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
New York City Has People on Parole In Jails At Rates Not Seen Since The Early Pandemic Despite calls to reduce incarcerated populations, the number of people being detained for minor parole violations has been rising. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Public Defenders Oppose Resuming In-Person Court Appearances The advocates describe the reopening as unsafe and unnecessary amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Gelardi
The NYPD ‘Cancelled’ Police Court Appearances, Leaving People to Sit in Jail Memos obtained by The Appeal and anecdotes from public defenders reveal how, for a week during protests over police brutality, the NYPD stalled cases by directing officers not to testify in court. Chris Gelardi
A Transgender Woman’s Attorneys Fear She Won’t Survive Her 60-Month Sentence New York attorneys have launched a campaign to release transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary prisoners during the pandemic. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Parole Violations Nearly Sentenced These People To COVID-19 Twenty-eight people were to attend weeks-long drug treatment programs after violating parole. The COVID-19 pandemic nearly trapped them in jail indefinitely. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Jails Have an Alarmingly High Infection Rate, According to an Analysis by the Legal Aid Society “Based on this analysis, New York City jails have become the epicenter of COVID-19,” a Legal Aid attorney said. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Courts Still Dangerous For Spread of Coronavirus, Public Defenders Say While those facing charges appear by video at arraignments, all others—attorneys, officers, the judge—are in the courtroom in close quarters, defense attorneys say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
New York City Agency Has Underreported Lab Errors In DNA Database It Oversees At least one error led to a wrongful arrest, according to a Freedom of Information Law request, underscoring the need for better oversight of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, advocates say. Aaron Morrison
Hundreds of Victim and Witness DNA Profiles Removed From New York City Database Advocates say the removals are more evidence of a troubling and unregulated law enforcement tool, overseen by the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Aaron Morrison
Nearly 600,000 New Yorkers Are Eligible to Have Their Records Sealed. Fewer Than 1,800 of Them Have Succeeded. The results of record-sealing legislation enacted in 2017 shows the need for automatic expungement, advocates say. Aaron Morrison
Convicted Of A Deadly Crime As A Teen, He Worked For Decades To Get A Second Chance At Life Richard Rivera served more than 38 years in prison after killing an off-duty NYPD officer during a botched armed robbery. He was released in July after being denied parole five times. Aaron Morrison
New York Law Removes ‘Unnecessary’ Step for Children Charged With Felonies 16-year-olds won’t have to reappear in adult criminal court if they’re arrested when youth court isn’t in session. Lauren Gill
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
New Reports Highlight Behavior of Port Authority Police in ‘Lewd Act’ Arrests Expert reports in a 2017 federal lawsuit explore an alleged pattern of discrimination against men perceived to be gay. Kira Lerner
Trans Woman’s Death in Rikers is Still a Mystery. But Why Was She There At All? Though little is known about how Layleen Polanco died, advocates say her story highlights New York City’s flawed approach to criminal justice. Raven Rakia
This Grandfather Was Granted Parole in 2018. Why Is He Still in Prison? Imprisoned as a teen, Amer Zada is now eligible for release but can’t find approved housing—and a proposed law could make the problem worse. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Appeal Podcast: The Long, Troubled History of Gravity Knife Prosecution With Appeal contributor Jon Campbell Adam H. Johnson
Queens D.A.’s Office Blasted for ‘Spiteful’ Treatment of People on Probation or Parole As the borough’s district attorney race takes shape, advocates press for changes to the office’s approach to people who reoffend. Aaron Morrison
New York Lawmaker Announces Sweeping Challenge to Gravity Knife Law Opponents of the law say it unfairly targets people who need knives for work, and are battling it on multiple fronts. Jon Campbell
Prisons Across the U.S. Are Quietly Building Databases of Incarcerated People’s Voice Prints The technology also allows authorities to mine call databases and cross-reference the voices of individuals prisoners have spoken with. George Joseph, Debbie Nathan
Judge Attacks NYPD Practice of Seizing Teens’ DNA Without Parental Consent The decision also held that the city’s routine storage of DNA profiles from nonconvicted people in a permanent database violates state law. George Joseph
New York Just Changed the Way it Prosecutes Kids, But Some Got Left Behind Under Raise the Age, ‘there are kids similarly situated who are being treated totally differently.’ Cassi Feldman
Despite New Rules, NYC Is Still Jailing People Long After They Post Bail A new Bronx Freedom Fund report documents these extended pretrial lockups, which threaten people’s jobs and destabilize families. George Joseph
Two Cops Said They Saw A Man Grope Women. The Women Disagreed. The DA Charged Him Anyway An 11-month prosecution of a ‘forcible touching’ case in Manhattan sharply diverges from the office’s treatment of Harvey Weinstein, defense attorneys say. George Joseph, Simon Davis-Cohen
Internal Documents Reveal How Bronx Prosecutors Are Taught to Slow Down Cases The tactics outlined encourage courtroom ‘dishonesty’ and ‘gamesmanship,’ legal experts argue. George Joseph, Simon Davis-Cohen
More Than A Month After Anti-ICE Protests, Detained NYC Immigrants Still Denied In-Person Hearings Their attorneys say the new video-teleconferencing policy is exacerbating backlogs and prolonging detention. Emma Whitford
As Reform Stalls in New York, Defendants Plead Out Because They Can’t Afford Cash Bail Max Rivlin-Nadler
A National Campaign to Crack Down on Massage Businesses May Harm the Women it Wants to Help Melissa Gira Grant, Emma Whitford
Family, Former Attorney of Queens Woman Who Fell to Her Death in Vice Sting Say She Was Sexually Assaulted, Pressured to Become an Informant Melissa Gira Grant, Emma Whitford
After Deadly Vice Sting, Advocates Say End to Prostitution Arrests Is Long Overdue Emma Whitford, Melissa Gira Grant
