California has long been seen as a leader in criminal justice reform, with laws designed to improve police transparency and reduce bias in the legal system. But in 2025, new legislation threatens to roll back those hard-won protections. Lawmakers are reconsidering reforms that once expanded access to police misconduct records, strengthened anti-bias laws in jury selection, and improved oversight of racial profiling.

Here’s what’s changing — and why it matters for every Californian.

What Laws Are Being Rolled Back in California?

Several bills are moving through the legislature that could undercut police transparency and weaken bias laws:

• Racial & Identity Profiling (RIPA) Oversight: Proposed changes could shift more control of the RIPA Board to law enforcement groups, raising concerns that police would influence the very data meant to track racial profiling.
• Access to Misconduct Records: A new bill seeks to limit public access to officer misconduct files, especially for undercover officers, undoing the progress of earlier transparency laws like SB 1421.
• Jury Bias Protections: Another proposal would allow prosecutors to remove jurors who appear skeptical of police testimony, weakening safeguards against racial and systemic bias in California courts.

Together, these rollbacks would make it harder for communities to hold officers accountable and for defendants to get fair trials.

Why Police Transparency and Bias Laws Matter

When police transparency is reduced, communities lose visibility into officer misconduct, excessive force, and racial profiling. Bias in jury selection can lead to unfair outcomes — especially for defendants of color.

California’s reforms, including SB 2 and SB 16, were created to address these very issues by increasing accountability and limiting bias in the justice system. Weakening those protections risks undoing years of progress.

What This Potential Change in Bias Laws Mean for Your Rights

If these rollbacks pass, the public could face:

• Less access to misconduct and disciplinary records
• Fewer checks on racial and identity bias in law enforcement
• Less diversity and fairness in jury selection
• Greater barriers to justice for people targeted by profiling or excessive force

For defendants in criminal cases, this means your rights may be harder to defend — and your case more vulnerable to biased outcomes.

Why Legal Representation Is Crucial

Changes to bias laws and police transparency in California directly affect how cases are charged, tried, and defended. Having an experienced criminal defense attorney is critical to protecting your rights when the law itself is shifting.

At Inland Empire Criminal Defense, we track these developments closely because they impact every client’s future. If you’ve been charged with a crime in California, don’t face it alone. Call us today at 909-281-0391 for a free consultation. Based in Ontario, CA, we proudly serve the Inland Empire and fight to keep the system fair and transparent.