In Pennsylvania, Overdose Deaths Were Falling. Then COVID-19 Hit.
Advocates say the pandemic has exacerbated the overdose crisis in the state by forcing people into isolation and impeding access to treatment.
Joshua Vaughn Jul 06, 2020
Fatal Overdose Deaths Soar In Communities Across The Country Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
In Cook County, Illinois, suspected or confirmed fatal overdose deaths doubled over last year in the first five months of this year.
Elizabeth Brico Jun 30, 2020
A Public Health Focus On Coronavirus Shouldn’t Sideline Overdose Prevention Efforts
Recent successes in stemming the opioid crisis could be reversed if public health budgets are cut or the crisis is seen as secondary to the pandemic.
The Appeal Podcast: The Cruel Rise of ‘Drug Induced Homicide’ Prosecutions
With special guest host Leo Beletsky, a professor of Law and Health Sciences at Northeastern University, and criminal justice reform advocate Morgan Godvin.
Feb 27, 2020
New Orleans Jail Staff Supplied Fentanyl That Killed Incarcerated Man, Lawsuit Alleges
Staff at the troubled Orleans Justice Center are also accused of violating Edward Patterson’s constitutional rights by failing to treat his drug addiction.
Lauren Gill Dec 11, 2019
Deaths By Suicide and Overdose Skyrocket in North Carolina Jails
A report from an advocacy group says that deaths in the state’s jails have soared— and that 2019 could set a record for suicides.
Zachary A. Siegel Nov 19, 2019
Joe Biden’s ‘Crack House’ Crusade
Nearly 20 years ago, Biden urged prosecutors to wield the ‘crack house‘ statute against rave promoters. Now it’s being used to stamp out public health responses to the opioid crisis.
Zachary A. Siegel Sep 11, 2019
Inequality, Not Violence, Is Killing Americans At Record Rates
Media coverage obsessively focuses on homicides, which are at historical lows. Meanwhile, suicides and overdoses skyrocket, quietly driving record declines in American life expectancy.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Aug 20, 2019
Epstein’s Death Reveals ‘Culture of Indifference’ in Jails
The same culture exists across the country, experts say—with devastating effects.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 12, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: The Media’s Misguided Fentanyl Hype
With Appeal contributor Maia Szalavitz
Adam H. Johnson Jul 18, 2019
Media Frame: Fentanyl Panic Is Worsening the Overdose Crisis
Sensational and false news reports about the drug are pushing lawmakers to enact harmful policies.
State Trooper Said Man Took Bag From Fentanyl Supplier, But Video Demonstrated That The Deal Never Went Down
Trooper testimony inconsistent with video and misconduct among state and local law enforcement in New Hampshire and Massachusetts have caused at least 15 drug cases to unravel.
Zachary A. Siegel May 20, 2019
Cops Claimed She Set Up A Drug Deal. Now She’s Being Prosecuted For Manslaughter.
A Florida woman with substance use disorder allegedly brokered a drug sale that ended in a fatal overdose; she faces 15 years in prison.
Zachary A. Siegel Feb 05, 2019
Man Charged With Homicide For Sharing Drugs With Woman Who Later Died
Under Pennsylvania’s drug delivery resulting in death statute, a man faces up to 40 years in prison for sharing heroin with a woman who overdosed.
Joshua Vaughn Jan 15, 2019
Overdoses, Riots, And Escapes Roil A Rural Kentucky Jail
The Boyd County Detention Center has been consumed in chaos, even as the DOJ investigates it. Now, the community is pinning hopes for reform on a new jailer.
Zachary A. Siegel Jan 02, 2019
Prisons Crack Down On An Opioid Treatment Drug, Endangering Lives
Few of the prisons trying to stem flow of contraband Suboxone offer substantial opioid treatment programs.
Raven Rakia Oct 11, 2018
Safe Injection Sites Are On the Way. But Will Prosecutions Follow?
As the federal government vows to pursue ‘swift and aggressive action’ against the sites, experts weigh in on what’s likely to happen next.
Maura Ewing Sep 13, 2018
Drug Testing Organizations Save Lives, So Why Haven’t Rave and Concert Organizers Embraced Them?
Groups like the Loop and DanceSafe test drugs like Ecstasy and warn users of high dosages and adulterants, but federal legislation from the early 2000s has live music promoters wary of their brand of harm reduction.
Zachary A. Siegel Jul 25, 2018