L.A. County’s Jail Booking Center Has Become a ‘Living Hell,’ Detainees Say in Court Filing County officials agree that conditions have deteriorated at L.A.’s Inmate Reception Center. But they’re resisting calls for substantive change. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
When Prisons Locked Down, Prisoners Were Denied Release Leaving prison often hinges on completing rehabilitative programming. The pandemic caused many of these required courses to be put on hold. Daniel Moritz-Rabson
The Pandemic Spurred Governors to Grant Clemency, But Advocates Say It Isn’t Enough Despite sentencing reforms, hundreds of thousands of people who have been incarcerated over the last several decades are ineligible for parole. Rachel M. Cohen
Report Sheds Light On The Pattern Of Over-Policing That Led Cops To Pull Over Daunte Wright The criminal legal system “relies heavily on collecting money from the very people targeted by the system,” in the process incentivizing police to punish as many people as possible, the authors of the ACLU report write. Samantha Schuyler
Years After Freddie Gray’s Death, Baltimore Police Misconduct Persists A new report de-anonymizes hundreds of officers in the city and shows more than 1,800 cops have had complaints filed about them. Brandon Soderberg
Prisoners Face ‘Undue Punishment’ As The IRS Claws Back Their Stimulus Checks Legal experts say the IRS is illegally denying CARES Act payments to incarcerated people. Jordan Michael Smith
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
Oakland County Jail Ordered To Identify Prisoners Who Should Be Released To Protect Them From COVID-19 A U.S. district court judge said the Michigan jail has demonstrated ‘deliberate indifference’ to the lives of ‘medically vulnerable’ prisoners who are at particular risk of the novel coronavirus. Dawn R. Wolfe
Lawsuit Seeks The Release Of ‘Medically Vulnerable’ People Held At Oakland County Jail In Michigan A district court judge who issued a temporary restraining order in the case said jail officials had not ‘imposed even the most basic safety measures recommended by health experts.’ Dawn R. Wolfe
Prisoners Who Test Positive For COVID-19 In Connecticut Are Sent To A Notorious Maximum Security Prison Faculty members of the Yale School of Public Health, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Nursing wrote to the governor that sending patients there is “inhumane and ineffective.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Massachusetts Prosecutors Should Use Their Power To Dismiss Cases Now District attorneys in the state could decarcerate quickly by dropping unnecessary cases. Will Isenberg
In California, Coronavirus Threatens Due Process Delaying trials will mean more people stay in jail while a life-threatening disease spreads throughout the state. Kyle C. Barry
‘What Will It Take For You To Call This A Homicide?’ In California, a Vallejo detective and a Solano County prosecutor concealed exculpatory evidence from a man facing murder charges. They went on to face accusations of misconduct in other high-profile cases. Darwin BondGraham, Brian Krans
Tech Company Gave Two New Orleans-Area Sheriff’s Offices Access to Track Cell Phones Without Warrants Neither agency had written policies on how to capture or store the location data without violating privacy rights. Emily Lane
Missouri Executes Russell Bucklew Despite Threat of Botched Execution His legal team had pushed for clemency, arguing that Bucklew’s previous attorneys mishandled his capital murder case. Lauren Gill
Missouri Is Set To Execute Russell Bucklew. His Lawyers Say His Case Was Mishandled. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his execution, which experts have said will be bloody and gruesome, does not amount to cruel and unusual punishment. But problems with his case started long before that, his attorneys say. Lauren Gill
In One Arizona County, Pay For Your Ankle Monitor Or Go To Jail A lawsuit is challenging Mohave County’s practice of charging certain people for mandatory GPS monitoring before trial. Kira Lerner
Sentenced to Life Without Parole at 17 and Denied Freedom at 52 Richard Kinder thought he would die in an Alabama prison until the Supreme Court ruled mandatory juvenile life without parole unconstitutional. But last year, despite a judge concluding there was “uncontradicted evidence” that Kinder had worked to rehabilitate himself, the state parole board refused him release. Lauren Gill
When Cops Lie, Should Prosecutors Rely Upon Their Testimony At Trial? In California, Texas and Florida, advocates sent letters to district attorneys, demanding that they refuse to work with officers with histories of misconduct. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Struggle to Be Trans in Minnesota’s Sex Offender Program Four transgender women say clinicians and staff deny them gender-affirming care and see their identity as in conflict with sex offender treatment. Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard
Jackie Lacey’s Legacy Is ‘Unfair and Discriminatory,’ Advocates Say A new report charges the Los Angeles DA with seeking the death penalty in unjust and harsh ways. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
L.A. Prosecutor Touts Her Mental Health Reforms, But Critics Say She’s Making The Crisis Worse Advocates and attorneys say Jackie Lacey’s rhetoric doesn’t match her actions. Raven Rakia
Scandal-Plagued Arizona Prosecutor Won’t Release Records, Lawsuit Alleges The ACLU of Arizona is suing Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s office over its alleged lack of transparency. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Instagram Photos Offer Glimpse Inside Notorious Georgia Jail The DeKalb County Jail, now at the center of protests, has a long history of problems and a legacy of housing people for unpaid fines. Raven Rakia
Border Patrol in New Mexico Stood By As Right-Wing Militia Terrorized Migrants Videos and audio posted by the group and its supporters on social media raise questions about the agency’s role. Debbie Nathan
ICE Wanted To Deport Him to Jamaica. But He Was Born In The U.S. A Philadelphia-born man was detained by ICE and nearly deported. The agency’s mistake was caught, but the case exposes a new collaborative program that encourages jails to hold immigrants for ICE. Debbie Nathan
The Appeal Podcast: How Police Unions Are Fighting California’s New Transparency Law With Appeal contributor Darwin BondGraham Adam H. Johnson
‘I Feel The Oxygen Going Out Of My Mouth’ In October 2018, Marshall Miles was taken into custody by Sacramento County sheriff‘s deputies outside a convenience store. About 14 hours later, he was dead. Aaron Morrison
Florida Locales Vote to Stop Using Prison Labor—and Others May Follow One commissioner wants the state Department of Corrections to show proof that his county isn’t just using prisoners as ‘slaves.’ Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
In ‘Amazing’ Verdict, Jury Awards Transgender Woman Punitive Damages Against Suffolk County Jail The landmark decision could help other transgender people in jails and prisons who have been denied access to hormone treatment, a violation of their constitutional rights. Melissa Gira Grant
At Angola Prison, ‘People Are Suffering. People Are Dying’ Trial begins in class action suit alleging medical neglect by Louisiana State Penitentiary. Jessica Pishko
Memphis Police Collected Black Lives Matter Activists’ Private Facebook Posts Police appear to have used a fake Facebook account to 'friend' activists and archive who 'liked' their posts. George Joseph
Jail Policies Restrict Legal Representation in North Carolina Public defenders in Charlotte say restrictions on communication hinder their ability to help jailed clients. Jessica Brand
What’s Said Is Not What’s Done: How Reagan-Era Drug Warrior Politics Dominate in Progressive Massachusetts — and What We Can Do About It. Kade Crockford
Marion County Attorney Ed Bull declines to turn a 14-year-old girl into a sex offender for “sexting” Carimah Townes
California man facing execution as District Attorney Mike Ramos disputes substantial evidence that he is innocent Larry Hannan
