As Anti-Trans Bills Target Prisoners, Some Warn of a ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’
Legislation targeting transgender people behind bars is part of a much broader campaign against LGBTQ rights. Advocates say the measures could preview future attacks by the anti-trans movement.
Adam M. Rhodes Aug 17, 2023
‘Habitual Offender’ Laws Imprison Thousands for Small Crimes—Sometimes for Life
Data obtained by The Appeal show nearly 2,000 people in Mississippi and Louisiana are serving long—and sometimes life—sentences after they were labeled “habitual offenders.” But most are behind bars for small crimes like drug possession.
Tana Ganeva Sep 26, 2022
The Mississippi Program That’s Showing How Effective Direct Cash Transfers Can Be
Researchers say that programs like the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which gives Black women $1,000 a month, could be crucial in reducing the racial wealth gap.
Lauren Gill Sep 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
Mississippi Teen Who Has Languished In Jail For 17 Months Without An Indictment Is Just ‘One Of Thousands’
Sixteen-year-old William Haymon has spent more than 500 days in an adult jail in rural Lexington, Mississippi. There are no state rules governing how long a person can be incarcerated without being formally charged with a crime.
Lauren Gill Jul 30, 2020
It’s Time To Defund The University of Mississippi Police Department
From crackdowns on Black students decades ago to more recent arrests during protests against neo-Confederates, the department has served as a tool for enforcing white supremacy.
Cam Calisch Jul 21, 2020
Family of Black Mississippi Man Killed By Police Receives Narrow Explanation For Dropped Manslaughter Case
A lawyer with the state attorney general’s office omitted key evidence in a meeting with the family of Ricky Ball, who Canyon Boykin shot and killed in 2015.
Ko Bragg, Justin Brooks Jun 17, 2020
Mississippi Attorney General Won’t Pursue Case Against White Officer for Killing Black Man
Canyon Boykin was charged with manslaughter for shooting and killing Ricky Ball during a traffic stop in 2015.
Ko Bragg Jun 01, 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
Despite COVID-19 Cases, Mississippi Is Slow to Review Jail Populations For Release
The state’s public defender asked the state Supreme Court in April to speed up reviews of people held pretrial, but advocates say it’s unclear if district courts have complied.
Ko Bragg May 28, 2020
Mississippi Has Tested Fewer Than 1% of State Prisoners and Staff For COVID-19
Governor Tate Reeves has touted the state’s testing efforts as ‘aggressive,’ but testing rates in the state’s prisons, where the coronavirus has already claimed at least one life, remain low.
Ko Bragg May 13, 2020
Abortion Providers Fight to Keep Working During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Conservative lawmakers are using emergency measures to restrict access to care.
Akilah Wise Apr 02, 2020
Mississippi Man Given Extreme 12-Year Sentence For Having A Cell Phone In Jail Asks For Rehearing
The state Supreme Court erred this month when it failed to invalidate Willie Nash’s sentence as cruel and unusual punishment, his attorneys argue.
Aaron Morrison Jan 23, 2020
For Many Prisoners, Mississippi’s Habitual Offender Laws Are Like ‘Death Sentences’
One man, Paul Houser, is serving 60 years on a drug conviction for purchasing cold medicine and batteries. He’s one of 2,600 people incarcerated as a result of the state’s three strikes laws.
Lauren Gill Dec 20, 2019
‘It’s Just Heartbreaking’: Families Search for Answers as Death Rate Rises in Mississippi Prisons
Prison deaths in Mississippi have climbed nearly 40 percent in recent years, from 62 in fiscal year 2014 to a high of 85 in fiscal year 2018.
Lauren Gill Dec 09, 2019
Civil Rights Groups Sue Mississippi Prosecutor For Illegally Striking Black Jurors
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and MacArthur Justice Center are filing a class action lawsuit against Doug Evans on behalf of every potential Black juror in the district.
Kira Lerner Nov 18, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: States Turn To Nitrogen Gas For Executions, Despite Serious Concerns
With Appeal staff reporter Lauren Gill
Adam H. Johnson Nov 14, 2019
Using Nitrogen Gas For Executions Is Untested and Poorly Understood. Three States Plan to Do It Anyway.
Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama have all authorized the practice in capital punishment. So what happens now?
Lauren Gill Oct 25, 2019
Exclusive: Former Colleagues Accuse Mississippi D.A. Candidate Jody Owens Of Sexual Harassment
An EEOC complaint documents allegations against Owens, former managing attorney in the Jackson office of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Kira Lerner Oct 11, 2019
Mississippi Sheriff’s Department Accused Of Racial Profiling Agrees To Reforms That Settle Black Residents’ Lawsuit
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department was sued in 2017 for allegedly subjecting Black motorists and pedestrians to unconstitutional stops and searches.
Aaron Morrison Oct 03, 2019
The Mississippi Raids And What Awaits Those Detained
Nearly 380 people remain in custody after ICE raids in Mississippi Wednesday. They are likely to be held in immigration detention in Louisiana, far from their families and access to legal counsel.
Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 09, 2019
Spotlight: The Supreme Court on Curtis Flowers—Right for the Wrong Reasons
Last week, the Supreme Court surprised many liberals when it overturned the conviction of a Black man on death row, Curtis Flowers, for racial bias in jury selection.
Sarah Lustbader Jun 27, 2019
Black Mississippians Say Sheriff’s Office Deputies ‘Terrorize The Community Like A Gang Would’
Attorneys and advocates call for change in Madison County after the deaths of three Black people at its jail and because of what they allege is a system of roadblocks targeting Black residents.
Aaron Morrison Mar 27, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: Mayor of Jackson Faces Uphill Battle for Police Accountability
With Appeal contributor Ko Bragg
Adam H. Johnson Feb 28, 2019
The Mayor of Jackson Wants to Hold Its Police Accountable. Easier Said Than Done.
Since Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s 2017 election, at least five people have died at the hands of the law enforcement in Mississippi’s capital city.
Ko Bragg Feb 20, 2019
Mississippi Woman Jailed 96 Days Without Attorney Has Fifth Circuit On Her Side
“The district court found this constitutionally permissible. It is not.”
Carimah Townes Nov 02, 2017
Even in the deep red South, death sentences are on the decline
Twenty years ago, a brutal murder in a red state like Mississippi would likely guarantee a death sentence for a defendant. But as last week’s sentencing of Scotty Lakeith Street illustrates, juries in the South and across the country continue to shift away from capital punishment. In 1997, four people inMississippi were sentenced to death; last year, 2016, not one person […]
Rebecca McCray Aug 10, 2017