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The First Pride Was a Riot. Maybe It’s Time to Return to Those Radical Roots.

As the saying goes, the first Pride was a riot. The only way queer people have won anything is by fighting—in the courts and in the streets.

Adam M. Rhodes Jun 14, 2023

US Rep. Ayanna Pressley stands outdoors at a lectern. The lectern has a sign on the front that says "housing is a human right." She is wearing a rust-colored shirt. U.S. Senator Ed Markey stands behind her.

Pressley, Tlaib Announce Bill to Limit Criminal Background Checks on Renters

Formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to become homeless than people without criminal backgrounds. The Housing FIRST Act would ban credit-check companies from including criminal history information on prospective tenants’ files if enacted.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 14, 2023

East Coast Wildfires Put Incarcerated People on Frontlines of Climate Crisis

More than 150 detention facilities experienced “hazardous” air last week, according to an analysis by The Appeal. As wildfires have gotten worse, prisoners are facing a unique threat.

Alleen Brown Jun 13, 2023

As California Shuts its Youth Prisons, Unlikely Critics Emerge

The third installment in The Imprint’s series on the fight to close California’s youth prisons.

Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 13, 2023

Georgia Jail Medical Staff Failed to Treat Man While Tumor Slowly Killed Him: Lawsuit

Gwinnett County Jail’s for-profit health provider NaphCare has been sued more than 100 times for malpractice and neglect.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 08, 2023

I Was the Victim of a Crime. Then the System Left Me to Fend for Myself.

After a carjacking, I had to navigate a chaotic patchwork of resources in search of support. To heal, I would take recovery into my own hands.

Yanqi Xu Jun 08, 2023

‘They Are Attempting to Criminalize Every Part of Our Identity’

A leader in the LGBTQ community weighs in on the attempts by elected officials to legislate gay and trans people out of existence.

Meg O'Connor Jun 07, 2023

The Appeal Presents: A Conversation on Open Prisons With Phillip A. Jones and David Shipley

David Shipley tells Phillip A. Jones, who has spent more than 30 years in U.S. prisons, about his experiences in a British “open prison.”

Phillip A. Jones, David Shipley Jun 06, 2023

‘The Darkest Part of the Tunnel’

Youth in solitary confinement wrote letters to save their lives. One lawyer responded.

Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 06, 2023

This photo shows the black silhouette of a man from behind staring out a window.

I’m Getting Out After Decades in Prison. But Prison Might Follow Me Home.

Incarcerated writer Nick Hacheney is getting ready to leave after being incarcerated for more than 20 years. He’s glad he’ll have his freedom—but he’s also worried about the lack of care for longtime prisoners, the trauma he’s endured, and what the world outside holds.

Nick Hacheney Jun 05, 2023

Atlanta Police Target Bail Fund Organizers in Latest Crackdown on ‘Stop Cop City’ Movement

Three organizers were charged with “money laundering” and “charity fraud” in a direct attack on mutual aid and civil rights protests.

Aja Arnold Jun 02, 2023

These Survivors Rooted Out Sexual Abuse in Federal Prison. Now They Face Deportation.

At least 26 women face the threat of deportation after reporting sexual abuse by prison employees. At least 11 have already been deported.

Victoria Law Jun 02, 2023

This photo shows an elderly man holding a pair of dentures in front of his face. His full face is obscured, only his mouth can be seen. He is wearing a black sweater.

People in Massachusetts Prisons Say For-Profit Medical Company Leaves Them Without Teeth

Incarcerated people in Massachusetts told The Appeal they’ve had to wait years just for Wellpath, the state’s prison medical provider, to give them dentures or basic dental care. Next year, Wellpath’s contract with the state expires, and advocates say they hope it’s not renewed.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 01, 2023

To Cut Down on Shoplifting, Let’s Arrest Some CEOs

Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay make billions from shoplifted products. Why are police and lawmakers focusing on small-time thieves?

Ethan Corey May 31, 2023

Democrats Won Power in Four States. Will They Use It to Pass Bold Justice Reforms?

In Minnesota, Democrats used a newly won legislative trifecta to legalize marijuana, overhaul the pardons process, and limit no-knock warrants. But they also funneled hundreds of millions in new funding toward prisons and policing.

Cinnamon Janzer May 25, 2023

Drug War Tactics Won’t Stop Xylazine Deaths

Instead, harm reduction advocates are calling for strategy to create a safer supply of currently criminalized drugs.

Clare Boyle May 25, 2023

Brooke Jenkins’ Voters Got The Dead People They Wanted

Jenkins won’t charge the security guard who shot Banko Brown to death. That’s precisely why San Franciscans elected her in the first place.

Jerry Iannelli May 24, 2023

Calls Are Free, But California Prisoners Still Face Communication Obstacles

Months-long outages, equipment shortages, and unreliable service have plagued the roll out of new telecoms contract in California prisons.

Steve Brooks, Olivia Heffernan May 22, 2023

Phoenix Is Clearing Its Largest Homeless Encampment. The ACLU Says It’s Breaking the Law.

As Phoenix begins to displace around 700 people from an encampment near downtown, the ACLU of Arizona is asking a judge to find the city in contempt of a court order prohibiting it from violating the rights of the unhoused.

Meg O'Connor May 18, 2023

Judge Reinstates ‘Zero Bail’ Policy in Los Angeles

A preliminary injunction issued this week forbids officials from forcing people charged with low-level offenses to remain in jail because they cannot afford bail.

Meg O'Connor May 18, 2023

This photo shows a crowd marching during a protest in New York City over the death of Jordan Neely. One protester holds a sign that says "Justice for Jordan Neely."

‘Justice for Jordan Neely’ Means Investing in Housing, Social Services

Neely’s killing is once again a reminder that carceral approaches to homelessness reproduce, rather than ameliorate, poverty.

Leah Goodridge May 18, 2023

‘This Is How Easy It Is For Someone To Be Wrongfully Convicted’

Uriah Courtney was sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. His conviction was overturned due to DNA evidence.

Meg O'Connor May 17, 2023

Family Caseworkers Are Like Cops, But They Don’t Tell Parents Their Rights

New York families are organizing to require caseworkers to give parents a Miranda-like warning informing them of their rights in so-called “child welfare” investigations.

Sarah Duggan May 16, 2023

‘Never Designed to Help’: How New York’s ‘Child Welfare’ System Preys on Families

The New York City Administration for Children’s Services effectively serves as a policing system for parents, which disproportionately targets families of color and only rarely finds evidence of abuse or neglect.

Daniel Moritz-Rabson May 15, 2023

I Couldn’t Afford to Call My Mother Before She Died. Georgia Forbids Imprisoned People from Working.

JShawn Guess recounts how being unable to earn money while in prison led to him missing out on his final moments with his mom.

JShawn Guess May 10, 2023

How Parole Conditions Trapped Me in Homelessness

The severe restrictions I face while on supervision effectively serve as a ban on stable housing. The terms of this arrangement have left me technically homeless, forced to live in a motel.

Wes Vaughan May 09, 2023

How the Prison Litigation Reform Act Blocks Justice for Prisoners

Legislation signed by Bill Clinton makes it nearly impossible for people in prison to have their cases heard in court.

C. Dreams May 08, 2023

Theresa Grady holds a photo of her husband, Morris.

Dying Behind Bars: Another Form of Capital Punishment

Prisons are ill-equipped to handle their aging population, which has tripled in the past two decades.

Wyatt Stayner May 04, 2023

Post-Traumatic Prison Disorder Could Impact Millions. Congress Wants to Learn More.

Federal lawmakers are asking the National Institute of Mental Health to research the condition—also known as post-incarceration syndrome—and share its findings with lawmakers.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 04, 2023

Prison Labor: Where ‘Dead-End’ Jobs Meet 21st Century Slavery

Inside the towering walls and razor wire fences of U.S. prisons, slavery remains legal—and it is carried out with little oversight, often under horrific conditions.

Christopher Blackwell May 03, 2023

Congress Seeks to Create New Independent Federal Prison Oversight Body

Legislation introduced this week follows a string of reports, including in The Appeal, that have revealed widespread sexual abuse and misconduct at Bureau of Prisons facilities.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 27, 2023

Life in Prison for a Killing He Didn’t Cause or Condone

In Illinois alone, around 500 people are currently serving first-degree felony murder sentences for killings they did not commit themselves or intend to commit. Reform efforts must consider past injustices as well as future abuses.

Sarah Free Apr 27, 2023

To Help Crime Victims, Stop the Cycle of Trauma

Our legal system focuses on punishing those who cause harm without considering what victims need, a former prosecutor writes.

Jamila Hodge Apr 27, 2023

Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety

In Healing Justice Lineages, Cara Page and Erica Woodland document a history of care models that don’t involve the prison industrial complex.

Cara Page and Erica Woodland Apr 26, 2023

The Untold Story of How a Stubborn Group of Parents Helped Shutter the Nation’s Largest Youth Prison System

How a scrappy group of parents played a key but lesser-known role in the pending closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice

Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Apr 26, 2023

Women Report ‘Rampant’ Sexual Abuse at Federal Prison Where Ghislaine Maxwell Is Held

Issues of mismanagement and sexual misconduct have put federal women’s prisons in the spotlight. But one scandal-plagued facility—FCI Tallahassee—has escaped serious scrutiny, even as an Appeal investigation reveals an ongoing history of sexual violence, retaliation, and other constitutional abuses that have left prisoners living in fear.

Silja J.A. Talvi Apr 25, 2023