Brooke Jenkins’ Voters Got The Dead People They Wanted
Jenkins won’t charge the security guard who shot Banko Brown to death. That’s precisely why San Franciscans elected her in the first place.
Jerry Iannelli May 24, 2023
Los Angeles County Homeless Residents Say Sheriff’s Department Is Targeting Them
The ACLU of Southern California is suing the city of Lancaster and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for excessively citing people living at desert homeless encampments in the Antelope Valley.
Francisco Aviles Pino Jun 04, 2021
In Los Angeles, Police-Backed Street Cleanings are Upending the Lives of Homeless People
The city is ramping up a cleanup program that activists fear will worsen the criminalization of homelessness.
Eliyahu Kamisher Mar 03, 2020
‘Weird News,’ ‘Dumb Criminals’ and the Media’s Monetization of Human Misery
There’s a cynical local-to-national news pipeline designed to mock the powerless under the guise of “odd” news stories.
Adam H. Johnson Jan 16, 2020
New York City’s Homeless Diversion Program is ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ Reform, Advocates Say
A new effort to reduce arrests and summonses is criticized as continuing to criminalize homelessness.
Raven Rakia Jul 26, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: Pleading Guilty Just To Go Home
With Appeal reporter Josh Vaughn
Adam H. Johnson Jul 11, 2019
Spotlight: Presidential Candidates—Pay Attention to Poverty and All of Its Drivers
The criminal and juvenile legal systems are drivers of poverty. Presidential candidates should recognize that.
Vaidya Gullapalli Jun 26, 2019
In Pennsylvania, Detention as a First Option
Heavy reliance on pretrial incarceration in Berks County subjects people to poor medical care and unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 14, 2019
Pleading Guilty to Get Out of Jail
The criminalization of poverty in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, has led to a staggering increase in incarcerated people, all at a huge cost for defendants and taxpayers alike.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 06, 2019
Justice in America Episode 12: The Criminalization of Poverty
Josie and Clint talk with Sara Totonchi, the Executive Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights.
Josie Duffy Rice, Clint Smith Jan 23, 2019
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin Announces Run for District Attorney
In a wide-ranging interview, Boudin, a progressive reform candidate, told The Appeal he wants to redefine ‘public safety’ to encompass the rights of both victims and defendants.
Melissa Gira Grant Jan 15, 2019
Could New Cash to Fight Homelessness in San Francisco Mean Less Reliance on Police?
Supporters hope the passage of Prop C may herald a more compassionate—and effective—approach.
Melissa Gira Grant Nov 15, 2018
How Alabama’s Fines and Fees System Preys On The Poor
Terrance has been jailed repeatedly over court debt for fishing to feed his family.
Maura Ewing Nov 01, 2018
Charlotte District Attorney Says He Won’t Stop Prosecuting Panhandlers
A judge’s decision could end the practice of jailing people for soliciting money along streets and highways, but DA Spencer Merriweather has been slow to embrace the change.
Steven Yoder Oct 16, 2018
‘You’re Breaking the Law As Soon as You Stop Walking’: How Colorado Cities Criminalize Homelessness
“It’s illegal to stand still, it’s illegal to sit down, it’s illegal to lay down, it’s illegal to eat,” said Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project. “You’re breaking the law as soon as you stop walking.”
Bryce Covert Apr 02, 2018
New Jersey Governor-Elect Promising Bold Criminal Justice Reform Agenda
The landslide election of Phil Murphy to be the new governor of New Jersey is likely to put the Garden State at the forefront of criminal justice reforms in the United States.
Larry Hannan Nov 09, 2017
New Jersey Governor-Elect Promising Bold Criminal Justice Reform Agenda
Phil Murphy has promised marijuana legalization, end of cash bail and will look at ending minimum mandatory sentences
Larry Hannan Nov 09, 2017
The “Humble Beginnings” of the Sweeping Bail Reforms Enacted by New Jersey
New Jersey has become a national leader in criminal justice reform, particularly around the hot button issue of requiring cash bail. When it passed the Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act last year, it became one of only three locations in the United States that have virtually eliminated bail as a condition for release when someone is charged with a crime. Yet the state literally stumbled into these efforts, almost by accident, in 2012.
Bryce Covert Oct 30, 2017
New Data Throws Fuel on the Fire for Nashville Bail Reform
Talk of bail reform in Nashville is getting an assist from recently released data showing that the majority of individuals arrested for misdemeanors remain in jail until their cases are concluded.
Larry Hannan Oct 27, 2017
Despite Public Outcry Over Pay-to-Play Justice, Prosecutors Just Don’t Get it
Mecklenburg, North Carolina District Attorney R. Andrew Murray doesn’t seem to understand the problem with the county’s deferred prosecutions system, even after a group of faith leaders held a press conference Monday morning, arguing that the current system discriminates against the poor most in need of help. The protest was timed with a hearing in the case of Charlotte […]
Jessica Pishko Oct 25, 2017
Justice is now further out of reach for Alameda County residents
When Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods learned the county’s Superior Court would move all in-custody criminal arraignments from Oakland to a new courthouse in Dublin, California, he knew it would be a disaster. Now, eight weeks into the move, his prediction has proven correct — and it’s even more chaotic than he imagined. “It’s a nightmare […]
Rebecca McCray Sep 06, 2017