Every one of these tools is free, works in your browser, and requires no signup. Built for Californians navigating a legal system that was not built for them.
Read-only view of the full 25-sheet workbook behind every ranking on this site. Inspect every cell, formula, tier classification, and source URL for DAs, Judges, Defenders, Officers, and Departments. Verify the math yourself.
Open the Spreadsheet →Generate a legally-formatted California Public Records Act request for any agency — DA office, sheriff, police, or county. Includes the correct Gov. Code citations, agency contact info, and a follow-up template if they miss the 10-day deadline.
Generate a CPRA Request →See exactly what your county paid in police-misconduct and wrongful-conviction settlements — and what that money could have funded instead. $350M+ tracked across California. Shareable result cards.
Calculate Your County's Cost →Enter your arraignment and preliminary hearing dates. Instantly see whether your PC §859b (10-day prelim) or PC §1382 (60-day trial) rights have been violated — and what dismissal grounds you may have.
Check My Timeline →Thinking about taking a plea? Paste in the DA's offer and see how it compares to similar cases, what the max exposure actually is, and the hidden costs (immigration, custody, gun rights, employment). Do not plea blind.
Analyze a Plea Offer →Enter the charges and enhancements the DA filed. See the real sentencing exposure, mandatory minimums, good-time credits, and realistic post-trial outcomes.
Calculate Sentence →Are the counts against you stacked? Compare the DA's filing to typical charging norms for the same conduct. Surface the "overcharge delta" — common DA leverage for forcing pleas.
Check for Overcharging →A plain-English breakdown of the most common prosecutorial tactics used to pressure defendants — overcharging, late discovery dumps, witness intimidation, plea-deadline manipulation, and how to counter each.
Read the Tactics Guide →Look up any California public defender or private criminal attorney. See conviction/acquittal rates, trial experience, State Bar discipline history, and client complaints where public.
Look Up an Attorney →Every California DA, graded on misconduct, wrongful convictions, Brady violations, and settlement costs. With sources.
See DA Grades →Interactive map of all 58 California counties, color-coded by misconduct density, settlement costs, or wrongful conviction rate. Click a county for its full profile.
Open the Heat Map →Search California officers by name, badge, or agency. See complaint history, use-of-force incidents, SB 1421 records, and civil settlements where public.
Search Officers →Prosecution witnesses' testimony history, credibility issues, prior inconsistent statements, and prior criminal records where public.
Search Witnesses →Full directory of California public defenders and private criminal attorneys, with scorecards and State Bar status.
Browse Defenders →Connect with people who testified in other cases involving the same officer, DA, or witness you're facing. Share information and patterns.
Join the Network →The full case database with the Injustice Rating System — every case we're tracking, sourced and scored.
See All Cases →Are you or someone you know facing prosecutorial misconduct? Submit the case for review and documentation.
Submit a Case →These tools are research aids, not legal advice. Always consult a licensed attorney about your specific case. Data is sourced from public records, court filings, news reports, and CPRA releases. Corrections and additions welcome via submit.html.
Yes, 100% free. No signup, no email capture, no ads. Every calculation runs in your browser — your data never leaves your device. CA Justice Watch is a nonpartisan project funded independently of any case, attorney, or political organization.
No. They are research aids. A licensed California criminal defense attorney should review every specific case. These tools help you ask better questions, understand your exposure, and verify what your attorney tells you — they do not substitute for legal representation.
Start with the Speedy Trial Checker — it takes 30 seconds and may reveal a dismissal ground. Then run your case through the Overcharging Checker to see if the DA is stacking counts, and the Plea Analyzer if you've been offered a deal.
Public court records, California Public Records Act (CPRA) releases, State Bar discipline records, POST decertification data, published appellate opinions, and news reports. Every non-obvious claim is cited. Corrections welcome via the submit page.