Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Orange County D.A. Informant Scandal

    A special committee report released yesterday found that a “failure of leadership” at the Orange County district attorney's office paved the way for big problems with its jailhouse informants. The report also calls the office “a ship without a rudder” and describes prosecutors as having a “win-at-all-costs mentality.”

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Jan 5, 2016 • 1 min read

    A special committee report released yesterday found that a “failure of leadership” at the Orange County district attorney's office paved the way for big problems with its jailhouse informants. The report also calls the office “a ship without a rudder” and describes prosecutors as having a “win-at-all-costs mentality.” We hear from Orange County D.A. Tony Rackauckas and an outside expert responding to the report.

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Anti-Government Militias, Bernie's Chances and 'Bordertown'
    1. 0:00An Oregon Standoff and The Rise of Anti-Government Militias
    2. 8:41Assessing Bernie Sanders
    3. 18:10Orange County D.A. Informant ScandalYou’re reading this
    4. 31:20Bordertown
    5. 46:17Food Resolutions
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Tony Rackauckas

      Orange County District Attorney

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alexandra Natapoff

      Professor at Loyola Law School and author of the book “Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice.”

      News

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Anti-Government Militias, Bernie's Chances and 'Bordertown'
    1. 0:00An Oregon Standoff and The Rise of Anti-Government Militias
    2. 8:41Assessing Bernie Sanders
    3. 18:10Orange County D.A. Informant ScandalYou’re reading this
    4. 31:20Bordertown
    5. 46:17Food Resolutions
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand