Prisons

Hundreds of California’s incarcerated firefighters will see an increase in pay, a new death benefit and a faster path to expungement of their criminal records under laws Gov. Gavin Newsom signed.

Whether it goes forward may be up to the Trump administration.

If you go to prison in Oregon as a juvenile, your record is typically wiped clean when you leave. But if you have tattoos like gang symbols — or something else inappropriate — that record could still follow you. One program is trying to give kids a clean slate.

California sent incarcerated firefighters to battle blazes in Los Angeles this year. It’s moving toward paying them minimum wage for their work in emergencies.

Records obtained and analyzed by CalMatters offer the first glimpse into what happened to some of the former prisoners after state leaders chose to shrink a prison population imperiled by the pandemic.

Medical parole is reserved for the sliver of California’s 90,000 prisoners who have a “significant and permanent condition” that leaves them “physically or cognitively debilitated or incapacitated” to the point they can’t care for themselves.

The agency ousted two top health care officials, including its chief of medicine, and plans a comprehensive review.

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.