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What you’ll read today Spotlight: Needed in jails in a heat emergency: air conditioning and oversight Commentary: I was sexually assaulted. And I believe incarcerating rapists doesn’t help victims like me. Media Frame: 5 common tactics used to discredit reform DAs Will November bring a ‘wave’ of reform prosecutors in Virginia? Hawaii governor sinks criminal […]
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. Over the weekend, much of the United States experienced a heat wave. In The Atlantic last week, Robinson Meyer described what was coming as “a vast blanket of […]
Special Edition Cory Booker’s new sentencing reform bill centers the possibility of redemption An article by Campbell Robertson in the New York Times today looks at the case of Angelo Robinson, in prison in Ohio since 1997 for the murder of Veronica Jackson, committed when Robinson was 20 years old. A new project, Beyond Guilt, […]
Editor’s Note: The Daily Appeal is occasionally examining the 2020 presidential contenders’ records, platforms, and rhetoric on issues relating to criminal justice. You can find past installments here. An article by Campbell Robertson in the New York Times today looks at the case of Angelo Robinson, in prison in Ohio since 1997 for the murder of […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Daniel Pantaleo won’t face federal charges. Will he be fired? Media Frame: Fentanyl panic is worsening the overdose crisis Commentary: County failures, not state reforms, are killing people in California jails Justice John Paul Stevens’s evolution on the death penalty LA settles for $53 million with women who were strip […]
“Five years ago, my son said ‘I can’t breathe’ 11 times as officers placed him in a banned chokehold and killed him. After patiently waiting, following the rules, hoping for accountability and closure, we now learn that the Department of Justice has decided not to bring federal charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo. “The DOJ has […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Challenging lawmakers to go inside prisons and jails Boston Globe accused of ‘Willie Horton’-style fearmongering New reports highlight behavior of Port Authority police in ‘lewd act’ arrests Immigrants stay home, fearing mass raids Phoenix prosecutor silent on police accountability, critics say Jackson, Mississippi, prosecutor candidate wants to fix a broken system […]
Last week, FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) launched a campaign, calling on state and federal lawmakers to visit a prison, jail, or juvenile detention facility in the next 12 months. The challenge highlights the fact that although legislators make the laws governing when people can be sent to jail or prison, and for how long; […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: The dangers of gang databases and gang policing Commentary: San Francisco is paying for Jamal Trulove’s wrongful conviction. Will Kamala Harris? Media Frame: A ‘war on cops’ narrative without evidence Federal prosecutors will retry case against humanitarian worker Oakland to launch a pilot program of non-police responses to mental health […]
An NYPD database labels over 18,000 people in New York City as active gang members. Three of the people labeled this way are 13 years old, and more than 400 others are under 18. Nearly 99 percent of the people whose names are in the database are people of color. Nearly 88 percent are Black […]
Special Edition Fighting against a new prison—and winning—in Letcher County, Kentucky The region of eastern Kentucky, once reliant on mining and the coal industry, has, over the decades, become home to three federal prisons. Last year, the Daily Appeal wrote about the controversial proposal to build yet another federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky. That […]
The region of eastern Kentucky, once reliant on mining and the coal industry, has, over the decades, become home to three federal prisons. Last year, the Daily Appeal wrote about the controversial proposal to build yet another federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky. That project had been pushed since 2005 by local backers and a powerful U.S. representative, […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: The criminal and juvenile legal systems are drivers of poverty. Presidential candidates should recognize that. Progressive Philly DA Larry Krasner’s bail reform plans seem stalled, advocates say Tiffany Cabán close to victory in Queens DA primary Marijuana legalization and ‘reparations’ in Illinois People in Louisiana prisons describe years in isolation […]
The criminal and juvenile legal systems are drivers of poverty. Presidential candidates should recognize that.
What you’ll read today Spotlight: After Nipsey Hussle’s killing, gang members call for an end to violence In Louisiana, a messenger of change disregards his message California cops said a man wielded a deadly weapon when they shot him. But records reveal he waved a tent pole. ‘Nothing sanitary’ and ‘not safe’ Move 9 member […]
After the rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed on March 31, there was an outpouring of grief in Los Angeles and across the country. Hussle has been applauded as the rare star who remained rooted in his community and committed to it through his art, entrepreneurship, and activism. (Hussle was posthumously honored with the 2019 Humanitarian Award at […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: With the taking of Marion Wilson’s life, a grim milestone a death penalty in decline The Appeal Podcast: Qualified immunity, a roadblock to reform Supreme Court orders new trial for Curtis Flowers Federal judge blocks civil ICE arrests in Massachusetts courts Queens prosecutor Democratic primary next week Arizona prisons reverse […]
Marion Wilson’s was the 1,500th execution since 1976, the year Georgia resumed the death penalty after the Supreme Court’s decision in Gregg v. Georgia.
What you’ll read today Spotlight: When police spread racism and hate online, it says something about how they work Arizona man faces deportation after filing lawsuit against Coconino County sheriff Suicides, ICE cooperation, and racism allegations at Maryland jail Will New York end solitary confinement? New York Times endorses Tiffany Cabán for Queens DA What abolition […]
On June 1, BuzzFeed and Injustice Watch reported on the Plain View Project, a new database of racist, violent, and otherwise offensive public Facebook posts and comments by active and retired police officers. (We covered the Plain View Project, the online behavior it exposed, and the additional investigation by Injustice Watch / BuzzFeed in our […]
What you’ll read today Flint and the pursuit of accountability In Pennsylvania, detention as a first option Solitary confinement, marijuana legalization, parole reform among New York legislature’s unfinished business Off-duty LAPD cop shoots and kills intellectually disabled man A watered-down immigration bill becomes law in Colorado Criticisms of judicial appointment of sheriff’s adviser in Chicago […]
Residents who saw their lives endangered by the reckless decisions and the duplicity of state officials and who have waited five years to see if anyone would be held accountable.
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Will Chicago get a memorial to honor the survivors of police torture? A troubled Virginia jail looks to add guards, but advocates push for decarceration Trial of No More Deaths volunteer ends in a mistrial Northern Virginia victories for progressive prosecutors San Francisco will end jail phone charges and commissary […]
In 2015, the Chicago City Council passed a reparations ordinance. That ordinance, the first of its kind in the country, was the city’s official acknowledgment that Jon Burge, a Chicago police commander, and detectives under his command, “systematically engaged in acts of torture, physical abuse and coercion of African American men and women at Area […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Durham City Council says no to more police LA prosecutor touts her mental health reforms, but critics say she’s making the crisis worse The Appeal Podcast: American cities’ growing reliance on surveillance Powerful Virginia prosecutors face challenges in tomorrow’s primaries Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 12 and a half years […]
Last week, in a 4-3 vote on the 2019-20 budget, the City Council in Durham, North Carolina, voted against funding 18 new police officers. It voted instead to raise the wage for part-time city workers to just over $15 an hour. With that, the city joined jurisdictions around the country that are critically evaluating requests for increased […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Saying yes to solitary confinement for Paul Manafort means saying yes to it for tens of thousands of people Virginia teen was detained and prosecuted for saying ‘oink oink’ to cop A close look at Tiffany Cabán’s campaign for Queens DA Video shows Ohio jail guard walking away from a […]
Yesterday the news broke that Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign head who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on federal charges, will now face criminal charges in state court in Manhattan. The New York Times reports that Manafort will most likely be held at Rikers Island, segregated from the general population. […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: In a study of cops’ Facebook accounts, 1 in 5 had posted racist, violent content An Alabama woman got pregnant while in jail. She has no memory of having sex. Millions of diapers needed for babies in immigration detention Texas police union lobbied against transparency in jail deaths Illinois to […]
On Saturday, Injustice Watch and BuzzFeed News published an investigation into racist and violent social media posts by current and retired police officers. The article by Emily Hoerner and Rick Tulsky came out of a collaboration with the Plain View Project, which examined the Facebook accounts of police officers from eight departments across the county. The Plain View Project looked […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: People in prison face extreme heat and extreme indifference A new moral panic targets moms The Appeal Podcast: Criminal justice reform hits roadblock in Arizona New York does away with ban on gravity knives The pressure on prosecutors to act unethically In the Spotlight 5/12/2019 Ten years ago, a woman […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Translating Black voters’ political knowledge into political power Family of Orlando prisoner who died after police dog bites gets legal breakthrough Baby’s death in mother’s bed leads to 5-year prison term, but was it her fault? One week for Connecticut to make prison phone calls free Supreme Court will hear […]
Special Edition: Parole Will New York’s parole system give Jerome Wright’s decade of community contributions and family support the weight they deserve? Yesterday, Radley Balko of the Washington Post wrote about Jerome Wright, a deacon, activist, father, and husband in Buffalo, New York, who has been in jail for six months after nearly a decade […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: ‘To remain silent would mean complicity’: Whistleblowers expose harm in ICE detention facilities Scandal-plagued Arizona prosecutor won’t release records, lawsuit alleges New data reveals the racial disparities in Pennsylvania’s money bail industry De Blasio says new jails to replace Rikers will be smaller than originally planned Philadelphia DA calls for new trial […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Examining the chokehold that killed Eric Garner, from One Police Plaza to Arizona This grandfather was granted parole in 2018. Why is he still in prison? North Carolina jail staff accused of beating and abusing mentally ill veteran Philadelphia votes for sheriff tomorrow New Jersey marijuana decriminalization bill is pulled, […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: San Francisco bans government use of facial recognition technology Veteran’s death highlights inhumane conditions in an Ohio jail In D.C., policing of petty offenses is largely policing of Black people Delaware high court disqualifies prosecutors who stole a defendant’s files and notes Former Nevada attorney general says people with felony […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: A vision for keeping women out of jail Bronx cops celebrated a copwatcher’s arrest. They had no idea they were caught on tape Louisiana bill could jail defense attorneys for doing their jobs Five years later, officer goes on trial in Eric Garner’s death Violent crime down in Chicago after […]
Special Edition How we count people skews political power In late April, the Supreme Court heard arguments in one of the most consequential cases of the term. Department of Commerce v. New York deals with the Trump administration’s decision to add a question asking about citizenship to the 2020 census. In the current political climate, […]
The new citizenship question and the longstanding practice of prison gerrymandering weaponize the census to change the racial geography of power.
What you’ll read today Spotlight: A rare guilty verdict in a police shooting case cannot substitute for systemic reform Police in California are killing sleeping people The Appeal Podcast: The NYPD SVU’s low clearance rate for sexual assault A ‘poll tax’ to undermine Amendment 4 California appeals court rejects DAs’ challenge to law that keeps 14- […]