More from Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

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.

A Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion could force thousands of incarcerated people to carry pregnancies to term.

In January, a New Jersey judge said Shaken Baby Syndrome is “akin to junk science.”

Legionella bacteria was found in five Illinois prisons in March.

Corrections officials confirmed finding legionella at five facilities over the past 12 months.

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.

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.

It’s been quite a year for us, to say the least. In May, we unionized. Then our former bosses shut The Appeal down. But we, the workers, resolved to save The Appeal and continue the important work we do covering the criminal legal system.  Since then, we succeeded in becoming a worker-led nonprofit newsroom. We […]

Thank you for all of your support. Your contributions have enabled us to turn The Appeal into a worker-led newsroom dedicated to exposing the harms of the criminal legal system — and to begin publishing again! Check out some of our recent pieces: We uncovered a robbery task force at DC’s Metropolitan Police Department that […]

Reginald Randolph is currently serving a two to four year sentence in state prison for stealing cold medicine

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 in state prison.

Inside New Jersey’s Bayside State Prison, corrections officer John Makos allegedly tortured incarcerated kitchen workers. In one incident, he approximated a “crucifixion” by handcuffing his victim’s outstretched arms to fences and doors, then beat him, according to a criminal complaint issued by the Department of Justice last month.

Sheriffs who run county jails bear responsibility for placing people in torturous isolation.

A man is serving two life sentences for a crime that, according to his legal team, never occurred.

At the same time, state lawmakers are pushing to incarcerate more people pretrial.

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.

The candidates—who didn’t support an affordable housing investment that was rejected by voters today—now advance to the November ballot.

True public safety, advocates say, is one of the most urgent issues facing Cincinnati voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

A bill passed by the state legislature, but yet to be enacted, would offer access to counsel for low-income renters.

Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope.

The bill gives hundreds of people an opportunity to petition for earlier release.

A Department of Justice memo from January could have a devastating effect on many federal prisoners who have been released on home confinement.

Prosecutors who have championed criminal justice reforms are still seeking death sentences, opposing appeals, and, in some cases, have even petitioned for execution dates.

Mayor Randall Woodfin is increasing police funding and ignoring calls for non-law enforcement public safety alternatives.

Several states, including Maryland, are considering bills to protect minors from abusive police interrogations.

Abolition advocates are celebrating a milestone for racial justice.

After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons.

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.

Numerous city councils and state legislatures are debating giving renters a right to counsel, which can make the difference between stability and catastrophe.

Despite calls to reduce incarcerated populations, the number of people being detained for minor parole violations has been rising.

Virginia’s Department of Corrections has recently settled two lawsuits over its use of solitary confinement—a practice lawmakers are moving closer to abolishing.

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

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.

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.

State Attorney Melissa Nelson is pushing for a death sentence even as more prosecutors reject capital punishment.

The move is part of a broader criminal justice reform bill that also ends prison gerrymandering, and mandates body cameras for all police departments.

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.

The case illustrates the importance of keeping lists of police officers with histories of misconduct or dishonesty, the defense lawyer in the case says.

Civil rights organizations and Democrats in Congress are calling on the president-elect to provide relief to millions of borrowers once he takes office.

The report found that spread inside correctional facilities contributed to community spread, particularly in California, Florida and Texas.