Pacific Northwest

Tarra Simmons, Candidate for Washington State Legislature, Is Fighting To Give People A First Chance

The attorney, who is a person formerly convicted of a felony, has attracted support and praise from people around the country.

Eoin Higgins Oct 20, 2020

For Years, I Didn’t Have An Outlet For Self-Growth In Prison. Now That I Do, I Can Address The Harm I’ve Caused.

Truitt Watts, who is serving a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole at Oregon State Correctional Institution, describes the programs that helped him recover from addiction and address his past.

Truitt Watts Oct 13, 2020

Portland Civil Rights Activists Want A Mayor Who Can Stand Up To Police

Mayor Ted Wheeler’s popularity has declined after a summer of protests against police violence in the Oregon city.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 07, 2020

Police Violence Was a Problem In Portland Long Before Federal Agents Arrived

Local law enforcement tear-gassed and beat protesters and journalists.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 03, 2020

The Feds Have A Long History Of Snatching People Up. Only Now They Are Targeting Middle-Class White People

Federal agents have been unfairly arresting Black and brown people for decades. Now that white Portlanders are seeing it up close and personal, they are outraged. Better late than never.

Morgan Godvin, Leo Beletsky Jul 24, 2020

Minors Sentenced To Life Without Parole Deserve More Than Scare Tactics When Transitioning To Adult Prisons

If the justice system’s goal is to produce healthy, safe, and productive members of society, then it must begin with support from corrections staff and healthy relationships with peers.

Anthony Richardson Jul 22, 2020

Coalition’s Efforts Amid Coronavirus Derail Plans For New Women’s Prison

The onset of COVID-19—and the need for social distancing—gave an unexpected boost to efforts against plans for a new prison in Washington.

Victoria Law May 04, 2020

I Killed My Brother When I Was 17. Now I’m Saving Lives In Prison.

Cayce French, who is serving life in prison at the Oregon State Correctional Institution, describes how getting clean and participating in rehabilitation programs has transformed his identity.

Cayce French Apr 27, 2020

As the Coronavirus Pandemic Worsens, Olympia’s Homeless Community Scrambles for Support

The COVID-19 crisis is shining a light on America’s worsening housing crisis and limited resources for response.

Mara Kardas-Nelson Mar 27, 2020

Seattle Was Struggling To Care For Its Unhoused Population. Then Coronavirus Arrived.

Advocates for the area’s homeless residents say the pandemic will worsen the crisis they have already been living through.

Jay Willis Mar 26, 2020

I Was a Child When The State Sentenced Me To Die In Prison. But I Found A Path To Redemption In A Community Of Lifers.

I learned later than I should have what you probably already know: that it is strength not weakness to lean on somebody when you feel vulnerable and defeated and let them help you.

Seth Koch Mar 13, 2020

In Oregon, a Hopeful Sign for Those Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms as Children

The state’s attorney general decided to support resentencing hearings in two high-profile cases, though she had fought appeals in the past.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 12, 2020

For Many Serving Harsh Sentences, the Governor Becomes a Last Hope

Lawmakers are recognizing the harms of mass incarceration. But some governors are reluctant to use their clemency power to address them.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 05, 2020

Remaking Our Legal System With More Compassion And Humanity Is Necessary And Urgent Work

The Appeal and Oregon Justice Resource Center announce “Left Behind,” firsthand accounts of growing-up in prison from individuals sentenced as children.

Bobbin Singh Mar 03, 2020

Their Juvenile Records Were Sealed. Decades Later, They’ve Reappeared.

The Washington State Patrol has added thousands of old sealed juvenile records to a database it shares with law enforcement agencies across the country—erasing for many their chance of a clean slate.

Tori Marlan Sep 24, 2019

He Entered Prison As a ‘Whiskerless Kid.’ Will Oregon Ever Let Him Out?

Despite supporting Oregon’s new juvenile justice law, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is still fighting to keep people in prison who received life sentences as minors.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 03, 2019

Alaska Passed Sweeping Criminal Justice Reforms. Its New Governor Just Unraveled Them.

Republican Mike Dunleavy was elected on a platform to ‘Make Alaska Safe Again’ and has rolled back recent changes.

Zachary A. Siegel Jul 11, 2019

When Running Away From Home Means Getting Locked Up

Washington detains more children for status offenses such as truancy and running away than any other state in the country. State lawmakers want to change that.

Charlotte West Mar 19, 2019

ICE Is Using Driver’s License Applications To Arrest Immigrants

More states are giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, but many DMVs are sharing their information with ICE.

Debbie Nathan Dec 21, 2018

Rural Oregon Sheriffs Lead Charge to Repeal State’s Sanctuary Law

More than one dozen sheriffs support Measure 105 that would allow for cooperation with federal authorities even when an immigrant suspect has not been apprehended for any crime.

Mike Faulk Oct 30, 2018

Parents Fight For Daughter After ‘Pervasive and Egregious’ Violations By Family Court Volunteers

Washington case raises questions about the role of court appointed special advocates.

Roxanna Asgarian Sep 28, 2018

In Washington State, It’s Nearly Impossible To Prosecute Police Killings

This fall, however, an initiative goes to voters that would change the law on deadly force by the police, which has led to no officer there being convicted of wrongfully killing someone in the line of duty in more than 30 years.

Mike Faulk Sep 20, 2018