New research from Santa Clara University shows the violent crime rate in different counties does not determine how many people they send to state prison.
Criminal Justice Law Professor W. David Ball published a study called "Tough on Crime (On the State's Dime)". The study found just a third... more »
The Lompoc man who killed a four-year-old boy last year will spend the rest of his life behind bars. A jury convicted James Lujan in December for beating Diego Calles to death at a Budget Inn, in Lompoc in July of 2009.
He was found guilty on four of... more »
The Lompoc man convicted of murdering a four-year-old boy back in July 2009 will spend the rest of his life in prison. A judge sentenced James Lujan to 75 years to life in prison without parole Thursday morning inside a Santa Maria courtroom.
Lujan, 30, beat Diego Calles to... more »
The Anaheim man accused of sexually assaulting a local girl will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Alfredo Soria was sentenced to over 120 years in prison Wednesday morning in a Santa Maria courtroom.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, Soria was sentenced... more »
A Santa Maria man now faces life in prison, after he was convicted for his part in a gang murder that happened five years ago.
A jury found Jeremy Wallin, 29, guilty of kidnapping and murdering Jeremy Grinder, 21, back in 2004.
Wallin faces special circumstances because it was... more »
Seventy-one inmates in the Santa Barbara County Jail system were released Monday. The release came as part of new state guidelines designed to reduce prison overcrowding in California's state prisons. Under those guidelines, inmates are given more credit for good behavior.
Twenty-two inmates were released from the Santa Barbara... more »
The man convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy learns his punishment. Twenty-four-year-old Barry Wilson was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison Wednesday. He will be eligible for parole after 15 years. Wilson was arrested in Bakersfield back in March on an unrelated drug charge. After he was... more »
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The death rate for California inmates dropped for a second consecutive year, but a federal receiver overseeing prison medical care says more can be done to stop prison deaths. Receiver Clark Kelso says the annual inmate death rate dropped to 215 deaths per 100,000 prisoners in... more »
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Health officials say a central California inmate who died last week was the prison system's third death from swine flu.
The first two inmates died in mid-November at prisons in central and Southern California. The third inmate died November 27.
The receiver in charge of... more »