Crime
Blog
Read about rise in crime against seniors
California – It’s No Place for the Old
On Halloween Eve this year a 79-year-old woman was walking along Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica when she was beaten on her head and robbed of her purse by four suspects, one of whom was armed with a handgun. An alert witness contacted the police and, thanks to a good ...
Steve Smith
November 27, 2023
Blog
Read latest on fight against fentanyl
A Deal with China on Fentanyl?
According to a story in Reuters: . . . The administration is set to remove restrictions on China’s Institute of Forensic Science in a bid to convince Beijing to step up cooperation to halt the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in the United States. Blocking fentanyl “precursor” chemicals has ...
Steve Smith
November 17, 2023
Blog
Learn about California's rising crime problem
California’s Victim Compensation Board – Helping Victims, or Themselves?
The California crime victimization numbers are staggering. In 2022, the last full year of statistics, violent crime rose 6.1 percent and property crimes rose 6.2 percent. In all – 193,019 people were reported victims of violent crime and there were 902,977 reported property crimes for a total of 1,095,496 crimes. ...
Steve Smith
October 31, 2023
Blog
Read part 3 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
What Can California Learn from Norway’s Prison System? (Part Three)
Critics of the California (and presumably the entire US) correctional system) often point out that Norwegian correctional staff are not armed, and mix freely with inmates. Inmates attend religious services, practice yoga, sports, vocational skills, attend classes, and officers do not use martial terms or ranks. California’s facilities offer many ...
Steve Smith
October 17, 2023
Blog
Read part 2 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
Should California Really Be Following Norway’s Lead on Criminal Justice Reform? (Part Two)
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) measures post incarceration conduct three ways: rearrests, reconvictions, and returns to prison. The most recent study, published in April 2023, studies a cohort of inmates released in 2017/18 for a period of three years. A three-year period is generally accepted as adequate ...
Steve Smith
October 10, 2023
Blog
Read part 1 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
Prisons – California Dreamin’, or a Norwegian Nightmare? (Part One)
Armed with reports of low recidivism rates – and apparently ignorant of California’s own recidivism statistics (except to say they are too high) – Gov. Newsom made reducing recidivism a focal point of his 2023 State of the State tour where one of his first stops was San Quentin Prison. ...
Steve Smith
October 3, 2023
Blog
Crime is out of control in Oakland
And Now, On The Other Side Of The Bay …
San Francisco has become almost as famous for its serial store closings as its cable cars. Popular retailers, including Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Saks Off 5th, Anthropologie and Office Depot are shutting their doors because, well, they just can’t take it anymore. The thieves won. Across the water, on the east ...
Kerry Jackson
October 2, 2023
Blog
Read about latest soft on crime legislation
SB 2 – A Law in Search of a Crime
The 2022 Crime in California report from the state Attorney General’s office tell us, as the reports have shown for the past three years, that crime continues to rise. Violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over the 2021 figures. Yet, progressive lawmakers have continued to ...
Steve Smith
September 19, 2023
Crime
Wayne Winegarden – Free Cities Index
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study “The Free Cities Index.” Many of America’s cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans. Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, ...
Pacific Research Institute
September 5, 2023
Blog
Read about latest bill to undermine public safety
SB 94 – Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics – Murderers do not “Age Out”
They received those sentences because their crimes are uniquely heinous and include one or more factors known as “special circumstances” that can include, the murder of public safety officers or officials, murders for financial gain, the use of torture, murders of multiple victims, prior convictions for murder, the use of ...
Steve Smith
August 30, 2023
Read about rise in crime against seniors
California – It’s No Place for the Old
On Halloween Eve this year a 79-year-old woman was walking along Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica when she was beaten on her head and robbed of her purse by four suspects, one of whom was armed with a handgun. An alert witness contacted the police and, thanks to a good ...
Read latest on fight against fentanyl
A Deal with China on Fentanyl?
According to a story in Reuters: . . . The administration is set to remove restrictions on China’s Institute of Forensic Science in a bid to convince Beijing to step up cooperation to halt the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in the United States. Blocking fentanyl “precursor” chemicals has ...
Learn about California's rising crime problem
California’s Victim Compensation Board – Helping Victims, or Themselves?
The California crime victimization numbers are staggering. In 2022, the last full year of statistics, violent crime rose 6.1 percent and property crimes rose 6.2 percent. In all – 193,019 people were reported victims of violent crime and there were 902,977 reported property crimes for a total of 1,095,496 crimes. ...
Read part 3 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
What Can California Learn from Norway’s Prison System? (Part Three)
Critics of the California (and presumably the entire US) correctional system) often point out that Norwegian correctional staff are not armed, and mix freely with inmates. Inmates attend religious services, practice yoga, sports, vocational skills, attend classes, and officers do not use martial terms or ranks. California’s facilities offer many ...
Read part 2 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
Should California Really Be Following Norway’s Lead on Criminal Justice Reform? (Part Two)
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) measures post incarceration conduct three ways: rearrests, reconvictions, and returns to prison. The most recent study, published in April 2023, studies a cohort of inmates released in 2017/18 for a period of three years. A three-year period is generally accepted as adequate ...
Read part 1 of 3 part series on Norway's prison system
Prisons – California Dreamin’, or a Norwegian Nightmare? (Part One)
Armed with reports of low recidivism rates – and apparently ignorant of California’s own recidivism statistics (except to say they are too high) – Gov. Newsom made reducing recidivism a focal point of his 2023 State of the State tour where one of his first stops was San Quentin Prison. ...
Crime is out of control in Oakland
And Now, On The Other Side Of The Bay …
San Francisco has become almost as famous for its serial store closings as its cable cars. Popular retailers, including Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Saks Off 5th, Anthropologie and Office Depot are shutting their doors because, well, they just can’t take it anymore. The thieves won. Across the water, on the east ...
Read about latest soft on crime legislation
SB 2 – A Law in Search of a Crime
The 2022 Crime in California report from the state Attorney General’s office tell us, as the reports have shown for the past three years, that crime continues to rise. Violent crimes are up 6.1 percent and property crimes are up 6.2 percent over the 2021 figures. Yet, progressive lawmakers have continued to ...
Wayne Winegarden – Free Cities Index
Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study “The Free Cities Index.” Many of America’s cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans. Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, ...
Read about latest bill to undermine public safety
SB 94 – Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics – Murderers do not “Age Out”
They received those sentences because their crimes are uniquely heinous and include one or more factors known as “special circumstances” that can include, the murder of public safety officers or officials, murders for financial gain, the use of torture, murders of multiple victims, prior convictions for murder, the use of ...