Criminal Sentencing and Punishment

Orange Is the New Black's Radical Critique of American Prisons

Gov. Jerry Brown Attacks Carmen Trutanich for Flip-Flop on Prison Realignment

Gov. Jerry Brown has weighed in on the race for L.A. city attorney, recording a robocall attacking incumbent Carmen Trutanich for "misleading voters" on the issue of prison realignment. Trutanich supported Brown's realignment plan when he ran for district attorney last year. But now that he's runn ... More >>

Richard Bradford, Murder Parolee, Ran Drug Rehab Center Endorsed By Mayor Villaraigosa

A murder convict on parole who's been off the radar since 1980 was arrested in Monrovia over the weekend, state officials announced today. And what has Richard Bradford been up to? According to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), he's been running "a high-end drug rehabil ... More >>

Proposition 34: Campaign to Repeal the Death Penalty is Gaining Traction According to Poll

Good news today for supporters of Proposition 34, the initiative that would end executions in California and see the sentences of the state's 725 death row inmates automatically commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to a Field Poll released this morning, for first ... More >>

Proposition 36 Three Strikes

In South L.A., former prisoners hope voters will soften law

Three Strikes? D.A. Candidate Jackie Lacey and the Teen Who Got Life for a Stolen Cell Phone

In 1997, 18-year-old Andre Wilks broke into a Nissan Maxima parked outside of a Target store in Granada Hills and stole a cell phone. The vehicle burglary qualified as a third strike for Wilks, who had been convicted in 1995 for a purse-snatching spree committed one week after he turned 16. If the ... More >>

Black Riders Liberation Party's General TACO Visited by Authorities After May Day Rally

Members of the Black Riders Liberation Party, self-described as the Black Panthers for the modern era, say their Watts headquarters was raided by authorities today in retaliation for the group's participation in Tuesday's raucous May Day rallies in L.A. A spokesman for the state parole agency says ... More >>

Maria Hicks Gets Justice: Grandmother Murdered for Standing Up to Taggers Angel Chris Rojas and Cesar Lopez

Vicious taggers in 2007 murdered Maria Hicks, a beloved grandmother and neighbor in Pico Rivera, for committing the insult of flashing her headlights at one of them to stop him as he scrawled graffiti on a wall in her community. Today Norwalk Superior Court Judge Dewey Falcone sent that violent tagg ... More >>

Ben Bradley Murderer Convicted: Reactions From the Theater Community

Conrad Murray Gets Four Years in L.A. County Jail for Involuntary Manslaughter

Could Conrad Murray wiggle out of his full four-year sentence?​Update: L.A. Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore says Murray will likely serve "a little less than two years." More dauntingly, the D.A. wants him to pay over $100 million to Michael Jackson's kids. Also: remorseless BOO ... More >>

Steve Cooley, L.A.'s District Attorney, Vows to Prosecute Criminals Back to Prison Despite Inmate Reduction Plan

James Fayed Gets Death Penalty: L.A. Gold Trader Who Plotted Wife's Murder Could Cost Taxpayers Over $300 Million

KTLAJames Fayed is sentenced to death.​James Fayed's crime was as heinous as they come: Last summer, the wealthy businessman admitted to a Los Angeles jail mate that he'd paid several men to murder 44-year-old Pamela Fayed, his estranged wife, in a Century City parking garage in 2008. (The cou ... More >>

Teflon Sheriff Lee Baca Can Now Decide Inmate Sentences: D.A. Steve Cooley Concerned About More Bad Guys on L.A. Streets

D.A. Steve Cooley is not liking 'realignment.'​If you think Sheriff Lee Baca's L.A. County Jails are a mess now, what with years'-old allegations of deputies beating inmates and a reported system of problem cops being assigned to lockup duty, just wait. You see, under California's inmate-redu ... More >>

Prisoners, Parolees Headed to L.A. Under State Prison Downsizing: LAPD Chief Beck Says 150 Cops Will be Cut From Streets to Handle Them

Some of the worst news about L.A.'s response to the transfer of thousands of state prisoners and parolees to county jails and local police oversight is that the LAPD says it will need to take 150 officers off the streets to deal with them. In a geographically vast city with less than 10,000 officer ... More >>

Don Heller, Same Lawyer Who Wrote California Death Penalty, Now Fighting to Abolish It

calwatchdog.comThe California death chamber: Even more expensive than it is terrifying.​The court of public opinion was in an uproar yesterday, both in the hours before and after Georgia man Troy Davis was executed by the government for a crime he maintains he didn't commit. By this morning, # ... More >>

California Death Penalty Could be Overturned With Your Vote: L.A. Police Union Says No to Statewide Ballot Measure

Richard Ramirez is still alive.​To kill or not to kill, that is the question that could be coming to a voting booth near you. Will you pull the trigger? The state Assembly's Public Safety Committee approved Berkeley state Senator Loni Hancock's SB 490 last week, setting off a firestorm of cri ... More >>

California Prison Parolees in L.A. Might End up Under Sheriff's Supervision Because County Probation Department is so Troubled

Sheriff Lee Baca, left, with county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.​How bad is the L.A. County Probation Department? So bad that the county's leaders are actually looking at giving state parolee supervision duties, which would normally be taken over by local probation officials, to the departm ... More >>

Cocaine Possession Could Just Get You a Misdemeanor Charge if a Majority of Californians Had Their Way (Poll)

Coca-Cola​Correction: After a commenter pointed out our mistake, we took "ticket" out of the headline and changed it to "misdemeanor charge." Californians want folks who get pinched for a small amount of hard drugs like cocaine to face only misdemeanor charges, not felony ones. In fact the D ... More >>

Over 2,000 Cellphones Smuggled Into California Prisons in 2 Months; Prison Guard Union Still Won't Accept Security Scans Without Pay

mobilebehavior.comBusiness as usual​That's the bad news. The good news is that California State Senator Alex Padilla pushed a bill to punish cellphone smugglers through its first stage of approval yesterday (his third attempt in the last four years). Currently, phones are used by jailed bigsh ... More >>

10,000 Cell Phones Smuggled Into California Prisons in 2010 (BONUS: How You, Too, Can Go Into the Smuggling Biz!)

TIME MagazineA California prison guard chills with some confiscated cell phones​Cell phones and prisons -- just call 'em "jail cells"! -- are a real winning combo. It's the ideal situation for any criminal who can stand to conduct business without the rush of the live hunt: Mobile phone in ha ... More >>

Lawsuit vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger Over Sentence Reduction for Esteban Nunez Putting California's Victims' Rights Laws Center Stage

​In California, the rights of crime victims pretty much fly under the radar. After all, we have a Victim's Bill of Rights, which voters approved as a constitutional amendment in 2008, and for the most part, advocates say, district attorneys do a decent job of keeping victims informed and part of ... More >>

Jeremy Marks "Attempted Lynching" Case Reaction

Mother slams District Attorney for throwing book at teen with cell phone camera

[Updated] Calorie Commando Juan-Carlos Cruz Sentenced to Nine Years in State Prison

​Update: Of course this story gets weirder, the more details come out. For one, Juan-Carlos Cruz claimed that he hired two men to kill his wife not for the normal reasons, say, insurance fraud or temporary insanity or complete marital dysfunction, but for love. "Even though I was planning on w ... More >>

Barbie Doll Electric Chair Science Project: Let Her Fry!

via Jessyratfink via Instructables​ This is pretty close to being the best science fair project ever. Most kids make exploding volcanoes. Jessyratfink make a fully functional electric chair for her Barbie doll to demonstrate how currents and conductivity work. Her project "completely disgusted ... More >>

Alexis Neiers, 'Bling Drug' Convict, Gets One Year Of Live-In Drug Rehab After Authorities Found Heroin In Her House

Aw, so innocent.​Irony? Yeah, the kid who cried loudest about her innocence when she was fingered as part of the "bling ring" string of robberies turned out to be the Lindsay Lohan of the bunch. Reality TV star Alexis Neiers is headed for one-year of live-in drug treatment this week after pro ... More >>

'Bling Ring' Convict And Reality Star Alexis Neiers Arrested After Authorities Say They Found Heroin In Her Possession

A teen celeb, burglary and heroin? Say it ain't so.​Updated after the jump with details from the L.A. County Probation Department. First posted at 10:10 a.m. It's always the innocent-looking ones. Alexis Neiers, convicted as part of the "bling ring" string of robberies that targeted the home ... More >>

Former BART Officer Receives Two-Year Sentence For Killing of Oscar Grant

San Francisco ChronicleFormer transit cop Johannes Mehserle received the lighter sentence​ Supporters of slain Oakland resident Oscar Grant expressed anger over the sentencing of former transit police officer Johannes Mehserle, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for shooting the una ... More >>

Cell Phones Flooding to Mexican Mafia Prisoners

Schwarzenegger vs. Legislature pissing match means no crackdown

Albert Greenwood Brown Execution And Six Others On California Death Row Put Off By Judge -- Now, Months Of Wrangling Over Killer Poison

​Updated with Attorney General's office calling off the execution. First posted at 11:46 a.m. That California death row execution of Albert Greenwood Brown, Jr., scheduled for Wednesday, then Thursday, looks like its it might not happen any time soon. Update: California Attorney General Jerr ... More >>

San Yun King's killer, one-man crime machine Larry Stewart, escapes California's Death Row thanks to a single juror holdout, D.A. decides

Stewart won't get the tour​Larry Stewart, the vicious crime machine who murdered the quiet, innocent, liquor store owner Sang Yun "Sam" Kim, severely beating and choking the South Los Angeles shopkeeper with his own belt -- then chemically burning him with bleach -- has escaped Death Row. Ste ... More >>

Chere Osmanhodzic Murder Case Inspires LAPD Union To Say We Told You So: Suspect Saw An Early Release Despite Record

Loera.​The union that represents Los Angeles police is fuming over the case of 34-year-old Omar Armando Loera, the man recently named as a suspect in what authorities described as a brutal murder of a bride-to-be in Valley Village. The union is mad because, it states, Loera has a long criminal ... More >>

Suspect Steve Quintanilla Sentenced For Setting Off Lakers Unrest In Downtown Los Angeles

Lakers fans on June 17.​Remember those riotous Lakers fans in June who set a few fires, threw rocks and bottles at police, and destroyed a taxicab? The Los Angeles City Attorney's office didn't forget, and today it announced that Steve Quintanilla has been sentenced to three months in jail f ... More >>

Voodoo Car Dealer Sentenced To Twelve Years In Prison

Downey Motorcars.​Downey Motorcars owner Ruben Hernandez, who had allegedly tried to use voodoo against the prosecutor and investigators assigned to his case, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison Wednesday for crimes related to real estate fraud. Authorities said they discovered a voodoo ... More >>

Roman Polanski Loses One In Court

​Director Roman Polanski lost one in court Thursday, but it wasn't his big appeal asking the state 2nd District panel to allow him to be sentenced while he remains overseas. Rather, a request by the victim in his 33-year-old sex-with-a-minor conviction to have the case dismissed was denied by ... More >>

Polanski Appeal To Be Sentenced From Afar Denied; He Could Be Brought To L.A. To Face The Music

​Roman Polanski was 0 for 2 today in the state's 2nd District appeals court downtown: First it turned down a move by the victim in his 33-year-old sex-with-a-minor legal saga to have the case thrown out. Then, this afternoon, it turned down his latest bid to be sentenced while he remains overs ... More >>

Animal Liberation Front Suspects Make Plea Deals

Animal rights gangsters (except when it comes to making plea deals).​A member of the radical group Animal Liberation Front pleaded no contest Friday to three counts of stalking and three of conspiracy to commit stalking in connection with the group's targeting of UCLA researchers and the Santa ... More >>

L.A. Probation Reforms Urged By Mark Ridley-Thomas

County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.​Following a report in the Los Angeles Times outlining cases where 11 county probation officers have been convicted or disciplined for inappropriate contact with juveniles under their supervision, a county supervisor said Tuesday he wants to expand the prob ... More >>

Man Sentenced For Recruiting Homeless For Government-Paid Health Care

Google Maps​The co-owner of a defunct Echo Park hospital was sentenced to more than three years in prison for his part in a kickback scheme in which healthy homeless people were recruited to receive government-paid procedures at the medical facility. Robert Bourseau, 75, of downtown and Ranch ... More >>

Sheriff Will Monitor Parolees That State Won't

​The union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers made a rare move this week in praising the Sheriff's Department for stating it would essentially do the job of the state and monitor those convicts set free under state parole reform. " ... We thank Sheriff Lee Baca," reads a stat ... More >>

Sentence For Man Who Put LAX On Terror Map Overturned

​The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned the conviction of the man who put LAX on the terror map, concluding that Ahmed Ressam was not given enough time behind bars for his plot to bomb the airport on New Year's Eve, 1999. The man, who was caught driving a vehicle loaded ... More >>

Parole Denied For Ailing 'Onion Field' Killer

CDCRGregory Powell.​Onion Field killer Gregory Powell was denied parole this week after nearly 47 years behind bars, despite his plea for more freedom before he dies from terminal prostate cancer. The 76-year-old reportedly told a parole board in San Luis Obispo, "I've done enough time. I'm a ... More >>

Smuggling Cell Phones To Prisoners Perfectly Legal; Bill Would Change That

​One of organized crime's more potent weapons of late has been the mobile phone. If you've ever wondered how a prison-based organization like the Mexican Mafia can be so effective, or why even some prison officials have said prison gangs essentially run their lockups, the preponderance of smug ... More >>

Polanski's Request To Be Sentenced From Afar Rejected

​Director Roman Polanski's request to be sentenced "in absentia" for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 was denied by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge Friday, leaving a smaller possibility that Polanski would get off without extradition from Switzerland or time behind bars in the 33- ... More >>

L.A. Police Union Fighting Against Parole For Cop Killer

LAPDJim Pagliotti.​The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file Los Angeles Police Department cops, is opposing parole for convicted cop killer Louis Belvin Jr., who has a hearing on the matter next month. The LAPPL states that Belvin shot it out with Metropo ... More >>

Polanski's Lawyers Say D.A. Misled Judge, Urge Sentencing In Absentia

Roman Polanski.​Roman Polanski's lawyers are again urging a judge to sentence the director "in absentia:" They argue that authorities in Switzerland, where he's being held, have been "misled" about a previous court's intentions in Polanski's original sentencing deal in 1978. The New York Time ... More >>

Release Of Thousands Of California Prisoners Set For This Month

​Batten down the hatches. The state is scheduled to release thousands of prisoners, with at least 5,000 coming to California, starting Jan. 25, according to a statement from the union representing rank-and-file Los Angeles police officers. "The county of Los Angeles will be dramatically impac ... More >>

State Prison Doctors 'Working In A Third World Environment;' Preventable Deaths Rise 50 Percent

Ray Chavez for the CDC.Treating inmates at San Quentin State Prison.​Looking into a federal receiver's numbers on California's prison health-care system, KPCC (89.3 FM) found that while inmate deaths have declined for the second year in a row, the number of preventable deaths was up 50 percent ... More >>

Polanski Could Face More Than A Year Behind Bars

​Director Roman Polanski fled the United States in 1978 to avoid what was likely to be a 90-day sentence for unlawful sex with a minor. We recently stated that such a crime today would be treated much more harshly, and the Los Angeles Times on Thursday published an analysis of sentences for si ... More >>

After Washington Ambush, L.A. Police Union Says Attacks On Cops Are Up

Ted SoquiA vigil for Lily Burk, who was allegedly killed by a parolee.​Crime is down, particularly in Los Angeles, but if you wore a badge, you wouldn't be breathing easy right now. In a strange paradox, attacks on officers are up across the nation. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, th ... More >>