Ed Gainey Wins Democratic Nomination for Pittsburgh Mayor The state representative will almost certainly be the city’s first Black mayor, and his victory follows a year of nationwide social upheaval over police and racial justice issues. Joshua Vaughn
How Demands for Affordable Housing Are Defining Pittsburgh’s Mayoral Race A disproportionate number of Black residents have left the city, and advocates say the next mayor needs to ensure greater access to housing. Joshua Vaughn
How Policing Is Shaping the Pittsburgh Mayoral Race Incumbent Bill Peduto’s policing record is under scrutiny after protests last summer. He is facing what may be his most competitive race yet. Joshua Vaughn
The Successes and Shortcomings of Larry Krasner’s Trailblazing First Term Philadelphia’s top prosecutor has made good on promises to reduce incarceration in the city. His re-election bid will be a litmus test for the progressive prosecutor movement he helped start. Joshua Vaughn
Philly Cops Are Solving Fewer Homicides. The City Keeps Paying Them Millions Community members and advocates question why Mayor Jim Kenney and the City Council continue to fund the police department at record levels, despite the department’s low murder solve rate. Joshua Vaughn
After Man Dies Waiting For Commutation, Pennsylvania Governor Frees 13 People At the urging of advocates, Governor Tom Wolf signed off on all remaining commutations applications on his desk. Joshua Vaughn
Man Recommended For Prison Release Dies Waiting For Pennsylvania Governor’s Sign-Off The Board of Pardons unanimously recommended Bruce Norris for a commutation in December, but Tom Wolf had yet to approve it. Joshua Vaughn
New Jersey Could Force Cuomo’s Hand on Pot Legalization The New York governor has released a plan to legalize marijuana, months after voters in the Garden State approved legalization in November. Advocates say the pressure could have ripple effects regionally. Joshua Vaughn
Facing Life Pennsylvania’s prisons have the second-highest number of people in the country serving life without the possibility of parole. Nine people who were released after being sentenced to die behind bars share their stories. Joshua Vaughn
Two Rising Democratic Stars May Be Vying for Pennsylvania Governor. On Criminal Justice, They’re Very Different Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman has jumpstarted the state’s pardons process, while Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s self-styled progressivism isn’t winning over advocates. Joshua Vaughn
Sara Innamorato Is Fighting to Reduce the Harms of COVID-19’s Economic Crush The state representative wants to bar landlords in Pennsylvania from reporting missed or late rent payments to credit agencies. Joshua Vaughn
With Little Evidence, Pennsylvania State Police Seized $600,000 From Drivers An investigation by The Appeal and Spotlight PA found that troopers in three counties have taken big money from drivers, many of whom were never charged. Joseph Darius Jaafari, Joshua Vaughn
How Legislation Meant to Overhaul Probation And Parole In Pennsylvania Strayed From Its Roots Through a series of maneuvers, state legislators narrowed the ambitious scope of Senate Bill 14. Jonathan Ben-Menachem
Pittsburgh Prosecutors Relied On Man Who Allegedly Killed Baby As Witness In Bungled Case Documents obtained by The Appeal raise questions about a Pittsburgh-area mass shooting case that fell apart due to prosecutorial misconduct. Jerry Iannelli
Pennsylvania Inspector General Reviewing State Police Traffic Stop Tactics The review follows an investigation by The Appeal and Spotlight PA, which found that troopers were using minor traffic stops to illegally detain and search motorists along highways. Joshua Vaughn
Highway Stop-And-Frisk: How Pennsylvania State Troopers Conduct Illegal Traffic Searches A review of five years of cases that arose from traffic stops in the south-central region of the state shows that police used underhand tactics to justify holding and searching drivers illegally. Joseph Darius Jaafari, Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Governor Calls for Marijuana Legalization to Cover COVID-19 Budget Shortfall Tom Wolf said Tuesday that legalizing and taxing recreational use of marijuana could help solve fiscal woes that arose from the pandemic, and address long-standing racial injustices. Joshua Vaughn
Nearly 200 Pardons Languish on Pennsylvania Governor’s Desk The state Board of Pardons recommended last year that hundreds of people’s criminal records be cleared. Months later, more than half are still waiting for Tom Wolf’s signature. Joshua Vaughn
Philadelphia Housing Authority Is Failing at Its Mission, Advocates Say Although the agency has vacant properties, public housing has been out of reach for nearly a decade for many who need it. Joshua Vaughn
A 13-Year-Old Shot and Killed His Brother. Pennsylvania Police Charged Him as an Adult. State law requires all murder charges be automatically filed in adult court, regardless of age. Joshua Vaughn
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
Pennsylvania Governor Approves Two Commutations For Men Serving Life Sentences The two men have been awaiting Tom Wolf’s signature for more than six months. Joshua Vaughn
Philadelphia Police Make Hundreds of Looting Arrests, Leave Many More Violent Crime Cases Unsolved The city’s clearance rate for murder, whose victims are disproportionately Black, has hovered around 40 percent for the last several years. Joshua Vaughn
My Friend Should Have Been Released from Prison. Instead, He Died There of COVID-19. James ‘Bumpy’ Bennett, who had twice survived cancer, was 71 and had served 48 years of his life without parole sentence. Robert Saleem Holbrook
Pennsylvania House Democrats Refocus on Police Reform, But Face an Uphill Fight Democrats have introduced and reintroduced bills that have languished in the Judiciary Committee, which must approve them before they reach the full House. Joshua Vaughn
Less Than Half a Percent of Pennsylvania Prisoners Have Been Granted Emergency Release During the Pandemic Advocates had hoped Governor Tom Wolf would use his executive reprieve power to release thousands of people from prisons in the face of COVID-19. Joshua Vaughn
Three Pennsylvania Men Were Recommended for Commutations. They’re Still in Prison. Freddy Butler, Oliver Macklin, and Charles Goldblum are among the 17 people who received recommendations for commutations of life sentences in 2019, but Governor Tom Wolf has yet to sign off on their releases. Joshua Vaughn
Some Federal Prisoners Are Getting Out As COVID-19 Spreads. Others Have No Chance. Jeremy Hix is serving 70 months in federal prison for a sex offense—a conviction that disqualifies him for a Bureau of Prisons home confinement program, despite a health condition that puts him at risk of the coronavirus. Joshua Vaughn
Pregnant Woman in Pennsylvania Jail Denied Release An Erie County judge said the pregnant 20-year-old would be ‘safer’ in jail from the COVID-19 outbreak. Victoria Law
Commutations In Pennsylvania Are Postponed Indefinitely As COVID-19 Spreads Incarcerated people like John Brookins, who is serving life without the possibility of parole, will have to wait until June or later for a chance at clemency. Joshua Vaughn
‘She Had Sweat Dripping Down From Her Hairline and Down Her Face’ A woman detained by ICE was sick with COVID-19 for days before being removed from a 50-person jail dorm in York County, Pennsylvania, according to women housed with her. Joshua Vaughn
Man With Innocence Claim Is First to Die of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania Prisons The Pennsylvania Innocence Project was seeking the exoneration of Rudolph Sutton when he died on April 8 from complications related to COVID-19. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Governor Could Release Hundreds of Prisoners As COVID-19 Spreads Tom Wolf said Friday he will use his reprieve power, a form of clemency, to reduce the state prison population. Joshua Vaughn
As Major Cities Decarcerated During COVID-19’s Spread, Philadelphia’s Jail Population Barely Budged The city’s DA’s office and its public defender association urged judges to adopt video meetings to speed the release of incarcerated people. But emails obtained by The Appeal show that judges took a much more limited approach to decarceration. Jerry Iannelli
Mother Of Slain 4-Year-Old Says Pennsylvania Should Release Death Row Prisoner With COVID-19 Symptoms Sharon Fahy, whose daughter was murdered in 1988, asked the court to release Walter Ogrod, the man convicted in her killing. Lauren Gill
Amid COVID-19 Panic, Pennsylvania Republicans Warn Governor Against Taking Executive Action to Release Prisoners They tell Tom Wolf that taking any unilateral actions to reduce the state’s prison population would endanger public safety. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Lawmakers To Introduce Prisoner Furlough Bill During COVID-19 Pandemic The emergency program seeks to release a select group of prisoners but does not go far enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, experts and Democratic lawmakers say. Joshua Vaughn
A Rarely Used Power Could Free Prisoners in Pennsylvania. But the Governor Is Not Using It. The Office of General Counsel determined that the governor could likely use reprieves to release vulnerable people from prison to control COVID-19’s spread, but the office is advising against it, according to internal emails obtained by The Appeal. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Has Few Options to Release Elderly Prisoners as COVID-19 Spreads Advocates have called on Governor Tom Wolf and state Department of Corrections officials to release elderly and infirm people from state prisons. But the law is limiting how quickly they can move. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Man On Death Row Shows Signs of Coronavirus Days Before Hearing That Could Have Freed Him Prosecutors say Walter Ogrod is ‘likely innocent’ of the charges that sent him to prison in 1996. Now, his attorney says, ‘every day a decision and/or hearing is delayed is another day that Mr. Ogrod’s health is at grave risk.’ Lauren Gill
Despite Risk of Spreading Virus, Judges Continue to Impose Cash Bail in Pennsylvania In Northampton County, advocates say the practice is putting the people charged for minor offenses, and the broader community, in danger. Joshua Vaughn
A Tweet Raises Questions About Immigrant Safety During Coronavirus Pandemic As COVID-19 spreads, ICE detained a Central American immigrant in a hospital, causing confusion and raising concerns. Lexi McMenamin
Pennsylvania Public Defenders Not Reinstated Despite Public Outcry Over Firing Montgomery County Chief Public Defender Dean Beer and Deputy Chief Keisha Hudson were fired last month after filing an amicus brief critical of the county’s bail setting practices. Joshua Vaughn
Life and Loss: A Son Sentenced to Die in a Pennsylvania Prison An Appeal documentary on life without the possibility of parole—and its impact on loved ones—in the state. Joshua Vaughn
Cancer Patient’s Prison Sentence Is A Glaring Outlier in a Pennsylvania County A review of charging dockets in Lebanon County shows Ashley Menser was the only person charged with felony retail theft in 2018 to receive a 7-year maximum sentence. Joshua Vaughn
Family Sues Pittsburgh Public School For Handcuffing 7-Year-Old In a lawsuit, the boy’s family said he was repeatedly suspended, secluded, and violently restrained before he was ever given a special education evaluation. Roxanna Asgarian
Pennsylvania Mandatory Minimum Bill Is Unlikely to Reduce Gun Violence, Opponents Say State Representative Todd Stephens has introduced a bill to impose a five-year minimum prison sentence for illegally possessing a firearm, but the governor, advocates, and others say it’s the wrong approach. Joshua Vaughn
Five Cases Could Significantly Reform Pennsylvania’s Sex Offense Registry. The State’s Attorney General Is Pushing Back. Josh Shapiro has warned that changing the state’s sex offense registry requirements threatens public safety. But experts say his fears are unfounded and the registry provides little to no public safety benefit. Joshua Vaughn
What Does Death By Incarceration Look Like In Pennsylvania? These Elderly, Disabled Men Housed In A State Prison. More than 5,400 people in the state are sentenced to life without parole. This month, The Appeal went inside one prison that helps provide end-of-life care for men. Joshua Vaughn
Philadelphia Trauma Center Closure Could Mean More Shooting Deaths—And Tough-on-Crime Talk Research shows access to a trauma center is critical after a shooting. But as gun deaths are rising in Philly, one trauma center has closed. Experts say a rise in homicides may prompt more policing. Joshua Vaughn
Rhode Island Police Don’t Just Make Arrests. Some Also Act As Prosecutors. The state is one of eight that allow cops to arraign people on misdemeanor charges. Advocates and academics say the practice is unjust. Julia Rock, Harry August
Philadelphia Man Begins Rebuilding His Life After His Wrongful Conviction After more than two decades, Terrance Lewis was exonerated and released from prison earlier this year. He is now an advocate for other innocent people caught up in the criminal legal system. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania’s Crime Victim Definition Leaves Out Communities Most Affected By Crime The state’s narrow interpretation gives too much weight to voices that support a punitive criminal legal system, advocates say. Joshua Vaughn
A Historic Day May Mark The Beginning Of The End Of Death By Incarceration In Pennsylvania This month, nine people received commutations from life sentences, and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is calling for changes to the commutations process to give more people second chances. Joshua Vaughn
With Vast Surveillance Network, Pittsburgh D.A. Has ‘Created A Dystopian Reality’ Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has gotten into the surveillance game, but advocates say that raises questions about his role. Kira Lerner
A Trap Of Low-Level Drug Arrests And Court Debt In Pittsburgh In 2017, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala prosecuted more than 1,700 low-level drug possession cases. More than $2 million in court-imposed debt was levied on people who were charged in these cases. Joshua Vaughn
Report Praises High School in Jail But Fails to Ask Why Kids Are Locked Up at All A Pittsburgh public radio piece lacked critical reporting about the many problems with jailing children in adult facilities. Adam H. Johnson
Thousands Are Serving Life Without Parole Sentences in Pennsylvania. A Board Of Pardons Hearing Might Begin To Change That. People seeking commutations from life sentences encounter a steep hurdle in the state’s board of pardons. The board will convene on Sept. 13 to review more than 20 cases. Joshua Vaughn
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
Number Of Young People Charged In Philadelphia’s Adult Court Drops Sharply The decline under DA Larry Krasner, who took office in 2018, marks a significant change in juvenile justice in Pennsylvania. Joshua Vaughn
A Pennsylvania Police Department Is Accused Of Klan Involvement and Discrimination In a civil rights lawsuit, an officer in Allentown claims he was subjected to racial discrimination before he was fired. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania County Owes $67 Million After Man Finds Arrest Records on Mugshots.com Elsewhere in the country, lawsuits and legislation seek to protect people from predatory mugshot sites. Katie Rose Quandt
Man Accused Of Shooting 6 Philadelphia Police Officers Was Federal Informant A federal prosecutor in Pennsylvania blamed DA Larry Krasner for a bloody standoff, but the suspect has a long relationship with the government that includes a sentence reduction because of his cooperation. Joshua Vaughn
Drug Treatment Is Reaching More Prisons and Jails Recent legal victories have spurred counties and states to provide medication-assisted treatment to prisoners struggling with substance use. JB Nicholas
When Cops Lie, Should Prosecutors Rely Upon Their Testimony At Trial? In California, Texas and Florida, advocates sent letters to district attorneys, demanding that they refuse to work with officers with histories of misconduct. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Pennsylvania Democrats Had a Chance to Reject Law Limiting Philly D.A.’s Authority Lawmakers say Republicans used deceptive tactics to pass the controversial bill. The legislative record tells a different story. Joshua Vaughn
In Pennsylvania, a Kidnapping Law Could Unravel a Life A Shippensburg man faces 15 years on the sex offense registry for offering a girl a ride. Joshua Vaughn
Philadelphia D.A. Asks Court to Declare Death Penalty System Unconstitutional Larry Krasner says the punishment is ‘really about poverty’ and race. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Law Enforcement Is Urged to ‘Think Like a Parent, Not a Prosecutor’ A new DA in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, is treating the overdose crisis as a criminal matter rather than a community health issue. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Police Department Accused of Sexism Brandi Courtesis lost her job with the Gettysburg force after saying a colleague sexually harassed her. The accused, fired for another reason, may be back in uniform soon. Joshua Vaughn
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
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
A New Moral Panic Targets Moms In Pennsylvania, mothers are harshly penalized for leaving children unattended in vehicles, even for several minutes. Joshua Vaughn
New Data Reveals the Racial Disparities in Pennsylvania’s Money Bail Industry Despite accounting for less than 12 percent of the state’s adult population, roughly 40 percent of all bail bonds were issued in cases involving a Black defendant. Joshua Vaughn
A White Woman Was Caught On Tape Selling Heroin, But Police Arrested A Black Woman Instead In a case of mistaken identity, Jada Noone was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police, spent 15 days in jail and faced a felony drug case before charges were dismissed. She’s now suing over her false arrest. Joshua Vaughn
Women Say Pennsylvania Cop Committed Sexual Assaults, Recorded Them on Body Camera Their claims are part of a federal lawsuit; other women say they, too, were assaulted and the officer now faces a raft of criminal charges. Joshua Vaughn
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
Pennsylvania Man Charged With Homicide Wasn’t Even Present When Victim Was Killed Darius Jacob Taylor wasn’t in the state when a robbery he was allegedly involved with ended in murder. But because of the felony murder rule, he’s charged with criminal homicide and faces life imprisonment. Joshua Vaughn
In a Pennsylvania County, Black Children Are Disproportionately Charged in Adult Court In 2016 and 2017, more than 80 percent of children charged as adults by the Allegheny County district attorney were Black. Joshua Vaughn
Is A Philadelphia Agency’s Seizure Of Vehicles A New Form of Civil Asset Forfeiture? The city’s experiment with civil asset forfeiture was supposed to end, but the practices of its parking agency and some in state law enforcement suggest that police may be turning to other forms of property confiscation. Ryan Briggs
In Allegheny County, People Arrested With Cell Phones Can Be Charged With ‘Possessing Instruments of Crime’ Advocates say these charges endanger sex workers and urge the police to stop using them. Melissa Gira Grant
After Pittsburgh Decriminalizes Pot, Black People Are Still Disproportionately Charged With Possession About 51 percent of the people charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana in Allegheny County are Black. Joshua Vaughn
In One Pennsylvania County, Rape Victims Rarely Find Justice Since 2015, police in Adams County have taken dozens of reports of rape, yet charges were filed in just two cases. Joshua Vaughn
Pennsylvania Prisons Hired A Private Company To Intercept And Store Prisoners’ Mail The company is being paid $4 million a year to open and scan prisoners’ mail into a searchable database. Raven Rakia
Pennsylvania Prosecutors Pursue Charges For People Who Fall Behind On Rent-To-Own Payments The state’s “theft of leased property” statute allows prosecutors to seek felony charges for Pennsylvanians who miss payments on rental items. Joshua Vaughn
In Pennsylvania, Defendants Pay A Fee Just To Plead Guilty The ‘plea fee’ stems from a state law passed in the 1980s and can cost nearly $200, depending on the county. Joshua Vaughn
A Troubled Federal Prison Unit Gets New Life In A Different State Instead of changing its conditions and practices, The Bureau of Prisons is simply moving a problem-plagued federal prison unit in Pennsylvania to Illinois. Victoria Law
Proposed Pennsylvania Bill Would Force Patients With Chronic Pain Into A Treatment Agreement A bill introduced in the state would require all chronic pain patients to enter into an agreement with their doctor before being prescribed opioid medication for the first time. Joshua Vaughn
Failure-to-Comply Arrests Reveal Flaws in Sex Offender Registries In one Pennsylvania county, more than three times as many people on the registry were charged in 2016 with failing to follow registry requirements than were charged with a new sexual offense Joshua Vaughn
A Pennsylvania Man Survived An Overdose Only To Be Charged With Homicide York County resident Aaron Hinds overdosed on heroin with a friend. The friend died, and Hinds now faces a 'drug delivery resulting in death' charge and a 40-year prison sentence. Joshua Vaughn
Prosecutors and Judges in Pennsylvania County Hammer Defendants in Low-Level Drug Cases In overdose-wracked Franklin County, Pennsylvania, a small-time dealer is denied bail, while the number of drug induced homicide cases has skyrocketed. Joshua Vaughn
The Danger of Automating Criminal Justice Advocates in Philadelphia say a new tool to assist judges in sentencing could perpetuate bias. Maura Ewing
Over 100 Pennsylvania Prisoners are Held in Solitary Confinement — With No End in Sight Maura Ewing, Matt Stroud
