SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom not only put a moratorium on executions in California on Wednesday, he said he also may commute death sentences and is pushing to repeal capital punishment. Newsom signed an executive order granting reprieves to all 737 condemned inmates on the nation's largest death row. That means no...
No Escape? El Chapo Likely off to 'Prison of All Prisons'
NEW YORK — In the world of corrections, there are inmates who pose security risks, and then there's "El Chapo." Drug lord Joaquin Guzman has an unparalleled record of jailbreaks, having escaped two high-security Mexican prisons before his ultimate capture and extradition to the United States. So with Guzman convicted Tuesday of...
DJ Art Laboe, 93, Spins Oldies to Link Inmates and Family
PALM SPRINGS — It's approaching 9 p.m. and Art Laboe adjusts the microphone as Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" ends. "And now it's time for you to call up for those goodnight dedications," Laboe announces. "Hello?" a young girl says. "I want to dedicate this to my dad that's in...
California Revisits Three-Strike Life Sentences
SACRAMENTO — Up to 4,000 California inmates serving life sentences for nonviolent convictions will have a chance at parole following the state's decision to let stand a judge's ruling saying those prisoners are eligible for freedom under a voter-approved law. The state will craft new regulations by January to include...
Yosemite Valley Will Reopen Tuesday. Fire 80% Contained.
National Parks officials announced Friday that Yosemite Valley will reopen to visitors 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14. In addition, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias will be back open Monday. Yosemite Valley has been shuttered since July 25 because of the Ferguson Fire. "We'd like to express our sincere gratitude...
Ferguson Fire 80% Contained. Crews Protect Yosemite Valley.
Having contained 80% of the Ferguson Fire, the team battling the biggest blaze in Sierra National Forest history is focused on keeping the flames out of iconic Yosemite Valley, officials said Friday morning. "The final piece that must be secured remains between El Portal Road and Wawona Road," states the Ferguson...
14,000 Fight California Fires, Some From Prisons or Overseas
UKIAH — Firefighters said for the first time Wednesday that they have made good progress battling the state's largest-ever wildfire but didn't expect to have it fully under control until September. The blaze north of San Francisco has grown to the size of Los Angeles since it started two weeks...
California Judge Cracks Down on Smuggled Inmate Cellphones
SACRAMENTO — Judges in California and South Carolina have ordered cellphone carriers to disable nearly 200 contraband cellphones used by inmates to orchestrate crimes behind and outside prison walls, the most sweeping order of its kind ever won by corrections officials. It's an important victory for prison officials who have...