Political Report

In a Q&A, Jennifer Riley Collins explains how she would fight overincarceration if she is elected as attorney general of Mississippi this November.

Illinois prohibition against 287(g) contracts comes two years after California’s ban.

Medicaid expansion foe wins GOP primary, sets up November clash on an issue with deep implications for the criminal legal system.

“I saw families that were torn apart, and I saw the consequences of that,” Jim Hingeley, a candidate running in Albemarle County, Virginia, said in a Q&A.

Checking-in on the politics of prosecutors: A Vermont state’s attorney makes waves, and California and Florida prosecutors plan on dismissing more drug charges

Louisiana shed its status as the top incarcerator in the county last year, but the trend is fragile.

A Q&A with Sarah Fair George, a Vermont prosecutor: “imagine how this might impact somebody who is there for six months or a year.”

Advocates of criminal justice reform prepare their next legislative efforts in states like Colorado where the 2019 session is over.

Criminal justice reforms have struggled in Mississippi, in part because of prosecutors’ lobbying. Will this change?

Senate Bill 1013 is not retroactive, but Governor Kate Brown has the power to commute death sentences. 

Legislative roundup: Miami officials plan to counter Florida’s “poll tax” law, California’s law restricting felony murder gains a powerful ally, and more Many of the laws that govern the American criminal justice system are set at the state level. Explore the latest developments on criminal justice reform in legislatures around the country with the Political […]

New law abolishes life without parole for minors, expands opportunities for early release, and restricts the prosecution of children as adults.

Legislative Roundup: New Jersey adopts rare restrictions on solitary confinement, Missouri reform will cut prison population, and more

Governor Ige vetoed bills restricting civil asset forfeiture and enabling the release of terminally ill people.

Competitive elections for prosecutor will shape the prospects of decarceral reforms, from Fairfax to Chesterfield.

Virginia is holding nearly 200 elections for commonwealth’s attorney and elections for sheriff. This page has a masterlist of the candidates whose name will be on the November ballot. Read our statewide primer here. Visit our election portal for more coverage of 2019 races for sheriff and prosecutor

Mississippi’s largest county will choose its next prosecutor in August. Jody Owens says he is running to “stop mass incarceration.”

In November, voters get to orient prosecutorial discretion and immigration policy in the second most populous county in Virginia.

This article is part of the Political Report’s coverage of the 2019 local elections. Daniel Nichanian In November, Virginia’s Prince William County will elect its first new prosecutor in 51 years. Mike May is the GOP nominee in the race to replace longtime commonwealth’s attorney Paul Ebert, who is retiring. The jurisdiction also covers the independent […]

With redistricting fast approaching, Nevada and Washington end prison gerrymandering, but reforms stall elsewhere.

New Yorkers voted in their DA primaries.

Alabama finally bars sheriffs from pocketing jail food funds, Connecticut fails to make phone calls from prison free, and more.

Our roundtable probes the stakes of the Queens DA election for criminal justice reform: “If there is room for reform anywhere in the boroughs of New York City, it is in Queens.”

Legislative Roundup: Arizona and Minnesota legislature adjourn with little to show on reform, New York lifts ban on gravity knives, and more Many of the laws that govern the American criminal justice system are set at the state level. Explore the latest developments on criminal justice reform in state legislatures around the country with the […]

A new Colorado law curbs ICE’s reach, but it was weakened during the legislative process and stripped of its prohibition against ICE contracts.

Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Steve Descano oust the chief prosecutors of Arlington and Fairfax counties, overhauling prosecution in Northern Virginia.

Virginians are voting for their prosecutors in Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties.

Illinois is set to legalize marijuana, while Colorado and Oklahoma tackled possession of other drugs.

Colorado and Nevada will now restore voting rights upon release from incarceration, amid nationwide efforts against disenfranchisement.

The latest on the politics of prosecutors, this month from Maine, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

Amy Ashworth, who is running for prosecutor of Prince William County, discusses declinations, the death penalty, and cash bail.

New Hampshire becomes the 21st state to abolish the death penalty.

Philadelphia ousts its sheriff. The Allegheny County DA wins the Democratic primary.

Elsewhere in legislatures: Montana will stop suspending driver’s licenses over fines and fees, North Dakota reduces marijuana penalties

Tracey Lenox, a candidate for commonwealth’s attorney in Virginia’s Prince Williams County, talks to the Appeal: Political Report.

Recently, prosecutors have begun to use their discretion to stop enforcing laws they consider unjust.

Colorado requires free menstrual hygiene products in jails and restricts pretrial detention, Louisiana takes a step against incarcerating witness, and more

An incumbent sheriff faces three challengers in the Democratic primary.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala faces Turahn Jenkins, his first opponent in two decades, on Tuesday.

Sheriffs often control access to treatment in jail and shape law enforcement attitudes toward the opioid crisis. What are their roles?