Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Senior Reporter

Elizabeth has also written for The Nation, The Washington Blade, and TruthOut. She writes on prison conditions, the sex offender registry, wrongful convictions, and extreme sentences for young people. 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 teaches an undergraduate class on wrongful convictions at Rutgers University. She graduated from Rutgers with a BA and earned her MS in journalism from Northwestern University.

@elizabethweill

Articles by 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 Apr 13, 2021

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 Apr 05, 2021

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 Mar 30, 2021

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 Mar 25, 2021

Virginia Becomes the First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty

Abolition advocates are celebrating a milestone for racial justice.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 24, 2021

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 Mar 18, 2021

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 Feb 24, 2021

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 Feb 18, 2021

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 Feb 10, 2021

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 Feb 05, 2021

Victims’ Families Want Virginia to End The Death Penalty

Virginia may soon become the 23rd state to abolish capital punishment.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jan 29, 2021

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 Jan 27, 2021

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 Jan 26, 2021

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 Jan 22, 2021

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 Jan 14, 2021

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 Jan 08, 2021

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 Dec 18, 2020

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 Dec 15, 2020

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 Dec 11, 2020

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 Dec 04, 2020

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 Dec 03, 2020

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 Nov 19, 2020

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 Nov 04, 2020

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 Nov 03, 2020

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 Oct 28, 2020

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 Oct 27, 2020

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 Oct 15, 2020

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 Oct 07, 2020

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 Sep 28, 2020

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 Sep 23, 2020

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 Sep 03, 2020

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 Aug 13, 2020

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 Aug 03, 2020

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 Jul 27, 2020

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 Jul 21, 2020

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 Jul 16, 2020

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 Jun 24, 2020

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 Jun 16, 2020

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 Jun 12, 2020

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 Jun 08, 2020

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 May 28, 2020

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 May 27, 2020

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 May 20, 2020

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 May 19, 2020

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 May 08, 2020

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 May 05, 2020

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 Apr 23, 2020

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 Apr 20, 2020

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 Apr 15, 2020

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 Apr 09, 2020

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 Apr 07, 2020

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 Apr 01, 2020

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 Mar 31, 2020

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 Mar 27, 2020

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 Mar 26, 2020

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 Mar 20, 2020

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 Mar 18, 2020

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 Mar 16, 2020

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 Mar 13, 2020

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 Mar 12, 2020

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 Mar 05, 2020

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 Feb 28, 2020

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 Feb 27, 2020

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 Feb 14, 2020

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 Feb 12, 2020

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 Jan 28, 2020

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 Jan 22, 2020

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 Jan 15, 2020

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 Dec 18, 2019

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 Dec 13, 2019

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 Dec 12, 2019

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 Dec 09, 2019

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 Nov 21, 2019

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 Nov 19, 2019

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 Nov 09, 2019

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 Nov 06, 2019

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 Nov 04, 2019

‘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 Oct 31, 2019

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 Oct 22, 2019

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 Oct 18, 2019

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 Oct 04, 2019