California Prison System

California Prison System Marks A Major Milestone

AP | DON THOMPSON | Posted 05.02.2012

TRACY, Calif. — California prisons marked a milestone Friday, when officials said they had removed the last of nearly 20,000 beds that had been ...

Should Inmates Be Forced To Submit DNA?

AP | PAUL ELIAS | Posted 04.25.2012

SAN FRANCISCO — A divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday that California law enforcement officials can keep collecting DNA samples from pe...

'Somehow Those Promises Don't Get Kept'

AP | By DON THOMPSON | Posted 03.28.2012

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The court-appointed receiver overseeing California's prison health care system said Friday the state must keep its promise to sp...

Shifting Prisoners To Counties: The Downside

| Sam Pearson | Posted 11.21.2011

This article comes to us courtesy of California Watch By Sam Pearson California needs to pay attention to potential strains on county services...

Analysis: Cash-Strapped California Needs Investors To Finance Prison 'Realignment'

Posted 12.03.2011

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Golden State may be ushering in a golden era for investing in jails. California's prisons ``realignment'' begins ...

Robin Wilkey

'No Other Country Sentences Kids To Die In Prison'

HuffingtonPost.com | Robin Wilkey | Posted 10.17.2011

SAN FRANCISCO -- The United States is the only country that sentences juveniles to life without parole. And in California, about 295 defendants serve ...

The Real Solution For Prison Overcrowding?

| Posted 10.08.2011

This article comes to us courtesy of California Watch. By Ryan Gabrielson The Legislative Analyst’s Office is calling on state lawmakers to ge...

California Prison Hunger Strike Ends

Carly Schwartz | Posted 09.20.2011

Prison officials announced Thursday that California inmates have ended a statewide hunger strike that began three weeks ago at Pelican Bay State Priso...

Laura Gottesdiener

Inside 30 Years Of California's Disastrous Punitive Prison Legislation

HuffingtonPost.com | Laura Gottesdiener | Posted 07.27.2011

NEW YORK -- Since 1977, California’s prison system, one of the most punitive in the country, has been built on the belief that a man like Shawn Vasq...

Laura Gottesdiener

Do California's Prisons Punish Inmates Based On Race?

HuffingtonPost.com | Laura Gottesdiener | Posted 07.25.2011

The overcrowding in California's state prison system constitutes cruel and unusual treatment, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a case that focused on...

Laura Gottesdiener

Supreme Court: California Prison System Inmates Suffer From Cruel And Unusual Punishment

HuffingtonPost.com | Laura Gottesdiener | Posted 07.24.2011

A crumbling building called East Block, a section of California’s oldest jail, San Quentin State Prison, houses some of the state’s most dangerous...

California Prisons Will Still Churn Out Failure

Michael Santos | Posted 07.24.2011

Michael Santos

Prisoners who have worked toward earning meaningful academic credentials, built strong networks of support with law-abiding citizens, and demonstrated their commitment to leading law-abiding lives should expect resistance rather than encouragement.

LA Finishes New $74M Jail, Has No Money For Jailers

latimes.com | Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times | Posted 05.25.2011

The new detention center sits empty because of the city's dire fiscal crisis, which has left the LAPD unable to hire enough jailers to operate the lar...

California Now Freeing Violent Inmates To Save Money

AP | DON THOMPSON | Posted 05.25.2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Inmates convicted of violent crimes are among those being freed early from California jails to save money, despite lawmaker...

Governor Schwarzenegger's Plan for Prisons Ignores Racial History

Michelle Alexander | Posted 05.25.2011

Michelle Alexander

Some might argue that the racial history doesn't matter now, so long as the tide has begun to turn. The problem, though, is that if we fail to reckon with our history, we will be doomed to repeat it.

Prison Prevention for Kids: A Little Money Well Spent

Ramon Resa, MD | Posted 11.17.2011

Ramon Resa, MD

Intervention at the right age can turn a kid away from gangs, crime, and drugs for good whereas doling out stiff penalties only seems to result in more people going to prison.

"The Jim Crow Laws of the 21st Century": Will New York Change?

Odile Weissenborn | Posted 05.25.2011

Odile Weissenborn

In New York, the 36-year-old Rockefeller Drug Laws may be massively overhauled.

The Failures of California's Proposition 5

Jerry Brown | Posted 05.25.2011

Jerry Brown

Proposition 5 could have provided sensible, understandable and needed improvements to the criminal Justice System. Unfortunately, it did not. Not even close.

The Battle Over CA Prop 5: Special Interests Overwhelming the Public Interest

Arianna Huffington | Posted 05.25.2011

Arianna Huffington

The drug war continues to be an electrified third rail in American politics. And political money continues to be a roadblock to real reform. Don't believe the hype. Vote Yes on Prop 5.