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As Ryan Erlich highlighted in April, George Gascón's administration continues to reveal a troubling double standard regarding accountability. This double standard is particularly evident in the case of Diana Teran. Diana Teran, who was appointed by Gascón to serve as the "Ethics and Integrity Advisor" to the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation, is currently charged with six felonies. Despite a judge finding probable cause to support these charges, Teran remains on the public p...
Since the Special Directives of the District Attorney were announced in his first moment in office, they have been the topic of discussion in the public and in the press. But some significant sections of these directives have been overlooked simply because their effect is not apparent to anyone without a detailed knowledge of criminal law. Without commenting on the merits of these policies we will commence a series of articles examining the intricacies of some of the directives. According to...
Since the Special Directives of the District Attorney were announced in his first moment in office, they have been the topic of discussion in the public and in the press. But some significant sections of these directives have been overlooked simply because their effect is not apparent to anyone without a detailed knowledge of criminal law. Without commenting on the merits of these policies we will commence a series of articles examining the intricacies of some of the directives. Special...
The most dangerous number in Sacramento these days? 1182. That's the designation of the latest assault on public safety. Assembly Bill 1182, introduced earlier this month by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, would reduce the amount of time even dangerous offenders must spend on parole after being released from prison. If passed, it will march in lockstep alongside Proposition 47, Proposition 57, SB 1391 and AB 109 in the parade of criminal-coddling legislation that the governor and...
You won't find much disagreement that it is good public policy to offer rehabilitation programs for inmates to increase the odds that they will be law-abiding citizens after they're released. Good intentions, however, are not enough. The success of rehabilitation programs depends on several factors. One is developing programs that are effective. Another is having processes in place to measure their effectiveness. Inmates must be placed in programs that best address their needs. And it certainly...
Pop 47 ushered in an increase in property crime statewide because many theft offenses were made inconsequential misdemeanors that carried little likelihood of incarceration. Last month the Public Policy Institute of California conceded that Prop 47 was responsible for an increase in larceny rates statewide. That increase, they reported, was 9% higher than that of similar states. In 2017 there were only 34,800 arrests statewide for petty theft. That is the lowest number of arrests in the 15...
A tremendous amount of coverage of the criminal justice system is focused on the perpetrators of crime and what should happen to them upon arrest and conviction. However, the unexplored and uncovered story is the number of violent and property crimes never reported to police, and the fact that few victims of violent crime receive any support services. The Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) has been conducted annually since 1972. The survey, which...
Statute of Limitations Must Govern State Bar Actions Last week's decision by the California State Bar to file disciplinary charges against former Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanichbased on conduct that occurred 31 years ago, should cause unease to every attorney in the state. This action of the State Bar, which acts as the administrative arm of the California Supreme Court, cannot be squared with that court's long-held beliefs on timely filing of actions in both criminal and civil...