Prisons

State prisoners have long been a part of California’s firefighting force. Hundreds of them now are deployed in Los Angeles County.

From a historic election to record wildfires to drug recriminalization, 2024 was a big year for state government and political news in Oregon.

The inmate did not receive appropriate care for his mental health needs, the lawsuit says.

Californians accused of certain drug and retail theft crimes may already be facing stiffer penalties under an initiative voters passed this year, alongside related bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law.

California recorded historically high numbers of deaths in county jails for the past six years. Now, counties expect to house more prisoners as Prop. 36 takes effect.

The agency has an open investigation into its head doctor and assistant health services director.

An Oregon prison guard sanctioned the attack of a man serving time at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in 2022. After the attack, the Oregon Department of Corrections failed to meet the standards of medical care to treat “extreme and debilitating injuries.”

Involuntary servitude is prohibited in California’s Constitution except as punishment for a crime. Prop 6 would remove that exception.

California over decades sterilized thousands of people in state prisons, state-run homes and hospitals. Lawmakers created a reparations program for them, but it has denied most applications.

Oregon judges have released four people from prison, finding Gov. Tina Kotek’s orders that revoked their early release unlawfully violated their rights.

The inmate, 35-year-old Jesse Banks, suffered from a mental health condition and died while in solitary confinement after hours without anyone checking on him, the lawsuit alleges.

During the COVID pandemic, hundreds of prisoners in Oregon were released early. That led to backlash and Governor Tina Kotek later revoking some of those commutations. One woman in Southern Oregon is still struggling after being sent back.