Pretrial services programs aim to increase the safe and efficient release of arrested individuals before trial, using the least restrictive monitoring practices possible while still protecting public safety and ensuring court appearances.

The Third District Court of Appeal has held that a defendant convicted of a special circumstances murder that was committed when he was 23 years old was wrongly denied the opportunity to make a record of mitigating evidence related to his age for purposes of future parole proceedings under a Penal Code section applicable to “youthful offenders” that specifically excludes adult perpetrators who were sentenced to determinate life sentences.

State and local agencies in California must adhere to statutory deadlines in saying whether they will or won’t produce public records but are under no compulsion to provide them promptly, Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday, affirming a trial court determination that no writ relief lies even where there are delays of weeks or months.

(Subscription required) A federal judge on Monday approved a $303 million settlement benefiting so-called volunteer coaches, including $90 million in attorneys' fees. They filed an antitrust claim three years ago claiming that schools engaged in illegal price-fixing by offering them only so-called "volunteer" coaching positions.