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A Fight Over Funding Alternatives to Incarceration While the LA County Jails’ Death Toll Continues to Rise
On Tuesday, September 12, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to set aside $88 million in Measure J funding for alternatives to incarceration meant to help the county shut down the dangerous and dungeon-like Men’s Central Jail. Measure J, a ballot initiative approved by voters in 2020,...
This L.A. Democrat is a ‘New Testament kind of guy’ — and one of California’s most powerful voices on criminal justice
The man — tall and gaunt, slightly bedraggled, carrying a plastic grocery bag — nodded to Reggie Jones-Sawyer as he ambled down the sidewalk. “Hey, Reverend,” he drawled. In his crisp blue suit, with matching baby pink striped shirt, tie and pocket square, Jones-Sawyer didn’t flinch.
Deconstructing the conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 5 – Preparing to appeal to the 9th
On Monday, September 11, Mark Ridley-Thomas filed what is called a Notice of Appeal, an eight-page document in which his attorneys notified U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer that their client is appealing his conviction and his sentence to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
More than 80 criminal justice leaders urge GA Court to protect prosecutorial independence in GA—and across the U.S.— by declaring SB 92 unconstitutional.
This past week, a group of 84 current and former elected prosecutors, former U.S. Attorneys, and former Department of Justice officials sought permission to file an amicus brief urging the Fulton County Superior Court to uphold the independence of locally elected district attorneys and to “safeguard the right of voters” to choose the leaders they prefer, including prosecutors, without the interference of potentially politically motivated local lawmakers.
CA bill would shift restitution from juveniles to State
Xochtil Larios entered adulthood with a $3,500 restitution debt to her name after years in the foster and juvenile justice systems. She was determined to move forward, but the restitution debt from a crime she was charged with as a teenager felt insurmountable. The debt impacted her “mentally, physically, financially,...
Deconstructing the conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 4 – Alleged Quid Pro Quo Contracts & MRT’s Prison Sentence
On Monday morning, August 28, U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer sentenced Mark Ridley-Thomas to 42 months in federal prison, and three additional years of supervised release. Fischer also ordered Ridley-Thomas to pay a $30,000 fine. He is to self-surrender to federal marshals on November 13, 2023. Ridley-Thomas and...
Opinion: I have a form of PTSD that’s rarely talked about
My time spent in unsafe neighborhoods and unsafe prisons has taught me a secret: Most people in urban America and locked up suffer from what I consider to be a serious mental health affliction. That problem is what I call “Hood PTSD,” a type of post-traumatic stress disorder. People raised...
LA’s dangerous and abuse-ridden Men’s Central Jail sees three more deaths in a single week
WitnessLA gets calls from people inside of the county’s jail system on a semi-regular basis. A great deal of the time, the callers just want to talk to someone. But, in other instances, the jail residents–many of whom are past sources who’ve kept in touch—want know if we can get them some help with problems they are facing inside this or that facility, most particularly Men’s Central Jail.
Deconstructing the Conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas – Part 4: The Trial Penalty
On Monday, August 21, Mark Ridley-Thomas and his team of defense attorneys will come before U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer in order to persuade the judge that Los Angeles County’s long-time and much revered policy maker should not be sentenced to any prison time. Also on Monday,...
Deconstructing the Conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas – Part 3: government prosecutors want a 6-year prison sentence
The U.S. Government believes that Mark Ridley-Thomas, the former state senator, former assemblyman, former member of the board of supervisors, and twice-city council member should be sentenced to federal prison for 72 months. For those still doing the math, that’s six years in a federal lock-up. Today, Monday, August...
Mental Health Care Is Critical for Survivors of Violence. Access Is Another Story
Lisbet wondered if the victim advocate had made a mistake. Lisbet was at the Family Justice Center in San Diego, a social services agency for domestic violence survivors, trying to get help with basic needs like shelter and food after leaving her abusive husband. And she was being offered counseling.
40 years ago, the US began sending large numbers of kids to prison without hope of release. A former prosecutor looks at how things have changed
A South Carolina judge heard arguments in late May 2023 to reconsider the sentence for Jesse Osborne, who carried out a school shooting in 2016. Fourteen years old at the time, Osborne killed his father, then opened fire at Townsville Elementary School, killing a 6-year-old child and injuring others. He...
Friday night, any & all available youth probation staff members were called to report to LA County’s Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall because of a “large disturbance”
On Friday, July 28, LA County Probation officials put out a call for “all sworn staff” who were not on “work restrictions” to report to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey where there was a “large disturbance” in the facility, with young people also attempting to escape the youth hall.
How San Luis Obispo Parents are Helping Prevent Relationship Violence Before It Starts
When Christina Kaviani’s son, 6, doesn’t want to hug a grandparent or friend, Kaviani goes against some parenting methods and doesn’t make him. To her, it’s a matter of consent. As an educator on healthy relationships, consent is at the heart of what she teaches. Kaviani...
Punishing Families Part 2: L.A. County Data Reveals Child Removal Hotspots
This is the second in a multi-part series about racial and economic disparities in Los Angeles County’s child welfare system, and the impact family surveillance and separation has on kids and their parents. Last August, Princess Dale was invited to receive two certificates of appreciation from the city of...
Deconstructing the Conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 2
Two weeks ago, at 9:58 a.m. on Monday, June 26, U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer entered her 7th floor courtroom at the United States Courthouse at 350 1st Street in downtown Los Angeles, with the purpose of hearing two motions filed by the attorneys for Mark Ridley-Thomas. Nearly an...
Op-ed: How LA County’s zero-bail rules can help others like me
This piece was published in coordination with Zealous, an organization working to challenge injustice through media, storytelling, and the arts. In April 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Los Angeles County Superior Court adopted the “emergency bail schedule” (EBS) policy, which protected people charged with most misdemeanors and low-level crimes from being jailed pretrial. The impact was significant. Instead of staying in jail because they couldn’t afford bail, thousands of people got to keep their jobs, continue going to school, take care of relatives, access needed medication, and experience everyday freedoms.
A new lawsuit filed by veterinarian Dr. Yolanda Cassidy once again shines a spotlight on the death of LASD K-9 Spike
Two and a half years ago, on Oct 29, 2020, a K-9 dog who worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department died after being left on a hot day inside a department-owned 2013 Chevy Tahoe, under circumstances that still remain unclear. Yet, the death of the six-year-old black...
The Journey to Becoming a Better Dad Inside Prison
In 2011, a 20-year prison sentence turned my life completely upside down. This was not my first time being incarcerated, but it was the longest sentence I had ever received. This new reality was hard to accept. Twenty years was enough time to lose the people I cared about and damage the relationships I hoped to maintain.
Bring Back the Jury Trial
Plea bargaining is, in theory, intended to serve as an integral part of our criminal legal system — rewarding those who quickly accept responsibility for their crimes with more lenient sentences, making efficient use of resources, and sparing both victims and defendants the stress of a trial. But it...
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