“The death penalty is both unavoidably flawed and unworthy of a decent society,” the editorial board writes.

From artists rapping over prison phones to those starting labels and nonprofits to release their work, prison music speaks to the resilience of people behind bars. Our limited-run newsletter Redemption Songs will send a new song by incarcerated artists to your inbox each Sunday — sign up now:

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate for women in the world. This #WomensHistoryMonth, we're thinking of all the women locked behind bars, away from their families. They can't get lost in the fight to end mass incarceration.

Gun violence intervention programs save lives. Thank you @governor.ca.gov for recognizing that the best way to stop crime is by preventing it from happening in the first place 👏

NEW: Two women incarcerated in a CA prison have come forward to report sexual assaults by a staff cook while they were working in the kitchen, paid 12¢/hr. They told me he threatened discipline if they spoke up. The prison concluded abuse occurred, a very rare outcome, but he hasn't faced charges.

For too many people, parole does not offer a real chance for release. Watch Carol and her son, Bill, speak about their experience navigating Mississippi’s parole system. Their story represents so many families waiting to be reunited.

For CA women who are arrested, convicted, and sentenced for offenses like homicide that arose out of their own victimization, the law generally fails to account for domestic and intimate partner violence even when this abuse is supposed to be considered as a mitigating factor.

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose life and leadership shaped our nation’s ongoing journey toward equality. He was a voice for the voiceless, an advocate for those too often left out, and a servant to the oppressed worldwide.

During his first year in office, L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman has dismissed or severely reduced charges against several police officers accused of excessive force. Hochman says he's just following the law. Victims families are growing frustrated. My latest: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Join us for a powerful Black History Month conversation honoring Black prosecutors shaping justice—past, present, and future. 📅 Feb 19, 2026 | 🕒 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT 💻 Virtual | ✅ Free | 🎓 1-hr CA CLE 🔗 Registration link: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

In 1996, a 17-bed, state-licensed hospice began caring for dying incarcerated men at California Medical Facility in Vacaville. At that time, the hospice unit mainly took care of patients dying of AIDS. Today, many of the patients housed there are dying of cancer.

Homicide has dropped sharply for three straight years—potentially to the lowest level in a century. What’s driving the decline? We asked leading experts what may be behind this historic shift. Here’s what they said ⬇️

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman -- who received significant campaign $$ from real estate interests in 2024 -- hasn’t prosecuted a single price-gouging case.

Incarceration is deadly. People incarcerated on a single day in 2008 had a 39% higher risk of death compared to similar people who were not incarcerated:

In the words of Vera’s Claudia Gonzalez, “Punishment is not prevention, and prison is not a path forward.” Diversion programs provide a non-punitive alternative to incarceration and addresses trauma, promotes healing, and helps break the cycle of incarceration. www.marinij.com/2026/01/28/o...

“It’s a mess,” told @missionlocal.org, describing vomit on the floor of cells, maggots in trash bins and human feces beneath bunks missionlocal.org/2026/02/sf-j...

Really beautiful work from @themarshallproject.org documenting the Californians who took part in a massive hunger strike 13 years ago to challenge the use of solitary confinement in state prisons

Great thread on what could be causing the historic decline in homicide rates nationwide 👇

“Newsom’s past actions have made it clear he deplores capital punishment as deeply as many civil rights advocates,” writes columnist Robin Epley.

Many California prisoners get a second chance. A declining parole rate shows that's no guarantee

When Donald Trump broke the law, @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov held him accountable — again and again. That’s the kind of Attorney General California needs. We are proud to support his reelection. Join us at robbonta.com.

🧵It’s a new year, but at least one thing’s still the same: The death penalty does not make our communities safer. Decades of research show that the death penalty does not deter crime or protect the most vulnerable from harm.

Even with seemingly much more opportunity and incentives, the success rate for Californians to be found suitable for parole has gradually declined — from 39% in 2018 to roughly 35% for 2019 through 2021 to below 25% in 2025. @calmatters.org's Joe Garcia explores why calmatters.org/justice/2026...

“When people think of incarcerated people, they often see us as a danger, with our past mistakes magnified. Amid the smoke, ash, and destruction of the LA fires, people saw us as heroes, recognizing the good we could achieve when given a second chance.” calmatters.org/commentary/2...

During a time meant for celebration, the nearly 2 million people incarcerated in the U.S. endure loneliness and separation from loved ones. Incarcerated writer Demetrius Buckley reflects on 16 holiday seasons behind bars and how moments of joy are still cultivated, even in the darkest of places.

A CalMatters investigation looks at the limitations of this model and its impact on people accused of crimes in rural parts of the state. calmatters.org/investigatio... 6/7

But flat-fee contracts for public defense has created a second-tier justice system in rural stretches of the state: Seven of the eight counties with the state’s highest jail and prison incarceration rates have flat-fee contracts. 4/7

The death penalty doesn't deter crime. FL carried out more executions than any state in 2025, but has a higher homicide rate than CA – which hasn’t executed anyone in 20 yrs. Ending the death penalty isn't just morally right, it's also safe. Time to #CommuteTheRow in CA www.npr.org/2025/12/15/n...

Our latest report outlines five public policy issues L.A. County advocates and community members tracked during L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman’s first year in office that reveals a pattern of extreme and debunked approaches to crime, many that will increase mass incarceration. Read: aclusocal.co/48hWw5u

"There is a huge disconnect between what the public wants and what elected officials are doing." -- Robin Maher, @deathpenaltyinfo.org Executive Director. The surge was driven by Florida, which is poised to conduct 19 executions, accounting for 40% of the nation’s death sentences in 2025.

DPI Year End Report 2025: Majority of Capital Juries in 2025 Rejected Death Sentences #deathpenalty deathpenaltyinfo.org/research/ana...

In California, a correctional officer stopped at a Starbucks while driving a woman in premature labor to the hospital, she said. The baby died. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

SF supes are calling for action after Mission Local reported that women held in a San Francisco jail were allegedly mass strip searched. “These women are gonna sue,” said D7’s Myrna Melgar. “They’re going to win. We’re going to end up paying for it.” missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-s...

At least 20 women who were held in a SF jail say earlier this year deputies ordered women to strip down in front of each other while the deputies laughed and filmed them. The sheriff is looking into allegations; lawsuits could follow. via @abineely.bsky.social missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-j...

We all pay the price for police misconduct. In the case of Daniel Saldana, an innocent man spent more than 30 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit and Baldwin Park taxpayers are now on the hook for $19 million.

Recently on NPR, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office was highlighted for its groundbreaking Neurocognitive Disorders Team — one of the only units of its kind in the nation. Our NDT team works with clients whose cognitive disabilities have gone unidentified for most of their lives.

Proponents of Prop. 36 promised voters a new era of “mass treatment” for drug addiction. Unfortunately they failed to provide a funding mechanism for any of it. Now, no one is getting addiction treatment but counties like San Diego are still stuck with the bill.

In a win for justice, Tremane Wood was granted clemency today, saving his life.

"District attorneys hold immense authority in people’s lives and in a community. When that authority is exercised by someone who publicly expresses racial, religious, or gender-based bias, it endangers both individual rights and the integrity of the justice system itself.” @katechatfield.bsky.social

“I enjoy my visits with my son. He is 11 and needs to know I am safe and it’s safe to come visit me. TV only shows prison rape and violence. I don’t want him to think I am being hurt here.”

Commentary: For so long, I’ve carried the weight of knowing that my sister’s story was used to build systems that don’t work — that harm communities, that don’t make us safer and that don’t reflect what victims actually need. bit.ly/47Ak4lG 📝 Jess Nichol 📸 Nic Coury, AP

Violations of due process protections undermine the integrity of the justice system and our public safety as a whole. When people don't trust the justice system to be fair and able to uphold their rights, they are less likely to report crimes. That makes us all less safe.

New Gallup poll: Americans as a whole prefer smart on crime strategies, over tough on crime tactics 📈 Two-thirds prefer prioritizing solutions social problems over focusing on law enforcement to lower crime 📉 Support for treating juvenile offenders like adults has reached all time low

“I’ve spent years watching how survivor voices get co-opted — how our pain becomes a tool for policies that don’t serve us,” writes Jess Nichol, sister of the late Polly Klaas. But what do survivors actually want and need in the aftermath of harm? Via @calmatters.org calmatters.org/commentary/2...?

One year after Proposition 36 passed, California is seeing the opposite of what proponents promised: the measure has fueled mass incarceration while depriving people of the treatment and support they need to break cycles of harm and provide stability.

Reminder: Crime in the U.S. is at its lowest since 1961.

In California, nearly HALF of the people who had a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole were convicted of felony murder. Fortunately, #CAleg began overhauling this excessive and unfair practice starting in 2019. Reforms have allowed ~1,200 people to seek resentencing.

This 👇

By 2030, ppl over 50 will make up to 30% of the prison population. As @mkoran.bsky.social writes, states already spend 2-5x more to incarcerate ppl who are 50+. An aging population will further strain prison systems. Compassionate release eases the burden & costs www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...

Incredible reporting by @meganders.bsky.social. Diversion programs like these help address the underlying issues that lead to someone's arrest, allowing people to move forward and end costly cycles of arrest and incarceration.