting that left three children dead at a church in Sacramento on Feb. 28, 2022. The suspect was under a domestic violence restraining order barring him from having any guns or ammunition. Photo by Fred Greaves, Reuters

Inside the team pioneering California’s red flag law

by Alexei Koseff September 19, 2022September 17, 2022

Photo illustration by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters, iStock

Rap lyrics on trial: Bill would limit prosecutors’ use of words and music as evidence

by Nigel Duara September 14, 2022September 14, 2022

An alleyway with tagging from local gangs near the intersection of Rosewood and Clinton Avenues in east Bakersfield on Nov. 16, 2021. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

‘A perfect storm of bad’: Report finds incarceration rates highest among rural Californians

by Nigel Duara August 31, 2022August 30, 2022

Patricia Guerrero, during opening remarks before she was sworn in as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom, on March 28, 2022. Less than five months later, he has nominated her to be chief justice. Photo by Nathaniel Levine/The Sacramento Bee via AP, Pool

Newsom nominates a Latina to be California Supreme Court chief justice, a first

by Nigel Duara August 11, 2022August 11, 2022

Rival states have both enacted recent bounty laws — over abortion in Texas and gun sales in California — but critics worry about where this is headed. Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters, iStock and Reuters Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters, iStock and Reuters

Bounty hunting: Foes of guns and abortion resurrect an old idea

by Nigel Duara August 9, 2022August 9, 2022