In February, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón became the latest local Democratic politician to fold to conservative critics when he walked back two major campaign promises that had swept him into office just over a year before.
Prosecutors who have championed criminal justice reforms are still seeking death sentences, opposing appeals, and, in some cases, have even petitioned for execution dates.
Philadelphia’s top prosecutor has made good on promises to reduce incarceration in the city. His re-election bid will be a litmus test for the progressive prosecutor movement he helped start.
After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons.
New evidence suggests more accounting troubles for the CDAA.
A coalition of environmental groups urges the legislature to force the repayment and dissociate from the CDAA.
In many of America’s major cities, the early efforts to reduce incarceration during the pandemic have been reversed.
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.
A look at the organization’s past actions suggests that this lawsuit is part of a longstanding pattern of ideologically motivated advocacy and commitment to tough-on-crime policies, rather than a show of blind allegiance to the law.
While bans on capital punishment progress at the state level, the federal government is racing to carry out three more executions before President Trump’s term end. Ten people have been put to death since July, the first such executions since 2003.
On his first day in office, George Gascón said prosecutors will not seek bail starting Jan. 1, a win for criminal justice reformers.
Candidates promising to remake Southern California’s legal system, won major races for DA, county supervisor, and City Council, among others while overcoming significant spending by pro-law enforcement groups.
Los Angeles County, with the country’s largest jail system and largest local prosecutor office, is considered a crown jewel in a nationwide push for criminal justice reform.
DA Jackie Lacey and challenger George Gascón outlined diverging visions for the top prosecutor’s office in the nation’s most populous county.
Late-stage donations to the Los Angeles DA race increase concerns about the influence of law enforcement money on politics.
In late April, officer Toni McBride shot Daniel Hernandez to death after a suicide call. His attorney and grieving family say videos posted on social media of McBride gleefully firing high-powered weapons show that she’s a trigger-happy officer.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and others say the money creates ethical conflicts when police are prosecuted for misconduct.
A fiery debate outlined what’s at stake in the race to lead the largest prosecutor’s office in the country.
Lack of evidence does not stop opponents of former San Francisco DA George Gascón from making the claim that the city’s criminal justice reforms unleashed a crime wave.
Activists hope Chesa Boudin will press charges, and push for systemic changes to address the criminalization of mental illness.
The influx of cash shows the police union’s determination to stop the reform-minded district attorney candidate.
After two terms at the helm of the nation’s largest prosecutor office, Lacey has drawn pointed criticism from community advocates who say she is standing in the way of criminal justice reform.
The former San Francisco DA got the nod over incumbent Jackie Lacey, whose tenure advocates and activists have long criticized as lackluster.
On a host of issues—including police shootings, bail reform, marijuana legalization, and the death penalty—critics say Lacey, once seen as a reformer, has sought to preserve the status quo.
Loftus led the San Francisco Police Commission through a bloody and turbulent era.
Police and prosecutors framed a father of four in a 2007 murder case with local and national political implications.
Prosecutors are supremely powerful and have played an outsize role in mass incarceration. What can be done?
In a wide-ranging interview, Boudin, a progressive reform candidate, told The Appeal he wants to redefine ‘public safety’ to encompass the rights of both victims and defendants.
Everyone agrees the jail at 850 Bryant should close, but it’s not yet clear what would happen to those locked inside.
Supporters hope the passage of Prop C may herald a more compassionate—and effective—approach.