Criminal Justice

Instead of closing prisons to help close a budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to close 46 total housing blocks. The cost of housing inmates will keep growing unless access to rehabilitation programs improves.

Powerless Republican legislators have shown signs of life in California politics by focusing attention on crime as public attitudes change.

Judges at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals distinguished between gun sellers' Constitutional rights and the government’s authority to decide what kind of commerce takes place on public property.

A bill that would increase penalties for those who assault hospital emergency department workers is facing the same pushback that other recent tough-on-crime legislation has from progressive Democrats leery of increasing incarceration rates.

Much of California's November ballot is already decided given the state's political leanings, so the real action will come from as many as 15 ballot measures. Some could have massive financial impacts.

California has conflicting laws and court decisions on what judges should prioritize when setting bail. A case involving a homeless man with a long criminal record could resolve some uncertainty.

The rhetoric around public safety in the Los Angeles district attorney race overstates the scope of the office, crime realities and priorities for many voters. Yet at least one candidate thinks it will determine who wins.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is recommending small cuts to the state prison system, avoiding the closures of additional facilities.

“Jail suicides are extraordinarily difficult to protect against,” a retired California sheriff said. One jail in the San Joaquin Valley is changing routines to keep inmates from harming themselves.

A 2021 California law restricts when police can use rubber bullets, bean bag rounds and tear gas on protesters. A retired LAPD officer questions why less lethal munitions appeared to be indiscriminately fired into the pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA last week.