Kyle Rittenhouse Bought His Freedom. Kalief Browder Could Not.
The Rittenhouse case raises particularly pointed questions about what we are really talking about when we talk about bail.
Cori Bush Nov 24, 2020
Joe Biden Has to Be More Than the Man Who Defeated Trump
A Democratic president who politely listens to progressive rhetoric while failing to act on it is one who just watches the planet burn a little more slowly.
Jay Willis Nov 12, 2020
‘The Squad’ Is Growing—And So Is Its Power
Members of The Squad are already among the Democratic Party’s most influential voices.
Jay Willis Nov 04, 2020
It’s Time To Lower The Voting Age To 16
Grown adults have voted their way into the current morass in this country. Now is the time for a younger generation to lead the way.
David A. Love Nov 03, 2020
The Senate Filibuster Is Hollowing Out American Democracy
If Democrats win control of the Senate, allowing this archaic tradition to survive will make everything of significance the party hopes to accomplish virtually impossible.
Jay Willis Nov 02, 2020
3 Transformational Candidates That the Working Families Party Is Excited About
The party's national director tells The Appeal about candidates in New York, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico that the WFP would like to see oust the establishment.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 28, 2020
Amy Coney Barrett’s Record on Criminal Justice Is ‘Deeply Troubling,’ Reform Advocates Say
In the midst of a national debate about changing the criminal legal system, Barrett is set to take a lifetime seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates see her addition as a potential setback to creating a more fair system.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 22, 2020
‘Democracy Pressure-Tested’: Voter Suppression Efforts Underway As Election Nears
Efforts by elected leaders in several states are making it harder to get to the polls and fomenting misinformation about the election amid a pandemic.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 21, 2020
Black Voters Matter Co-Founder Says Voting Enthusiasm Is Strong Despite Rampant Suppression
The group is seeing real challenges posed by the pandemic, voter suppression tactics, and threats of intimidation.
Kira Lerner Oct 20, 2020
How Organizers Are Defending Against Evictions Amid a Pandemic
Tenants rights groups in Brooklyn, Kansas City, New Orleans, and elsewhere are using physical blockades and direct action to keep people in their homes.
Election Night Coverage Is Broken. In 2020, It Could Be Dangerous
In a presidential election likely to take weeks or months to decide, the race to name a winner on Nov. 3 could do tremendous damage to the integrity of the vote-counting process.
Jay Willis Oct 14, 2020
As More States Turn To Mail-In Voting, Problems Pop Up Across Country
Last week’s problems in New York were part of a widespread series of issues, both systemic and targeted, that are only now becoming fully apparent, activists say.
Eoin Higgins Oct 08, 2020
Advocates For Domestic Workers, Voters, And Prisoners Express Alarm Over Trump’s Threat To End Stimulus Talks
Passing the HEROES Act would provide crucial protections to some of the most vulnerable essential workers, they say.
Lauren Gill Oct 07, 2020
Prison Labor Is on the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic
States like California, New York, and Arizona have relied on prisoners to continue working, with little pay and in precarious conditions, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Eliyahu Kamisher Oct 05, 2020
Another Way Chaos Could Erupt on Election Day: Delayed Absentee Ballot Processing
Although some GOP election officials have moved to allow mail-in ballots to be counted early, outdated rules in other key Republican-led states could feed President Trump’s Election Day fearmongering.
Spenser Mestel Oct 02, 2020
Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Law Enforcement Commission
The ruling said the commission wasn’t diverse enough and gave little voice to communities affected by policing.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 01, 2020
Joe Biden Should Use Federal Dollars to Fund Alternatives to Police
If he becomes president and Democrats win the Senate, Biden should push a federal spending bill that includes money for civilian first-responder programs.
Feuding With Donald Trump Is Not Police Reform
Mayors of liberal cities love to criticize the president’s incendiary law-and-order rhetoric, but do precious little to check police violence and bloated budgets in their own backyards.
Jay Willis Sep 30, 2020
Communities Need And Deserve A Reset Of Policing And The Justice System. Trump Has Created A Sham Process that Excludes Them.
Under the guise of restoring public confidence in law enforcement, President Trump’s secretive and regressive Commission on Law Enforcement is stacked with old-guard failed tough-on-crime thinking that precipitated the crisis of confidence we now face.
Expanding the Supreme Court Is Not ‘Radical’
Rebalancing the nation’s highest court is a reasonable, proportionate response to a system that failed a long time ago.
Jay Willis Sep 25, 2020
The Trump Administration Is Pushing To Make It Harder For Trans People To Seek Shelter During The Pandemic
The Trump administration mishandled COVID-19, creating conditions that left transgender people even more vulnerable to housing instability than before. Now it’s pushing for a rule change that would allow homeless shelters to discriminate against trans people.
Thousands of Children On Probation Are Incarcerated Each Year for Nonviolent, Noncriminal Behaviors
Experts say Black and Native children are disproportionately jailed either for status offenses or for technical violations of probation or parole—and that incarcerating them has far-reaching negative consequences.
Dawn R. Wolfe Sep 04, 2020
Lawmakers Push For The Federal Government To Treat Racism As A Public Health Crisis
Members of Congress have introduced a bill that would create a National Center on Anti-Racism in Health.
Economic Insecurity Brought On By COVID-19 Threatens To Disenfranchise Millions Of Voters
Between the global pandemic and a nationwide economic crisis, voting rights advocates see a ‘perfect storm of barriers’ ahead that could prevent millions of people from casting a ballot in November.
Eoin Higgins Sep 03, 2020
President Trump’s Eviction Moratorium Falls Far Short Of Calls For Rent And Mortgage Cancellation
Tenants and progressive leaders who cried out for a national action must now grapple with two truths: This eviction moratorium will save lives, but everything about it is a page out of Trump’s re-election playbook.
Tara Raghuveer Sep 02, 2020
Trump’s Voter Fraud Lie Is the Oldest Trick in the Book
The president’s fearmongering over mail-in ballots is part of a long history of politicians denying members of marginalized communities, and particularly Black people, the right to vote.
Social Workers Are Rejecting Calls For Them to Replace Police
Some say their roles are already too close to those of law enforcement and are organizing for a radical rethinking of the profession.
Mia Sato Aug 20, 2020
The Federal Government’s Decision To Execute Lezmond Mitchell Is A Direct Affront To Tribal Rule
The execution of Mitchell against the will of the Navajo Nation only perpetuates the U.S.’s dreadful history of colonial violence and oppression of Indigenous peoples.
Ruth Hopkins Aug 19, 2020
Operation Legend Is Another Attempt to ‘Federalize’ Policing. Organizers Are Pushing Back.
President Trump and the DOJ are funding federal policing programs in cities like Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore, but advocates say they’re unnecessary, harmful, and ineffective.
Marcia Brown Aug 13, 2020
Corporate Landlords Have Gotten Government Aid. Tenants Haven’t.
Some corporate landlords who received federal PPP loans are notorious for mistreating tenants.
New Jersey COVID-19 Bill Could Help Reduce The Harshness Of The Criminal System
If the bill is signed into law later this month, about 20 percent of the state’s prison population could see their sentences reduced to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, including some people who have served lengthy sentences for violent crimes.
Ellison Berryhill Aug 10, 2020
As Decriminalization Drives Reforms For Marijuana Convictions, Activists See Others Serving Time Left Behind
Despite the growing consciousness around the need for reforms, thousands of prisoners who might also deserve clemency or early release are slipping through the cracks.
Tana Ganeva Aug 06, 2020
The Role of Police in Gentrification
A lawsuit alleges Breonna Taylor died because Louisville was trying to arrest its way toward economic redevelopment. Research shows this is common.
Brenden Beck Aug 04, 2020
To Cut Police Budgets, Start in Public Schools
The presence of police in schools is emblematic of America’s carceral approach to governing.
Aaron Stagoff-Belfort Aug 03, 2020
Virtual Hearings Have Created A ‘Caste System’ In America’s Courts
Precautions meant to minimize the spread of COVID-19—like remote hearings by video conferencing—have drastically changed the way people experience the judicial process, leaving some at a distinct disadvantage.
Elizabeth Brico Jul 31, 2020
The Defund Movement Aims to Change the Policing and Prosecution of Domestic Violence
Though domestic violence is often cited as a reason to maintain the carceral status quo, advocates say there are more humane—and effective—alternatives.
Jessica Pishko Jul 28, 2020
Racial Disparity Among Prosecutors and Trial Judges Translates to Unequal Justice, Activists Say
Studies show that 95 percent of the nation’s prosecutors are white and that the lack of Black and brown representation in courts negatively affect outcomes for people of color.
Dawn R. Wolfe Jul 24, 2020
Impunity for Law Enforcement Must End. That Includes Officers in Jails and Prisons.
Qualified immunity is just one obstacle of many that incarcerated people face when seeking to hold correctional officers accountable for misconduct.
Joshua Manson Jul 23, 2020
U.S. Executes Dustin Lee Honken, The Third Federal Execution In A Week
Honken, convicted of the murders of five people, died by lethal injection at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. The federal government resumed executions this week for the first time since 2003.
Lauren Gill Jul 17, 2020
U.S. Completes Second of Three Executions Set for This Week
In a 5-4 ruling early today, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the lethal injection of Wesley Ira Purkey. Lawyers had argued that killing Purkey, who had dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease, would represent cruel and unusual punishment.
Lauren Gill Jul 16, 2020
Reimagining A Future With Less Policing Means Asking Tough Questions About the Powers We Assign To Law Enforcement
As criminal justice reformers take steps to defund police departments and limit qualified immunity, it’s important to consider the role of universal and special duties in policing.
Eric Kennedy Jul 15, 2020
U.S. Government Carries Out The First Execution Of A Federal Prisoner in 17 Years
A late-night Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for the execution of Daniel Lewis Lee, despite his claims of innocence and his attorneys’ belief that DNA testing could show he was wrongly convicted.
Lauren Gill Jul 14, 2020
How Prison Abolitionists Are Meeting The Moment
The COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality are strengthening the case against mass incarceration, advocates argue.
A National Evictions Cliff Is Coming. America’s Failing Legal System Will Make It Worse
COVID-19 is disproportionately putting Black and Latinx people at higher risk of eviction, fueling a housing crisis that is already in progress.
Extreme Summer Heat Is Endangering Homeless People Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
As a ‘heat dome’ descends on much of the country and local governments scramble to provide safe refuges, concern grows over the effect of a disease that has ‘totally demolished the homeless people.’
Daniel Moritz-Rabson Jul 13, 2020
Federal Prisoner Set To Be Executed Next Week Was Labeled A ‘Psychopath’ Because Of A Faulty Evaluation Tool
A government psychologist who used the tool to evaluate Daniel Lewis Lee—who is scheduled to die Monday in Indiana—has since disavowed it. Without it, the trial judge has written that it’s ‘very questionable’ Lee would have been sentenced to death.
Lauren Gill Jul 10, 2020
Healthcare In The U.S. Is Still Segregated, So Community Organizations Are Taking COVID-19 Testing Into Their Own Hands
Predominantly Black neighborhoods have less access to primary care physicians and healthcare services, at a time when COVID-19 is killing Black Americans at a rate 2.3 times higher than white Americans. Now grassroots organizations are trying to compensate for failures of public health.
Akilah Wise Jul 07, 2020
Requiring a Bar Exam in 2020 Perpetuates Systemic Inequities in the Legal System
Prioritizing bar examiners’ gatekeeping function during a pandemic and economic crisis means putting aspiring lawyers at risk and making it harder for nonwhite and low-income people to enter the legal profession.
Police at Polling Places Could Intimidate Voters This November, Advocates Warn
This year’s presidential contest will be the first since a federal judge lifted a decades-old consent decree barring the Republican National Committee from engaging in “ballot security,” or voter intimidation at the polls.
Kira Lerner Jul 02, 2020
Domestic Workers Face Economic Devastation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A survey published by the National Domestic Workers Alliance in April found that 55 percent of respondents were unable to pay April’s rent, and 84 percent were either not able to or didn’t know if they could afford food.
Lauren Gill Jul 01, 2020
The Pandemic Shows It’s Time for an Alternative to American Capitalism
The nation has an opportunity to take advantage of this transformative event and pursue an alternative to the current system.
David A. Love Jun 30, 2020
Fatal Overdose Deaths Soar In Communities Across The Country Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
In Cook County, Illinois, suspected or confirmed fatal overdose deaths doubled over last year in the first five months of this year.
How the Federal Government Lost Track of Deaths in Custody
The Department of Justice is leaving researchers, policymakers, and advocates in the dark about deaths in police custody, prisons, and jails.
Ethan Corey Jun 24, 2020
How The Supreme Court Has Gradually Weakened The Legal Protections You Have When You’re Arrested
For decades, the Court has been carving out generous exceptions and crafting new rules that limit the Miranda warning’s real-world impact.
Jay Willis Jun 23, 2020
The Bumpy Road to Police Abolition
Protesters and activists have categorically changed the national conversation about public safety. Now they have to figure out how to change public policy.
Ted Alcorn Jun 22, 2020
Supreme Court Blocks Trump Administration From Ending DACA, Handing A Win To ‘Dreamers’
The ruling thwarts the administration’s attempt to deport nearly 700,000 immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Liz Robbins Jun 18, 2020
Formerly Incarcerated Businessowners Sue SBA For Denying Them COVID-19 Emergency Loans
The lawsuit says the Small Business Administration overstepped its authority by imposing ‘arbitrary and capricious’ restrictions on a loan program passed by Congress.
Bryce Covert Jun 17, 2020
After 17 Years, Bureau Of Prisons Set To Resume Federal Executions
A civil rights advocate calls the scheduled executions of four men ‘appalling’ and a return to a ‘biased, arbitrary, and error-prone’ system.
Lauren Gill Jun 16, 2020
Governors’ Coronavirus Decisions Put People of Color In Harm’s Way
As the country reopens, we can’t quickly forget these failures of government, which have disproportionately harmed Black, Latinx, and Native people.
David A. Love Jun 12, 2020
As The Trump Administration Restricts Legal Immigration, It’s Expanding A Class Of Vulnerable Guest Workers
Farmworker and labor advocates say these workers are among the most exploited in the country.
Madeline Leung Coleman Jun 10, 2020
The Toll That Curfews Have Taken On Homeless Americans
The country’s homeless population was already struggling to access services during the pandemic.
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
Police Departments Have Failed Black And Latinx Communities. It Will Take Deliberate Work To Earn Back Their Trust.
The use of excessive force against nonwhite communities and people protesting police brutality is further eroding public confidence in policing.
Ellison Berryhill Jun 05, 2020
Too Little Has Changed About American Policing In the Last Few Decades. It’s Time For Something Different.
The killing of George Floyd demonstrates that incremental police reforms are insufficient in the absence of a comprehensive plan to transform law enforcement and its stated purpose.
David A. Love Jun 04, 2020
Federal Bureau of Prisons Locks Down Prisoners and Takes Away Communications Amid Protests
After protests broke out in several cities in response to George Floyd’s death, the agency ordered the first nationwide lockdown in 25 years.
Lauren Gill Jun 03, 2020
For Trump, There Is No Policing Without Violence
A president who openly endorses police brutality struggles with a nation rejecting it.
Don’t Let Cops Join Our Protests
Cops who turn marches against police violence into parades don’t actually want substantial changes to policing.
Derecka Purnell Jun 02, 2020
Defund the Police Now
More training, more equipment, and more officers will not stop police from killing Black people.
Justin Brooks Jun 01, 2020
Lack Of Access To Clean Water Is Putting Homeless People At Risk Even As Cities Reopen Amid COVID-19
Health officials say hand washing is key to avoiding the novel coronavirus, but millions of homeless people continue to have little or no access to hygiene stations.
Elizabeth Brico May 29, 2020
COVID-19 Infections and Deaths Among Natives Are Underreported. It’s Time For State Health Departments To Step Up.
While 80 percent of state health departments are recording race as part of their COVID-19 statistics, around half are not including Natives and are simply labeling them as “other.”
Ruth Hopkins May 26, 2020
Many Undocumented Immigrants are Frontline Workers, But Their Families Can’t Get Government Aid
Advocates say states aren’t doing enough to close the gaps in the federal stimulus bill.
Rebecca Chowdhury May 20, 2020
Why We Shouldn’t Reward Fearmongering in Criminal Justice Reporting
The Courier Journal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on Governor Matt Bevin’s commutations sensationalizes crime at the expense of future clemency efforts.
Housing the Formerly Incarcerated Should Be A Fundamental Right, Especially in a Pandemic
States must fund stable housing for all formerly incarcerated people to neutralize the spread of COVID-19 and create equitable opportunities for social reintegration.
Demar F. Lewis IV May 18, 2020
Jails and Prisons Must Reduce Their Populations Now
We did it in San Francisco. If we are smart about how we respond to COVID-19 in the criminal legal system, then we can simultaneously tackle two crises.
Cristine Soto DeBerry May 12, 2020
South Dakota Governor Doubles Down On Her Anti-Native Reputation By Targeting Tribes’ COVID-19 Checkpoints
Governor Kristi Noem’s threat to sue two South Dakota tribes shows the callousness of her coronavirus plan, which seems to encourage exposure and prioritize the economy over the lives of at-risk Natives.
Ruth Hopkins May 11, 2020
Bureau of Prisons Is ‘Shifting Deck Chairs on the Titanic’ With Quarantine Plan, Critics Say
Criminal justice reform advocates question why the BOP plans to move people around rather than reduce prison populations.
Kira Lerner May 08, 2020
Death Of New Mother At Federal Prison Hospital Prompts Calls For Accountability In Texas
Andrea Circle Bear was confined within FMC Carswell while suffering from the novel coronavirus. ‘She was serving a 26-month sentence that ended up being a death penalty,’ one maternity specialist said.
Tana Ganeva May 06, 2020
Why Is COVID-19 Hitting Black Communities Harder? Residential Segregation Is a Key Factor.
Segregation not only increases individuals' exposure to the novel coronavirus, it also leaves them more susceptible to its effects and limits the quality of care they will receive, experts say.
Akilah Wise May 05, 2020
Governors Who Are Banding Together on Pandemic Response Should Adopt Universal Basic Income
The federal government is not going to lead the way on addressing the economic pain caused by the shutdowns. But states have the power to do something about it now.
David A. Love May 01, 2020
The Supreme Court Buys Into Donald Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Fearmongering
Using language evoking pernicious stereotypes about immigration and crime, the Court’s conservative majority clears the way for the Trump administration to deport legal permanent residents for crimes committed long ago.
Jay Willis Apr 29, 2020
Justice in America Episode 30: A Conversation with Rodney Spivey-Jones and Max Kenner
In this episode, Josie Duffy Rice and her producer, Florence Barrau-Adams, travel to Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York, to interview Rodney Spivey-Jones and Max Kenner about the Bard Prison Initiative and Bard College.
College Programs In Prison Show The Value Of Educating Every American
Prisons, one graduate writes, should be institutions of learning, not ‘wastelands’ that willfully overlook human potential.
DACA Workers Are Saving COVID-19 Patients’ Lives While Worrying About Their Own
The Supreme Court will soon decide the fate of 650,000 so-called Dreamers across the country. Lawyers say terminating protections for them during a pandemic would be 'catastrophic.'
Liz Robbins Apr 24, 2020
Congress Does Not ‘Care’ About My American Family
Intentionally disqualifying millions of American citizens from much-needed stimulus funds during this unprecedented health crisis is both unnecessary and cruel.
Judges Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Pandemic to Advance the Conservative Agenda
A trio of cases in Wisconsin and Texas illustrates how Republican judges are feigning helplessness in the face of a public health crisis while furthering their own ends.
Jay Willis Apr 22, 2020
Justice in America Episode 29: Schools in Prison
Josie Duffy Rice and co-host Derecka Purnell are joined by Dyjuan Tatro and Wesley Caines to talk about education in prisons.
Justice in America Episode 29 Bonus: Interviewing the Creators of College Behind Bars
In this bonus episode, Josie Duffy Rice and her co-host Derecka Purnell talk to Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, the creators of College Behind Bars.
The Supreme Court Just Struck Down the Last State Law Allowing Split Jury Verdicts
Ramos v. Louisiana is a long-overdue affirmation of the constitutional rights of criminal defendants—and sets the stage for dramatic Supreme Court fights in the years ahead.
Jay Willis Apr 20, 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.
Formerly Incarcerated Americans Were Excluded From Federal COVID-19 Relief
The Small Business Administration has created barriers for people re-entering the workforce after serving time in prison.
Coronavirus Lays Bare The Staggering Class Inequalities That Divide America
Neither the coronavirus nor anything else is a ‘great equalizer’ because we aren’t, actually, all in this together.
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Apr 16, 2020
Emptying Prisons to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus Will Save Lives on the Outside, Too
By letting people out now, we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system with sick prisoners later.
Oliver Hinds Apr 15, 2020
Methadone Rules Requiring In-Person Visits Are Putting Patients At Risk Of Coronavirus
For many people across the U.S. who need methadone treatment, sheltering in place during the coronavirus outbreak is impossible.
Justice in America: Episode 28: School to Prison Pipeline
Josie Duffy Rice and her co-host, Derecka Purnell, talk to Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project, about the school to prison pipeline.
Cities Fighting Coronavirus Must Provide Housing For The Homeless
Taking emergency measures to protect homeless people from the pandemic is simply common sense.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Apr 14, 2020
The COVID-19 Prison Disaster Is No Longer Hypothetical
People are dying in jails and prisons because elected officials hesitated at the worst possible moment.
Jay Willis Apr 09, 2020
Grocery Store Workers Are Risking Their Lives For Little Pay
They make roughly half the average national income, and they’re at risk of COVID-19 exposure as they continue to work to ensure shelves are restocked and communities fed.
Lizzie Tribone Apr 08, 2020
Don’t Look to the DOJ to Keep Federal Prisons and Their Surrounding Communities Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Experts are urging large-scale releases. But the Department of Justice often operates contrary to expertise.
‘It’s Absolute Hell.’ Coronavirus Derails Parole Hearings Across U.S. As Health Risks To Prisoners Grow
In Alabama and elsewhere, canceled hearings and new procedures are complicating the parole process for people hoping to be freed.
Lauren Gill Apr 07, 2020
Policing Coronavirus
As infections and deaths mount, state leaders and law enforcement are turning to tough-on-crime tactics in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.
As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Panic and Confusion at Immigration Courts Across The U.S.
Lawyers, judges, and advocates for migrant children wonder what it will take to close all 69 immigration courts. ‘I hope that it won’t take a death, but I worry that it will,’ one lawyer said.
Liz Robbins Apr 03, 2020
Sex Offender Registry Requirements Leave Some Facing Stark Choices As Coronavirus Risks Grow
Inconsistent rules nationwide mean some people are still registering and reporting in person despite public health directives meant to control COVID-19.
Abortion Providers Fight to Keep Working During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Conservative lawmakers are using emergency measures to restrict access to care.
Akilah Wise Apr 02, 2020
The Voices Warning Trump About COVID-19 In Prisons Are Growing Louder. Will He Listen?
There are no good reasons for the president to keep vulnerable people behind bars any longer.
Jay Willis Mar 31, 2020
Halfway House Residents Describe ‘A Scary Situation’ As Coronavirus Sweeps The U.S.
‘It is progressively getting worse, exponentially worse,’ a resident of one halfway house told The Appeal as part of a survey of facilities. ‘Something is going to happen and it’s not going to be good.’
Congress Failed to Make Cash Assistance Universal. Now Local Governments Must Step Up
There’s still a chance to make sure some of the most vulnerable people can benefit from the federal stimulus bill.
Coronavirus Prompts Urgent Calls For Minors In Detention To Be Released
‘Continuing to maintain these youths in this hotbed of contagion poses an unconscionable and entirely preventable risk of harm,’ one lawsuit states.
Liz Robbins Mar 30, 2020
Our Leaders Have the Power to Release People in Prison. Now They Must Use It.
State governors and the president have the authority to grant commutations and reprieves to people in prison across the country as COVID-19 spreads.
Rachel Barkow Mar 27, 2020
‘I Feel Trapped’: Treating Drug Use in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Social distancing orders are a necessity, but they create a host of new problems for people in treatment for substance use disorders.
Coronavirus Raises Questions On How To Meet Court-Ordered Obligations
Many programs for people on parole, probation, or supervision take place in group settings—the exact opposite of what public health officials are recommending in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Brought Out Society’s Alarming Disregard for People With Disabilities
Politicians and the general public are ignoring the health and safety needs of those with disabilities and chronic conditions.
Robyn Powell Mar 25, 2020
Justice in America Episode 25: Conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill
Josie Duffy Rice and guest co-host Darnell Moore talk with Sherrilyn Ifill about policing, civil rights, the criminal justice system, and more.
Why Coronavirus in Jails Should Concern All of Us
New research shows that jails contribute to infectious disease deaths in the greater community.
‘Is My Life Not As Valuable As Yours?’ Immigration Judges Want All Courts Shut Down As Coronavirus Cases Soar
The Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies are intersecting with a highly contagious disease at a time when cities across the country are shutting down.
Liz Robbins Mar 23, 2020
As the U.S. Scrambles to Slow Coronavirus, We Should Be Wary of Increased Surveillance
When the dust settles on this pandemic, we need to be clear on what was an emergency response and what is a desirable permanent change.
History Teaches Us That When Viruses Come to Prisons, Punishment Is Not the Answer
The H1N1 pandemic, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and other outbreaks have taught us that blanket policies of solitary confinement and isolation have led to harmful outcomes.
Coronavirus Derails Effort To Shorten Prison Terms In Oklahoma
Organizers have been collecting signatures as part of a ballot initiative known as State Question 805, which calls for the end of sentencing enhancements for people convicted of nonviolent crimes.
Lauren Gill Mar 20, 2020
Pennsylvania Man On Death Row Shows Signs of Coronavirus Days Before Hearing That Could Have Freed Him
Prosecutors say Walter Ogrod is ‘likely innocent’ of the charges that sent him to prison in 1996. Now, his attorney says, ‘every day a decision and/or hearing is delayed is another day that Mr. Ogrod’s health is at grave risk.’
The Coronavirus Crisis Means We Need Cash Assistance for All
But the proposals on the table are leaving our most vulnerable neighbors behind.
Yonah Freemark Mar 19, 2020
A Tweet Raises Questions About Immigrant Safety During Coronavirus Pandemic
As COVID-19 spreads, ICE detained a Central American immigrant in a hospital, causing confusion and raising concerns.
What Sheriffs Can Do To Slow the Coronavirus Outbreak
Sheriffs wield enormous power, and they can direct it in ways that will help contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect incarcerated people.
Justice In America Episode 24: Death Penalty
Josie Duffy Rice and guest co-host Darnell Moore focus on the death penalty as they talk with State Attorney Aramis Ayala of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.