Massachusetts Could Loosen Life Without Parole Restrictions For Young People Justices in the state’s highest court are weighing whether it is unconstitutional to sentence people convicted of murder and aged 18 to 20 to life without parole. Ella Fassler Jun 30, 2021
How Chesa Boudin Is Pursuing His Promise to Reduce Incarceration After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 18, 2021
The Dissenter Former Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson’s fiery dissents on mass incarceration and sentencing in America’s most carceral state garnered international attention. But the rise of the first Black woman on the court was characterized by one battle after another with the Deep South’s white power structure. Elon Green Mar 02, 2021
D.C. May Give People Convicted As Young Adults A Chance At Resentencing The D.C. Council is set to vote on a bill aimed at giving people who committed serious crimes before their 25th birthday an opportunity to petition a judge for resentencing. Meg O'Connor Dec 14, 2020
U.S. Executes Keith Dwayne Nelson, The Fifth Federal Prisoner Put To Death This Year Nelson’s attorneys had sought to have his death sentence reversed, citing critical errors by his original trial attorneys. Lauren Gill Aug 28, 2020
Racial Disparity Among Prosecutors and Trial Judges Translates to Unequal Justice, Activists Say Studies show that 95 percent of the nation’s prosecutors are white and that the lack of Black and brown representation in courts negatively affect outcomes for people of color. Dawn R. Wolfe Jul 24, 2020
Minors Sentenced To Life Without Parole Deserve More Than Scare Tactics When Transitioning To Adult Prisons If the justice system’s goal is to produce healthy, safe, and productive members of society, then it must begin with support from corrections staff and healthy relationships with peers. Anthony Richardson Jul 22, 2020
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 Jul 20, 2020
Remaking Our Legal System With More Compassion And Humanity Is Necessary And Urgent Work The Appeal and Oregon Justice Resource Center announce “Left Behind,” firsthand accounts of growing-up in prison from individuals sentenced as children. Bobbin Singh Mar 03, 2020
High Cost Of Prison Diversion Programs Leaves ‘Too Many People’ Imprisoned in Alabama A survey of roughly 1,000 people found that 1 in 5 had been turned down for a diversion program because they couldn’t afford the costs of drug tests and monitoring devices. Lauren Gill Feb 28, 2020
A New York Law Could Reduce Sentences for Domestic Violence Survivors. Why Are Judges Reluctant to Apply It? The Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act allows judges to consider shorter sentences, as well as non-prison sentences, if abuse factored significantly in the crime. Victoria Law
Louisiana Continues to Imprison People Past Their Release Dates A Department of Corrections official knew the extrajudicial practice was going on but little has been done to correct it. Victoria Law Feb 18, 2020
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
The Appeal Podcast: Documenting the Death Penalty With Jordan Smith and Liliana Segura of The Intercept. Adam H. Johnson
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 Feb 10, 2020
Five Jurists Said Donnie Lance Deserved a New Sentence. Georgia Executed Him Anyway. Three Supreme Court justices and others said competent counsel could have saved his life. Kyle C. Barry Jan 30, 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
Arizona’s Incarcerated Firefighters Push for Legislation That Recognizes Their Labor By Reducing Their Sentences Unlike other states, Arizona offers minimal early release credits for the prisoners it sends to fight its wildfires. Hannah Critchfield Jan 21, 2020
Man Spared From Execution After Rare Clemency Grant It’s the first time since 2014 that someone on Georgia’s death row has been granted clemency. Braden Goyette Jan 16, 2020
How Dubious Science Helped Put A New Jersey Woman In Prison For Killing A Baby In Her Care The state said Michelle Heale shook the baby to death, but some experts say her conviction was based on debunked science. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jan 15, 2020
The Media’s Misguided Backlash Against Criminal Justice Reforms in D.C. and New York Many liberals support reform in theory. But when unpopular decisions need to be made, it’s back to the 1990s “Tough on Crime” playbook. Adam H. Johnson Jan 09, 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
Misplaced Outrage Over Kentucky Governor’s Pardons Harms Criminal Justice Reform Sensational headlines may score short-term partisan points, but long term they contribute to a toxic culture of Willie Hortonism. Adam H. Johnson
The Supreme Court Ruled That Sentences Like Hers Are Unconstitutional. Prosecutors Are Fighting To Keep Her Incarcerated. Prosecutor Jessica Cooper of Oakland County, Michigan, has aggressively pursued life without the possibility of parole for children, critics say. She recommended the sentence for Barbara Hernández, who at 16 was a ‘slave’ to an abusive boyfriend who drew her into a plan that ended in murder. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Dec 09, 2019
People Of Color Receive The Harshest Punishments, And The Disparities Are Growing Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 04, 2019
What Happens When Prison ‘Lifers’ Get A Chance At Healing And Redemption? In California, a prison program run by people once sentenced to life shows how even the most serious offenders are more than the worst things they’ve done. Nick Wing, Kyle C. Barry Dec 03, 2019
In Missouri, Public Defenders Push to Put Poor Defendants on Wait List in Attempt to Improve Their Legal Representation Critics say the list, which would apply to defendants in St. Louis County, Missouri, would infringe on people’s constitutional right to a speedy trial. Lauren Gill Nov 26, 2019
Ilhan Omar Asks For Restorative Justice For The Man Who Threatened Her Life Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 20, 2019
North Carolina Judge Rules That Prosecuting 16-year-old As An Adult Violates His Constitutional Rights Two years ago, the state passed ‘raise the age’ legislation that goes into effect in December. A judge’s decision regarding a teen charged in 2015 raises the possibility of relief for other young people charged since the law’s passage. Roxanna Asgarian Oct 22, 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
Missouri Executes Russell Bucklew Despite Threat of Botched Execution His legal team had pushed for clemency, arguing that Bucklew’s previous attorneys mishandled his capital murder case. Lauren Gill Oct 02, 2019
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 Sep 27, 2019
DNA Testing Could Save This Texas Man’s Life. But Prosecutors Are Opposing It. Rodney Reed, set to be executed on Nov. 20, is innocent of a rape and murder, his lawyers say, and untested evidence will prove it. But prosecutors have pushed back, arguing the evidence is contaminated. Lauren Gill Sep 26, 2019
This Louisiana Gulf War Veteran Is Serving Life For Selling $30 Worth Of Marijuana Derek Harris awaits arguments in the state Supreme Court about the sentencing, which one judge called ‘unconscionable.’ Aaron Morrison Sep 24, 2019
Why Juries Need Expert Help Assessing Jailhouse Informants Informants are highly motivated to lie. But jurors don’t always have the information or skills to discern the truth. Alexandra Natapoff Sep 23, 2019
Missouri Is Set To Execute Russell Bucklew. His Lawyers Say His Case Was Mishandled. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his execution, which experts have said will be bloody and gruesome, does not amount to cruel and unusual punishment. But problems with his case started long before that, his attorneys say. Lauren Gill Sep 20, 2019
Alabama Sex Offender Registry Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Teenagers, Lawsuit Argues Young people convicted as adults face a ‘life sentence’ of registry restrictions, attorneys say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 19, 2019
In Third Debate, Democratic Presidential Candidates Condemn Mass Incarceration Without Naming Its Main Driver Candidates offered reforms for people accused of low-level, nonviolent offenses, but more than half of U.S. prisoners have committed a violent crime. Aaron Morrison Sep 13, 2019
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
Hundreds of Alabama Prisoners See Opportunity For Freedom Delayed After Parole Hearings Canceled The parole board failed to comply with a new law about notifying victims, the board’s director said. Lauren Gill Sep 12, 2019
Harris County D.A. Seeks Execution of Intellectually Disabled Man, Lawyer Says Kim Ogg ran as a reform-minded district attorney candidate, but her office has sought two death warrants for Dexter Johnson, whose lawyer says cannot name everyday objects and has an IQ of 70. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 10, 2019
New York Law Removes ‘Unnecessary’ Step for Children Charged With Felonies 16-year-olds won’t have to reappear in adult criminal court if they’re arrested when youth court isn’t in session. Lauren Gill Sep 03, 2019
He Entered Prison As a ‘Whiskerless Kid.’ Will Oregon Ever Let Him Out? Despite supporting Oregon’s new juvenile justice law, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is still fighting to keep people in prison who received life sentences as minors. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘You Don’t Own Me’ At 16, Larry Rosser was imprisoned for killing a woman who sexually and physically abused him. He served 22 years in the California prison system before being released in 2017, after parole commissioners became convinced he was a rehabilitated victim. Aaron Morrison Aug 28, 2019
The Persistent History of Excluding Black Jurors in North Carolina A statewide pattern of discrimination in jury selection has gone largely uncorrected, while lives remain in the balance, advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 26, 2019
Sanders And Warren Just Released the Most Decarceral Criminal Justice Platforms Ever The 2020 presidential candidates recently unveiled national criminal justice agendas that reimagine public safety and punishment. Aaron Morrison
An Alabama Man On Death Row Says He Is Innocent. Will He Get a New Trial? In 1998, prosecutors failed to tell the defense that a key witness in Toforest Johnson’s capital murder trial would receive thousands of dollars in reward money for her testimony, Johnson’s attorneys say. Now a Birmingham judge must decide whether their argument has merit. Lauren Gill Aug 22, 2019
Sensationalist Tale of an Elderly Killer Feeds False Narrative The New York Times’s coverage of the one-off case of a 77-year-old man omits key facts about how older adults are treated by our punitive legal system. Adam H. Johnson Aug 09, 2019
Sentenced to Life Without Parole at 17 and Denied Freedom at 52 Richard Kinder thought he would die in an Alabama prison until the Supreme Court ruled mandatory juvenile life without parole unconstitutional. But last year, despite a judge concluding there was “uncontradicted evidence” that Kinder had worked to rehabilitate himself, the state parole board refused him release. Lauren Gill Aug 07, 2019
In Queens D.A. Race, Criminal Justice Reform Is The Real Winner Establishment candidate Melinda Katz declared a narrow victory in the New York City borough’s district attorney primary, but progressive Tiffany Cabán pushed the race to the left on issues like marijuana and sex work. Aaron Morrison Jul 30, 2019
Spotlight: Cory Booker’s New Sentencing Reform Bill Is About Redemption Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 19, 2019
D.C. Shows Mercy For People Who Committed Crimes As Children, But Prosecutors Are Fighting Back U.S. attorneys in D.C. have opposed the resentencing of all 14 people who have petitioned for early release under a local law. Kira Lerner May 23, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: The Risks of Risk Assessment With Hannah Sassaman and Matt Henry Adam H. Johnson Apr 04, 2019
Chicago Cop’s Sentence For Killing A Black Teenager Is ‘Exceptionally Short’ Jason Van Dyke’s sentence for the 2014 murder of Laquan McDonald is approximately half the average sentence for a person convicted of second-degree murder in Cook County, Illinois. Rob Arthur Feb 25, 2019
Bail Activist Jailed For Trying To Help When Cops Confronted Man In Mental Health Crisis Colorado-based attorney and bail activist Elisabeth Epps was just released after serving a short jail stint related to a 2015 encounter with Aurora Police. The experience gave her a new understanding of the experiences of the people she has bailed out. Aaron Morrison Feb 12, 2019
Pennsylvania Case Challenges ‘Death by Incarceration’ for 18-year-olds Recent Supreme Court rulings have led to a review of life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed at age 17 and younger, but attorneys for Avis Lee say there’s no reason to stop there. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 12, 2018
Your Essential Criminal Justice Guide to Election Night From sheriffs to bail to marijuana, and more—here’s what you need to know. Daniel Nichanian Nov 05, 2018
‘Will I Get Out Today?’ Louisiana is keeping people behind bars long after their sentences have expired, attorneys say. Victoria Law Sep 26, 2018
New York Woman Imprisoned For Defending Herself From Abuser Seeks Mercy Jacqueline Smalls was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing a boyfriend whose ‘hands were his weapons.’ She now joins the ranks of criminalized survivors seeking clemency from Governor Cuomo. Victoria Law Sep 05, 2018
As National Prison Strike Continues, Incarcerated People Face Retaliation Now in its second week, a strike staged by prisoners over poor conditions, low wages, and other issues is resulting in consequences, including harsh conduct reports and placements in solitary confinement. Raven Rakia Aug 31, 2018
A New Rhode Island Law Allows For Life Sentences in Drug Overdoses Public health advocates are concerned that ‘Kristen's Law,’ meant to punish drug dealers, will criminalize users and fail to stem the opioid crisis. Abdullah Shihipar, Meghan Peterson Aug 16, 2018
Will Governor Cuomo Give Roy Bolus a Second Chance? Bolus is one of thousands of New Yorkers sentenced to life in prison who are waiting for the governor to keep his clemency promise. Max Rivlin-Nadler Aug 06, 2018
US Attorney’s Office That Prosecuted Inauguration Day Protesters Has History of Misconduct Findings Prosecutors on the "J20" case faced grave allegations of misconduct after withholding exculpatory evidence contained in videos from defense attorneys. But this is far from the first time that this office has found itself in hot water. Jessica Brand, Ethan Brown Jul 30, 2018
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 Jul 24, 2018
Cuomo the Merciless New York's Democratic governor has granted only a trickle of commutations, fewer than many of his Democratic and Republican predecessors. Victoria Law Jun 20, 2018
Alice Marie Johnson is free. Now it’s time to free thousands more prisoners with unjustly long sentences. Kim Kardashian's successful campaign to free a 63-year-old grandmother serving a life sentence in a drug case is a reminder that we need to go big on clemency. A 52-year-old grandfather named Euka Wadlington, also doing life in a drug case, would be a great place to start. Shaun King Jun 15, 2018
Louisiana’s Love Affair With Locking Up Kids For Life Years after two landmark Supreme Court rulings, prosecutors in Louisiana are still overwhelmingly seeking life sentences for children. Victoria Law Jun 13, 2018
No Mercy As worthy cases for clemency from Cyntoia Brown to Calvin Bryant mount in Tennessee, advocates decry the fact that a Tennessee governor hasn't commuted a prison sentence since 2011. Steven Hale Jun 12, 2018
Santa Clara County Public Defender Explains What Judge Persky’s Recall Means For His Clients The judge who sentenced Brock Turner brought much-needed compassion to the bench, says public defender Sajid Khan. Paul DeBenedetto Jun 11, 2018
Crime Victims Backing Philly DA Larry Krasner Don’t Want Tougher Sentences — They Want Fair Ones Maura Ewing May 15, 2018
How Walmart is Helping Prosecutors Pursue 10-Year Sentences for Shoplifting Jessica Pishko May 08, 2018
Louisiana Denies Parole to Man Behind a Supreme Court Ruling Limiting Life Sentences for Children Aviva Shen Feb 21, 2018
13-Year-Old Charged with First-Degree Murder in Oklahoma Faces Life in Prison Raven Rakia Feb 07, 2018
The Sentencing of Larry Nassar Was Not ‘Transformative Justice.’ Here’s Why. For those of us who believe our “justice” system must be transformed, moments such as this one are a test of conviction. Kelly Hayes, Mariame Kaba Feb 05, 2018
The Misguided Call for Harsher Punishments at the Heart of the Judge Persky Recall Effort Shon Hopwood Feb 02, 2018
As New York Decarcerates, The Number of People Under Supervision of Parole Rises Victoria Law Feb 01, 2018
Death by Prosecution: Was There a Bigger Player in Drug Case Involving Man Who Killed Himself After Federal Indictment? Zachary A. Siegel Jan 22, 2018
We’re Putting Sex Offender Stamps on Passports. Here’s Why It Won’t Curb Sex Tourism & Trafficking. Guy Hamilton-Smith Nov 09, 2017
Houston Conviction and Death Sentence Goes to U.S. Supreme Court Court watchers believe Justices will side with plaintiff Larry Hannan Nov 04, 2017
“It Is So Loud Inside My Head” The words of a mentally ill man the state of Arkansas hopes to execute on November 9th Oct 24, 2017
California’s district attorneys at odds with voters over criminal justice reform District attorneys want to keep an outdated system alive. Carimah Townes Aug 23, 2017
Attorney General Jeff Sessions & the uncertain legal status of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Leah Litman Jul 27, 2017
