Prisons

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at San Quentin State Prison announcing that the facility will be transformed to focus on training and rehabilitation on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Commentary

California criminal justice system has a long way to go if Newsom wants to model Norway

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to transform San Quentin State Prison by modeling the prison system in Norway. But changing one facility will not accomplish the sort of wholesale reforms required to mirror the Norwegian criminal justice system.

By

Guest Commentary

• April 28, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the media after announcing the state's plan to address homelessness across the state at Cal Expo in Sacramento, on March 16, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

WhatMatters

Newsom on tour: Next stop, San Quentin

In March 2019, as one of his first major decisions in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on executions. He later dismantled the lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison — a move that garnered plenty of criticism despite the fact that California has not executed anyone since 2006. Today — on Day […]

By

Lynn La

• March 17, 2023

An inmate walks around the exercise yard at San Quentin State Prison on April 12, 2022. Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo

Justice

Gavin Newsom moves to ‘transform’ San Quentin as California prison population shrinks

San Quentin housed California’s death row for decades. Now Gov. Newsom wants the prison on San Francisco Bay to emphasize rehabilitation and helping inmates re-enter society.

By

Nigel Duara

• March 16, 2023

Illustration by Teresa Tauchi, Prison Journalism Project

Commentary

What a 74-year-old’s death in prison says about California’s elderly parole program

Between 2014 and 2020, California's elderly parole program had a 19% release rate. Many of these incarcerated seniors are dying or will die in prison, despite extremely low recidivism rates for their age group.

By

Guest Commentary

• February 9, 2023

Inmates walk through the exercise yard at California State Prison Sacramento, near Folsom, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2013. A proposed constitutional amendment would allow imprisoned Californians to vote. A proposed constitutional amendment would allow imprisoned Californians to vote. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

WhatMatters

Will California allow ballots behind bars?

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan says it’s time to let California prisoners vote. To be clear, the Culver City Democrat who leads the Assembly election committee, isn’t talking about extending the franchise to people with felonies on their record. California and 21 other states already allow for that. Bryan’s bill, which he introduced as a proposed amendment […]

By

Ben Christopher

• February 8, 2023

Inmates pass a correctional officer as they leave an exercise yard at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville on June 20, 2018. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Commentary

Correctional officers will benefit from California prison closures, too

Incarceration shortens the life expectancy of inmates and correctional officers alike. Many California leaders view prison closures as a cost-saving measure, but the health benefits may be more impactful for the people who live or work inside.

By Steve Brooks • February 3, 2023

Lorenzo Mays poses for a photo outside the group home where he lives in Shingle Springs on Aug, 10, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

WhatMatters

How the mentally disabled can languish in California jails

For almost nine years, Lorenzo Mays disappeared inside Sacramento County jail, charged with a murder he insists he didn’t commit. During that time, Mays was never brought to trial. He wasn’t allowed to leave. Instead, he remained in a kind of legal limbo, with most of his years spent in solitary confinement. The reason? Judges […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• December 15, 2022

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

Justice

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

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

By

Nigel Duara

• December 2, 2022

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

Justice

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

Newly acquired state data shows that the Corrections Department transferred patients with serious mental illnesses an average of five times over a six-year period, underscoring a CalMatters’ investigation this year that revealed the practice and raised questions about the harm it could cause.

By

Byrhonda Lyons

,

Jocelyn Wiener

and

Erica Yee

• November 21, 2022

Commentary

Past offenders get a second chance under groundbreaking California record seal law

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that seals certain criminal records. The new law could reduce recidivism and help millions of past offenders secure a job or housing.

By

Guest Commentary

• October 31, 2022