Press
— For More News Go Here —
San Diego, the racial divide in charges that can lead to life without parole has grown
By David M. Greenwald
June 3, 2026
FRESNO, Calif. — After nearly 50 years of being incarcerated, last week a Fresno County Superior Court judge granted Douglas Stankewitz’s request for discovery under the California Racial Justice Act, ruling that the longtime death penalty case has met the statute’s relatively low threshold for obtaining evidence that could support claims of racial bias.
Read the full story from Davis Vanguard here!
Douglas Stankewitz Case Returns to Court as California Racial Justice Law Tests a 1978 Fresno Murder Prosecution
April 14, 2026
By David Greenwald
FRESNO, CA. — Nearly five decades after Douglas Stankewitz was first charged in a Fresno County murder case that once carried a death sentence, the long-running litigation has entered a new phase centered on race, historical bias and access to prosecutorial records under California’s Racial Justice Act.
Read the full press release from The Davis Vanguard here.
In San Diego, the racial divide in charges that can lead to life without parole has grown
February 3, 2026
By Katie Hyson / Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter
Contributors: Charlotte Radulovich / Video Journalist
Black murder defendants are more likely than white murder defendants to be charged with special circumstances that can lead to life without parole sentences. When the current district attorney took office, that gap grew.
Read the full story from KPBR here!
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ends Mandatory Life Without Parole For Those Who Did Not Intentionally Kill
March 26, 2026
Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court barred mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for people convicted of felony murder.
Read the full press release from The Sentencing Project here.
California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons
March 17, 2026
By Victoria Law
California’s incarcerated population has aged rapidly over the past 30 years. A new report recommends creating new pathways for senior citizens to seek release.
Read the full story from The Appeal here!
Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026
March 11, 2026
By Wendy Sawyer, Brian Nam-Sonenstein and Peter Wagner Tweet this
Press release
Printable PDF version
Can it really be true that most people in jail are legally innocent? How much of mass incarceration is a result of the war on drugs, or the profit motives of private prisons?
The full report is available from Prison Policy Initiative here.
