#criminal-justice-reform

#criminal-justice-reform

Proposition 36, a state ballot measure, enacted harsher penalties for minor theft and drug offenses, with proponents pledging the crackdown would lead to mass treatment to keep people alive, out of jail, and off our streets. Case records, however, suggest the state is largely failing to meet the central goal of getting people help and instead conducting mass arrests and incarcerating more people with addiction.

It's time we start using the tremendous wealth in this state to invest in people's needs.

The high-ranking role comes with a $180,000 to $230,000 salary, the listing states, and "will serve as a trusted advisor to the mayor, first deputy mayor, and the administration's senior leadership on all matters related to the closing of Rikers."

Drawing from years in public defense and her work co-founding Partners for Justice, she explains why the criminal legal system often punishes instability rather than crime - and how policy choices, not individual morality, frequently determine who enters the system.

A far-left Brooklyn pol is hoping the third time's a charm with socialist Zohran Mamdani now NYC mayor as she pushes legislation that could give "young people" carte blanche to commit crimes without fear of being arrested. The legislation, reintroduced for a third time on Jan. 29 by Democratic Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, would require that "young people" be "diverted" to "community-based organizations to receive services in lieu of criminal enforcement."

Local nonprofit For The People presents a free special screening of Oscar-nominated documentary The Alabama Solution, a gripping inside look at how incarcerated men risk everything to expose injustice-using footage captured behind prison walls. The screening will be followed by a conversation with justice leaders focused on solutions. Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.

After her partner was sentenced to 22 years in jail at age 17, Harris experienced life as a young Black mother fighting to keep her family intact while navigating the justice system. "The first five years were the most difficult for him because he felt his life was over," she said. "Twenty-two years ... when you are a teenager sounds like a lifetime."

David Lammy's plans to introduce judge-only criminal trials in England and Wales will save less than 2% of time in crown courts, the Institute for Government (IFG) has said. In a report that casts doubt on the ability of the changes, which will slash the number of jury trials to achieve their goal of wiping out the courts' backlog, the thinktank described the gains from judge-only trials as marginal.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

More than a decade after a jailhouse snitch scandal rocked the Orange County district attorney's office and nearly upended the prosecution of the deadliest mass shooting in county history, federal officials announced they have ceased overseeing the department's informant program, citing recent reforms. The decision, announced Dec. 23, ends a year-long agreement between the Department of Justice and local prosecutors who were tasked with reforming the way they use informants in criminal cases.

In 2024 in Alameda County, we saw that same carnage, the destabilization of our justice system by a billionaire - a single billionaire - and his wannabe wealthy friends, who spent millions of dollars on a recall campaign to destabilize our justice system.

The law is meant to offer hope to people who are facing long sentences for crimes related to their victimization: women who kill their abusers, for instance, or victims of sex trafficking who harm the people who have trafficked them. These people are often referred to as criminalized survivors, recognizing their dual status as victims and defendants. Similar laws have already been passed in California, Illinois, New York, Georgia, and Oklahoma and proposed in several other states.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

He served 27 years in prison before being granted parole. As soon as he was released, he was taken into ICE custody. Although not currently incarcerated, Prasad is haunted by the fear of deportation, given the administration's escalated actions against immigrants. Additionally, as a queer man, he faces potential persecution in Fiji. Prasad and his legal team are seeking a full pardon from Governor Newsom.