{"id":2577418,"date":"2026-03-08T12:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-level-of-incompetence-revealed-in-california-nearly-500000-criminal-cases-got-lost-in-the-system\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T12:45:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:45:43","slug":"new-level-of-incompetence-revealed-in-california-nearly-500000-criminal-cases-got-lost-in-the-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-level-of-incompetence-revealed-in-california-nearly-500000-criminal-cases-got-lost-in-the-system\/","title":{"rendered":"New Level of Incompetence Revealed in California &#8211; Nearly 500,000 Criminal Cases Got Lost in the System"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-level-of-incompetence-revealed-in-california-nearly-500000-criminal-cases-got-lost-in-the-system%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577418&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Los Angeles County Superior Court disclosed that nearly half a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >million criminal cases dating back<\/a> to 1965 were not properly reported to the state because of a technical error tied to upgrading its Trial Court Information System. The backlog, about 464,000 cases through 2023, means many arrests may lack reflected dismissals or convictions in the statewide criminal history repository. The root cause was a lack of programming in the legacy case management system that failed to flag reporting errors in Arrest Disposition Reports (ADRs). The court began modernizing in 2016, with full implementation of the new system rolling out by 2023 and a 2025 discovery of unreported records; DOJ transmission of delinquent ADRs has begun, but the backlog remains ample. The implications affect employers relying on state background checks, since newly revealed convictions could trigger rapid employee reevaluations or terminations as records are updated.Most records are expected to be processed automatically within about six weeks, tho an estimated 10% may require additional analysis, possibly taking months.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Los Angeles County Superior Court quietly disclosed that nearly half a million criminal cases dating back to 1965 were never properly reported to the state due to a &ldquo;technical error.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to an FAQ page on California Attorney General Rob Bonta&rsquo;s state <a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/fingerprints\/lasc-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a>, the LACSC &ldquo;recently identified a backlog of roughly&rdquo; 464,005 criminal cases that went unreported between 1965 and 2023. As a result, individuals arrested in Los Angeles County &ldquo;may not have their dismissals or convictions currently reflected in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-judiciary-chairman-says-gun-control-is-top-priority\/\" title=\"Senate Judiciary Chairman Says Gun Control Is \u2018Top Priority\u2019\">criminal records<\/a> in the statewide repository.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation, the LACSC explained that modernization of the Court&rsquo;s Trial Court Information System began in 2016 to replace the legacy system originally installed in the 1980s. The upgrade aimed to introduce a &ldquo;new platform that would deliver significant efficiencies and features to court operations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The full implementation of the new criminal case management system, including an updated automated transmission process and weekly exception reporting for new cases, began by November 2023. Nearly two years later, in June 2025, the Court discovered a &ldquo;potentially large number of unreported&rdquo; cases.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As part of the legacy CMS decommissioning process, the Court identified a significant backlog of ADR [Alternative Dispute Resolution] submissions in 2025. It began an investigation to determine whether the identified records were in the DOJ criminal history database,&rdquo; the LACSC told the DCNF. &ldquo;The investigation reduced the backlog, but a significant backlog remains.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>ADRs, or Arrest Disposition Reports, are official records of how a criminal case concluded (such as conviction or dismissal) that courts are required to submit to the state Department of Justice for updating criminal history records.<\/p>\n<p>The Court identified the root cause as &ldquo;a lack of technical programming in TCIS.&rdquo; The system failed to flag reporting errors with individual ADRs, &ldquo;making it impossible for Court staff to identify instances where ADRs were not properly reported.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The investigation concluded by January, when the nearly half-million unreported criminal cases were identified. The state Department of Justice &ldquo;immediately and proactively&rdquo; began working with the Court to resolve the error, according to the state site.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All of the delinquent ADRs are being transmitted to DOJ at this time, and DOJ is working to process them into its system. The Court also reevaluated its current CMS to ensure that the current system does not replicate these issues,&rdquo; the LACSC told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lacourt.ca.gov\/pages\/lp\/court-communications\/tp\/news-center\/cp\/information-resource-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">breakdown<\/a> of the backlog is publicly listed on the Court&rsquo;s website. Of the estimated 464,000 criminal cases, the Court believes the ADRs represent approximately 408,000 individuals, including those with both felony and misdemeanor convictions and dismissals.<\/p>\n<p>As of Tuesday, current Court data shows 147,631 felony convictions, 61,075 felony dismissals, 233,003 misdemeanor convictions, and 22,238 misdemeanor dismissals. Among individuals with felony convictions in the backlog, 28,225 had prior DOJ records and 49,069 had subsequent DOJ records. For misdemeanor convictions, 43,879 had prior DOJ records, and 52,236 had subsequent DOJ records.<\/p>\n<p>The implications of this backlog extend to employers across California who rely on state DOJ background checks for hiring decisions. For decades, particularly between 1986 and 2006 when the bulk of these unreported cases occurred, individuals with felony or misdemeanor convictions may have passed Live Scan fingerprint screenings unscathed, potentially landing jobs in sensitive fields like education, healthcare, or security.<\/p>\n<p>As the DOJ processes the delinquent records, employers could face sudden updates through the Applicant Agency Justice Connection portal, triggering reevaluations of current employees and potential terminations if newly revealed convictions violate company policies or state laws.<\/p>\n<p>While it is unclear when the backlogs will fully be rendered, the FAQ page states that most of the records will be handled through an automated process within a six-week time frame. However, there&rsquo;s anticipation for an estimated 10 percent of the total backlog needing additional analysis, which could take months to complete before the updates will be made to the state summary criminal history information.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrased summary of the story:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Los Angeles County Superior Court revealed that about 464,005 criminal cases dating from 1965 through 2023 were not properly reported to the California Department of Justice because of a technical error. This means some dismissals or convictions may not yet appear in the statewide criminal history database.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Court\u2019s modernization of its Trial Court Information System began in 2016 to replace an older system from the 1980s. The new criminal case management system, with automated transmission and weekly error reporting for new cases, was fully implemented by November 2023. In June 2025, the Court found a potentially large number of unreported cases.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The backlog involves ADRs (Arrest Disposition Reports), which are official records of how a case ended and must be sent to DOJ for updating criminal histories. The root cause was a lack of technical programming in TCIS, which prevented the system from flagging reporting errors, making it hard for staff to identify missing ADRs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; DOJ staff began working with the Court to fix the issue; all delinquent ADRs are being transmitted, and DOJ is processing them. The Court also reviewed its CMS to prevent similar problems in the future. A public breakdown of the backlog shows about 408,000 individuals are represented within the 464,000 cases, spanning both felonies and misdemeanors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The current counts publicly listed show: 147,631 felony convictions, 61,075 felony dismissals, 233,003 misdemeanor convictions, and 22,238 misdemeanor dismissals. Among felony-conviction records, 28,225 had prior DOJ records and 49,069 had subsequent DOJ records; among misdemeanor-conviction records, 43,879 had prior DOJ records and 52,236 had subsequent DOJ records.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The backlog has implications for employers relying on state background checks. For decades, especially between 1986 and 2006 when many cases were not reported, some individuals with convictions may have passed background screenings, potentially enabling them to work in sensitive sectors like education, healthcare, or security.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; As DOJ processes the overdue records, employers could see updates via the Applicant Agency Justice Connection portal, prompting reevaluations of current employees and possible terminations if newly disclosed records violate company policies or laws.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It\u2019s not clear when all backlogged records will be fully resolved. The FAQ notes that most records should be handled automatically within about six weeks, though roughly 10% may require additional analysis and could take months to complete before updates appear in the state\u2019s summary criminal history information.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like, I can also provide a shorter one-paragraph version or tailor a paraphrase to a specific section<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2577419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-04T090545.024.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,75361,69663,75362,70487],"class_list":["post-2577418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-case-backlog","tag-criminal-justice-2","tag-government-failure","tag-justice-system-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-04T090545.024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577418"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577422,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577418\/revisions\/2577422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}