County District Attorney’s Office Issues 2025 Annual Report
From the Office of the District Attorney:
Martinez, California – Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton issued the office’s 2025 Annual Report, showcasing the justice reform progress made for the county’s residents.
“We are making meaningful progress with a sharp focus on public safety, pragmatic solutions, and alternatives to a one-size-fits-all criminal justice system,” said District Attorney Becton. “By modernizing our infrastructure and focusing on victim-centered practices, we are ensuring that accountability and support go hand-in-hand to keep our communities safe.”
Key highlights from the 2025 Annual Report include:
• Prosecution Results: The office’s Direct Court Unit achieved a 96% felony conviction rate for jury trials in 2025 — 15 percentage points above California’s statewide average of 81% — securing guilty verdicts in 25 of 26 felony cases tried. The Homicide Unit conducted 15 homicide trials, resulting in a total of 14 convictions, 12 of which were murder convictions – a 93% conviction rate. The Interpersonal Violence Unit conducted 20 trials involving domestic partner crimes, sexual assault, and elder abuse achieving at 85% conviction rate in the cases which
reached verdicts.
• Victim Support: The Victim Witness Assistance Program served over 10,600 victims, provided close to 48,000 forms of services, and secured $9.8 million in restitution. The office also welcomed a second facility dog, Fenner, who joined Bear in providing comfort to crime victims – particularly children — throughout the criminal justice process.
• Restorative Justice and Alternatives to Incarceration: The office’s Neighborhood Restorative Partnership Program (NRP) continued to demonstrate remarkable outcomes since its 2022 launch.
Of 119 participants who have completed the program, only one — a recidivism rate of 1% — went on to reoffend, compared to California’s statewide misdemeanor recidivism rate of 21.1%. A total of 288 cases have been referred to the program since its inception, with 59 participants currently enrolled.
Cold Case Breakthroughs: The Cold Case Unit secured multiple convictions in crimes dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s using advanced DNA technology and genetic genealogy.
Notable resolutions included the conviction of James Grimsley for the nearly three-decade-old murder of Terrie Ladwig, a transgender woman in Concord, and guilty pleas in a 2007 Pittsburg homicide after touch DNA linked the suspect to the crime.
• Public Accountability: The office secured guilty pleas in all six cases stemming from its joint FBI investigation into public corruption and bribery among Antioch and Pittsburg police officers — reinforcing the principle of equal justice under law. Launched in March 2022, the investigation uncovered a scheme in which officers illegally canceled traffic tickets in exchange for personal benefits, resulting in some officers losing their law enforcement certifications.
• Expanding Access to Justice: District Attorney Becton cut the ribbon on December 15, 2025, at the grand opening of a new branch office at 3890 Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg, housing approximately 30 staff members and bringing justice services directly to East County residents.
“East County matters, and the people who live and work here deserve accessible and responsive
justice,” Becton said at the ceremony.
The full 2025 Annual Report is available for public viewing at contracostada.org.
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26 felony trials for the entire year!!!!!! This means she’s handing out plea deals on far too many cases, time for another recall.
Firestone 11R
Failed recalls do not get cheaper or improve with age. I hope we taxpayers are not presented another bill for this faux outrage. Elections are your opportunity for change. Save recalls for malfeasance. Her support has proven solid.
Agree. Voters have returned Becton to office multiple times. Recall backers failed to get the minimum number of signatures for a 2025 ballot challenge, suggesting that a recall vote doesn’t reflect the actual ‘will of the [majority of] people [who vote]’ or, at minimum, the will of the people who sign petitions.
DAs nationwide plea-deal 90-95% of cases. Coco would seem to be more less in line with this. You may think this is wrong (fair enough if you do) but it’s not unusual.
Yes, it has become the reality. BITD it was about 60%
West Hollywood 91R
It is clear there are people who cannot be allowed to live among us and they should be imprisoned but I do also believe this country needs to do more to reduce the prison population. It has become big business and taken on a corporate feel I find repulsive for a modern society.
geoff,
It’s just more cost effective for low risk inmates. Lower salaries, lower pension costs, etc.
Firestone 11R
We could be doing a lot of things a lot better. Prison reform is one. Right now they’re nothing but state sponsored crime schools.
We’ve done prison reform, finished. Now it’s time to build more prisons and throw away the keys.
Firestone 11R
It’s pretty clear we need to be coming up with new ideas and models.
Interesting