California Criminal Defense Lawyers

Overcrowding is a problem in county jails across the state, and it’s only going to get worse as counties become responsible for more and more offenders. One way in which some are dealing with the crowd, is in changing the manner in which they determine who is released pre-trial and who is detained. [Read More...]

In a controversial move, the Los Angeles Police Commission approved a new plan this week that would ease the practice of impounding the vehicles of unlicensed drivers, a practice that seems to hit the state’s undocumented immigrants the hardest. [Read More...]

Mayor Jean Quan announced a program that would target the most dangerous 100 blocks in Oakland last October. But just last month, she finally revealed which blocks these were, unbeknownst to many of the residents. The goal in this program is to make Oakland safer, and because they can’t focus on the whole of Oakland at once, focusing on the most volatile areas seems logical. [Read More...]

At least 1,480 wrongful jailings have occurred at the L.A. County Jail over the last five years, something the Sheriff isn’t proud of. As a result, he has vowed to make significant changes including establishing a task force to look at the whys and the what can be dones. [Read More...]

The city of Oakland has served an eviction notice to protesters of the Occupy movement. The notice was posted on Thursday, stating that the park at Frank Ogawa Plaza must be cleared of all protesters by 10 p.m. Though it didn’t specify a date, the park was still occupied as of Friday. [Read More...]

What if the police knew when and where a crime was going to be committed and could respond to that area beforehand, in anticipation? And what if this wasn’t some plot line for a futuristic movie but instead a current reality? Well in Santa Cruz this practice is becoming a reality thanks to a 29 year old assistant professor of mathematics who developed an algorithm that can help predict crime. [Read More...]

The United States is the only country in the world that sentences children to life without parole. In California, about 290 people are serving life sentences for offenses they committed as juveniles. A new bill would give some of these inmates a route to potential release, if they can prove their mind has matured since the time of their crime. [Read More...]

A law that was rejected twice by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was passed this week by California lawmakers. Despite the continued opposition from the California District Attorneys Association, the bill requires prosecutors to corroborate any testimony from jailhouse informants. The law will go into effect next year. [Read More...]

A survey from the LA Times and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences this week reveals Californians are more concerned about the troubled financial times than they are about releasing some offenders from prison. The survey showed most would rather see prison sentences be relaxed than spend any more money on incarceration. [Read More...]

Early this week the head justice of the state Supreme Court said if lawmakers passed the budget, including the additional $150 million cut to the courts, it would be “devastating and crippling to the judicial branch.” Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye’s fears came to fruition on Wednesday when legislators passed the budget and sent it to the office of Governor Jerry Brown. [Read More...]