Prisons Are the Public Health Crisis Connecticut Won’t Acknowledge
According to people incarcerated and their loved ones, state officials are ignoring the spread of COVID-19 at New Haven Correctional Center.
Connecticut Bail Fund Hotline Volunteers Aug 05, 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
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
People Are About To Be Pushed Into Homelessness On A Large Scale. Hotels Are Key To Keeping Them Off The Streets.
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County are at high risk for becoming homeless after the temporary halt on evictions is lifted—one of the largest mass displacements the region has ever seen.
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.
Jay Willis Jul 14, 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.
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
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
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
My Friend Should Have Been Released from Prison. Instead, He Died There of COVID-19.
James ‘Bumpy’ Bennett, who had twice survived cancer, was 71 and had served 48 years of his life without parole sentence.
Robert Saleem Holbrook Jun 11, 2020
L.A. Mayor’s Reaction to Protests Proves He’s Unfit to Govern
This weekend’s string of errors is just the latest in his career of cruelty.
Jonny Coleman Jun 04, 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.
For Trump, There Is No Policing Without Violence
A president who openly endorses police brutality struggles with a nation rejecting it.
Jay Willis Jun 03, 2020
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
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.
The Public Health Risks of Jailing People for Poverty
In Hillsborough County, Florida, the jail population is bloated by cash bail, fines, and fees, perpetuating health inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem May 04, 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
As the Coronavirus Spreads, Prisoners Are Rising Up For Their Health
Faced with inaction on the part of state and corrections officials, incarcerated people in jails, prisons, and detention centers are protesting their treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Battle to Convert California Hotels into Housing Has Begun
Elected officials need to stop making excuses for not getting unhoused people into hotel rooms.
Jonny Coleman 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
New York City Must Take Action to Ensure the Most Vulnerable Survive the Pandemic
The city has created the structural conditions that have engendered disproportionately high rates of infection and death among its Black and Latinx residents.
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
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
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
Working-Class Tenants Are Seizing Vacant State-Owned Property in LA
On the intersection of two public health crises: housing and COVID-19.
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.
Shon Hopwood Apr 08, 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.
Jessica Pishko Apr 07, 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
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.
A Plea to Governor Newsom: Don’t Abandon Elderly Incarcerated People to Die From COVID-19
We can’t allow “violent criminal” rhetoric to justify leaving some of the most vulnerable people in dangerous conditions.
James King 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
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
Coronavirus Has Come to Rikers, and the People Inside Are Fighting to Survive
The island’s Communicable Disease Unit is already overflowing with quarantined people.
Kim Kelly Mar 24, 2020
Why Coronavirus in Jails Should Concern All of Us
New research shows that jails contribute to infectious disease deaths in the greater community.
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.
James Kilgore Mar 23, 2020
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
As Coronavirus Spreads, the Crisis LA’s Homeless Community Is Facing Has Been Decades in the Making
It should not take a global pandemic for our elected officials to acknowledge that we are all safer if everyone can shower and wash their hands.
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.
Jessica Pishko Mar 18, 2020
This Tool Can Track Changes to Incarcerated Populations Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
At a time when it’s vital to reduce jail and prison populations to prevent outbreaks, this data can help advocates identify areas where that is or is not happening.
Why Jails Are Key to ‘Flattening the Curve’ of Coronavirus
Local jails are notorious amplifiers of infectious diseases. If we don’t move quickly to reduce their population, it may undermine our ability to control the new coronavirus, nationally and locally.
Kelsey Kauffman Mar 13, 2020
Sentenced to COVID-19
Sarah Lustbader Mar 12, 2020
Bloomberg’s Stop-and-Frisk Philosophy Also Informs the Rest of His Work on Gun Violence Prevention
We need to be more critical of the former New York mayor’s outsize influence on the gun control movement.
Alex Clavering Mar 03, 2020
My Vote Was Taken Away From My Community and Given To a District Where I Was Incarcerated
Prison-based gerrymandering takes political power away from Black and Latinx communities—power that could be used to push for more funding for schools, social services, infrastructure, and other important reforms.
Robert Saleem Holbrook Mar 02, 2020
In Texas, Prosecution Gets Privatized
Sarah Lustbader Feb 27, 2020
Missouri Attorney General’s Lack Of Courage In Lamar Johnson Case Is A Miscarriage of Justice
Eric Schmitt should follow the lead of a Pennsylvania prosecutor who acknowledged that a man deserved a new trial, even when it meant reversing a murder conviction.
My Friend Spent Much of His Formative Years in Prison. He Didn’t Have to Die There.
Josh Norman was one of the 17 people to die in Mississippi prisons so far this year. His death raises important questions about the state’s failures.
Can We Banish Our Way to Public Safety?
Kyle C. Barry Feb 20, 2020
Jamal Trulove: The Enduring Trauma of Stop-and-Frisk
As a Black child in San Francisco, I learned early that mine and others’ bodies meant nothing to those supposedly tasked with our protection.
Jamal Trulove Feb 19, 2020
What Kim Ogg Gets Wrong About Work, Poverty, and Crime
The attitude behind the Harris County district attorney’s message to ‘put down your gun and pick up an employment application’ is outdated.
New York Democrats Are Caving On Bail
Sarah Lustbader Feb 13, 2020
About That Trump Super Bowl Ad
Sarah Lustbader Feb 04, 2020
Singling Out Crime ‘Suspects’ As Homeless Is A Media Double Standard That Unjustly Penalizes The Poor
Leading with housing status for homeless people is a common trope in the news reporting business and one in urgent need of re-examining.
Adam H. Johnson Jan 31, 2020
Five Jurists Said Donnie Lance Deserved a New Sentence. Georgia Executed Him Anyway.
Three Supreme Court justices and others said competent counsel could have saved his life.
Kyle C. Barry Jan 30, 2020
Pretrial Reform Must Go Beyond Ending Cash Bail
As a society, we can’t continue to subject hundreds of thousands of people to the trauma of incarceration before they face a jury of their peers.
Andy Philipson Jan 29, 2020
Jackie Lacey’s Culture Of Fear
Lack of evidence does not stop opponents of former San Francisco DA George Gascón from making the claim that the city’s criminal justice reforms unleashed a crime wave.
Alex Sherman Jan 27, 2020
Police and Sheriff’s Departments Join Media Campaign Against Bail Reform In New York State
A wave of sensationalist press is not just coming from New York City, but also from county sheriff and city police departments frustrated by bail reform that they claim is ‘too broad.’
How the Media Can Stigmatize Parents and Separate Families
Stories that uncritically blame child welfare agencies for the deaths of children at the hands of their parents can contribute to increases in child removals—with devastating consequences for families.
Elizabeth Brico Jan 15, 2020
Why Keeping People With Sex Offense Convictions Off Social Media Sites Does Little To Make Those Sites Safer
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal purports to take sexual violence seriously, but it aggressively ignores reality in favor of lazy solutions.
Guy Hamilton-Smith Jan 13, 2020
The Media’s Misguided Backlash Against Criminal Justice Reforms in D.C. and New York
Many liberals support reform in theory. But when unpopular decisions need to be made, it’s back to the 1990s “Tough on Crime” playbook.
Why the Attorney General’s Concern About Crime Victims and Their Families Rings Hollow
William Barr says the government owes it to the victims and their families to resume federal executions. In doing so, he’s ignoring important facts about the death penalty—and the actual wishes of victims’ families.
It’s Time For LA’s District Attorney’s Office To Lead The Way On Decriminalizing Homelessness
As a form of punishment, incarceration does not enhance public safety when it is not balanced against its tendency to make a person’s unfortunate situation worse.
Alex Sherman Jan 03, 2020
A Conservative Judge Changes His Mind
Sarah Lustbader Dec 19, 2019
Contemporary Debtors Prisons
Sarah Lustbader Dec 18, 2019
Prosecutors Can Right Past Wrongs—If Only The System Lets Them
More prosecutors are trying to root out wrongful convictions and restore trust in the legal system. They’re meeting opposition on all sides.
Kamala Harris’s Criminal Justice Record Killed Her Presidential Run
Harris’s record as a prosecutor was representative of a politics of the past. The nation has moved on.
Community Policing Is Not the Answer
Investing billions of government dollars into programs that embed police in Black communities will not reduce police violence, nor repair years of injustice.
Philip V. McHarris Dec 02, 2019
A Tale Of Two Mayors
Sarah Lustbader Nov 22, 2019
When Police Violence Is Domestic Violence
Sarah Lustbader Nov 19, 2019
Someone Tell Joe Biden: Marijuana Is Not a Gateway Drug
Biden believes that the jury is still out on the question of whether marijuana is a gateway to other illicit substances. But the truth is that it is not—and this has long been a matter of settled science.
Paul Armentano Nov 18, 2019
How Child Services Punishes Mothers With Substance Use Disorder—And Their Children
Rather than separating families, child ‘welfare’ agencies should help families get access to the care they need.
Elizabeth Brico Nov 15, 2019
New York’s Child Welfare Laws Will Advance Justice
Two bills, awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature, would help reduce the punitive impact of the child welfare system on kids and their families, including formerly incarcerated parents.
Nora McCarthy Nov 13, 2019
Uncritical Reporting on a Biased Baltimore Spy Plane Poll
A close examination of a poll backed by a business group reveals loaded questions, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and the shortchanging of very real privacy concerns.
Adam H. Johnson Nov 07, 2019
New York Subway Police Make Us Less Safe
Recent violent arrests in the city subways should make New Yorkers question the push by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the MTA to hire 500 new transit police.
It’s Time to Fight the Democratic Mayors Who Are Champions of the Carceral State
The mayors of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco wrap themselves in the language of progressivism, but when it comes to the criminal legal system they’re Trumpian.
Kelly Hayes Nov 04, 2019
Exploiting New York City’s Chinatown Killings to Attack Bail Reform
The New York Post used a tragedy to target bail reform activists, rather than point to the challenges of a failed mental health system and poverty.
Adam H. Johnson Oct 21, 2019
Court-Packing Is The Tip Of The Iceberg
Sarah Lustbader Oct 16, 2019
Say No to New Jails in New York City
The mayor claims that building new jails is the only safe way to close Rikers Island jail complex, but the City Council shouldn’t fall for this Faustian bargain.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Oct 15, 2019
A One-Sided Report on North Carolina Gun Violence
The Charlotte Observer built a narrative on gun crime that relies almost exclusively on police and prosecutors, ignores the violence of incarceration, and offers zero non-carceral solutions.
Adam H. Johnson Oct 11, 2019
Amber Guyger Should Not Go To Prison
The former Dallas police officer should be held accountable for killing Botham Jean, but sending her to prison does not keep us safe.
Elisabeth Epps Oct 07, 2019
California Gang Laws Are Normalized Racism
The gang database in the state gives police increased authority to approach and harass people for virtually no reason at all.
Emily Galvin-Almanza Oct 04, 2019
A California Sheriff And Prosecutor Want To Jail Homeless People. Their Plan Is Unlawful.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood and District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer intend to openly defy a 1975 state Supreme Court precedent that says law enforcement cannot intentionally discriminate against a person or group of people.
Kate Chatfield Oct 03, 2019
The Media Frenzy Over Chanel Miller Boosts Mass Incarceration
Miller's victim impact statement was centered in a recent '60 Minutes' segment on the Brock Turner case. But such statements do not heal victims, and Miller's unfavorable comparison of Turner's sentence to drug offenders only reinforces carceral logic.
Meaghan Ybos Sep 30, 2019
What Kamala Harris’s Take on Policing Gets Wrong
Rather than encouraging more faith in the police, true reform requires dismantling the system that empowers them.
Alex S. Vitale Sep 27, 2019
Why Juries Need Expert Help Assessing Jailhouse Informants
Informants are highly motivated to lie. But jurors don’t always have the information or skills to discern the truth.
Alexandra Natapoff Sep 23, 2019
How Local Media Should Report on Safe Injection Sites
In a rare case of local media nuance, a Boston TV news station provided a humane and health-focused segment on safe drug use.
Adam H. Johnson Sep 17, 2019
Report Praises High School in Jail But Fails to Ask Why Kids Are Locked Up at All
A Pittsburgh public radio piece lacked critical reporting about the many problems with jailing children in adult facilities.
Adam H. Johnson Sep 13, 2019
Parents Threatened With Losing Children Over Cannabis Use
Even in states where use is decriminalized, child welfare systems continue to treat it as a sign of neglectful parenting, particularly among families of color.
Assuming Guilt While Reporting on Mass Arrests
Kansas City news outlets called scores of people ‘violent criminals’ based solely on the word of police and the federal government.
San Francisco Deserves Restorative Justice
Our response to crime should focus on healing and accountability, not punishment and retribution.
Chesa Boudin Aug 30, 2019
Bail Isn’t Supposed to Be a Punishment. Why Does the Media Keep Acting Like it Is?
How high or low bond is isn’t a measure of how severe the state considers a crime.
Adam H. Johnson Aug 28, 2019
Painting a Distorted Picture of Crime ‘Spikes’ in New York City
Murder rates are at an all-time low in Brooklyn, but one would hardly know it reading the New York Times.
Pulling Back the Curtain on Boston’s ‘Operation Clean Sweep’
Most coverage of police raids targeting homeless people and substance users parroted official—and fraught—talking points.
Sensationalist Tale of an Elderly Killer Feeds False Narrative
The New York Times’s coverage of the one-off case of a 77-year-old man omits key facts about how older adults are treated by our punitive legal system.
Adam H. Johnson Aug 09, 2019
Stoking Hostility Toward Homeless People
Dozens of reports about an indigent man in Bradenton, Florida, showed the cruel excesses of local news’s homelessness coverage.
Media Frame: Stop Quoting Bill Bratton
For far too long, the press has leaned on wrong-headed tough-on-crime officials like the former NYPD commissioner when reporting on the criminal legal system.
Media Frame: 5 Common Tactics Used to Discredit Reform D.A.s
The backlash is underway against a recent wave of prosecutors who champion criminal justice reform. Here are some methods of attack.
The Power of Peremptory Strikes
As public servants, prosecutors should be willing to put their cases before anyone in the communities they serve.
Media Frame: Fentanyl Panic Is Worsening the Overdose Crisis
Sensational and false news reports about the drug are pushing lawmakers to enact harmful policies.
County Failures, Not State Reforms, Are Killing People In California Jails
Since the state’s public safety realignment in 2011, sheriffs have used criminal legal reform as a scapegoat for their failure to maintain safe jails—and recent reporting has given county officials a free pass to make that excuse.
The Carceral Feminism Of Linda Fairstein
A nearly 30-year-old New York Times Magazine profile of the infamous prosecutor may reveal as much about Linda Fairstein as Ava DuVernay‘s acclaimed new Netflix series.
Body Cameras And Tasers Rake In Billions For Axon, But They’re No Panacea For Police Violence
The popularity of Axon’s tech soared after the police killing of Michael Brown in 2014, but it may be doing more harm than good in protecting people from excessive force.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Jun 10, 2019
Media Frame: Stoking Panic Over ‘Flood’ of ‘Juveniles’ in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
The sensationalist coverage of a handful of fights highlights local media’s misplaced priorities.
It’s Time to Make Chicago Police Pay For Their Misdeeds—Out Of Their Own Budget
Chicago hands out millions in settlements and legal fees for police misconduct. Its newly inaugurated mayor should take a dollar from the department’s budget for every dollar the city spends settling with its victims.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem May 29, 2019
Johns Hopkins University’s Private Police Force Would Bring More Cops To An Overpoliced Baltimore
A former Baltimore officer says the Hopkins plan should be viewed skeptically because campus police have a history of deadly force and its officials come from troubled Baltimore Police units.
Larry Smith May 16, 2019
Incarceration Is Always a Policy Failure
Instead of building ‘humane jails’ to replace Rikers Island, let’s push the NYPD to cut down on arrests.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem May 15, 2019
I Worked As a Bail Bond Agent. Here’s What I Learned.
Low-income women are fueling bail industry profits—and getting harmed in the process.
Joshua Page Apr 04, 2019
I Arrested A Man On Marijuana Charges. Then He Took His Own Life.
A former Baltimore Police officer says it’s time for the department to stop wasteful, harmful marijuana arrests, especially after Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s announcement that her office would not prosecute cases of possession.
Larry Smith Feb 11, 2019
Cannabis Alarmism Hinders Smart Regulations
Alex Berenson says he’s concerned there’s not enough research into cannabis risks, but his misleading arguments set scientists back.
Caging Kids Is An American Tradition
Trump didn’t start it, but we can end it.
Ethan Brown Jan 03, 2019
The Appeal’s Favorite Stories of 2018
Our staff picks 12 stories worth reading (or rereading) before the new year.
Dec 27, 2018
Boston’s New D.A. Pushes Back Against Prosecutors’ ‘Punishment-centric’ Point of View
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’s promise to decline to prosecute several offenses is a rejection of the punitive tradition of prosecutors and perhaps signals a new kind of reform that spurns criminal justice as a solution to public health problems.
John Pfaff Nov 14, 2018
Moving Teens Off Rikers Island Was a Good First Step. Now Comes the Hard Part.
The rocky implementation of New York’s Raise the Age law shows that young people in detention need love, not force.
Rubén Austria Nov 01, 2018
Baltimore’s Gun Offender Registry Is A Misfire
Established to track anyone convicted of a gun-related offense, the registry has proved to be both racist and ineffective in reducing gun violence.
Larry Smith Oct 09, 2018