The Appeal’s Contributing Editor Wins Breaking Barriers Award 

The Appeal’s Contributing Editor Christopher Blackwell was recognized with the Breaking Barriers Award at the Nonprofit News Awards in Philadelphia.

Judges said that Blackwell, who is currently incarcerated in Washington State and has begun mentoring other writers, has “become a vital voice for the incarcerated.”

“His coverage for The Appeal secured one man’s chance at post-conviction relief and contributed to growing support for a halt in the use of juvenile records to enhance sentences in adult courts. Now he’s mentoring other incarcerated journalists. Fantastic job to The Appeal.”

Blackwell’s winning works included his reporting on Washington’s practice of sentencing enhancements for juvenile offenses that propelled extreme sentencing. This stirred support for HB 1324, which repealed the practice. It was later signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in a ceremony attended by Christopher’s wife. It also included an investigation into court mail delays at Washington Correction Center.

The Appeal was also a finalist for the Best Investigative Journalism Award for “Den of Despair.” This investigation went inside FCI Tallahassee, a federal prison in Florida, where women complained of horrendous conditions including sexual abuse by staff. Two months after it was published, federal officials inspected FCI Tallahassee finding “several serious operational deficiencies.”