Ernest Mora

Ernest was arrested in 1993. At that time, he was only 23 years old. He served 33 years of a Life Without the Possibility of Parole sentence. Ernest came home in 2026. Moneaya : Good morning! Joe: Good morning. Ernest : Hi, good morning. Joe: Ernie. So good to see you. Ernest : Thank you. […]

Tammy Cooper Garvin

Tammy was 32 years old when she was incarcerated with a Life Without the Possibility of Parole prison sentence. Her release was secured when then California Governor, Jerry Brown, commuted her sentence after she had served a long 28 years. Moneaya Thank you, Tammy, for being here with me and Joe. Question number one is, […]

Tammy Cooper-Garvin

Shawndra Boode Decision

July 7, 2026 On July 1, 2026 Shawndra Boode went before Judge Patton to be heard. Big thanks to everyone who supported Shawndra at her resentencing hearing … in person at the court and on zoom. Shawndra and the judge certainly took note of all the supporters! Judge Patton used the recent Frederickson decision to […]

Antoine Crecy Win

VICTORY! Antoine Crecy Wins BiG On June 8, 2026 Antoine’s original trial judge struck his two 1st Degree murder convictions to 2nd Degree murder, citing Frederickson, 1016 Cal App 910, Penal Code 1172.1. The preceding will continue in months to come to consider if Penal Code 1172.6 will apply. The judge said that in the […]

LAO Report Exposes “Indefensible Waste” in Prison Budget

Indefensible Waste” in Prison Budget CURB Calls for at least 5 More Closures to Reduce State Deficit FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Olivia Gleason | olivia@curbprisonspending.org | 562.881.2625 SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) responded to the newly released Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report on the 2026-27 Corrections Budget. While […]

What the Menendez Brothers Parole hearings tell us about prison discipline, Part 1

Witness L.A. December 29, 2025 by Chandra Bozelko Editor’s note: Whatever you do or don’t think about the controversial and complex case of the Menendez Brothers, a look at their recent bid for parole opens the door to an examination of how well or poorly our systems of prison discipline presently work. So read on! Erik and Lyle […]

Challenging Your Parole Denial in California State Court

This handbook includes step-by-step guidance on how to challenge a parole denial in California state court, fill-in-the-blank templates to help people write their own habeas petitions, and an overview of the court process so people know what to expect at each stage. Every year, there’s an average of 2,600 people in California who are denied […]

Gina Apodaca

” You know what … I don’t remember the month because it was just like a blur. I don’t remember the month I was sentenced, but I know it was a few months after that I went to prison … and I went to prison in December of 2001 … and I spent 21 and […]

Reforming California’s Approach to Incarceration: The Role of Second Look Policies

California Policy Lab September 24, 2025 By: Alissa Skog and Johanna Lacoe OVERVIEW REPORT: The Role of Second Look Policies in Reforming California’s Approach to Incarceration PRESS RELEASE: New Research on People Released from Prison Under California’s Second Look Resentencing Policies Over the past 13 years, California has implemented numerous criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing prison sentences, limiting the […]