Loren Herzog, one half of the duo dubbed the "Speed Freak Killers," was found hanged to death at his trailer on state property late Monday night, and state and local officials are investigating the parolee's death as a possible suicide. more ›

David Leslie Murtishaw, convicted and sentenced to death for the 1978 murders of three University of Southern California film students, was found dead in his cell at San Quentin State Prison late last night. Murtishaw, 54, died of natural causes, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. more ›

It took less than 24 hours after going public with his story for California Department of Corrections (CDCR) Officer Andrew Johnson to have a key decision made for him reversed. Johnson had requested permission to march in Sunday's West Hollywood Gay Pride parade in his uniform, but was denied. After filing a charge of discrimination based on sexual orientation against the CDCR, Johnson has been granted permission to take part in the event, in uniform. more ›

Concerns were raised this week over Governor Brown’s budget proposal for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Last year, the CDCR overspent its budget, shifted millions of dollars allocated for rehabilitation programs into prison security, and deferred payments to contractors. more ›

The prison private sector is big business. So big, in fact, California will spend $60 million a year for three years to send 2,600 prisoners to GEO Group Inc.'s facility in Michigan, according to Neon Tommy's Paresh Dave. more ›

Javier Rueda was supposed to serve 10 years for a number of crimes, but after two years he was released in January. Crimes he was jailed for included possession of a controlled substance while armed with a gun, possession of a silencer, vehicle theft and evading a police officer. When released as a parolee, he was deemed "low-level, nonviolent" and given the status as a non-revocable parole, meaning he wouldn't have to report to a parolee officer. more ›

One of Charles Manson's associates convicted with two counts of first-degree murder was recommended for parole today. The decision by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Board of Parole Hearings comes for 67-year-old Bruce Davis after spending 38 years in jail, the majority of it without incidents prompting discipline. more ›

All 6,622 Sex offenders on parole in the state will now be hooked up to and monitored by a GPS system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced today. According to a press release, those individuals have now been "fitted with an ankle bracelet that transmits its location to parole agents, who also visit [them] on a routine basis." The program is the result of Jessica's law, which was passed on the ballot in 2006 as Prop 83, and it requires "that every paroled sex offender be monitored by GPS." The system was meant to be fully implemented by June 2009, but they're now 6 months ahead of schedule--a rare accomplishment in this era of state-level stagnation. The CDCR may next move to using GPS to track gang activity, although our budget may make this a more long-term plan. Another reason to be a proud Californian? Tripling Florida's meager 1,800 GPS units, our state is now "the nation's leader in using GPS technology to track sex offenders." more ›