How Toxic Masculinity Drives Homophobia in Prison
The phrase “toxic masculinity” is ubiquitous these days, but there are few places where it’s more all-consuming than in a men’s prison
Christopher Blackwell Jul 05, 2023
How Parole Conditions Trapped Me in Homelessness
The severe restrictions I face while on supervision effectively serve as a ban on stable housing. The terms of this arrangement have left me technically homeless, forced to live in a motel.
Wes Vaughan May 09, 2023
How the Prison Litigation Reform Act Blocks Justice for Prisoners
Legislation signed by Bill Clinton makes it nearly impossible for people in prison to have their cases heard in court.
C. Dreams May 08, 2023
San Quentin’s Rolling Lockdowns Are Not Keeping Anyone Safe
We’re still overcrowded and set up for disaster.
Rahsaan Thomas Feb 07, 2023
Instead of Rehabilitation, Prisons Fuel a Vicious Cycle of Instability
Incarcerated people need opportunities to learn and grow.
Phillip A. Jones Aug 16, 2022
Democrats Would Rather Become Republicans Than Make the Case for Justice Reform
If the Democratic Party wants to run away from those candidates, it will only be running towards its own demise.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 22, 2022
Does Bail Reform Lead to More Crime?
Opponents of bail reform blame pretrial release for increased crime, despite a lack of evidence. Lost in the debate—the proven harms of jail.
Ethan Corey Apr 06, 2022
How Could Police Shootings Keep Happening After We Did Nothing To Stop Them?
The specific ways in which Frey and other local leaders failed to respond to Floyd’s death seem frankly astonishing when laid out on paper. But the story of this failure is, in fact, the only future offered by the centrist “police reformer” set.
Jerry Iannelli Feb 15, 2022
To Understand Gun Violence, Talk to People in the Trenches
Mainstream discussions about gun violence have largely excluded the voices of survivors and perpetrators.
Joseph Richardson, Che Bullock Dec 09, 2021
“Woman of the Year” Mariska Hargitay Should Quit “SVU”
Last month, Glamour magazine featured “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay on the cover of its “Women of the Year” issue. On Nov. 8, an avalanche of A-list celebrities — including “SVU” co-stars Christopher Meloni and Ice-T, actress Melissa McCarthy, and #MeToo co-founder Tarana Burke — honored Hargitay at the Women of the Year Awards which was held at the Rainbow Room, a ballroom that serves as one of the epicenters of New York City high-society.
Jerry Iannelli, Meg O'Connor Dec 07, 2021
Police Disinformation Is Still Disinformation
It’s Giving Tuesday! And a generous donor has pledged to match the first $5,000 we receive today. If you love this newsletter and The Appeal’s reporting, now is the best time to give. With your help we can make major headway toward funding more vital journalism in 2022. Photo by Joseph Ngabo at Unsplash Police […]
Jerry Iannelli Nov 30, 2021
The Recent Rise in Violence Should Be a Rallying Cry for Reform
Acknowledging the increase in homicides doesn’t mean giving in to the clamor for punitive responses. Instead, it should be a rallying cry for reform.
Nick Wing Oct 05, 2021
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime
Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies.
Kyle C. Barry Jun 22, 2021
San Antonio’s Response to Homelessness Is Broken. It’s Time to Put Housing First
Shelters are not meeting people’s needs, and the city is clearing encampments, says City Councilmember Roberto Treviño.
Roberto Treviño Apr 09, 2021
The U.S. Economy Won’t Recover Until Black Workers Do
Biden’s American Rescue Plan is a start, but more public investment is needed to address racial inequality in the labor market.
Ashley Mitchell Mar 18, 2021
Misdemeanor Convictions Cause Real Harm. New York Needs a New Approach
Getting convicted of a “minor offense” inflicts serious, long-term harm. The state can and must divert more people to counseling, group meetings, or other interventions.
Jackie Fielding, Chloe Sarnoff Mar 12, 2021
Choosing Adam Schiff For California Attorney General Would Be Ignoring What Californians Want
The U.S. representative has been a chief architect of mass incarceration in the state and an instigator of racial injustice.
Jody David Armour Feb 11, 2021
The California District Attorneys Association Is Failing Californians
After years of misappropriating millions of dollars, opposing criminal justice reform, and ignoring the will of voters, the CDAA must be held to account by the governor and the attorney general.
Sydney Kamlager Feb 01, 2021
This Biden Nomination Is Extremely Important For Everyday People
The Office of the Comptroller of Currency is responsible for ensuring the safety, soundness, and broad accessibility of financial institutions. President Biden must choose someone to lead the agency who brings expertise and relevant lived experience to the job.
Jamaal Bowman, Ayanna Pressley Jan 28, 2021
Joe Manchin’s Voters Aren’t Letting Him Stop $2,000 Checks
The intense backlash to his recent comments criticizing $2,000 stimulus checks signal the growing momentum for guaranteed income programs—and the emerging power of voters who care more about substantive results than partisan skirmishes.
Jay Willis Jan 22, 2021
Why Goodwin Liu Should Be California’s Next Attorney General
The California Supreme Court Justice is motivated not by politics but by making equal justice under the law a reality for all Californians.
Earlonne Woods Jan 18, 2021
Gavin Newsom’s High-Stakes Choice For California Attorney General
By appointing a reformer to replace the outgoing Xavier Becerra, Newsom has the chance to begin dismantling a sprawling, bloated system of prisons and jails that incarcerated nearly a quarter-million people as of 2018.
Jay Willis Jan 14, 2021
Don’t Delay on Closing Rikers
The city says COVID-19 budget constraints will set back its plans to close the jail but people incarcerated there are suffering from the disease right now.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Dec 17, 2020
The House Just Passed a Historic Marijuana Bill. Now the Senate Must Act.
After decades of harm, wrought by the war on drugs, the federal government has finally listened to the American people by voting to decriminalize marijuana.
Zachary A. Siegel Dec 04, 2020
Biden’s Attorney General Needs to Think Like an Immigrant Rights Activist
With aggressive legal maneuvering, the incoming head of the Justice Department can reverse some of Trump’s most lasting harm and take steps toward a more humane immigration system.
Chris Gelardi Dec 04, 2020
Americans Are Getting Tired of Willie Horton-Style Fearmongering
In North Carolina, Attorney General Josh Stein’s Republican opponent painted him as soft on crime. Voters re-elected him anyway.
Jay Willis Nov 18, 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
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
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
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.
Miriam Aroni Krinsky, Joe Brann Sep 29, 2020
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.
Gillian Branstetter, Sarah Saadian Sep 17, 2020
A New Law To Help Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters Is Far More Limited Than It Seems
California just made it a tiny bit easier for formerly incarcerated people to become civilian firefighters. But the law still leaves many obstacles in their path.
Jay Willis Sep 15, 2020
The Struggle Against A Stadium’s Construction Became A Battle for the Soul Of Los Angeles
Sports venues like the new SoFi Stadium have been crushing poor communities around the country for over a century.
Jonny Coleman Sep 10, 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.
Jay Willis Sep 02, 2020
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