'Struck by Justice:' Polly Klaas murder led to harsher sentences. Is that the answer to crime?
The Three Strikes Law in California stemmed from the tragic murder of Polly Klaas, resulting in harsher sentences for repeat offenders.
The law set the tone for tough-on-crime policies, leading to mass incarceration but has faced pushback as criminal justice reform efforts gain traction. [ more ]
Opinion: California has a $38-billion deficit. So why are we still paying for prisons we don't need?
Gov. Gavin Newsom has authorized billions of dollars in spending on corrections officers' raises and prison buildings, despite a decline in incarcerated population and a budget deficit.
California has a history of mismanaging savings from prison realignment and diverting funds to law enforcement, instead of more effective community initiatives. [ more ]
Progressive scholar Cornel West says he will mount third party presidential bid
Former Harvard professor and prominent public intellectual Cornel West will mount a third party run for president, he said on Monday in a video posted on Twitter.A supporter, surrogate and confidante of Bernie Sanders during the Vermont senator's 2016 and 2020 presidential bids, West is one of the leading democratic socialist activists of his generation.
Alameda County DA forms mental health advisory group
By Olivia Wynkoop | Bay City News Foundation The Alameda County District Attorney's office is creating a countywide coalition of mental health activists and parents to advise on mental health issues in the criminal justice system.The 26-member District Attorney's Mental Health Commission will advise the office on how to better respond to criminal justice cases involving people with serious mental illnesses.
Shaneva McReynolds: Legislators can't make effective laws for incarcerated people without seeing prisons
Illinois has inaugurated its 103rd General Assembly, with a host of new legislators..They will join dozens of others who've served before, all of whom will grapple with the issues that face our state.One of the biggest issues Illinois - and frankly, the entire United States - is grappling with is the need for public safety.
I'm an organizer with Empowerment Avenue, a program started at San Quentin State Prison to help incarcerated writers and journalists (who don't have access to internet or email) get their work outside prison walls, get published, and paid for it.We began in 2020, seeing what would happen if we paired editors and writers on the outside with incarcerated writers, to help them build their writing careers.
Clarence Page: By the way, this time democracy itself is on the ballot
In his highly publicized speech on the perils facing American democracy this midterm Election Day President Joe Biden was largely preaching to the choir.The sermon needs to be preached, but is anybody listening?Democracy matters.Free and fair elections are what American democracy is all about or, at least, are supposed to be.
Truss: hacked documents show China's 'human rights violations' in Xinjiang
China has been urged to grant "unfettered" access to the United Nations' human rights watchdog after a cache of police files revealed further details of the abuse of minorities in Xinjiang province.
Brooklyn DA's Office celebrates hip hop for Black History Month
The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office celebrated Black History Month with a star-studded tribute to 50 years of hip hop on Thursday, Feb. 23 at St. Francis College in Downtown Brooklyn."Black music is American music.Black artists have been present throughout the evolution of music from the start, but for much of our history, they weren't given the credit or recognition they deserved," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.