I Was A Child In An Adult Prison System. Now I Fight For Those, Like Me, Who Deserve A Brighter Future When They’re Released
As a staff member of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, I fight for all children, especially those impacted by systemic racism in our criminal justice system.
Catherine Jones Dec 15, 2020
Far From Being Beyond Saving, Prison Youth Deserve Every Opportunity For Meaningful Rehabilitation
We should demand that prison officials and our elected representatives honor their constitutional obligation to promote and support youth healing, growth, and change.
Mark Wilson Sep 14, 2020
Life Sentence For Missouri Woman Convicted Of Assaulting Police Officer Is ‘Extremely Distressing,’ Justice Advocate Says
Nicole Poston was sentenced in July for punching a police officer after she slipped free from a handcuff. Life sentences, even for nonhomicide offenses like Poston’s, are ‘a major factor’ in mass incarceration in the U.S., a criminal justice expert said.
Lauren Gill Aug 14, 2020
As Decriminalization Drives Reforms For Marijuana Convictions, Activists See Others Serving Time Left Behind
Despite the growing consciousness around the need for reforms, thousands of prisoners who might also deserve clemency or early release are slipping through the cracks.
Tana Ganeva Aug 06, 2020
He Found Freedom After More Than Two Decades In Prison. But He Was Released Into A World Changed by COVID-19.
Euka Wadlington was denied clemency by the Department of Justice under Obama. But then he mounted a legal challenge to sentencing enhancements used in his drug case; in April, a federal judge granted his release. Now he’s adjusting to freedom—and life in the coronavirus era.
Euka Wadlington May 15, 2020
I Was a Child When The State Sentenced Me To Die In Prison. But I Found A Path To Redemption In A Community Of Lifers.
I learned later than I should have what you probably already know: that it is strength not weakness to lean on somebody when you feel vulnerable and defeated and let them help you.
Seth Koch Mar 13, 2020
Life Sentences Lock Away Too Many People And Too Much Potential
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. Yesterday in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, hundreds gathered to call on state Attorney General Josh Shapiro to “show mercy” and increase his support for clemency. The state’s clemency process allows even a […]
Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 26, 2020
The Death Penalty Is Part Of A Larger System Of Punishment
Opposition to it should lay the groundwork for opposition to the system of which it is a part.
Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 31, 2020
Life Sentences And ‘Draconian Power’ In The United Kingdom
“I sometimes wonder whether, in 100 years’ time, people will be as shocked by the length of sentences we are imposing as we are by some of the punishments of the 18th century,” the lord chief justice of England and Wales said in 2006.
Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 10, 2020
People Of Color Receive The Harshest Punishments, And The Disparities Are Growing
Racial disparities in incarceration rates are dropping but still remain high. Racial disparities in sentence lengths are growing.
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 04, 2019
The Costs Of Not Releasing People From Prison
Recent reporting is a reminder of the crisis of elderly and ailing people in US prisons.
Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 27, 2019