California criminal justice coverage follows the justice system as a whole — courts, sentencing, incarceration, bail, prosecution and ongoing reform efforts at the state level. Reporting takes in all of it, from courtrooms to the legislature.
Roughly 50 families from the Victims of Teenage Crime group called for changes to how juveniles are tried and rehabilitated.
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November 7, 2026
Newsom Commutes Death Sentence of Officer's KillerGov. Gavin Newsom changed Tao Rivera's sentence to life in prison without parole, a move Merced County's district attorney condemned.
November 6, 2026
Appeals Court Upholds $90,000 Bail Bond JudgmentA California appellate court affirmed a judgment against North River Insurance Company for a forfeited bond tied to a Stanislaus County firearms case.
November 6, 2026
Parole Granted to Michael ConnollyA panel found the 78-year-old, convicted in a 2001 Daly City stabbing death, no longer an unreasonable risk to public safety.
November 6, 2026
Newsom Commutes All California Death SentencesGovernor Gavin Newsom will commute the sentences of all 548 death row inmates to life without parole.
November 5, 2026
Newsom Commutes All 548 California Death SentencesGovernor reduces every death row sentence in the state to life in prison without parole.
November 5, 2026
California Declares November Adoption and Permanency MonthThe Judicial Council's resolution spotlights guardianship as a stable path for children who cannot return to their parents.
November 2, 2026
California Bar Pass Rate Falls to 48%Fewer than half of nearly 4,000 July bar exam takers passed, the state's lowest overall rate since 2018.
October 31, 2026
California Police Union Opposes Justice Kelli EvansThe state's largest law enforcement union is urging voters to reject the retention of Supreme Court Justice Kelli Evans.
October 28, 2026
California Reaches $10 Million Prison Abuse SettlementThe agreement follows a class-action lawsuit filed by women subjected to chemical agents at a state facility in Chowchilla.
October 28, 2026
Judge Disqualifies Top Southern California Federal ProsecutorA federal judge ruled that Bill Essayli exceeded term limits for his temporary appointment.
Statewide reporting centers on court proceedings and sentencing outcomes, prison conditions and population levels, prosecutorial policy changes and the reform legislation that moves through Sacramento. Reporting reaches Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose, where the intersection of technology, housing and criminal justice is particularly active. California has restructured significant portions of its criminal justice system through ballot measures, and the implementation of those changes — and legal challenges to them — generates sustained coverage well past each vote. Parole board decisions, wrongful conviction reviews and changes to charging guidelines produce ongoing coverage arcs that continue across administrations.
