Seventy-three people have died in LA County jails since the start of 2023.

How are people dying? Los Angeles County has not yet publicly issued causes of death for everyone who has died in county jails in recent months. However, even once autopsy reports are finalized, they don’t tell the whole story: when the coroner rules that a death is the result of “natural causes,” jail conditions can still be to blame. Researchers ...

From arrest to arraignment, here’s how the start of a criminal case plays out in New York City and many other jurisdictions nationwide.

Being arrested disrupts someone’s life and the lives of their loved ones. It also threatens their safety. Even a single day in detention can have cascading consequences and make someone more likely to be arrested again in the future. An arrest also sets the criminal legal process in motion. While jurisdictions handle this process differently, the ...

There are better ways than incarceration to make young people in need feel safe.

Too often, young people who are unsafe at home end up entangled in the juvenile legal system. This is particularly true for girls and gender expansive youth, who are often criminalized due to family conflict, abuse, and housing instability. Bresha Meadows endured years of verbal and physical abuse from her father. She repeatedly reached out to fa ...