Steve Smith
Commentary
Read the latest debate on body-worn cameras
On body-worn cameras and license plate readers, there should be a reasonable expectation of privacy
On June 9, a gunman opened fire on people attending a community block party in the Mission District of San Francisco. The shots hit nine people – five of them seriously. It was one of over 550 gun-related incidents so far recorded in San Francisco this year that has ...
Blog
Read about Pamela Price controversy
Pamela Price Gets it Wrong
Oakland’s social, economic, and criminal justice challenges are well known. Lost jobs, expensive housing, poor performing schools, and a crime problem that exceeds neighboring cities are constant challenges. However, a recent surge in crime shows violent crime is up 14 percent, rapes are up 18 percent, robberies are up 18 ...
Blog
Read about Van Houten parole controversy
Leslie Van Houten Parole Was a Tragic Mistake
Leslie Van Houten, the Manson family member, and convicted murderer, has seen her long road to release become front page news all over the world. Her parole had been denied multiple times during her 51 years of incarceration for her role in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca on ...
Blog
Crimes, Punishment, and Parole – Mass Releases and Mass Victimization
The use of the term “mass incarceration” is widely accepted to define the United States rate of incarceration in comparison to other countries. According to prisonpolicy.org, the US rate of incarceration is 664 per 100,000 population. In California, the rate was 549/100,000, which ranks 33 out of the 50 states. ...
Blog
The Starbucks Index Shows California’s Growing Urban Crime Problem
For anyone who’s visited or lived in the American South, the much-loved Waffle House is everywhere. Open 24 hours, the Waffle House is known for its good service and consistent if not perhaps gourmet offerings. Of course, breakfast is served all day (and night). There are 1,981 Waffle Houses in ...
Blog
Read the concerning numbers in the 2022 Crime in California report
California’s 2022 Annual Crime Statistics Released – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
On June 30th, California Attorney General Rob Bonta released his 2022 Crime in California report as well as several other mandated statistical reports covering hate crimes, juvenile justice, and firearms. What the statistics tell us, like they have for the past three years, is that crime continues to rise. Violent ...
Blog
Learn about CA's retail theft problem
Rampant Thefts – The New Normal
Calvin McDonald, the CEO of Lululemon, the athletic wear brand, took fire recently for terminating two employees who intervened in an organized shoplifting snatch and grab. Known as “educators,” sales staff in Lululemon stores are told not to intervene during a shoplifting incident. In store video footage, the educators are ...
Blog
Read latest on Titan submarine tragedy
The Loss of the Titan
(Note: PRI senior fellow Steve Smith, a former Coast Guardsman and merchant mariner, shares his thoughts on last week’s Titan submarine tragedy.) Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. ...
Blog
The Fentanyl Resurgimiento— A Drug Like No Other
On January 11, 2023, Dr. Rahul Gupta, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) declared a small victory. He reported new figures from the Center for Disease Control estimating that nationally there was a 2.57 percent decrease in the number of fatal drug overdoses for ...
Blog
Juvenile Justice – A Crisis in the Making
On July 1, California will close its three remaining juvenile justice facilities. Located in Stockton and Ventura, the three facilities house just 300 juvenile offenders – down from a system high of 8000 ten years ago. Once closed, the 300 inmates will be returned to the county from which they ...
Read the latest debate on body-worn cameras
On body-worn cameras and license plate readers, there should be a reasonable expectation of privacy
On June 9, a gunman opened fire on people attending a community block party in the Mission District of San Francisco. The shots hit nine people – five of them seriously. It was one of over 550 gun-related incidents so far recorded in San Francisco this year that has ...
Read about Pamela Price controversy
Pamela Price Gets it Wrong
Oakland’s social, economic, and criminal justice challenges are well known. Lost jobs, expensive housing, poor performing schools, and a crime problem that exceeds neighboring cities are constant challenges. However, a recent surge in crime shows violent crime is up 14 percent, rapes are up 18 percent, robberies are up 18 ...
Read about Van Houten parole controversy
Leslie Van Houten Parole Was a Tragic Mistake
Leslie Van Houten, the Manson family member, and convicted murderer, has seen her long road to release become front page news all over the world. Her parole had been denied multiple times during her 51 years of incarceration for her role in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca on ...
Crimes, Punishment, and Parole – Mass Releases and Mass Victimization
The use of the term “mass incarceration” is widely accepted to define the United States rate of incarceration in comparison to other countries. According to prisonpolicy.org, the US rate of incarceration is 664 per 100,000 population. In California, the rate was 549/100,000, which ranks 33 out of the 50 states. ...
The Starbucks Index Shows California’s Growing Urban Crime Problem
For anyone who’s visited or lived in the American South, the much-loved Waffle House is everywhere. Open 24 hours, the Waffle House is known for its good service and consistent if not perhaps gourmet offerings. Of course, breakfast is served all day (and night). There are 1,981 Waffle Houses in ...
Read the concerning numbers in the 2022 Crime in California report
California’s 2022 Annual Crime Statistics Released – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
On June 30th, California Attorney General Rob Bonta released his 2022 Crime in California report as well as several other mandated statistical reports covering hate crimes, juvenile justice, and firearms. What the statistics tell us, like they have for the past three years, is that crime continues to rise. Violent ...
Learn about CA's retail theft problem
Rampant Thefts – The New Normal
Calvin McDonald, the CEO of Lululemon, the athletic wear brand, took fire recently for terminating two employees who intervened in an organized shoplifting snatch and grab. Known as “educators,” sales staff in Lululemon stores are told not to intervene during a shoplifting incident. In store video footage, the educators are ...
Read latest on Titan submarine tragedy
The Loss of the Titan
(Note: PRI senior fellow Steve Smith, a former Coast Guardsman and merchant mariner, shares his thoughts on last week’s Titan submarine tragedy.) Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. ...
The Fentanyl Resurgimiento— A Drug Like No Other
On January 11, 2023, Dr. Rahul Gupta, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) declared a small victory. He reported new figures from the Center for Disease Control estimating that nationally there was a 2.57 percent decrease in the number of fatal drug overdoses for ...
Juvenile Justice – A Crisis in the Making
On July 1, California will close its three remaining juvenile justice facilities. Located in Stockton and Ventura, the three facilities house just 300 juvenile offenders – down from a system high of 8000 ten years ago. Once closed, the 300 inmates will be returned to the county from which they ...
