3 Strikes Felon with Loaded Gun Gets 32 Months, Blesses Judge
By Susana Jurado FRESNO, C.A. – A three-strikes felon, charged with a recent possession of a loaded…
Judge Cuts Bail, but 3-Strikes Ex-Felon Still Needs $1 Million to Bail Out of Jail
By Susana Jurado SACRAMENTO – The good news for a three-strikes ex-felon here Friday is that his…
Three Strikes Law Doubles Sacramento Court Drug Sentence
By Kelsey Kitzke SACRAMENTO – California’s controversial Three Strikes sentencing law doubled a defendant’s already agreed-upon drug…
Addressing Incarceration, Extreme Sentencing, and Structural Racism in Our Criminal Legal System
Last week the Justice Collaborative held an all-day seminar, the Justice Guarantee Event in San Francisco. At…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Boudin Making History
Over the last few years we have talked a lot about progressive prosecution. We have seen some…
Boudin Discusses New Policies Prior to Announcement
On Friday there was a day conference hosted in San Francisco by the Justice Collaborative. The first…
Chesa Boudin Ends Racial Profiling and Status Enhancements Including Gang and Prior Prison Enhancements
SAN FRANCISCO – In a major announcement, San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin on Friday announced that prosecutors…
Habitual Offender Laws Are Like ‘Death Sentences’
One man, Paul Houser, is serving 60 years on a drug conviction for purchasing cold medicine and…
The First Beneficiary of a Sentence Review Unit Walks Free
By Sarah Lustbader Last week, San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan reported that a 57-year-old man has…
Three Strikes Defendant Released on Own Recognizance Due to Fatal Brain Cancer
By Kristen Tuntland A defendant with fatal brain cancer but also three strikes was released on his…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Life for Stealing a Package of Shredded Cheese
A Poster Child Case for Over-Charging What few remember about the case of Robert Ferguson is that,…
Commentary: Should There Be Effective Life Without Parole in Non-Capital Cases?
Last week Judge David Reed sentenced Joseph Hernandez to 93 years in prison. That means the 26-year-old…
Commentary: Overcharging is a Real Thing Especially in Yolo
I have been reading the book by John Pfaff, Locked In, which seeks to explain mass incarceration,…
Sunday Commentary: Can We Be Safe without Overcharging Cases?
Recently we reconnected with a mother whose son was sentenced to 35 years to life. It was…
Analysis: Even Under Crime Rate Increases, Reason For Hope
For the first time in over a decade, crime rose across the board in Los Angeles, including…
Commentary: The Mistake of Not Going All In on Prop. 47
When Yolo County DA Jeff Reisig went to the Board of Supervisors complaining that, over the last…
Vanguard Analysis: How Prop. 47 Changes Prosecution of Petty Theft and Drug Laws
In March of 2010, Robert Ferguson was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison for…
Victims Believe Burglary Case is Appropriate Application of Three Strikes
By Charmayne Schmitz Mario Lopez appeared in Judge Reed’s courtroom for sentencing on Tuesday, September 30. The…
Eye on the Courts: Charging Policies in a Time of Mass Incarceration
The story of the MRAP – one that the Vanguard broke and has been reported across the…
