Drug War Tactics Won’t Stop Xylazine Deaths
Instead, harm reduction advocates are calling for strategy to create a safer supply of currently criminalized drugs.
Clare Boyle May 25, 2023
Intergenerational Partnerships are Critical to Curb Youth Violence
Intergenerational partnerships must be prioritized amid the youth gun violence epidemic — not more police and prisons.
Rashni Stanford Sep 07, 2022
To Fight Gun Violence, Kids Need Places to Play
When I was 19, I worked in an emotional support classroom in a North Philadelphia elementary school. I saw children as young as five get treated like prisoners.
Rashni Stanford Jul 13, 2022
‘It’s an Emergency’: Tens of Thousands of Incarcerated People are Sexually Assaulted Each Year
Cynthia Alvarado was raped in jail before she was sentenced to life in prison for a murder she did not commit. Now that her sentence has been overturned, Alvarado is fighting for women like her.
Val Kiebala Apr 18, 2022
A Coalition Led by Philly’s Homeless Youth Wants to Change How Cities Help the Unhoused
Every Thursday morning, the Philly Homes 4 Youth (PH4Y) Coalition hosts a weekly virtual workspace for its members. The coalition of young advocates, youth workers, and non-profit administrators have been strategizing together since at least 2016 to improve care for young people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. But lately, the group’s meetings have taken on a more urgent tone: Tens of millions in federal COVID-19 relief funding is currently up for grabs in Philadelphia, and the coalition wants to ensure at least 20 percent of the money goes to youth services.
Rashni Stanford Mar 22, 2022
Philadelphia Police Aren’t Solving Crimes. It’s Time to Divert Their Funding
This budget season, Philadelphia must hold our law enforcement accountable for their failures by redirecting resources to strategies that can help us.
Kendra Brooks Apr 15, 2021
The Pandemic Prompted Marilyn Mosby to Stop Prosecuting Low-Level Crimes. Will Other D.A.s Follow?
Prosecutors across the country have begun declining low-level cases in an effort to reduce racial inequity and to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joshua Vaughn Apr 12, 2021
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 Mar 22, 2021
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 Mar 01, 2021
Philadelphia Jails Have Black Mold, Rats, Poor Heating, Say Women Held There
The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, which recorded and published the complaints, paid for the release of some incarcerated women on Saturday.
Joshua Vaughn Dec 16, 2020
Philadelphia Teacher Faces 65 Years In Prison After Another Person Torched A Police Car During A Protest
U.S Attorney William McSwain denies he’s targeted the social justice leader, but experts say prosecutors’ use of the man’s clothing and social media to argue that he should be detained pretrial is unusual.
Rachel M. Cohen Dec 09, 2020
Philadelphia Housing Advocates Declare Victory After Monthslong Battle With City
The city will give advocates 50 vacant homes to be used for permanent housing for low-income residents, according to a tentative agreement.
Joshua Vaughn Sep 29, 2020
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 Aug 06, 2020
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
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 Jun 25, 2020
Defund The Police. Our Lives Depend On It.
Safe and healthy communities start with less police and more investment in community services that work.
A’Brianna Morgan Jun 25, 2020
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 Apr 10, 2020
Washington, D.C. Continues Low-level Arrests Amid Pandemic
The Metropolitan Police Department has discussed reducing arrests, but it has not formally announced any policy changes.
Jon Campbell Mar 18, 2020
Prosecutors Across U.S. Call for Action to Mitigate Spread of Coronavirus in Jails and Prisons
In a joint statement, they emphasized the need to reduce the number of people currently incarcerated in order to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Jessica Pishko Mar 17, 2020
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 Nov 12, 2019
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 Oct 09, 2019
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 Oct 04, 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
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 Aug 30, 2019
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 Aug 21, 2019
Philadelphia’s Progressive D.A. Is Blamed For a Standoff He Helped Defuse
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. At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while attempting to serve a warrant, Philadelphia police found themselves under fire. Six of them were shot, and although none were seriously […]
Sarah Lustbader Aug 16, 2019
In Chicago, Rethinking the Link Between Crime and Incarceration
A new report shows that a progressive approach, like the one advanced by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, can help decrease jail populations—and crime.
Kira Lerner Aug 05, 2019
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 Jul 29, 2019
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 Jul 25, 2019
States Are Blocking Courtroom Recording. But Reform Requires Transparency.
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. Last week, court watchers from the Philadelphia Bail Fund and a journalist filed a federal lawsuit to challenge a ban on audio recording during bail hearings, arguing that […]
Sarah Lustbader Jul 23, 2019
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 Jul 15, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: Pleading Guilty Just To Go Home
With Appeal reporter Josh Vaughn
Adam H. Johnson Jul 11, 2019
Progressive Philly D.A. Larry Krasner’s Bail Reform Plans Seem Stalled, Advocates Say
Krasner’s office acknowledges ‘there’s room to move forward and do more.’
Bryce Covert Jun 25, 2019
Video Hearings: The Choice ‘Between Efficiency and Rights’
Many jurisdictions across the country use video instead of holding bail hearings in person, a practice that often leads to dire consequences.
Bryce Covert Jun 05, 2019
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 Nov 14, 2018
Secretive Campus Cops Patrol Already Overpoliced Neighborhoods
Campus police forces have become more professionalized, but critics say they operate behind a veil of secrecy and often exceed their jurisdiction.
Ryan Briggs Oct 15, 2018
In New York, A Harm-Reduction Organization Is Leveraging Participatory Defense To Empower Its Clients
Grassroots group VOCAL-NY is teaching people with substance use disorder how to avoid getting ensnared in the criminal justice system.
Christopher Moraff Aug 09, 2018
Philadelphia Courts are Running a Financial Scheme That Profits Off The Poor
And padding city and state coffers with millions of dollars.
Maura Ewing Aug 03, 2018
The Secret Story of Corruption Behind Meek Mill’s Incarceration
On Jan. 23, 2007, a pair of officers from the Philadelphia Police Department’s Narcotics Field Unit (NFU) received information from a “reliable source” that drug sales were being conducted in the vicinity of 22nd and Jackson Streets, on the city’s south side. “Numerous B/Ms” — NFU officers Reginald Graham and Sylvia Jones would later write in a […]
Jessica Brand, Ethan Brown Apr 16, 2018
Cascade of Overturned Cases May Emerge In Wake of Philly DA’s ‘Bad Cop’ List
In 2012, Gilbert Narvaez was convicted on drug-dealing charges and sent to a Pennsylvania prison for a three- to eight-year sentence. Narvaez maintained his innocence and argued that he was the victim of a bad cop named Christopher Hulmes, who claimed that in 2011 he had seen Narvaez in Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood peddling narcotics. “He was just […]
Maura Ewing, Daniel Denvir Apr 09, 2018