More from The Appeal:
This budget season, Philadelphia must hold our law enforcement accountable for their failures by redirecting resources to strategies that can help us.
Kendra Brooks Apr 15, 2021
Creating a commission and a new deputy mayor of housing will give directly impacted people a much-needed voice in government—and help ensure a right to housing for all.
Shams DaBaron Apr 13, 2021
Shelters are not meeting people’s needs, and the city is clearing encampments, says City Councilmember Roberto Treviño.
Roberto Treviño Apr 09, 2021
The Santa Clara County district attorney’s name has been floated for the role of the state’s top prosecutor despite his use of the death penalty against people of color.
Michael Ogul Mar 19, 2021
Biden’s American Rescue Plan is a start, but more public investment is needed to address racial inequality in the labor market.
Ashley Mitchell Mar 18, 2021
A common sense cost-benefit analysis of pretrial detention.
At the same time, state lawmakers are pushing to incarcerate more people pretrial.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 28, 2021
Even with the recent creation of the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, the governor's process for granting clemency remains unclear.
Katie Jane Fernelius May 21, 2021
The ACLU’s ongoing battle to force the Florida Department of Corrections to release the formulas it uses to calculate release dates for imprisoned people.
Jerry Iannelli May 20, 2021
Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 15, 2021
A Department of Justice memo from January could have a devastating effect on many federal prisoners who have been released on home confinement.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 05, 2021
Tishaura Jones wants to decriminalize offenses and transfer people out of the Workhouse. Cara Spencer wants to end the contract to house federal detainees.
Meg O'Connor Mar 26, 2021
The ACLU of Southern California is suing the city of Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for excessively citing people living at desert homeless encampments in the Antelope Valley.
Francisco Aviles Pino Jun 04, 2021
As the country reassesses its relationship with law enforcement, Ithaca, New York; Berkeley and Oakland, California; and Austin, Texas, are defunding, replacing, or reducing the scope of their police departments.
Eoin Higgins May 26, 2021
Monterrosa, 22, was killed by a police officer who had a history of shooting at civilians. His sisters are pushing for a law they believe could have saved him.
Piper French May 17, 2021
The proposal by Mike Elliott, if passed by City Council, would also create a department of unarmed professionals trained to respond to mental health needs.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 08, 2021
Despite a 2019 California law mandating the release of certain records related to police misconduct, law enforcement agencies in the state are still fighting records requests.
Local activists have soured on incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and no other candidate offers a compelling alternative.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 30, 2021
The ACLU of Southern California is suing the city of Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for excessively citing people living at desert homeless encampments in the Antelope Valley.
Francisco Aviles Pino Jun 04, 2021
There has been a ‘parabolic increase’ in cities and states giving tenants a right to counsel to help fight evictions.
Abigail Savitch-Lew Jun 01, 2021
A disproportionate number of Black residents have left the city, and advocates say the next mayor needs to ensure greater access to housing.
Joshua Vaughn May 07, 2021
Only 7 percent of tenants in the state have legal representation in eviction proceedings. A bill in the Connecticut house is trying to change that.
Bryce Covert May 03, 2021
A bill passed by the state legislature, but yet to be enacted, would offer access to counsel for low-income renters.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 16, 2021
A new proposal would make Denver the latest major city to provide legal defense for residents facing evictions.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 15, 2021
Despite sentencing reforms, hundreds of thousands of people who have been incarcerated over the last several decades are ineligible for parole.
Rachel M. Cohen May 24, 2021
Rob Bonta’s career has hinged on the idea that the law can be used to engender social justice. His elevation to California’s “top cop” position, where he will become responsible for the vast bureaucracy of the state’s criminal legal system, will be a crucible for that belief.
Piper French May 03, 2021
Local activists have soured on incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and no other candidate offers a compelling alternative.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 30, 2021
True public safety, advocates say, is one of the most urgent issues facing Cincinnati voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 29, 2021
Incumbent Bill Peduto’s policing record is under scrutiny after protests last summer. He is facing what may be his most competitive race yet.
Joshua Vaughn Apr 27, 2021
Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 15, 2021
Biden’s American Rescue Plan is a start, but more public investment is needed to address racial inequality in the labor market.
Ashley Mitchell Mar 18, 2021
The Office of the Comptroller of Currency is responsible for ensuring the safety, soundness, and broad accessibility of financial institutions. President Biden must choose someone to lead the agency who brings expertise and relevant lived experience to the job.
The California city began distributing out up to $600 monthly to low-income residents.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 28, 2021
It’s the latest bill in the state legislature’s long history of meddling with voter-approved amendments.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 27, 2021
The coronavirus has ripped through our prison and jail populations, infecting and killing hundreds of thousands of people most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Brendon Woods Dec 09, 2020
‘Our Congress should be reflective of the people here, and it’s not,’ the Texas resident said.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 27, 2020
Control of the U.S. Senate hinges on the results of next month’s runoff.
Dawn Milam Dec 02, 2020
A grassroots coalition is showing up at locations across the swing state to ensure Black and Latinx voters can cast their ballots safely.
Harrison Jacobs Nov 02, 2020
Trump’s presidency began with women marching in record numbers. Now it’s going to end with women voting in record numbers.
Rachel O’Leary Carmona Nov 02, 2020
Student activists pushing for police-free schools in Syracuse, New York, are backing Twiggy Billue, a candidate in the June 22 primary who wants to follow school districts across the country that have cut ties with cops.
Rachel M. Cohen Jun 11, 2021
Virginia’s primaries on Tuesday saw Ramin Fatehi clinch the Democratic nomination for Commonwealth Attorney in Norfolk, the site of a major showdown over reform in 2019. He is unchallenged in November.
Daniel Nichanian Jun 10, 2021
Progressives are warning that the governor’s appointment of the Nassau County district attorney would intensify the court’s pro-prosecution bent.
Kyle C. Barry Jun 07, 2021
Progressive gains in Philadelphia’s primaries for judge and DA showcase a movement intent on taking over broader swaths of the criminal legal system.
Daniel Nichanian May 20, 2021
From a historic DA race to judge candidates against mass incarceration, these elections could reshape the criminal legal system.
Daniel Nichanian May 18, 2021
A ballot initiative in Allegheny County would limit how long incarcerated people can be held in isolation. Allegations of abuse in the local jail led activists to push for the reform.
Ahmari Anthony May 18, 2021