criminal justice

Kathleen Bils in her San Diego home on May 1, 2021, a year after her son was killed by a sheriff’s deputy. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Justice

Is California’s new police deadly force law making a difference?

Cases in San Diego and San Leandro will test the stricter standards on when officers can shoot to kill. Training of officers on the new law is inconsistent.

By

Byrhonda Lyons

and

Laurel Rosenhall

• May 11, 2021

Nine-year-old Tag, a 1,000 lb Kodiak bear, lays in the sunshine while recall candidate John Cox speaks to the press at a campaign event at Miller Regional Park in Sacramento on May 4, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Recall circus begins

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, May 5. Elections and bears, oh my If, like me, you didn’t have “California political candidate campaigns with 1,000-pound Kodiak bear” on your 2021 bingo card, you were not prepared for the excesses of a gubernatorial recall election. The effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office entered a new […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• May 5, 2021

Blossom Sergejev, left, and her mother, Amika Mota, are photographed at their home in Concord on April 26, 2021. Sergejev says she and Mota were only able to speak for a few minutes a month during the six years Mota was incarcerated. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Commentary

High-priced jail phone calls: $15 to talk to your daughter

Research shows that the more people stay in touch with their families while in jail, the better they do when they get out.

By

Guest Commentary

• April 27, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic led to an unprecedented drop in public school enrollment in California. Image via iStock

WhatMatters

Public school enrollment hits 20-year low: Biggest dip in youngest grades

California’s public schools lost more than 160,000 students amid the pandemic, the largest enrollment drop in two decades and a likely harbinger of serious educational and financial challenges. The sharp 2.6% decline, announced Thursday by the California Department of Education, doesn’t capture the full effects of the pandemic. The enrollment tally comes from a one-day […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 23, 2021

Detainees wait in a cell for an appearance in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento on Nov. 1, 2016. Even before the pandemic, California courts struggled to dispose of cases in a timely fashion for myriad reasons, and just how to just how to address the systemic issue remains unclear. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Justice

Can California fix long waits in jail? These bills may help

A CalMatters investigation found that at least 1,300 people have been locked in county jails for longer than three years awaiting a trial or sentencing. The findings are “surprising and embarrassing,” said State Sen. Tom Umberg, chair of the Judiciary Committee.

By

Robert Lewis

• April 13, 2021

Commentary

Law enforcement should get backlog of rape kits tested

Law enforcement’s indifference to a rape kit backlog reporting requirement is stunning; Legislature should hold agencies accountable.

By

Guest Commentary

• April 1, 2021

Justice

Waiting for justice: Defendants locked up for years awaiting trials, sentencing

Across California, 44,241 people are being held in a county jail without being convicted or sentenced for a crime. That’s three quarters of all inmates. At least 1,317 people have been waiting in county jails for more than 3 years. For 332 of them, it’s been longer than 5 years. In 32 counties that gave […]

By

Robert Lewis

• March 31, 2021