Prisons: A story by Jordan Rau in today's Los Angeles Times reports that since medical care in California prisons has been taken over by the federal courts, the corrections budget has increased by 79%. While the Times blames the public for passing the "Three Strikes" law to extend confinement for habitual criminals (and reduce crime), it also blames the state legislature for ignoring the prison overcrowding problem for so long that the federal courts have now assumed control.

Death Penalty: Now that the New Jersey Legislature has repealed the state's long-unenforced death penalty law, opponents are seeking to build momentum for repeals in other states. Among the dozen or so news stories inspired by this effort are these from Washington Post writer John Wagner reporting on the effort to abolish capital punishment in Maryland, Brian Lazenby's story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press observing an opportunity for opponents in Tennessee, and Adam Liptak's piece in the New York Times, which suggests that the nation is abandoning the death penalty (except for those cretins in Texas).

Murder Rates: Have dropped significantly in Los Angeles, as reported here in the Los Angeles Times, and in Chicago according to this story in the Sun Times, but homicides are up big time in San Francisco as reported by the Associated Press.