Criminal Justice

DA Says LA Man Who Spent 38 Years In Prison For Murder Is Innocent

Tests on DNA from semen found in the victim's mouth proved Maurice Hastings did not commit the crime.

Maurice Hastings, a bald Black man with glasses wearing a dark suit and tie with a blue and white shirt and blue and white handkerchief in. his breast pocket, speaks at a podium. Paula Mitchell, a white woman with her arms folded in front of her, stands to the left. DA George Gascón stands to the right.

ACLU Asks Judge To Hold LA County In Contempt For 'Flagrant Violations' Of Jail Order

Last year, a federal judge ordered immediate improvements after the ACLU filed a motion about “abysmal” conditions at the Inmate Reception Center. Now the civil rights group says the county is not complying with the order.

We're looking at the entrance to the downtown jail public lobby and inmate reception center. A concrete beige building faces us, with glass windows framed with red. The door has white signs like "put on your mask". The building is part of a large complex -- we can see other beige buildings beyond the reception center. A palm tree is to the right of the building, and there are green grass and shrubs.

LA County Supes Vote To Explore How To Get More Books Into Jails

Earlier this month, we wrote about the lack of books inside L.A. County jails and one woman’s effort to change that. Now, the board of supervisors wants the Sheriff’s Department to report back on ways to make books available.

Ahmanise Sanati, a light-skinned woman with long black hair wearing a blue denim shirt, a green lanyard, and silver hoop earrings, holds up a copy of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential in her left hand as she smiles at the camera. She's standing in front of her silver car, with brown bags and boxes of books visible from the back seat.

CA Attorney General Investigating Riverside Sheriff’s Department, Focusing On Jail Deaths, Use Of Force

Rob Bonta says Riverside's department has had large numbers of deaths in custody, use of force in custody, and deaths by firearms.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a white man, looks at the camera. He has short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair, a bushy moustache that curls just below his mouth, and he is wearing his tan sheriff's uniform.

Harvey Weinstein Will Likely Spend The Rest Of His Life In Prison After LA Sentence

Once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, the 70-year-old former film producer will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison. He is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York.

Harvey Weinstein appearing in court in Los Angeles in Oct. 2022.

Unlikely Alliances In Supreme Court Opinions On Overtime, Death Penalty

The cases involved who qualifies for overtime pay, and Arizona's refusal to apply a Supreme Court precedent in death penalty jury instructions.

Rapper Nipsey Hussle's Killer Is Sentenced To 60 Years To Life In Prison

Eric Holder Jr. shot Nipsey Hussle in 2019 outside Marathon Clothing, Hussle’s store in South L.A.

A man with dark tone skin sits at a table next to a man standing in a suit. The man sitting has a mustache and facial hair on his chin and wears an orange jail uniform.

Man Accused In Shooting Death of LA Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell Is Charged With Murder

Carlos Medina had previously done work at the bishop’s home. When Medina was interviewed by investigators, his reasons for the killing “didn’t make sense” to them, according to authorities.

‘Overwhelming In The Best Of Ways’ — A Big Response To Our Story On Books In Jail

Ahmanise Sanati is starting up book drives again after bringing thousands of books inside jails over a more than a decade-long career there. After we wrote about her efforts two weeks ago, her DMs blew up.