Trans People Behind Bars Share How They Are Navigating the Dangers of Visibility

The vitriol of Trump’s anti-trans attacks has stoked anti-trans violence by prison staff and other incarcerated people.

Last week, Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled that automatic sentences of life without parole for people charged under the felony murder doctrine constitute “cruel punishments” under the state constitution.

ICE raids and cutbacks to personal care services are leaving seniors and disabled adults scrambling for in-home aid.

From voting rights to wages to housing assistance, these officials advocate for systemic change to reduce incarceration.

A lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Pennsylvania says that the state’s prison system restricts access to insulin pumps and glucose monitors, putting people with Type 1 diabetes at risk of death or serious injuries.

The infringement of Muslims’ religious rights has intensified in ICE jails under Trump 2.0, civil rights advocates say.

Incarcerated people in West Virginia filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the largest prison food provider in the country fails to offer adequate meals in the cafeteria while charging high prices for fresh produce and snacks in the commissary.

California’s incarcerated population has aged rapidly over the past 30 years. A new report recommends creating new pathways for senior citizens to seek release.

After a correctional officer allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman, as many as 200 of her fellow prisoners went on hunger strike for nearly three weeks.

A new lawsuit in York County, Pennsylvania, highlights a pattern of allegations of medical neglect by for-profit correctional healthcare company PrimeCare.

People across the political spectrum are realizing these federal detention warehouses will harm their communities.

The Trump administration’s attacks on journalists have a side effect: further exposing the violence of prisons.

Imprisoned people are forced to drink and bathe with water they describe as over-chlorinated, slimy, and foul-smelling.

Investors on CoreCivic and GEO Group’s quarterly earnings calls expressed frustration that ICE’s record immigration detention numbers aren’t high enough.

Find out if your representatives have taken cash from the companies fueling ICE’s mass deportation efforts.

Families are asking questions about their loved ones’ deaths in custody. The state isn’t answering them.

Immigrant rights activists and elected officials are calling to shut down Camp East Montana.

Subjects of The Alabama Solution have led protests for years, using cell phones to expose brutality and forced labor.

Everett Palmer, Jr.’s 2018 death in a York County restraint chair prompted a $1.5 million legal settlement, but the jail used restraint chairs more than 1,000 times in the years after his death.

A 2021 incident in a Missouri prison illustrates the barriers Muslims face practicing their religion behind bars.

At least 32 people died in ICE jails in 2025, and six more have already died in ICE custody this year.

Those of us who see ourselves in Renee Good can take this moment to deepen our solidarities with all who are policed.

As Phoenix PD rushed to fill open positions, the department may have overlooked red flags in recruits’ backgrounds.

The change has brought hope to those who fear dying in prison, while others worry it won’t save them from such a fate.

The first ruling of its kind in the country could give people convicted based on SBS testimony a new shot at freedom.

Police face allegations of violating laws meant to protect immigrants from DC to Oregon to Colorado and beyond.

FCI Dublin was shut down in 2024 after revelations of abuse against prisoners. Residents want it to stay closed.

Fresh investigative reporting, media from other independent outlets, and stories from the archives.

Before ICE descended on New Orleans, GOP lawmakers made it a crime to interfere with immigration enforcement.

Tim Ballard, the disgraced “anti-sex-trafficking” expert, was the subject of a hit 2023 biographical film and serial sexual misconduct allegations in the same year. After Ballard’s fall, the people he helped arrest in Washington want to know why no one seems willing to take a second look at their cases.

Local communities resist ICE by reaching inside jails and building networks of support.

We’re thrilled to share that Truthout is taking over The Appeal’s journalism.

Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center often makes news for the celebrities detained there, but hundreds of other people at the jail face inhumane conditions.

Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado was healthy when he entered Lowndes County Jail. He died while en route to ICE’s Stewart Detention Center less than four weeks later, leaving his family in shock.

Strip searches serve as weapons of humiliation rather than security measures.

New Jersey has one of the largest immigrant populations in the country. We asked candidates in the Democratic primary what they’ll do to keep immigrants safe.

The Appeal—and much of the media—has been misspelling Tyré Nichols’ name for years.

State and federal governments have moved to criminalize trans people, parents of trans children, and healthcare providers.

Creating a pretrial system that prioritizes community safety, equity, and liberty requires more than small tweaks—we need a ground-up transformation.

In prison, bad days don’t come cheap.