Chris Gelardi Chris Gelardi Chris Gelardi is a criminal justice investigative reporter for New York Focus.
Solitary By Another Name: How New York Prisons Are Using ‘Therapeutic’ Units to Evade Reform New York’s landmark solitary confinement reform law created a new, “rehabilitative” type of isolation unit. State prisons aren’t on board with the changes. Chris Gelardi
Trans Man Forced to Undergo Genital Exam at New York Prison: Lawsuit Prison officials allegedly used solitary confinement to get the plaintiff to submit to an invasive examination prohibited under federal law. Chris Gelardi
‘Rage Induced Policing’: Hacked Documents Reveal D.C. Police’s Aggressive Robbery Crackdowns Internal emails and their attachments show that a roving Metropolitan Police Department unit attempted to suppress robberies in 2012 and 2013 by stopping and frisking and surveilling residents of Black neighborhoods. Chris Gelardi
New York City Mayoral Candidates Blast de Blasio’s Housing Record In a forum with people experiencing homelessness, Democratic candidates criticized the mayor’s affordable housing plans, embraced a ‘right to housing,’ and rejected police intervention on homelessness calls. Chris Gelardi
Biden’s Attorney General Needs to Think Like an Immigrant Rights Activist With aggressive legal maneuvering, the incoming head of the Justice Department can reverse some of Trump’s most lasting harm and take steps toward a more humane immigration system. Chris Gelardi
For a Glimpse of the Racial Justice Protests’ Staying Power, Look To Detroit Under the banner of Detroit Will Breathe, the city’s Black Lives Matter activists have formed a cohesive and lasting local political force. Chris Gelardi
After Woman’s Arrest in Unmarked Van, New York City Activists Fear Targeting by NYPD Protesters believe law enforcement is looking for retribution after police arrested a woman Tuesday night and placed her in an unmarked van, a callback to recent events in Portland, Oregon. Chris Gelardi
New York City Public Defenders Oppose Resuming In-Person Court Appearances The advocates describe the reopening as unsafe and unnecessary amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Gelardi
The NYPD ‘Cancelled’ Police Court Appearances, Leaving People to Sit in Jail Memos obtained by The Appeal and anecdotes from public defenders reveal how, for a week during protests over police brutality, the NYPD stalled cases by directing officers not to testify in court. Chris Gelardi
New York Protests Could Finally Push Through Increased Police Transparency Lawmakers are targeting a statute that has been used as a cudgel to bat away almost any inquiries into police misconduct. Chris Gelardi
Two of His Sons Are Incarcerated During the Pandemic. A Third Is Fighting to Get Them Out. Both incarcerated brothers are at an increased risk of complications from COVID-19—and one has tested positive. Chris Gelardi
‘We Are Scared’: Stuck Inside ICE Detention’s Coronavirus Epicenter People incarcerated in the Otay Mesa Detention Center decry crowded units and substandard medical care as COVID-19 tears through the facility. Chris Gelardi
Despite Coronavirus Fears, ICE Fights to Keep a Sick Michigan Man It Can’t Deport Locked Up ICE has adopted no policies aimed at releasing any of the 38,000 people it keeps in county jails and private detention centers across the country. Chris Gelardi
