Commentary: The Long Walk Home – Where Windows Cry
By Ricky Ortega Life without parole; free falling into the black hole of prison life. It’s where…
Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
Progressive Group Touts Big Election Wins for Working Class, Immigrant, Black and Brown Oaklanders – from District Attorney and Mayor to Ballot Measures
By The Vanguard Staff OAKLAND, CA – Progressive, community-led Oakland Rising Action applauded a successful election season…
Man Wrongfully Imprisoned Receives $45 Million from the State of Ohio
By Jack Sandmeyer CINCINNATI, OH – A jury in the state of Ohio awarded $45 million to…
Washington Post Editorial: Impeachment of Philadelphia’s DA Misguided and Bad Precedent
By Kevin Barragan and Michael McCutcheon PHILADELPHIA, PA – Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner has been impeached by…
Guest Commentary: Warrantless Pole-Camera Surveillance by Police Is Dangerous
We’re calling on the court to clarify that long-term police use of a surveillance camera targeted at…
Reunification Camp Survivors Expose For-Profit Industry’s Relationship with Family Courts
by Robert J. Hansen Ally Cable (Sacramento, Calif.) When Ally Cable was 16, she and her younger…
Commentary: The Long Walk Home, Shadows of Our Past
By Ricky Ortega Sentenced to life without parole, I was given a one-way ticket to Folsom prison….
Criminal Justice Reform Groups Release Report Condemning Proposed Sacramento Jail Expansion, Urge Law Enforcement ‘Hiring Freeze,’ Investment in ‘Youth’ and ‘Neighborhoods’
By Cres Vellucci Vanguard Sacramento Bureau Chief SACRAMENTO, CA – Criminal justice reform groups here have released…
Decline of Public Defenders Sparks Concern from Oregon District Attorney; Hundreds of Cases Dismissed
By Naya Wiezel PORTLAND, OR – The District Attorney from Multnomah County here made public his urgent…
Guest Commentary: Election Denialism Lost in Key Midterm Races, but the Fight Is Far from Over
Americans took firm stances against election denialism and voted to protect our democracy in the most vital…
Commentary: Shoot/Don’t Shoot – Police Use of Force Tactics
By John L. Orr Black Lives Matter. Hands up-Don’t Shoot. For the past several years, these slogans…
Guest Commentary: Care First, Jails Last – Why a Sacramento County Mental Health Jail Annex Will Only Create More Trauma, Not Treatment
by Dr. Corrine McIntosh During the California Psychological Association’s 2022 Convention held here in Sacramento during September,…
Congressional Representatives Bush and Cleaver Urge Missouri Governor to Grant Clemency to Death Row Inmate Kevin Johnson
By Daniella Dueñas and Caleigh Carlisle WASHINGTON, DC – Since Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01) assumed office in…
Midwest Innocence Project, Morgan Pilate LLC Urge Independent Accountability in Disgraced Detective’s Cases
By Ramneet Singh and Naya Wiezel KANSAS CITY, MO – The Midwest Innocence Project and Morgan Pilate…
Maryland State Attorney Sentencing Review Unit Achieves New Milestone
By Alyssa Eng BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced that her Sentencing Review Unit has…
Missouri Law Bars Daughter, 19, from Witnessing Father’s Execution
By Paloma Sifuentes and Daniella Dueñas KANSAS CITY, MO – Corionsa “Khorry” Ramey is just 19, but…
Preliminary Hearing for Modesto Officer Who Shot and Killed 29-Year-Old Man
By Fatimah Patel and Audrey Sawyer MODESTO, CA – Former Modesto Police Dept. Officer Joseph Lamantia’s…
Oregon Governor Kate Brown Grants Pardons for Marijuana Offenses; 45,000 People Benefit, $14 Million in Fines Forgiven
By Michael McCutcheon and Rena Abdusalam SALEM, OR – Oregon Gov. Kate Brown this week announced a…
Guest Commentary: The Club Q Shooting Took Trans Lives and Destabilized a Community
The shooting is a logical extension of politicians’ efforts to deny transgender people our safety, community, and…
SF Dramatically Increased Use of Pretrial Electronic Monitoring, New Report Finds
By Vanguard Staff San Francisco, CA – A new report from the nonpartisan California Policy Lab shows…
