My Son Died in LA County Custody. Months Later, His Death Hasn’t Been Counted.
A controversial death in Los Angeles this year underscores the broader failure of law enforcement agencies to keep accurate data on people who die in their custody.
D. Pulane Lucas Sep 08, 2023
Los Angeles Commits Another $1 Billion to LAPD Despite Falling Violent Crime
Police say they need pay raises to help with hiring and retention. But crime has been falling in LA, even as the department reports having its lowest number of officers in decades.
Meg O'Connor Aug 23, 2023
The Two Months I Didn’t Eat: Inside the Longest Prison Hunger Strike in California History
Ten years ago this month, nearly 29,000 people in California prisons staged a hunger strike to protest solitary confinement.
Brian Quintanilla Jul 25, 2023
As California Shuts its Youth Prisons, Unlikely Critics Emerge
The third installment in The Imprint’s series on the fight to close California’s youth prisons.
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 13, 2023
‘The Darkest Part of the Tunnel’
Youth in solitary confinement wrote letters to save their lives. One lawyer responded.
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 06, 2023
Calls Are Free, But California Prisoners Still Face Communication Obstacles
Months-long outages, equipment shortages, and unreliable service have plagued the roll out of new telecoms contract in California prisons.
Steve Brooks, Olivia Heffernan May 22, 2023
‘This Is How Easy It Is For Someone To Be Wrongfully Convicted’
Uriah Courtney was sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. His conviction was overturned due to DNA evidence.
Meg O'Connor May 17, 2023
The Untold Story of How a Stubborn Group of Parents Helped Shutter the Nation’s Largest Youth Prison System
How a scrappy group of parents played a key but lesser-known role in the pending closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Apr 26, 2023
How California Cops Exploit Legal Gray Areas to Continue Their War on Cannabis
Years after legalization, the state’s growers say police are taking a “seize first, ask questions later” mentality toward marijuana enforcement, sometimes with heavily militarized operations that allegedly violate their rights.
Kate Mishkin Apr 20, 2023
In LA Jails, Mentally Ill People Are Chained to Tables and Rarely Get Psychiatric Care
Los Angeles County is imprisoning more people with mental illness than it did a decade ago—but is failing to provide them with basic treatment. The U.S. Department of Justice says the county jail system is decrepit, dangerous, and unfit to house anyone—let alone people with mental illness.
Meg O'Connor Mar 10, 2023
San Quentin’s Rolling Lockdowns Are Not Keeping Anyone Safe
We’re still overcrowded and set up for disaster.
Rahsaan Thomas Feb 07, 2023
California Politicians are Disguising Homeless Sweeps as “Care”
Newsom’s measure—called “CARE Court”—paves the way for family members, state officials, and first responders to force more unhoused people into court-ordered treatment programs for a period of up to two years.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 25, 2023
A New Class of Candidates Seeks to Transform L.A.’s Approach to Housing, Justice
After a scandal engulfed some of L.A.’s most powerful politicians, a slate of progressive candidates is running on new approaches for tackling homelessness and mass incarceration.
Francisco Aviles Pino Nov 08, 2022
DOJ Finds Orange County Sheriff, DA Violated Civil Rights Using Illegal Jailhouse Informants
After a six-year investigation, the DOJ says Orange County law-enforcement unconstitutionally used jailhouse informants to elicit confessions and incriminating evidence from people for years.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, Jerry Iannelli Oct 13, 2022
L.A. County’s Jail Booking Center Has Become a ‘Living Hell,’ Detainees Say in Court Filing
County officials agree that conditions have deteriorated at L.A.’s Inmate Reception Center. But they’re resisting calls for substantive change.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 13, 2022
Who Will San Francisco Blame for Crime and Disorder Now?
If Brooke Jenkins fails to deliver results with “tough-on-crime” policies, will San Franciscans blame her, just as they did her predecessor, Chesa Boudin?
Nick Wing Aug 10, 2022
Amid Fears of Crime and Mental Illness, States Move to Expand Forced Treatment
Advocates of assisted outpatient treatment say it could reduce homelessness and mass shootings. Critics call it incarceration by another name.
Caleb Brennan Aug 04, 2022
Advancing Peace, Against the Odds
In Stockton, California, a police-free gun violence prevention program is standing firm against the tough-on-crime backlash.
Heather Tirado Gilligan Aug 03, 2022
28 Years, 160 Arrests: What One Man’s Record Reveals About San Diego’s Broken Justice System
What do you do with people who are repeatedly failed by social services and the legal system?
Kelly Davis Jul 11, 2022
The Chesa Boudin Recall Was a Fight to Protect the Status Quo
For the wealthy backers of the Boudin recall, “progressive” prosecutors are the perfect scapegoat for what they see as threats to a system that treats them just fine.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 08, 2022
What Happened When Oakland Tried to Make Police Pay for Misconduct Decades Ago
In the ’90s, the city passed a policy requiring the police department to pay some of their own legal costs. There’s no evidence that the department ever paid up.
Akintunde Ahmad Mar 01, 2022
Meet the California PR Firm Helping Cops Fight Off Bad Press
There’s a growing business crafting law enforcement narratives about police shootings and officer misconduct.
Scott Morris Nov 30, 2021
When Prisons Locked Down, Prisoners Were Denied Release
Leaving prison often hinges on completing rehabilitative programming. The pandemic caused many of these required courses to be put on hold.
Daniel Moritz-Rabson Jun 29, 2021
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime
Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies.
Kyle C. Barry Jun 22, 2021
The California Attorney General is Investigating Sean Monterrosa’s Killing. His Sisters Are Also Fighting For Systemic Change
Monterrosa, 22, was killed by a police officer who had a history of shooting at civilians. His sisters are pushing for a law they believe could have saved him.
Piper French May 17, 2021
Failure To Disclose
Despite a 2019 California law mandating the release of certain records related to police misconduct, law enforcement agencies in the state are still fighting records requests.
Darwin BondGraham, Ali Winston May 05, 2021
California’s New Attorney General Has A Reputation As A Criminal Justice Reformer. But His Biggest Test Is Yet To Come
Rob Bonta’s career has hinged on the idea that the law can be used to engender social justice. His elevation to California’s “top cop” position, where he will become responsible for the vast bureaucracy of the state’s criminal legal system, will be a crucible for that belief.
Piper French May 03, 2021
‘It Tears Families Apart’: Lawmakers Nationwide Are Moving to End Mandatory Sentencing
Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 15, 2021
After Daunte Wright’s Death, Advocates Press Leaders to Get Police Out of Traffic Enforcement
Cities across the country must rethink the role of law enforcement, as police continue to brutalize and kill Black men and women during traffic stops, advocates say.
Joshua Vaughn Apr 14, 2021
Children Can Be On Their Own When Grilled By Police. The Push for Protection is Growing
Several states, including Maryland, are considering bills to protect minors from abusive police interrogations.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 25, 2021
Jeff Rosen Sought the Death Penalty For An Innocent Man. He Shouldn’t Be California’s Next AG
The Santa Clara County district attorney’s name has been floated for the role of the state’s top prosecutor despite his use of the death penalty against people of color.
Michael Ogul Mar 19, 2021
California Governor Commutes Sentence of Abuse Survivor, Grants Clemency to Several Others
Advocates have been urging Governor Gavin Newsom to make greater use of his clemency power, especially for older prisoners who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor, Joshua Vaughn Mar 12, 2021
California Prosecutors’ Association Reveals More Public Money May Have Been Misspent
New evidence suggests more accounting troubles for the CDAA.
Jerry Iannelli Mar 05, 2021
Berkeley City Council Passes Sweeping Reforms to Limit Police Traffic Stops
In an effort to end systemic racism, the California city will aim to reduce the number of police-involved traffic stops for expired registrations and other small violations.
Joshua Vaughn Feb 23, 2021
California’s D.A. Association Misspent $3 million. Environmental Groups Want it Repaid
A coalition of environmental groups urges the legislature to force the repayment and dissociate from the CDAA.
Jerry Iannelli Feb 23, 2021
New York Moves A Step Closer To Decriminalizing Sex Work
After organizing to repeal the “walking while trans” ban, advocates in the state—and around the country—are looking ahead to the next fight.
Bryce Covert Feb 09, 2021
At Least 5 Capitol Rally Participants Were In A Violent ‘Patriot March’ In San Diego
Right-wingers and ultranationalists convened in the city days after the Washington insurrection, but the police crackdown that day fell on counterprotesters.
James Stout Feb 03, 2021
The California District Attorneys Association Is Failing Californians
After years of misappropriating millions of dollars, opposing criminal justice reform, and ignoring the will of voters, the CDAA must be held to account by the governor and the attorney general.
Sydney Kamlager Feb 01, 2021
Compton Joins the Growing Number of U.S. Cities to Launch a Guaranteed Income Program
The California city began distributing out up to $600 monthly to low-income residents.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 28, 2021
‘Captain Taser’
A Vallejo police lieutenant has a long history of excessive force allegations in a department that is under investigation by the California Department of Justice—and he continues to rise in the ranks.
Brian Krans Jan 21, 2021