Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is a Senior Reporter for The Appeal. Based in New Jersey, she writes on prison and jail conditions, wrongful convictions, and the criminalization of disabilities. Elizabeth has also written for The Nation, New York Focus, and TruthOut. Partnering with CoLAB Arts, she has written two interview-based plays, which have been performed in the Northeast—“Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die in Prison” and “Banished: A Family on the Sex Offender Registry.” She worked for eight years at the Innocence Project as a case analyst where her work was instrumental in several exonerations. She is the recipient, with journalist Juan Moreno Haines, of the 2020 California Journalism Awards Print Contest. They were awarded first place for At San Quentin, Overcrowding Laid The Groundwork For An Explosive COVID-19 Outbreak, in the category: Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Fallout, weeklies, circulation 25,0001 and over. @elizabethweill
Georgia Jail Detainees Say Their Lives Are at Stake Ahead of Key Sheriff’s Election With a special election for Clayton County sheriff coming up next week, people detained at the county’s scandal-plagued jail are speaking out about horrific conditions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Georgia Sheriff Stonewalling Official Jail Death Investigation, Medical Examiner Says The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office is refusing to share information about in-custody deaths with the medical examiner’s office, which is responsible for conducting investigations. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New Jersey Prison Staff Pushing Incarcerated People to Fight, Complaints Allege The alleged “fight club” is one of many issues people say plague South Woods State Prison’s “Restorative Housing Unit,” a disciplinary wing that advocates call solitary confinement by another name. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Louisiana Imprisons Children in a Former Death Row Unit. The Kids Say it Haunts Them. Last year, the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice began transferring children to Angola, the state’s most notorious prison. Since then, kids say they’ve suffered through horrific conditions and routine mistreatment. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Jail Deaths Have Spiked, But Atlanta’s Diversion Program May Lose Funding Deaths at the Fulton County Jail have quadrupled compared to last year. Despite this, county commissioners are threatening to cut funding to one of the Atlanta area’s main pre-arrest diversion initiatives. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
NYC Advocates Fear More Police Violence, Homeless Criminalization Amid Forced Hospitalizations New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a directive this week that puts police at the center of renewed efforts to remove people exhibiting signs of mental illness from public spaces. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Internal Report Details Severely Malnourished Detainees at Atlanta-Area Jail The facility’s medical provider described people with mental illness wasting away in a unit overrun by an outbreak of lice and scabies. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Midterm Elections Deliver Some Good News for Criminal Legal Reform Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, Nick Wing, Meg O'Connor
Virginia Women’s Prisons Force People to Remove Pads, Tampons During Strip Searches Women told The Appeal they found the routine practice degrading and dehumanizing. Prisons around the country have long humiliated people for menstruating. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
“The Media Emboldens a Police State”: A conversation with movement lawyer Olayemi Olurin Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Star Witness Recanted. But Tasha Shelby is Still Imprisoned for ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Junk-Science. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
DOJ Finds Orange County Sheriff, DA Violated Civil Rights Using Illegal Jailhouse Informants After a six-year investigation, the DOJ says Orange County law-enforcement unconstitutionally used jailhouse informants to elicit confessions and incriminating evidence from people for years. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, Jerry Iannelli
Nearly Half the People at Crowded Atlanta Jail Haven’t Been Formally Charged With a Crime, ACLU Says Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat says the county needs more jail beds to fix the jail's crisis. But a new ACLU report says that significant numbers of people in the jail can be released. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Louisiana Wants to Jail Kids at Angola Prison’s Old Death Row An upcoming court ruling could decide the fate of a plan to detain “problematic youth” at a facility that previously housed prisoners awaiting execution. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
L.A. County’s Jail Booking Center Has Become a ‘Living Hell,’ Detainees Say in Court Filing County officials agree that conditions have deteriorated at L.A.’s Inmate Reception Center. But they’re resisting calls for substantive change. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Judge Strikes Down New York Jail’s Prolonged COVID Visitation Ban The ban had helped the Broome County Sheriff rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits from detainee video and phone call fees. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Report Details ‘Cruel’ and ‘Unconscionable’ Treatment of Patients in Illinois Prisons A federal monitor says substandard healthcare persists—with horrific consequences—more than a decade after a lawsuit was supposed to compel changes. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Virginia Prison Still Failing to Provide Adequate Health Care, Incarcerated Women Say Women at the Fluvanna Correctional Center say they’ve been threatened with disciplinary action for asking about symptoms at medical appointments. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Illinois Prison Water Contamination Keeps Getting Worse Water at 12 state prisons has tested positive for the bacteria this year. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Opening Door for Mass Criminalization of Abortion Police and prosecutors will now be tasked with enforcing state anti-abortion laws. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Anti-Abortion Group Urges States to Pass Sweeping Criminalization Laws Post Roe Model state legislation proposed by a leading anti-choice group would impose felony charges for a broad new set of activities related to abortion. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York Jail’s Prolonged COVID Visitation Ban Drives Big Profits on Detainee Calls More than two years into the pandemic, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office is still prohibiting all jail visits. The policy helped them take in more than a half-million dollars in 2021. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘I Did Not Shake My Son’: Is a Father Serving Life for a Crime That Never Occurred? Expert says trauma from childbirth, not shaking, led to the death of Danyel Smith's two-month-old child. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Man Left Paralyzed After Hospital Denies Care And Calls Police: Lawsuit Accused of faking his symptoms, Joshua Lee Smith was dragged from his hospital bed, called a “junkie,” and thrown in jail, his lawsuit says. Then, he woke up paralyzed. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
What Would the End of Roe v. Wade Mean for Pregnancy Behind Bars? A Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion could force thousands of incarcerated people to carry pregnancies to term. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Illinois Advocates Call for Action After Prison Officials Mislead on Contaminated Water Legionella bacteria was found in five Illinois prisons in March. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Illinois Prison Water Contaminated with Bacteria That Causes Legionnaires’ Disease Corrections officials confirmed finding legionella at five facilities over the past 12 months. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A New Jersey Woman Claimed Innocence In ‘Shaken Baby’ Death. Now Her Conviction May Get Another Look. Spurred by an Appeal investigation into Michelle Heale’s controversial 2015 case, a law professor is asking New Jersey’s Conviction Review Unit to “correct an injustice” and set Heale free. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
After Years Locked up for Stealing Cold Medicine, Reginald Randolph Is Released But if he loses his appeal and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declines to grant him clemency, he will likely be sent back to prison. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
“It’s like a slow war, like a slow burn. Like a slow, quiet form of torture.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
State Senators Ask Gov. Hochul to Commute Sentence of Man Who Spent Over 800 Days in Rikers Reginald Randolph is currently serving a two to four year sentence in state prison for stealing cold medicine Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Homeless Man Has Spent 800 Days At Rikers After Stealing Cold Medicine. Now His Prison Sentence May Be Beginning. Blind in one eye and at risk of losing vision in the other, 58-year-old Reginald Randolph is now on the verge of being sent to state prison to serve out a maximum of four years. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
To End Solitary Confinement, Advocates Turn Up the Pressure on Sheriffs Sheriffs who run county jails bear responsibility for placing people in torturous isolation. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The State Convicted Him of Child Abuse. A Medical Expert Said It Was Likely Diaper Rash A man is serving two life sentences for a crime that, according to his legal team, never occurred. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Pregnant Women Allege Abuse in Texas Jails At the same time, state lawmakers are pushing to incarcerate more people pretrial. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Brooklyn Center Mayor Unveils Plan To Decrease Police Traffic Enforcement Powers 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
Aftab Pureval and David Mann Win Cincinnati Mayoral Primary The candidates—who didn’t support an affordable housing investment that was rejected by voters today—now advance to the November ballot. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Cincinnati’s Upcoming Mayoral Race is ‘Make or Break’ for Policing and Housing True public safety, advocates say, is one of the most urgent issues facing Cincinnati voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Maryland Could Be the First State to Provide Lawyers for Tenants Facing Eviction A bill passed by the state legislature, but yet to be enacted, would offer access to counsel for low-income renters. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘It Tears Families Apart’: Lawmakers Nationwide Are Moving to End Mandatory Sentencing Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Maryland Bans Sentencing Children to Life Without Parole The bill gives hundreds of people an opportunity to petition for earlier release. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Unless The Biden Administration Acts, Thousands Could Go Back to Federal Prison 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
D.A.s Are Asking Biden to End the Death Penalty. But Some Are Still Wielding It Themselves Prosecutors who have championed criminal justice reforms are still seeking death sentences, opposing appeals, and, in some cases, have even petitioned for execution dates. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Activists Who Helped Elect Birmingham Mayor Balk at Police Expansion Plans Mayor Randall Woodfin is increasing police funding and ignoring calls for non-law enforcement public safety alternatives. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Children Can Be On Their Own When Grilled By Police. The Push for Protection is Growing Several states, including Maryland, are considering bills to protect minors from abusive police interrogations. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Virginia Becomes the First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty Abolition advocates are celebrating a milestone for racial justice. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
How Chesa Boudin Is Pursuing His Promise to Reduce Incarceration After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Virginia Bans Mental Health Evidence in Trials. Lawmakers Could Soon Change This Proposed legislation would allow people accused of crimes to tell juries if they had a mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, or an intellectual or developmental disability at the time of a crime. The bill could have helped individuals like Matthew Rushin. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Most Tenants Facing Eviction Don’t Have a Right to an Attorney. Lawmakers Want to Change That Numerous city councils and state legislatures are debating giving renters a right to counsel, which can make the difference between stability and catastrophe. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Has People on Parole In Jails At Rates Not Seen Since The Early Pandemic Despite calls to reduce incarcerated populations, the number of people being detained for minor parole violations has been rising. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Virginia Prison Held A Man In Solitary Confinement For Over 600 Days Virginia’s Department of Corrections has recently settled two lawsuits over its use of solitary confinement—a practice lawmakers are moving closer to abolishing. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Victims’ Families Want Virginia to End The Death Penalty Virginia may soon become the 23rd state to abolish capital punishment. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Rosa Jimenez, Convicted on ‘Junk Science’, Set for Release After More Than 15 Years in Prison The Travis County District Attorney’s office had joined the release request and, despite Jimenez being taken into custody by ICE, she is expected to be released today. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Why The Biden Administration’s Choice To Lead The Bureau of Prisons Matters The attorney general could pick a new head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. That person should have public health experience, formerly incarcerated activists say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
His Attorneys Say He’s Intellectually Disabled. A ‘Reform’ Prosecutor Wants The Death Penalty State Attorney Melissa Nelson is pushing for a death sentence even as more prosecutors reject capital punishment. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Illinois State Lawmakers Vote To Eliminate Cash Bail The move is part of a broader criminal justice reform bill that also ends prison gerrymandering, and mandates body cameras for all police departments. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
As Support For The Death Penalty Plummets, The Trump Administration Embraces Executions While bans on capital punishment progress at the state level, the federal government is racing to carry out three more executions before President Trump's term end. Ten people have been put to death since July, the first such executions since 2003. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
These Cops Lied In Court. But Since The D.A. Isn’t Keeping A Brady List, They Could Testify Again The case illustrates the importance of keeping lists of police officers with histories of misconduct or dishonesty, the defense lawyer in the case says. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
What Biden Can Do To Address The Student Debt Crisis Civil rights organizations and Democrats in Congress are calling on the president-elect to provide relief to millions of borrowers once he takes office. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Researchers Estimate Mass Incarceration Contributed To More Than Half A Million Additional Cases Of COVID-19 Over The Summer The report found that spread inside correctional facilities contributed to community spread, particularly in California, Florida and Texas. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, Ethan Corey
Terry McAuliffe’s Record on the Death Penalty Is Out of Step With National Trends McAuliffe is running to become Virginia governor a second time. If he wins, he would be the only active Democratic governor to have carried out executions in office. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Historic Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Passes House of Representatives It’s the first time a full chamber of Congress has approved such a measure. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Why Los Angeles Activists Don’t Want Their Mayor In Biden’s Cabinet Eric Garcetti, who may be considered for a position in the administration, is out of touch with the city’s working class and poor people, activists say. And they fear he’ll bring that sensibility to national politics. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Is Fresh Off His Book Tour, But Activists Say He Doesn’t Live Up to His National Reputation Progressive lawmakers and activists say Cuomo has failed to adequately protect those who are out of work, at risk of losing their homes, or living behind bars, where the virus has spread rapidly. Tara Francis Chan, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
San Francisco Voters Abolish Mandatory Staffing Levels for Police Current law mandated that the city have at least 1,971 full-time police officers. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Jamaal Bowman Is Headed To Congress, Pledges To Make Democrats ‘The Party Of Dismantling Mass Incarceration’ Bowman has also advocated for an eviction moratorium and for rental payments to be cancelled for the duration of the pandemic. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Clash of Housing Philosophies Is At The Heart of a High-Profile California State Senate Race First-time state Senate candidate Jackie Fielder’s housing plans are geared toward government investment, while incumbent Scott Wiener’s plans have relied on the construction of market rate housing with some affordable units. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
In California Rent Control Battle, Controversies Swirl Around Funders on Both Sides Corporate backers of a group opposed to Proposition 21 don’t match the protective image it portrays. And a nonprofit that has contributed to supporters has been accused of financial improprieties. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
How Julie Oliver’s Personal Experiences With Healthcare And Housing Have Influenced Her Run For Congress ‘Our Congress should be reflective of the people here, and it’s not,’ the Texas resident said. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Tenant Organizers Are Running To Keep New Yorkers In Their Homes After defeating long-time incumbents in Democratic primaries, progressive candidates are championing cancelling rent and banning evictions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Portland Civil Rights Activists Want A Mayor Who Can Stand Up To Police Mayor Ted Wheeler’s popularity has declined after a summer of protests against police violence in the Oregon city. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Chicago Lawmakers Push To Build Team Of Emergency Responders Who Aren’t Police The proposed legislation would expand the city’s public mental healthcare system using funds reallocated from the police budget. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Her Lawyers Say She Was Coerced To Plead Guilty To A Crime That Never Happened Accused of shaking a baby to death and facing the death penalty, Amy Wilkerson says she is innocent, but pleaded guilty to spare her life. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Lori Lightfoot’s Actions Don’t Match Her Rhetoric About Police Like her Democratic mayoral counterparts in Portland, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York, Lightfoot has condemned police violence outside her borders, while using law enforcement to suppress demonstrations in her own city. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Corporate Landlords Have Gotten Government Aid. Tenants Haven’t. Some corporate landlords who received federal PPP loans are notorious for mistreating tenants. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Police Violence Was a Problem In Portland Long Before Federal Agents Arrived Local law enforcement tear-gassed and beat protesters and journalists. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
As Eviction Cliff Looms, Calls To Cancel Rent Grow Housing rights activists in California are pushing for taxation of rich residents to help the hundreds of thousands of people who may be at risk of losing housing after COVID-19 eviction restrictions end. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
San Francisco Voters Will Decide On Abolishing Mandatory Staffing Levels For Police Under current law, established during the "tough on crime" era, San Francisco mandated at least 1,971 full-time police officers. Voters will now have the opportunity to reconsider that mandate. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
At San Quentin, Overcrowding Laid The Groundwork For An Explosive COVID-19 Outbreak All but nine of California’s 35 prisons house more people than the facility was designed to hold. Juan Moreno Haines, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Schools Are Closed, Our Children Are Unravelling, and Our Elected Leaders Are Failing Us Public schools have long needed more funding to keep the bodies and minds of teachers, staff, and students safe. But these are not the investments our elected officials choose to make. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Georgia Budget Cuts Threaten Prisoners’ Ability To Challenge Convictions Citing the pandemic, state legislators asked all agencies to trim their budgets. The cuts could eliminate positions for public defenders who can show a trial or sentence was unjust, overturn convictions, or reduce a person’s time. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Massachusetts Court Won’t Block Access To Reports On Who Boston Police May Have Targeted on Social Media District Attorney Rachael Rollins sought to block the disclosure of records that could show Boston police used Snapchat to target people who are Black or Latinx. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
For Essential Workers, New York City’s Curfew Meant Fear, Harassment, and Arrest Essential workers say curfews put them at risk of police violence, even though they were exempt. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Police Killings Bring Out Tensions Within The Labor Movement Some unions and labor activists are calling for the AFL-CIO to expel police unions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Transgender Woman’s Attorneys Fear She Won’t Survive Her 60-Month Sentence New York attorneys have launched a campaign to release transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary prisoners during the pandemic. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Some Of The Hardest-Working Frontline Employees In New Orleans Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck Garbage collectors in the city are striking for $15 an hour, hazard pay, and PPE. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Pandemic Had Prisoners’ Nerves On Edge. Then The Power Started Going Out. For weeks, two houses in Illinois’ Vienna Correctional Center ran on generator power and had intermittent failures, multiple prisoners told The Appeal. The outages made it harder to use the shared bathroom, one of the few places they could wash their hands. Kira Lerner, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Lawsuit Alleges Women Are Held In Worse Conditions Than Men At Upstate New York Jail The women are kept in cramped, unsanitary quarters, the suit says, and are not permitted the same job opportunities as men held at the same facility. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Prisoners Who Test Positive For COVID-19 In Connecticut Are Sent To A Notorious Maximum Security Prison Faculty members of the Yale School of Public Health, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Nursing wrote to the governor that sending patients there is “inhumane and ineffective.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Hospitalized With COVID-19 and Handcuffed for Days After a man incarcerated in a New Jersey state prison was hospitalized with COVID-19, he said he was handcuffed for 36 hours. The cuffs got tangled in his IV, causing it to rip out, he said. “It was so painful. You have no idea.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Coronavirus Is Ready To Explode Inside Fort Dix Federal Prison, Incarcerated People and Their Loved Ones Say One prisoner says a man collapsed while waiting for a temperature check and was sprayed down with disinfectant as he lay on the floor. BOP denied it. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Amazon Isn’t Doing Enough To Protect Its Workers From Coronavirus, Report Says Warehouse workers say time pressure leaves them unable to properly wash their hands, and have reported an increase in mandatory overtime, which creates crowded conditions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Over DA’s Objections, a Man Living With Cancer Can Remain at Home While Awaiting Trial His attorney says the Suffolk County DA’s office tried to send “an innocent man to his death.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Parole Violations Nearly Sentenced These People To COVID-19 Twenty-eight people were to attend weeks-long drug treatment programs after violating parole. The COVID-19 pandemic nearly trapped them in jail indefinitely. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Prisoners in Illinois Describe Dire Conditions Amid Coronavirus Outbreak It took a prisoner’s death ‘just for them to pass out a single extra bar of soap,’ one incarcerated man said. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Texas Appeals Court Upheld This Man’s Death Sentence Despite New Scientific Evidence The ruling is a setback for the state's so-called junk science statute. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Tenants in Oakland Are Going on a Rent Strike Tomorrow Residents have been told to stay in their homes to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus—but little has been done to ensure they can afford to stay there, activists say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Admissions to Illinois State Prisons Suspended, With Few Exceptions, Due to Coronavirus Prisoners are “especially vulnerable to contracting and spreading COVID-19,” Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker wrote in his executive order. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Jails Have an Alarmingly High Infection Rate, According to an Analysis by the Legal Aid Society “Based on this analysis, New York City jails have become the epicenter of COVID-19,” a Legal Aid attorney said. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Courts Still Dangerous For Spread of Coronavirus, Public Defenders Say While those facing charges appear by video at arraignments, all others—attorneys, officers, the judge—are in the courtroom in close quarters, defense attorneys say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
An Urgent Plea For Compassionate Release As Coronavirus Spreads A man with multiple medical conditions incarcerated on a technical violation urgently needs to be released, his attorney says. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
To Stop Coronavirus, Places Where People Gather are Shutting Down Across California. What About Its Jails? Activists are calling on the governor, district attorneys, sheriffs, and judges to take action to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Federal District Court in Ohio Delays All Trials Because of Coronavirus Judicial responses to the pandemic have varied and are changing rapidly. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
In Oregon, a Hopeful Sign for Those Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms as Children The state’s attorney general decided to support resentencing hearings in two high-profile cases, though she had fought appeals in the past. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
For Many Serving Harsh Sentences, the Governor Becomes a Last Hope Lawmakers are recognizing the harms of mass incarceration. But some governors are reluctant to use their clemency power to address them. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
San Francisco D.A. To Announce Sweeping Changes On Sentencing Policy and Police Stops As a candidate, Chesa Boudin condemned gang enhancements as racist. Now as DA he plans to significantly limit, if not eliminate, their use. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A California County’s Sheriff’s Deputies Are Accused Of Mishandling Evidence On a Staggering Scale Deputies in Orange County wrote false reports about their collection and booking of evidence, according to internal audits kept secret for months. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
He Attempted Suicide and Ended Up In Jail Arthur’s story speaks to a troubling tendency in the legal system, reform advocates say: to treat mental health crises as criminal matters, rather than matters of public health. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Rosa Jimenez Went to Prison for Murdering a Child. Four Judges Have Said She’s Most Likely Innocent Advocates say junk science was used to convict Jimenez. DA Margaret Moore has not yet decided whether she will drop charges or retry her. Kira Lerner, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Federal Crackdown On Fentanyl Analogues Repeats the Mistakes of the Drug War, Advocates Warn Legislators are considering giving the DEA dangerous authority, harm reduction advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New San Francisco D.A. Inherits Chance To Hold Police Accountable In Shooting Of Man With Mental Illness Activists hope Chesa Boudin will press charges, and push for systemic changes to address the criminalization of mental illness. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
How Dubious Science Helped Put A New Jersey Woman In Prison For Killing A Baby In Her Care The state said Michelle Heale shook the baby to death, but some experts say her conviction was based on debunked science. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Chicago’s Gang Database Can Have ‘Devastating’ Consequences, But There’s No Way To Be Removed From It. Social media posts, tattoos, or the unvetted word of an officer can lead to inclusion on the list, which is overwhelmingly composed of people of color. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Boston Law Enforcement Has Been Fighting A Court Order To Release Data On Who Police Target On Snapchat District Attorney Rachael Rollins ran as a reformer who would work to increase transparency, but her office and the police department have been fighting the order. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
After The Exoneration Of Three In Baltimore, Man Whose Wrongful Conviction Was Driven By Same Detective Seeks Justice Convicted in 1982 in a murder case in which exculpatory evidence was not shared with his attorneys, Wendell Griffin now calls on State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to clear his name. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Supreme Court Ruled That Sentences Like Hers Are Unconstitutional. Prosecutors Are Fighting To Keep Her Incarcerated. Prosecutor Jessica Cooper of Oakland County, Michigan, has aggressively pursued life without the possibility of parole for children, critics say. She recommended the sentence for Barbara Hernández, who at 16 was a ‘slave’ to an abusive boyfriend who drew her into a plan that ended in murder. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Alameda County Sheriff, Aramark Are Forcing Prisoners Into ‘Involuntary Servitude,’ New Lawsuit Says Some pretrial prisoners and immigration detainees are forced to work without pay in violation of the 13th Amendment, according to attorneys. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Orange County Judge Rules That Sheriff’s ‘Blanket’ Shackling Practice Violates Prisoners’ Rights People held in courthouse cells were shackled for up to 15 hours a day, and some were unable to eat, change menstrual pads, or use the bathroom, advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Public Defender Chesa Boudin Wins San Francisco D.A. Race In Major Victory For Progressive Prosecutor Movement Son of incarcerated parents, backed by Black Lives Matter co-founders, Boudin will be the next DA of San Francisco. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Deadlocked San Francisco District Attorney Race Shows Strength of Progressive Prosecutor Movement Chesa Boudin is just 240 votes behind Suzy Loftus, even after local law enforcement spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat him. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Illinois Department of Corrections Revises Book Ban Policy Earlier this year, Danville prison removed about 200 books, many of which dealt with race issues. But the new rules don’t go far enough, says one advocate. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘A Green Light For Abuse’: Despite Reforms, California Counties Still Conceal Records On Police Use Of Force A lawsuit in Los Angeles and a motion in Orange County highlight battles to get key information. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Despite Flat Crime Rates, More Cleveland-Area Young People Are Being Tried As Adults District Attorney Michael O’Malley’s 2016 election was viewed by some as a win for Black Lives Matter, but the number of children transferred to adult court in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has increased more than 100 percent. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
A Deadly Father-And-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and The Adolescent Mind Christopher Lay grew up under the influence of a father who was mentally ill. Drawn into a crime at age 19, he’s now seeking a second chance that could help other young adults demand the same. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Interim San Francisco D.A. Suzy Loftus is Running for Office as a Reformer. But Critics Say She Didn’t Do Enough to Reform the SFPD. Loftus led the San Francisco Police Commission through a bloody and turbulent era. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Oklahoma Department of Corrections Agrees to Move ‘Qualifying’ Death Row Prisoners Out of Tomblike Unit Some death row prisoners will be moved to another unit with access to direct sunlight, fenced-in recreation, and contact visits, department says. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Oklahoma’s Death Row Prisoners Are Forced Into Permanent Solitary Confinement. They are ‘Buried Alive,’ Advocates Say. Civil rights groups demand change as other states move away from the practice of isolating people sentenced to death. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Alabama Sex Offender Registry Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Teenagers, Lawsuit Argues Young people convicted as adults face a ‘life sentence’ of registry restrictions, attorneys say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Harris County D.A. Seeks Execution of Intellectually Disabled Man, Lawyer Says Kim Ogg ran as a reform-minded district attorney candidate, but her office has sought two death warrants for Dexter Johnson, whose lawyer says cannot name everyday objects and has an IQ of 70. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Florida County: People On Sex Offender Registry Should Shelter From Dorian in Jail Barred from other shelters, registrants were left with few options as the hurricane approached. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
He Entered Prison As a ‘Whiskerless Kid.’ Will Oregon Ever Let Him Out? Despite supporting Oregon’s new juvenile justice law, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is still fighting to keep people in prison who received life sentences as minors. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Persistent History of Excluding Black Jurors in North Carolina A statewide pattern of discrimination in jury selection has gone largely uncorrected, while lives remain in the balance, advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Epstein’s Death Reveals ‘Culture of Indifference’ in Jails The same culture exists across the country, experts say—with devastating effects. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Protecting Campus Police The New Jersey General Assembly unanimously passed a bill to extend qualified immunity to police officers at private colleges and universities. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
When Cops Lie, Should Prosecutors Rely Upon Their Testimony At Trial? In California, Texas and Florida, advocates sent letters to district attorneys, demanding that they refuse to work with officers with histories of misconduct. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Philadelphia D.A. Asks Court to Declare Death Penalty System Unconstitutional Larry Krasner says the punishment is ‘really about poverty’ and race. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Boston Globe Accused of ‘Willie Horton’-Style Fearmongering Nineteen academics published a letter to the newspaper over its coverage of the Suffolk County DA. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘Do Not Record’ Phone calls between prisoners in Orange County and their lawyers were recorded and accessed. How wide the eavesdropping was remains an open question. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Jackie Lacey’s Legacy Is ‘Unfair and Discriminatory,’ Advocates Say A new report charges the Los Angeles DA with seeking the death penalty in unjust and harsh ways. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Orange County’s ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ The California county has a thin blue line that appears to protect not just the police, but also the DA’s office, criminal justice advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Arrested for Shoplifting and Dead 2 Days Later A lawsuit filed by Kentrell Hurst’s children is the latest against New Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman over jail conditions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Family of Orlando Prisoner Who Died After Police Dog Bites Gets Legal Breakthrough A new court order allows the family’s lawsuit to proceed, and may lead to holding jail staff accountable. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Scandal-Plagued Arizona Prosecutor Won’t Release Records, Lawsuit Alleges The ACLU of Arizona is suing Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s office over its alleged lack of transparency. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
This Grandfather Was Granted Parole in 2018. Why Is He Still in Prison? Imprisoned as a teen, Amer Zada is now eligible for release but can’t find approved housing—and a proposed law could make the problem worse. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Solitary is a ‘Tomb’ With No Escape, Virginia Prisoners Allege A new lawsuit, filed against the Virginia Department of Corrections, says prisoners are kept in isolation for frivolous reasons and prevented from rejoining the general population. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Overdose In An Arizona Prison? Get Ready To Pay Up. ‘Worst policy imaginable’ punishes, rather than treats, patients who earn less than a dollar an hour, advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Jailed Men Get Help While Women Languish, Georgia Lawsuit Claims Women with mental illness are left in isolation and filth, and often placed in solitary confinement, according to a suit against the Fulton County sheriff. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Push to End ‘Punishment Fever’ Against People With HIV Advocates say laws that land people with HIV on the sex offender registry are outdated and dangerous. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Wrongly Accused of Rape, Randall Mills Has Been Proven Innocent. But That Doesn’t Mean He’s Exonerated. Vindication and compensation remain elusive for Tennessee’s wrongly convicted, in part because of the state’s parole board. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Party Guests Suing Over Mass Arrest for Less Than An Ounce of Marijuana Attorneys representing the arrestees in Cartersville, Georgia, say they were mistreated in jail, lost jobs, and endured public humiliation. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Corizon, The Prison Healthcare Giant, Stumbles Again The company recently lost its contract with Arizona after allegations of serious—and sometimes fatal—medical neglect that have echoes across the country. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Florida Locales Vote to Stop Using Prison Labor—and Others May Follow One commissioner wants the state Department of Corrections to show proof that his county isn’t just using prisoners as ‘slaves.’ Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘No Shower, Wearing Diapers, Laying There For So Long’ Lawsuits that challenge mental healthcare and medical care for incarcerated people advance in Illinois. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
When Stealing Legos Adds To A Lifetime of Consequences A petition argues that people seeking to escape the sex offender registry, including those put on it as children, deserve more than a single shot. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Pennsylvania Case Challenges ‘Death by Incarceration’ for 18-year-olds Recent Supreme Court rulings have led to a review of life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed at age 17 and younger, but attorneys for Avis Lee say there’s no reason to stop there. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Mother’s Lawsuit Says Oklahoma Prison Failed to Prevent Her Daughter’s Death New development in a high-profile case comes as advocates question the state’s prison conditions and sentencing practices. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
When Handing Out Candy To Trick-or-Treaters Means Risking Arrest Lawyer seeks end to Halloween restrictions that target people convicted of sex offenses. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘Just Let Him Kick’ Lawsuits allege that a private Tennessee prison neglected diabetic prisoners, contributing to at least one death. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
