San Francisco's criminal justice system is failing on multiple fronts: Antoine Watson, convicted of killing 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, walked free on probation after pretrial detention credits exceeded his four-year sentencing cap — a mathematically predictable outcome that defense attorneys can engineer through strategic delays. Meanwhile, SF's Superior Courts haven't reported a single data point to the state since 2020, ranking 52nd out of 56 counties in case clearance, even as the public defender's budget climbed to $57.6 million. New research on Oakland's Ceasefire program shows a different path: targeting the less than 0.5% of residents responsible for most gun violence cut shooting victimizations in half between 2012 and 2017.
A woman connected to killing an Asian senior is about to dodge trial while BART attackers walk free. January 12 is the test.
The murderer walks free. The public defender wants charges dismissed. This is what "reform" looks like.