CRIME STORY’S Sean Smith continues his weekly analysis of the news stories aggregated in CRIME STORY DAILY related to COVID-19 and our carceral system. By reconsidering early reporting on the crisis in the light of subsequent developments, CRIME STORY hopes to point out trends in the narrative of COVID-19 and the prisons. You can find links to each of Sean's analysis pieces here. This article covers the week beginning March 22.  WEEK TWO (March 22-28) In state houses and the nation’s capital, reactions to...

Kary Antholis: On today’s podcast we present part three of an exclusive three-part conversation with Eric Siddall vice president of the ADDA the professional association for Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles county. You can find part one of my interview with Eric here. And you can find part two here. Kary Antholis: Relative to other developed countries, our sentences are much longer and our penal philosophy seems to be that victim's rights to a large degree equals retribution. Rehabilitation is given relatively short shrift...

On today’s podcast we present part two of an exclusive three-part conversation with Eric Siddall vice president of the ADDA the professional association for Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles county. You can find part one of my interview with Eric here. Kary Antholis: Would you talk to me a bit about the relationship between the prosecutors and police. And how you engage with them in determining whether to file charges and what charges to file in a case? Eric...

Kary Antholis: On today’s podcast we present part one of an exclusive three-part conversation with Eric Siddall Vice President of the ADDA the professional association for Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles county. In his capacity as Vice President of the ADDA, Eric spoke with me about his path to becoming a prosecutor, his work as a deputy DA and as a leader of the ADDA. We will also explore his response to initiatives aimed at reforming the criminal legal process.  Kary Antholis: Thanks...

In 1999, 23-year-old Kian Khatibi was wrongly convicted of a 1998 stabbing actually perpetrated by his brother. He served nine years in prison before his brother confessed to the crime and Khatibi’s conviction was vacated. After his release, he went to law school and started his own law practice in New York City.  Today, in his capacity as an attorney, Khatibi serves Covid essential businesses in obtaining special construction permits. He also owns and operates a restaurant, Hopkins and Hawley, currently on lockdown due to the pandemic.

The Guilty Project: An Interview with Mike Romano and Susan Champion On April 28th, the life sentences imposed on James Washington and Pablo Garcia under the infamous Three Strikes Law were vacated. After fighting their release for over seven years, in a stunning reversal, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office conceded that the two men, who had each already served over two decades in prison, should be released and their crimes reclassified as misdemeanors.  Mike Romano and Susan Champion, Director and Deputy Director of the Three Strikes...