It’s Not Over: Alarming Rise in New Cases in CDCR
To read CDCR’s response briefs in the Marin cases and in Von Staich, you could think that the pandemic is dwindling in prison. The opposite is true: the last two
Homeopathic Criminal Justice Reform and Its Discontents
In my previous writings about the COVID-19 prison disaster (especially here and here), I relied on Ben Bernanke’s famous “triggers and vulnerabilities” model. I explained that the virus happened on
How Bar Applicants with Criminal Records Experience the Moral Character Determination
My paper “Moral Character: Making Sense of the Experiences of Bar Applicants with Criminal Records” is out from the Manitoba Law Journal. It is an interview-based study of bar applicants,
Gov. Newsom Clears Path for Incarcerated Firefighters to Work as Firefighters upon Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Governor’s Press Office Friday, September 11, 2020 (916) 445-4571 Governor Newsom Signs Bill Eliminating Barriers that Block Former Inmate Fire Crews from Becoming Career Firefighters After Serving
It’s September. No Sufficient Recourse from the State. Only Remedy is in Court.
Remember when, on July 10, Gov. Newsom announced the release of up to 8,000 people by late August? And remember when I said it was too little, too late, too
Oral Argument in In re Von Staich
“There’s no need to act hastily.” –CDCR counsel Kathleen Walton “Yes there is. Yes there is. There is a need to act hastily.” –Justice Kline, CA 1st District Court of
Brief on Behalf of Amici Curiae Filed in Von Staich, and an Extra Helping of Cruelty
Today I submitted an Amicus Curiae brief on behalf of the ACLU of Northern California and eighteen criminal justice scholars in In re Von Staich, another San Quentin-related COVID-19 relief
Nov. 2020 Ballot Endorsement: Yes on 25
Once upon a time, I was at a quantitative research conference, in which I was assigned to comment on a paper by two economist colleagues, Frank McIntyre and Shima Baradaran.
Nov. 2020 Ballot Endorsement: No on 20
Many Californians don’t know that our state Constitution requires that any voter initiative have a single subject: “An initiative measure embracing more than one subject may not be submitted to
Between COVID and Fires
This is a hard post to write, because quite honestly, with today’s news, I’m just not sure how much more calamity human beings can take. The intersection between the pandemic