On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law that would shed further light on police misconduct—marking a new era of transparency. The measures began to undo decades of laws and court decisions that had made California the nation’s most secretive state for police records. Sen. Nancy Skinner, author of one of ...

According to The Innocence Project, 1 out of 4 people that were wrongfully convicted but later exonerated by DNA evidence made a false confession or incriminating statement. This statistics in itself is quite shocking—but the real question is why do innocent people confess to crime they have not committed? There ...

We have a blinded tendency to believe in the ability of the court to guarantee a fair trial with a verdict fit for the crime committed. But how accurate is the court’s ability to guarantee such a fair outcome? How often are innocent individuals locked up for heinous crimes they ...

In 2014, California voted in a measure to reduce penalties for certain crimes know as Proposition 47, Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative. The initiative reduced the classification of most “nonserious and nonviolent property and drug crimes” from a felony to a misdemeanor. This includes shoplifting, grand theft, fraud, and ...

You’ve heard of  "Miranda Rights," but what does it really mean? In short: Your right to remain silent during custody and interrogation. In length, it is part of a preventive criminal procedure rule that law enforcement are required to administer to protect an individual who is in custody and subject ...

Did you know that state and federal laws are added, revised, or overturned yearly? Being knowledgeable about changes taking place in the legal system can be extremely helpful in knowing whether or not your actions are criminal or not. Since January there have been hundred of new laws added, including ...