Los Angeles County district attorney backpedals on criminal justice reforms

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon reversed some of his more lenient positions regarding juveniles convicted of murder and violent sexual assault, according to leaked memos.

Gascon announced Friday that a special committee tasked with reviewing cases of juveniles who committed serious offenses will have the power to approve a prosecutor’s request to transfer relevant cases out of juvenile court and into adult court. The district attorney previously enacted a policy Wednesday that forced prosecutors to receive approval from their direct superiors before transferring a case, a more lenient position from the freedom district attorneys previously enjoyed to transfer cases freely from court to court.