Los Angeles to dismiss 66,000 marijuana convictions
Prosecutors working with not-for-profit tech group to use algorithms to find eligible cases in decades-old court documents
The Guardian (UK)
Friday, February 14, 2020
Friday, February 14, 2020
Los Angeles moved this week to dismiss nearly 66,000 marijuana convictions, years after the state voted to legalize the drug. The county is working with a not-for-profit technology organization, Code for America, to use algorithms to identify eligible cases within decades-old court documents. “The dismissal of tens of thousands of old cannabis-related convictions in Los Angeles county will bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation’s drug laws,” said Jackie Lacey, the LA district attorney, in a statement. Prosecutors this week asked a superior court judge to dismiss 62,000 felony cannabis convictions for cases that date back to 1961.
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