AltWeeklies Wire
Lauded Prison Drug-Treatment Services are the Latest Victim of California's Budget Cutsnew
The Amity Foundation's highly regarded Right Turn program, held up as a national model for effective prisoner rehabilitation, is being closed down at Donovan State Prison, making Donovan one of eight prisons statewide that won't provide any sort of professional in-custody substance-abuse treatment.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
10-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In California, Advocates Push for Reform of Parole Process to Ease Prison Strainnew
California's Board of Parole Hearings grants parole to less than one percent of eligible lifers. Now, as the state's prison system is packed to 200 percent capacity, some are arguing for reform to the parole system that's keeping lifers doing life.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
08-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
California Budget Cuts Squeeze Inmates Out of Prisonsnew
The budget upon which the governor and the Legislature recently agreed included a $1.2-billion cut in prison funding, and in order to save that much money, thousands of inmates would likely have to be released early.
San Diego CityBeat |
David Rolland |
08-05-2009 |
Crime & Justice
A San Diego Case Sheds Light on the Messy World of DUI Prosecutionnew
In April, San Diego's city attorney declined to file drunk-driving charges against local TV sportscaster Kyle Kraska, despite a police-station breathalyzer test that put Kraska's blood-alcohol content just above California's legal limit. Kraska's attorney said the case was dismissed because of police error, though city officials would say only that prosecutors felt they couldn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
07-15-2009 |
Crime & Justice
California's Ex-Attorney General Calls for an End to Capital Punishmentnew
With more than 700 Death Row prisoners awaiting execution for decades and no money in sight for improving the integrity and efficiency of the failing capital punishment system, John Van de Kamp is publicly calling for an end to the death penalty. But unlike most of capital punishment's ardent opponents, he has actually sent men to Death Row.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joe Piasecki |
07-13-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Chickens of Law-and-Order Hysteria Have Come Home to Roost in San Diegonew
California's prison system has been a colossal waste of taxpayer money, and few lawmakers (other than Gov. Schwarzenegger) have been brave enough to talk about it. During the past 20 or so years, the easiest thing for politicians to do has been to promise to lock up as many criminals as possible for as long as possible.
San Diego CityBeat |
San Diego CityBeat |
05-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: California, prison reform
The Trials of Mexican Georgenew
For 20 years, the feds have suspected supermarket mogul George Torres is a drug runner and murderer with friends in Los Angeles City Hall. Now they'll try to make it stick.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Jeffrey Anderson |
02-23-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Salinas Calls In the Big Guns to Quell Rash of Gang Violencenew
Reacting to a stark spike in shootings that has left six people dead in the past two weeks, Salinas leaders brought in the uniformed cavalry and elevated their peace-building rhetoric. But the beefed-up patrols will likely only quiet gunfire temporarily.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Edward James Olmos Schools Salinas on Reaching Gang Membersnew
Emmy-winning actor Edward James Olmos delivered a sweeping and powerful address in Salinas, from breaking down the allure and definition of gangs to offering practical solutions to the Monterey County’s number one crime problem.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
San Diego Nonprofit Coalition Helps Parolees Avoid Returning to Prisonnew
Called "Coming Home to Stay," the program touches on every possible aspect of a returning prisoner's life -- what it takes, step-by-step, to help someone successfully transition from prison to the outside world, from pre-release to post-release to several years out.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
11-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Resisting Reformnew
A judge extends federal oversight over the LAPD for three more years, but the department shows little willingness to change.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Tom Hayden |
06-16-2006 |
Crime & Justice
A Man Named Suenew
Citizen Fred Whitaker, blacklisted for filing dozens of "frivolous" lawsuits, hopes to clear his name -- by filing more lawsuits.
East Bay Express |
Will Harper |
10-03-2005 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: California, Bay Area, a Bay Area forensic psychiatrist, a professor at University of Californai Berkeley's Boalt School of Law, Alameda County Superior Court, crusaders, Dr. Mark Levy, nuisance to the judicial system, public watchdogs, Republican State Senator Charles Poochigian, Stephen Bundy, Superior Court Judge James Richman, vexatious lawsuits
Room for Onenew
Most sex offenders chased from their neighborhoods end up in flophouses. One is chilling in a kingsized pad at a California Marriott.
East Bay Express |
Justin Berton |
06-13-2005 |
Crime & Justice
The Real East Bay Sniper Could Still Be at Largenew
The construction worker the California Highway Patrol identified as the East Bay Sniper sits in prison, insisting on his innocence, while the real sniper or snipers may remain on the loose.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
01-14-2005 |
Crime & Justice
Gang Member Named Lizard Serves as a Rat for the FBInew
The exploits of Daniel "Lizard" Hernandez, a high-ranking member of Nuestra Familia who became a snitch for the FBI, show how prison policies adopted to control gangs may actually have helped them bloom.
East Bay Express |
Justin Berton |
10-25-2004 |
Crime & Justice
