Jason Pohl
We Investigated the Crisis in California’s Jails. Now, the Governor Calls for More Oversight.
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to have more power to scrutinize local jails. This comes after a McClatchy and ProPublica investigation found the agency meant to oversee the jails is toothless and that some jail conditions are inhumane.
A Jail Increased Extreme Isolation to Stop Suicides. More People Killed Themselves.
The Kern County, CA Sheriff’s Office places hundreds of people into suicide watch each year. They’re held for days or weeks in rooms without mattresses and sometimes toilets. The state can’t stop it.
A Year After an Inmate Was Choked to Death in Jail, a Murder Charge but Few Details
Lorenzo Herrera, 19, was found dead in a Fresno County Jail cell in March 2018. A man has been charged, but detectives say they’re still trying to determine if there are additional suspects.
Deadly Delays in Jail Construction Cost Lives and Dollars Across California
Sixty-five jail construction projects, totaling $2.1 billion, were awarded funds since realignment. Only 11 have opened. Meanwhile, dangerous jails have become more deadly.
There Has Been an Explosion of Homicides in California’s County Jails. Here’s Why.
Some California county jails saw their rate of inmate-on-inmate homicides triple or quadruple, and statewide the number rose 46% after 2011 prison reforms shifted responsibility from state prisons to county lockups. As sheriffs and jail staffs strain, some inmate crimes go undetected for hours.
California Tried to Fix Its Prisons. Now County Jails Are More Deadly.
In a 48-hour stretch during January 2018, three men were booked into the Fresno County Jail. One was beaten into a coma. Two died soon afterward. Their cases kicked off a nightmarish year in a local jail where problems trace back to California’s sweeping 2011 prison downsizing and criminal justice reforms.
What Do You Know About County Jails in California? Talk to Us.
ProPublica and The Sacramento Bee are spending the year reporting on resources, safety and crowding in California county jails.
