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
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
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
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
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
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
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
