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CA lawsuit challenges cash bail

The procedure of charging and posting cash bail has prompted a historic lawsuit out of San Francisco. Evidence has been mounting for years that the bail system places the poor in an untenable position when they are arrested. As the

Two bills transform CA parole system

James Poulos December 29, 2015

California officials are preparing to implement the state’s latest steps toward a transformed parole system for incarcerated youths. The changes were spearheaded by state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Oakland, who led two bills through closely fought battles in Sacramento. Senate Bill 261

CA faces dueling death penalty initiatives

James Poulos December 20, 2015

Activists on both sides of the death penalty debate were poised for an election day clash, with one group pushing a ban on the practice while the other hoped to speed it up. A new coalition The first group, Taxpayers

CA settles prison suit, curbing solitary

James Poulos September 3, 2015

A momentous court settlement has given new shape to California’s multi-year struggle with the courts over its criminal justice system, rolling back the state’s reliance on solitary confinement as a way of dealing with gangs and violence in prison. “Many such

Survey: Voters want more police oversight, reform

James Poulos September 3, 2015

This year, Californians wanted more police reform than they’ve gotten. The results of a new poll, touted by activist groups, revealed a constituency for continued re-adjustments in the balance between what law enforcement can do and what residents must expect. Broad

GOP mega-donors gather in SoCal; meet with candidates and discuss policy

James Poulos August 5, 2015

Hosted by the organization bearing the Koch brothers’ name, Some 450 business leaders came together in Southern California to think through their policy priorities for 2016. At stake was nearly $890 million in funds to be allocated through the end of next year,

Newsom-led report pushes pot regulations

James Poulos July 29, 2015

Chairing a panel on California’s would-be approach to legal marijuana has tamped down his enthusiasm for pot permissiveness, said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the blue-ribbon panel released a sweeping new report on the question. The commission included Stanford University professor

Questionable practices at CA prisons criticized

James Poulos July 17, 2015

After years spent under the glare of judicial scrutiny, California’s effort to clean up its prison system has run up against a fresh wave of challenges and controversy. Lawsuits, violence and Draconian measures have all increased costs while chipping away at support

CA GOP eyes asset forfeiture reform

James Poulos June 24, 2015

After sailing through the state Senate, a key criminal justice reform bill with bipartisan support faced its first test in the Assembly at a closely watched end-of-month hearing. “SB443 will continue to allow California law enforcement agencies to keep a

CA maxes out death row

James Poulos April 1, 2015

Litigated to all but a halt, California’s system of capital punishment has backed up to crisis levels, filling death row to capacity and prompting an emergency proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown. Nine years after California’s last execution, the system’s near shutdown