Incarceration

New Jersey COVID-19 Bill Could Help Reduce The Harshness Of The Criminal System

If the bill is signed into law later this month, about 20 percent of the state’s prison population could see their sentences reduced to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, including some people who have served lengthy sentences for violent crimes.

Ellison Berryhill

Prisoners Inside Georgia’s Clayton County Jail Describe Desperate Efforts To Avoid COVID-19

They shared their stories as part of a lawsuit seeking urgent changes to protect prisoners. One prisoner wrote that a jail officer denied his request for a mask, so he tied old underwear around his face.

Lauren Gill

As Decriminalization Drives Reforms For Marijuana Convictions, Activists See Others Serving Time Left Behind

Despite the growing consciousness around the need for reforms, thousands of prisoners who might also deserve clemency or early release are slipping through the cracks.

Tana Ganeva Aug 06, 2020

My Friend Died In San Quentin Due To COVID-19. His Death Was Entirely Preventable.

Incompetence and inaction by California’s leaders are driving illness and death inside the state’s prison system.

Adnan Khan

Prisons Are the Public Health Crisis Connecticut Won’t Acknowledge

According to people incarcerated and their loved ones, state officials are ignoring the spread of COVID-19 at New Haven Correctional Center.

Connecticut Bail Fund Hotline Volunteers

After 78 Days, Michigan Teen Who Was Jailed For Failing To Complete Her Homework While On Probation Is Released

The Michigan Court of Appeals ordered her immediate release pending an appeal of a circuit court judge’s decision to jail the teen, known as “Grace,” in mid-May.

Dawn R. Wolfe

Mississippi Teen Who Has Languished In Jail For 17 Months Without An Indictment Is Just ‘One Of Thousands’

Sixteen-year-old William Haymon has spent more than 500 days in an adult jail in rural Lexington, Mississippi. There are no state rules governing how long a person can be incarcerated without being formally charged with a crime.

Lauren Gill

Starve The Mass Incarceration Beast By Shutting The Front Door

To decarcerate New Orleans, we must defund the police department.

Sade Dumas, David Brazil

Impunity for Law Enforcement Must End. That Includes Officers in Jails and Prisons.

Qualified immunity is just one obstacle of many that incarcerated people face when seeking to hold correctional officers accountable for misconduct.

Joshua Manson Jul 23, 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

New York City’s Public Housing Rules Could Force Many Released Prisoners Into Homelessness

As thousands of people are freed from local jails, a group of nonprofits and activist organizations says the city's housing authority must revamp its policies that banish the formerly incarcerated.

Jerry Iannelli

Michigan Judge Refuses To Release Black Teenager Who Was Jailed For Not Doing Homework

Judge Mary Ellen Brennan sent the 15-year-old, known as Grace, to juvenile detention in May for violating her probation by not completing online schoolwork. On Monday, the judge said Grace was ‘blooming’ in the facility, despite arguments by Grace that she is falling behind.

Dawn R. Wolfe Jul 21, 2020

Advocates Hope New Momentum Around Racial Justice Will Accelerate New York’s Plans To Limit Solitary Confinement

A year after state officials said they would take steps to overhaul solitary confinement rules, prisoners remain isolated in conditions that one says is akin to being ‘buried alive.’

Victoria Law Jul 20, 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

Prisoners Face ‘Undue Punishment’ As The IRS Claws Back Their Stimulus Checks

Legal experts say the IRS is illegally denying CARES Act payments to incarcerated people.

Jordan Michael Smith

San Quentin Prisoners Go On Hunger Strike Amid Massive COVID-19 Outbreak

About 20 people in the prison’s Badger section have been on hunger strike for the past few days, three people incarcerated there say.

Kira Lerner Jul 01, 2020

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

Nationwide Calls For Police Reform Put New Pressure On Atlanta To Close Its City Jail

‘As long as there’s a jail, there’s going to be police trying to put our poor folks in it,’ one activist said.

Victoria Law

Georgia Budget Cuts Threaten Prisoners’ Ability To Challenge Convictions

Citing the pandemic, state legislators asked all agencies to trim their budgets. The cuts could eliminate positions for public defenders who can show a trial or sentence was unjust, overturn convictions, or reduce a person’s time.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

How the Federal Government Lost Track of Deaths in Custody

The Department of Justice is leaving researchers, policymakers, and advocates in the dark about deaths in police custody, prisons, and jails.

Ethan Corey

In the Middle of a Pandemic, Prisoners at San Quentin Are Punished for Being Sick

Prisoners are reluctant to report when they’re feeling sick, because they know they’ll be sent to solitary confinement.

Juan Moreno Haines

As Use of Solitary Confinement Surges, Advocates Call for Releasing Prisoners

Legal, medical, and religious groups warn in a new report that the widespread use of solitary confinement in response to COVID-19 risks spreading the disease further and undoing a decade of progress.

Joshua Manson Jun 19, 2020

Formerly Incarcerated Businessowners Sue SBA For Denying Them COVID-19 Emergency Loans

The lawsuit says the Small Business Administration overstepped its authority by imposing ‘arbitrary and capricious’ restrictions on a loan program passed by Congress.

Bryce Covert

Cops, Climate, COVID: Why There Is Only One Crisis

Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis are both provoked by natural phenomena, the dangers they present are just as political as the crisis of police violence.

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

Grim Stories From Inside An Arkansas Prison Capture The Toll Of Covid-19

The accounts by prisoners in Cummins Unit contradict messaging from the state Department of Corrections, which says it has taken aggressive steps to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Lauren Gill

Governors’ Coronavirus Decisions Put People of Color In Harm’s Way

As the country reopens, we can’t quickly forget these failures of government, which have disproportionately harmed Black, Latinx, and Native people. 

David A. Love

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

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funds Clean Slate Policy. So Why Won’t Facebook Take Down Mugshots?

Mark Zuckerberg could engage in criminal legal reform by bringing Facebook's policies in line with CZI's mission and allow people to request that their mugshot be taken down.

Sarah Esther Lageson

New York State Won’t Grant Temporary Release To Former Black Panther Hospitalized With Covid-19

‘This ruling is a particularly terrible blow because it comes at a time when people are taking to the streets en masse to protest state violence against Black people,’ said Nora Carroll, an attorney for Jalil Muntaqim, who has been imprisoned since 1971.

Victoria Law

Probation Conditions Relaxed During the Pandemic. Some Say They Should Stay That Way.

Public safety is not improved by stricter probation and parole rules, researchers have found.

Lauren Lee White

‘I can never be more grateful.’ After Nearly 35 Years, Willie Mae Harris Is Released From Prison

Harris, now 72 and blind, had been serving a life sentence for the shooting death of her husband, a man she said had abused her for years. Last month, the Arkansas Parole Board agreed to free her.

Lauren Gill

Federal Bureau of Prisons Locks Down Prisoners and Takes Away Communications Amid Protests

After protests broke out in several cities in response to George Floyd’s death, the agency ordered the first nationwide lockdown in 25 years.

Lauren Gill

Amid One Of The Nation’s Worst Coronavirus Outbreaks, A Shortage Of Ankle Monitors Kept Some People In Jail

Advocates question why Chicago judges continued to order people to home detention instead of releasing them on their own recognizance.

Kira Lerner

‘I Am Feeling Scared And Alone.’ The Reopening Of America Leaves Behind Prisoners Who Remain At Risk Of COVID-19

Texas’s governor has proclaimed that ‘safe practices save lives,’ but prisoners say that advice can’t be followed in the state’s prisons, where unsanitary conditions have left the novel coronavirus ‘spreading vigorously.’

Tana Ganeva

For Children, A Parent In Prison During The Pandemic Heightens Anxiety

“My dad, he’s part of the vulnerable population. If I think about it, it becomes really, really, really scary. So to be completely honest, I’m trying not to think about it.”

Amos Barshad May 30, 2020

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

She Turned Her Life Around After A String Of DUIs. Now She Might Be Sent Back To Prison Amid A Coronavirus Outbreak

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office waited four years to charge Danielle Sutherland for one of the DUIs. After serving time for the others, she received treatment for her substance use issues and pursued a degree.

Meg O'Connor

A Transgender Woman’s Attorneys Fear She Won’t Survive Her 60-Month Sentence

New York attorneys have launched a campaign to release transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary prisoners during the pandemic.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 28, 2020

Two of His Sons Are Incarcerated During the Pandemic. A Third Is Fighting to Get Them Out.

Both incarcerated brothers are at an increased risk of complications from COVID-19—and one has tested positive.

Chris Gelardi

Oakland County Jail Ordered To Identify Prisoners Who Should Be Released To Protect Them From COVID-19

A U.S. district court judge said the Michigan jail has demonstrated ‘deliberate indifference’ to the lives of ‘medically vulnerable’ prisoners who are at particular risk of the novel coronavirus.

Dawn R. Wolfe May 21, 2020

Still in Solitary

Five years after statewide hunger strikes and a landmark settlement, men incarcerated in a California prison say they’re still isolated for up to 22 hours a day.

Joshua Manson

Parole Reform Might Have Freed Maryland’s Longest-Serving Incarcerated Woman. Instead, She Was Hospitalized With COVID-19.

Eraina Pretty has served 42 years in prison in connection with a 1978 store robbery. A new law that might have led to her release has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Victoria Law

The Pandemic Had Prisoners’ Nerves On Edge. Then The Power Started Going Out.

For weeks, two houses in Illinois’ Vienna Correctional Center ran on generator power and had intermittent failures, multiple prisoners told The Appeal. The outages made it harder to use the shared bathroom, one of the few places they could wash their hands.

Kira Lerner, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 20, 2020

Arkansas Grants Parole To Willie Mae Harris Three Decades After She Was Convicted For Killing Her Husband

Harris, now 72 and blind, was sentenced to life in prison in 1985. Since she first started petitioning for executive clemency in 1998, the state’s parole board recommended her for release five times.

Lauren Gill

Louisiana Women Incarcerated for Defending Themselves Against Abusive Partners Seek Clemency Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The state has recommended the release of 10 women at a coronavirus-ravaged prison—but Governor John Bel Edwards still hasn’t signed the paperwork.

Jerry Iannelli

Why We Shouldn’t Reward Fearmongering in Criminal Justice Reporting

The Courier Journal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting on Governor Matt Bevin’s commutations sensationalizes crime at the expense of future clemency efforts.

Zachary A. Siegel, Leo Beletsky May 19, 2020

Lawsuit Alleges Women Are Held In Worse Conditions Than Men At Upstate New York Jail

The women are kept in cramped, unsanitary quarters, the suit says, and are not permitted the same job opportunities as men held at the same facility.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Isolation, Death, And Grief at a New York Women’s Prison

Coronavirus infections climb at the state’s only maximum-security facility for women, and those held there fear for their safety.

Lyra Walsh Fuchs May 18, 2020

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

Lawsuit Seeks The Release Of ‘Medically Vulnerable’ People Held At Oakland County Jail In Michigan

A district court judge who issued a temporary restraining order in the case said jail officials had not ‘imposed even the most basic safety measures recommended by health experts.’

Dawn R. Wolfe May 15, 2020

He Found Freedom After More Than Two Decades In Prison. But He Was Released Into A World Changed by COVID-19.

Euka Wadlington was denied clemency by the Department of Justice under Obama. But then he mounted a legal challenge to sentencing enhancements used in his drug case; in April, a federal judge granted his release. Now he’s adjusting to freedom—and life in the coronavirus era.

Euka Wadlington

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 May 14, 2020

Louisiana’s Longest-Serving Incarcerated Woman Returned To Prison After Being Hospitalized For COVID-19

The family of Gloria Williams, who has served 50 years in prison, is now pressing Governor John Bel Edwards to commute her sentence 10 months after a parole board recommended she be freed.

Victoria Law

After More Than 25 Years Behind Bars, He’s At High Risk For Coronavirus. Now He’s Going Home

John Wesley Parratt Jr. was scheduled to appear before the parole board in July. After the novel coronavirus arrived in San Quentin State Prison, he feared for his health.

Juan Moreno Haines

The Other Infectious Disease Ravaging America’s Jails And Prisons

Hepatitis C has ripped through prisons and jails, despite more effective treatments for the disease. It is a comorbidity to COVID-19, and the pandemic threatens to cut already weak state funding for prisons to treat those with the disease.

Samuel Weiss

Mississippi Has Tested Fewer Than 1% of State Prisoners and Staff For COVID-19

Governor Tate Reeves has touted the state’s testing efforts as ‘aggressive,’ but testing rates in the state’s prisons, where the coronavirus has already claimed at least one life, remain low.

Ko Bragg May 13, 2020

Advocates Push New York Governor for More Releases From Jails and Prisons

The governor’s requirements for release are too narrow in light of the threat from COVID-19, they say.

Bryce Covert

Cleaning Supplies Are So Scarce At This Arizona Prison, Detainees Are Using Shampoo And Menstrual Pads, Lawsuit Says

The plaintiffs want an independent expert to assess whether the facility has implemented social distancing measures, testing procedures, and hygiene practices adequate enough to reasonably protect detainees from contracting COVID-19 while in custody.

Meg O'Connor May 12, 2020

Jails and Prisons Must Reduce Their Populations Now

We did it in San Francisco. If we are smart about how we respond to COVID-19 in the criminal legal system, then we can simultaneously tackle two crises.

Cristine Soto DeBerry

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 May 11, 2020

A Woman’s Fight to Get Her Terminally Ill Sister Out of Prison During the Pandemic

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he’s releasing thousands of prisoners. But that doesn’t necessarily include some of the state’s sickest patients.

Mara Kardas-Nelson

Advocates Push For Details On Georgia’s Response To COVID-19 In Prisons and Jails

‘Our state and local officials have a responsibility to not endanger those who are under correctional control,’ the ACLU of Georgia’s executive director said.

Lauren Gill May 08, 2020

Prisoners Who Test Positive For COVID-19 In Connecticut Are Sent To A Notorious Maximum Security Prison

Faculty members of the Yale School of Public Health, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Nursing wrote to the governor that sending patients there is “inhumane and ineffective.”

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Bureau of Prisons Is ‘Shifting Deck Chairs on the Titanic’ With Quarantine Plan, Critics Say

Criminal justice reform advocates question why the BOP plans to move people around rather than reduce prison populations.

Kira Lerner

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 May 07, 2020

Death Of New Mother At Federal Prison Hospital Prompts Calls For Accountability In Texas

Andrea Circle Bear was confined within FMC Carswell while suffering from the novel coronavirus. ‘She was serving a 26-month sentence that ended up being a death penalty,’ one maternity specialist said.

Tana Ganeva May 06, 2020

‘We Are Scared’: Stuck Inside ICE Detention’s Coronavirus Epicenter

People incarcerated in the Otay Mesa Detention Center decry crowded units and substandard medical care as COVID-19 tears through the facility.

Chris Gelardi

Sluggish LA County Courts Are Leaving Young People Locked Up During the Pandemic

While adults in the county have been granted expedited release in groups, the juvenile court continues to review cases individually.

LJ Dawson

Arkansas Allows Employees Who Test Positive For COVID-19 To Continue Working In The State’s Prisons

Attorneys for prisoners say the policy goes against public health warnings and will ‘promote and facilitate a viral outbreak.’

Lauren Gill May 05, 2020

Ohio Federal Prison, Struggling to Contain Coronavirus, Loses Challenge to Stall Releases

An appellate court says officials at Federal Correctional Institution, Elkton, must begin identifying prisoners vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.

Marcia Brown

Hospitalized With COVID-19 and Handcuffed for Days

After a man incarcerated in a New Jersey state prison was hospitalized with COVID-19, he said he was handcuffed for 36 hours. The cuffs got tangled in his IV, causing it to rip out, he said. “It was so painful. You have no idea.”

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Children in Residential Treatment Centers Are Especially Vulnerable to COVID-19

Tens of thousands of children are in congregate care settings around the country, and some have already started to get sick.

Roxanna Asgarian

Coalition’s Efforts Amid Coronavirus Derail Plans For New Women’s Prison

The onset of COVID-19—and the need for social distancing—gave an unexpected boost to efforts against plans for a new prison in Washington.

Victoria Law May 04, 2020

A Vermont Judge Had Plans to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 in Prisons. Lawmakers Scrapped Them.

Political concerns are slowing efforts to depopulate prisons in the state, advocates say.

Adam Willems May 01, 2020

Louisiana’s Data On Coronavirus Infections Among Prisoners Is Troubled And Lacks Transparency

The state is sending virus-positive people to Angola prison—but those numbers aren’t reported on the Department of Corrections website.

Jerry Iannelli

Delaware Officials Defy Calls To Release Prisoners Who Are At Risk Of Dying From Coronavirus

Prisoners feel like they are ‘sitting ducks,’ said a woman whose boyfriend is incarcerated at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

Lauren Gill Apr 30, 2020

Shot By Police, Then Convicted In A Murder He Says He Didn’t Commit. Now He’s Facing COVID-19 Behind Bars.

The 2015 shooting left Keith Davis Jr. with respiratory issues. His defense attorney says that as he appeals his case he should be freed from prison.

Brandon Soderberg Apr 29, 2020

College Programs In Prison Show The Value Of Educating Every American

Prisons, one graduate writes, should be institutions of learning, not ‘wastelands’ that willfully overlook human potential.

Rodney Spivey-Jones

Dozens Of Reports From Inside Cook County Jail Paint A Grim Picture As COVID-19 Cases Soar

Prisoners say the jail, which has seen more than 800 confirmed cases, is a ‘death trap’ plagued by sanitary issues and a lack of testing. Their testimonies stand at stark odds with the sheriff’s office, which says it is keeping ‘staff and detainees as safe as possible.’

Maya Dukmasova Apr 28, 2020

As the Coronavirus Spreads, Prisoners Are Rising Up For Their Health

Faced with inaction on the part of state and corrections officials, incarcerated people in jails, prisons, and detention centers are protesting their treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Dan Berger, Ryan Fatica and Duncan Tarr Apr 27, 2020

I Killed My Brother When I Was 17. Now I’m Saving Lives In Prison.

Cayce French, who is serving life in prison at the Oregon State Correctional Institution, describes how getting clean and participating in rehabilitation programs has transformed his identity.

Cayce French

‘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

In Alabama, Prisoners Must Sign Consent Form to Get Protective Masks

Medical ethics experts have criticized the state’s prison officials and say masks to protect against COVID-19 should be distributed ‘with no strings attached.’

Lauren Gill Apr 23, 2020

Louisiana’s Longest-Serving Incarcerated Woman, Recommended for Clemency Last July, Hospitalized with COVID-19

Governor John Bel Edwards has yet to commute Gloria Williams’s sentence despite a parole board’s unanimous recommendation that she be freed. Now she is in critical condition at a Baton Rouge hospital.

Victoria Law

Coronavirus Is Ready To Explode Inside Fort Dix Federal Prison, Incarcerated People and Their Loved Ones Say

One prisoner says a man collapsed while waiting for a temperature check and was sprayed down with disinfectant as he lay on the floor. BOP denied it.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Closure of D.C.’s Only Men’s Halfway House Leaves Residents Scrambling For A Safe Place To Live

The Bureau of Prisons could send those without homes to alternative halfway houses far from D.C. or back to prison at the end of the month.

Kira Lerner

A Man With Coronavirus Symptoms At Rikers Island Describes His Ordeal

‘I would go to the hospital very often and they wouldn’t do anything for me.’

Kim Kelly

Missing Jail Data Hampers COVID-19 Release Efforts in Massachusetts

The state’s law enforcement agencies failed to implement a 2018 data-sharing law. Now officials are struggling to identify high-risk people to release from county jails.

Ethan Corey Apr 22, 2020

For Women At A Federal Prison Hospital In Texas, Fear That Coronavirus Will Spread ‘Like Wildfire’

‘This is getting worse,’ one woman said. ‘People just want to sleep or fight. They play with our emotions constantly. This place is scary.’

Tana Ganeva Apr 21, 2020

Coronavirus Exposes Precarity of Prison Towns

Towns like Homer, Louisiana, have huge prisons, a tiny populace, and few public health resources—a potentially lethal combination as COVID-19 spreads.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem

The Supreme Court Just Struck Down the Last State Law Allowing Split Jury Verdicts

Ramos v. Louisiana is a long-overdue affirmation of the constitutional rights of criminal defendants—and sets the stage for dramatic Supreme Court fights in the years ahead.

Jay Willis Apr 20, 2020

Colorado Supreme Court Fails To Protect State Residents As Coronavirus Grows ‘Exponentially’ In Jails

People behind bars are too often forgotten and treated as expendable. We cannot afford to forget them. Our shared survival and shared humanity demand action.

Aya Gruber, Benjamin Levin Apr 17, 2020

Drive-By Protesters Demand Release Of All Prisoners In D.C. Amid Coronavirus

‘It seems like Black people are still being criminalized and are not free,’ one organizer said.

Lauren Gill

Louisiana Prisoners Held In Notorious Isolation Unit Are Facing A ‘Slow-Moving Disaster’

Criminal justice advocates have called Camp J at the Louisiana State Penitentiary ‘a dungeon.’ Now it’s housing prisoners who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Victoria Law

‘That Man Can’t Breathe’

A sheriff’s deputy in Louisiana is caught on video choking a man after he says he asked for COVID-19 treatment.

Jerry Iannelli Apr 16, 2020

A Veteran Was Sent to Jail for Stealing Masks to Give to Homeless People

Peter Lucas was jailed overnight at a time when prosecutors across the country are actively working to reduce the number of people behind bars to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Meg O'Connor

Alabama Reopens ‘Deplorable’ Prison To Quarantine New Prisoners

Approximately 100 men will be transported to Draper Correctional Facility, which has long been known for its nightmarish conditions.

Lauren Gill

His Immune System Is Compromised and He Spent Two Months in Jail Unable to Afford Bail

A man describes his ordeal in medical isolation while awaiting trial.

Eliyahu Kamisher

‘The Situation Here Is Dire’: How An Upstate New York Prison Failed to Contain a COVID-19 Outbreak

FCI Ray Brook was slow to respond to the spread of coronavirus among correctional officers. Now the outbreak has reached prisoners.

Harry August, Alex Garnick

Advocates Say Ohio’s Governor Is Failing To Protect Prisoners From Coronavirus

Governor Mike DeWine, critics say, ‘is risking turning low-level prison sentences into death sentences.’

Dawn R. Wolfe

In Overcrowded San Quentin, Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place Measures Mean Decreased Quality of Life

With programming paused and prison jobs reduced, people inside will not be able to earn good-time credits and are cut off from a means of supporting themselves.

Juan Moreno Haines

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 Apr 15, 2020

Over DA’s Objections, a Man Living With Cancer Can Remain at Home While Awaiting Trial

His attorney says the Suffolk County DA’s office tried to send “an innocent man to his death.”

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Emptying Prisons to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus Will Save Lives on the Outside, Too

By letting people out now, we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system with sick prisoners later.

Oliver Hinds

Surviving a Pandemic When Your Loved One Is in Prison

The families and partners of those incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Complex at Oakdale are sharing information and support as COVID-19 hits the prison.

Joshua Manson Apr 14, 2020

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 Apr 10, 2020

Every Public Official With The Power To Decarcerate Must Exercise That Power Now

Doing so will save countless lives, and in the process, they may show us by example how to begin, finally, to dismantle mass incarceration for good.

Sharon Dolovich

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

Report From Inside Angola Prison Paints A Troubling Picture As Coronavirus Grips Louisiana

'We are still packed in like sardines,' writes Fate Winslow, who's serving a life sentence. 'The prison doesn't supply anything for us.'

Tana Ganeva

The COVID-19 Prison Disaster Is No Longer Hypothetical

People are dying in jails and prisons because elected officials hesitated at the worst possible moment.

Jay Willis Apr 09, 2020

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

Government Enforcement of Quarantine Raises Concerns About Increased Surveillance

Louisville, Kentucky judges are ordering people with COVID-19 who have allegedly defied quarantine to wear GPS ankle monitors, raising ethical questions about the government's role in a pandemic.

Kira Lerner

Parole Violations Nearly Sentenced These People To COVID-19

Twenty-eight people were to attend weeks-long drug treatment programs after violating parole. The COVID-19 pandemic nearly trapped them in jail indefinitely.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Palm Beach County Sheriff Opposes Prisoner Release Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Public defenders are working with the courts to secure release for people incarcerated in the Florida county, many of whom are jailed for low-level offenses.

Victoria Law Apr 08, 2020

Don’t Look to the DOJ to Keep Federal Prisons and Their Surrounding Communities Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experts are urging large-scale releases. But the Department of Justice often operates contrary to expertise.

Shon Hopwood

At the Center of the Coronavirus Pandemic, People Inside NYC Jails Describe Fear, Confusion and a Lack of Supplies

'They're not supplying us with masks, they’re not supplying us gloves, they're not supplying us with decent cleaning supplies.'

Kim Kelly

As COVID-19 Ravages Florida, Incarcerated People Are Still Doing The State’s Hard Outdoor Labor

Despite risks to incarcerated people and the public, Florida is sending prisoners to perform hard labor.

Jerry Iannelli

‘It’s Absolute Hell.’ Coronavirus Derails Parole Hearings Across U.S. As Health Risks To Prisoners Grow

In Alabama and elsewhere, canceled hearings and new procedures are complicating the parole process for people hoping to be freed.

Lauren Gill Apr 07, 2020

Prisoners in Illinois Describe Dire Conditions Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

It took a prisoner’s death ‘just for them to pass out a single extra bar of soap,’ one incarcerated man said.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

What It’s Like Inside A Miami Jail As Coronavirus Spreads: “This Place Is A Petri Dish For Disease”

I am trying my best to take care of myself in the midst of this pandemic, no different from you, no different from any other human being. But it’s impossible to do that at this jail. 

Anthony Swain Apr 06, 2020

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 Apr 05, 2020

The Pandemic Exposes The Shared Fates Of The Jailed And The Jailer

Incarcerated people, corrections officers, and their families and communities are bound together by the threat of a deadly and fast-moving disease. The sooner we recognize this, and take decisive action, the more lives we will save.

Cyrus Ahalt Apr 03, 2020

People Held in New York Prison Say They Face Abuse After Guard In Their Unit Tested Positive For COVID-19

Men in Unit B-2 at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility say staff members have harassed and abused them since they possibly came into contact with an infected officer.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem

With Prison Visitation Suspended Due To COVID-19, Families Of Incarcerated People Say Phone Calls Should Be Free

Telecommunications companies that serve prisons and jails, like Securus Technologies and Global Tel Link, are offering a limited number of free calls, but families say it’s not enough.

Molly Minta Apr 02, 2020

Prosecutors In This Virginia County Are Letting People Go To Jail for Low-Level Offenses In The Middle of a Pandemic

Public defenders in Fairfax County say their clients are being sent into harm’s way.

Kira Lerner

Fears Grow That Coronavirus Could Overtake Florida’s Largest Women’s Prison

With COVID-19 rapidly spreading across the state, there’s heightened concern that the conditions inside Lowell Correctional Institution, coupled with the prison’s sizable elderly and pregnant population, could foster a deadly outbreak.

Alexandra DeLuca Apr 01, 2020

The Texas Appeals Court Upheld This Man’s Death Sentence Despite New Scientific Evidence

The ruling is a setback for the state's so-called junk science statute.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Despite Coronavirus Fears, ICE Fights to Keep a Sick Michigan Man It Can’t Deport Locked Up

ICE has adopted no policies aimed at releasing any of the 38,000 people it keeps in county jails and private detention centers across the country.

Chris Gelardi

The Voices Warning Trump About COVID-19 In Prisons Are Growing Louder. Will He Listen?

There are no good reasons for the president to keep vulnerable people behind bars any longer.

Jay Willis Mar 31, 2020

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

Halfway House Residents Describe ‘A Scary Situation’ As Coronavirus Sweeps The U.S.

‘It is progressively getting worse, exponentially worse,’ a resident of one halfway house told The Appeal as part of a survey of facilities. ‘Something is going to happen and it’s not going to be good.’

Lauren Gill

A Plea to Governor Newsom: Don’t Abandon Elderly Incarcerated People to Die From COVID-19

We can’t allow “violent criminal” rhetoric to justify leaving some of the most vulnerable people in dangerous conditions.

James King Mar 30, 2020

Lawsuit Calls For Emergency Release of ICE Detainees in a Massachusetts County

People held in Bristol County are ‘extremely agitated and panicking’ due to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Julia Rock, Sara Van Horn

Coronavirus Prompts Urgent Calls For Minors In Detention To Be Released

‘Continuing to maintain these youths in this hotbed of contagion poses an unconscionable and entirely preventable risk of harm,’ one lawsuit states.

Liz Robbins

A Public Health Doctor And Head Of Corrections Agree: We Must Immediately Release People From Jails And Prisons

Decisive action by governors and the President now can save lives -- of incarcerated people, correctional and medical personnel, and nearby community members. Business as usual will not.

Brie Williams, Leann Bertsch Mar 27, 2020

Admissions to Illinois State Prisons Suspended, With Few Exceptions, Due to Coronavirus

Prisoners are “especially vulnerable to contracting and spreading COVID-19,” Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker wrote in his executive order.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

How Coronavirus is Changing Life Inside San Quentin State Prison

“They are treating it like any epidemic in prison—that is to isolate, treat and then release back to the population.”

Juan Moreno Haines

Our Leaders Have the Power to Release People in Prison. Now They Must Use It.

State governors and the president have the authority to grant commutations and reprieves to people in prison across the country as COVID-19 spreads.

Rachel Barkow

New York City Jails Have an Alarmingly High Infection Rate, According to an Analysis by the Legal Aid Society

“Based on this analysis, New York City jails have become the epicenter of COVID-19,” a Legal Aid attorney said.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 26, 2020

An Update On What’s Happening Inside Rikers Island as Coronavirus Spreads

“The doctors said they were going to come and do screenings every day, but for the past two days, they’ve just come into the dorm and stood by the front door and yelled, ‘Does anybody have any symptoms?’”

Kim Kelly Mar 25, 2020

Are We Really All ‘In This Together’?

Sarah Lustbader Mar 24, 2020

What It’s Like to Be Inside Rikers Island As Coronavirus Spreads

“Still no hand sanitizer, no bleach.”

Kim Kelly

Coronavirus Has Come to Rikers, and the People Inside Are Fighting to Survive

The island’s Communicable Disease Unit is already overflowing with quarantined people.

Kim Kelly

Why Coronavirus in Jails Should Concern All of Us

New research shows that jails contribute to infectious disease deaths in the greater community.

Sandhya Kajeepeta, Seth J. Prins

To Prevent Coronavirus Spread, New Jersey Authorizes Major Jail Release

Up to 1,000 people will have their sentences delayed or suspended.

Kira Lerner Mar 23, 2020

As the U.S. Scrambles to Slow Coronavirus, We Should Be Wary of Increased Surveillance

When the dust settles on this pandemic, we need to be clear on what was an emergency response and what is a desirable permanent change.

James Kilgore

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

History Teaches Us That When Viruses Come to Prisons, Punishment Is Not the Answer

The H1N1 pandemic, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and other outbreaks have taught us that blanket policies of solitary confinement and isolation have led to harmful outcomes.

Joshua Manson

First Two Coronavirus Cases Confirmed at California Prisons

The state Department of Corrections confirmed two staff cases of COVID-19. No prisoners have been confirmed to have the virus, the department said.

Kira Lerner Mar 20, 2020

Coronavirus Derails Effort To Shorten Prison Terms In Oklahoma

Organizers have been collecting signatures as part of a ballot initiative known as State Question 805, which calls for the end of sentencing enhancements for people convicted of nonviolent crimes.

Lauren Gill

His Case Was Vacated. But His Medical Treatment In Prison Nearly Killed Him.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Seifullah Chapman's Eighth Amendment Rights were violated by federal prison staff who were indifferent to his medical needs.

Akintunde Ahmad

ICE Detainees Launch Hunger Strike Over Coronavirus Fears

Conditions at the Newark jail where the strike is taking place were dire even before the threat of COVID-19.

Brendan O'Connor Mar 19, 2020

An Urgent Plea For Compassionate Release As Coronavirus Spreads

A man with multiple medical conditions incarcerated on a technical violation urgently needs to be released, his attorney says.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 18, 2020

This Tool Can Track Changes to Incarcerated Populations Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

At a time when it’s vital to reduce jail and prison populations to prevent outbreaks, this data can help advocates identify areas where that is or is not happening.

Oliver Hinds Mar 17, 2020

Coronavirus Leaves Defense Attorneys Torn Between Visiting Their Jailed Clients And Spreading The Illness

To prevent more people from being infected with COVID-19, defense attorneys are calling for courts to release people.

Lauren Gill

To Stop Coronavirus, Places Where People Gather are Shutting Down Across California. What About Its Jails?

Activists are calling on the governor, district attorneys, sheriffs, and judges to take action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 16, 2020

New York Department of Corrections Investigator Dies From COVID-19

The individual had no contact with people in custody for at least the past month, according to the DOC.

Kira Lerner

As Florida Primary Approaches, Many With Felony Convictions Remain Unclear if They Can Vote

Advocates worry the widespread confusion may have a chilling effect on eligible voters.

Kira Lerner

Why Jails Are Key to ‘Flattening the Curve’ of Coronavirus

Local jails are notorious amplifiers of infectious diseases. If we don’t move quickly to reduce their population, it may undermine our ability to control the new coronavirus, nationally and locally.

Kelsey Kauffman Mar 13, 2020

I Was a Child When The State Sentenced Me To Die In Prison. But I Found A Path To Redemption In A Community Of Lifers.

I learned later than I should have what you probably already know: that it is strength not weakness to lean on somebody when you feel vulnerable and defeated and let them help you.

Seth Koch

Sentenced to COVID-19

Sarah Lustbader Mar 12, 2020

In Oregon, a Hopeful Sign for Those Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms as Children

The state’s attorney general decided to support resentencing hearings in two high-profile cases, though she had fought appeals in the past.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Cash Bail Is Creating a Crisis in Rural Jails

A federal lawsuit alleges lack of due process in a rural Tennessee county, and reform advocates say its jail is hardly an outlier.

Jessica Pishko

Coronavirus: We’re Urged To Wash Our Hands, But For Some It’s Not That Simple

Vaidya Gullapalli Mar 11, 2020

Pressure Builds on New York Governor To Address Coronavirus Impact on Prisoners

Andrew Cuomo, who recently announced the state would employ prisoners to make hand sanitizer, must prepare for the particular vulnerabilities of the state’s prison population to COVID-19, advocates say.

Bryce Covert

San Francisco Officials Push to Reduce Jail Population to Prevent Coronavirus Outbreak

The public defender and district attorney both directed their staffs to keep individuals who are more vulnerable to the virus out of jail.

Darwin BondGraham

Coronavirus: Prosecuting Our Way Out Of A Pandemic

Sarah Lustbader Mar 10, 2020

Indiana Advocates Call on Governor to Release Elderly And Infirm Prisoners As Coronavirus Spreads

More than 100 people signed an open letter to Eric Holcomb requesting that he begin releasing people most likely to be seriously harmed or killed by the coronavirus.

Joshua Vaughn

Michigan Agrees to Pay $80 Million in Prison Sex Abuse Lawsuit

A complaint filed in 2013 on behalf of 500 currently and formerly incarcerated youth alleged that they were assaulted and harassed by incarcerated adults and corrections staff in adult prisons and jails across the state.

Dawn R. Wolfe

For Many Serving Harsh Sentences, the Governor Becomes a Last Hope

Lawmakers are recognizing the harms of mass incarceration. But some governors are reluctant to use their clemency power to address them.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 05, 2020

What Did Super Tuesday Mean For Criminal Justice?

Vaidya Gullapalli Mar 04, 2020

Ayanna Pressley’s Husband Spent 10 Years in Prison. Now He and Pressley Are Fighting for Re-Entry Reform

The U.S. representative said her husband helped her realize that when one person is incarcerated, many more are affected.

Kira Lerner

How Super Tuesday Has Been Shaped By Criminal Justice Issues

Sarah Lustbader Mar 03, 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

This D.A. Election Could Bring a Big Change in How Austin, Texas Treats Drug Addiction

In Travis County, thousands of people continue to be prosecuted for low-level drug possession charges that reform-minded district attorneys elsewhere have committed to dropping.

Kira Lerner Mar 02, 2020

My Vote Was Taken Away From My Community and Given To a District Where I Was Incarcerated

Prison-based gerrymandering takes political power away from Black and Latinx communities—power that could be used to push for more funding for schools, social services, infrastructure, and other important reforms.

Robert Saleem Holbrook

Another Reason To End Prison Gerrymandering: To Identify And Invest In Neighborhoods Most Affected By Incarceration

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 28, 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

Life Sentences Lock Away Too Many People And Too Much Potential

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 26, 2020

A Precarious Time For The Insanity Defense

Sarah Lustbader Feb 25, 2020

My Friend Spent Much of His Formative Years in Prison. He Didn’t Have to Die There.

Josh Norman was one of the 17 people to die in Mississippi prisons so far this year. His death raises important questions about the state’s failures.

Justin Brooks

Survey: A Majority Of Voters Support Review Of Extreme Sentences

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 24, 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

Elizabeth Warren Announces Plan to Legalize Marijuana If Elected President

The Democratic candidate also pledged to expunge prior criminal convictions for marijuana and invest in the communities most affected by the war on drugs.

Joshua Vaughn Feb 23, 2020

Stop-And-Frisk Made Michael Bloomberg A Big Target In The Presidential Debate. His Opponents Still Missed.

Advocates say the narrowing field of Democratic candidates did not seize an opportunity to lay out clear visions on criminal justice reform to contrast the former New York City mayor’s record on policing.

Aaron Morrison Feb 20, 2020

In San Quentin Prison, Getting The Flu Can Land You In Solitary Confinement

Prisoners avoid admitting they are sick because they don’t want to be put in solitary, so nurses go cell to cell to take their temperatures.

Juan Moreno Haines

Collective Punishment At A Massachusetts Prison

Vaidya Gullapalli

Florida Can’t Bar People From Voting Because of Inability to Pay, Appeals Court Says

The court found that a law that critics described as a poll tax violates the Constitution.

Kira Lerner Feb 19, 2020

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

One Thing Barr Gets right: The Sentencing Guidelines Are Indeed Too Harsh

Sarah Lustbader

Bail Reform Was Just The Beginning Of What Democrats Were Elected To Do

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 14, 2020

He Attempted Suicide and Ended Up In Jail

Arthur’s story speaks to a troubling tendency in the legal system, reform advocates say: to treat mental health crises as criminal matters, rather than matters of public health.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

New York Democrats Are Caving On Bail

Sarah Lustbader Feb 13, 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 Path To Liberation Does Not Go Through Pretrial Punishment

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 12, 2020

Rosa Jimenez Went to Prison for Murdering a Child. Four Judges Have Said She’s Most Likely Innocent

Advocates say junk science was used to convict Jimenez. DA Margaret Moore has not yet decided whether she will drop charges or retry her.

Kira Lerner, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

How Witness Identifications Send Innocent People to Prison

Mistaken identifications have been involved in nearly 70 percent of post-conviction exonerations based on DNA evidence.

Jay Willis Feb 11, 2020

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

After A Long Fight, Facial Recognition Technology Is In One New York School District

Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 07, 2020

Clemency Gave Him A Second Chance. He Won’t Forget His Friends Who Haven’t Been As Lucky

A year after Alfonzo Riley returned from prison, he’s helping to vet innocence claims.

Kira Lerner Feb 06, 2020

Delaware Lawmakers Push Bill That Could Pay Reparations To The Wrongfully Incarcerated

Elmer Daniels served nearly 40 years in prison before he was exonerated in 2018. He's one of at least three people who could receive $50,000 for every year spent behind bars.

Lauren Gill

Major County Jails Are Decarcerating, But Violence, Deaths Persist

Jails in New Orleans and Cleveland have had significant population drops, yet conditions of confinement remain poor. Communities harmed by these jails should experiment with new accountability measures to maintain political pressure against jail administrators.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem Feb 05, 2020

Jackie Lacey Met Her Progressive Challengers On Stage For The First Time, And It Was Explosive

A fiery debate outlined what’s at stake in the race to lead the largest prosecutor’s office in the country.

Eliyahu Kamisher Jan 30, 2020

On Kobe Bryant, The Search For Nuance In An All-Or-Nothing System

Sarah Lustbader Jan 28, 2020

Federal Crackdown On Fentanyl Analogues Repeats the Mistakes of the Drug War, Advocates Warn

Legislators are considering giving the DEA dangerous authority, harm reduction advocates say.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

When Jail Time Comes With A Bill

Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 27, 2020

Family Separation And ‘A Longer View Of Public Safety’: A Conversation With San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin

Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 24, 2020

Woman ‘Brutally’ Beaten in Mississippi Prison Died Because Officials Failed To Give Her Medical Care, Lawsuit Alleges

The father of Nicole Rathmann says his daughter was “not made safe by employees” while incarcerated at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. She was one of 16 prisoners to die in state custody in August 2018.

Lauren Gill

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

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

Uprooting U.S. Torture, Abroad And At Home

Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 22, 2020

New San Francisco D.A. Inherits Chance To Hold Police Accountable In Shooting Of Man With Mental Illness

Activists hope Chesa Boudin will press charges, and push for systemic changes to address the criminalization of mental illness.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

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

Kentucky Bill Would Make It Harder For Formerly Incarcerated People To Vote

The bill would disproportionately affect the 140,000 people whose voting rights were recently restored.

Kira Lerner

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

New Jersey Takes On Vestige Of Three-Fifths Clause: Prison Gerrymandering

Sarah Lustbader

In Erie County, Jail Deaths Continue Despite High-Profile Tragedy

The death of 27-year-old India Cummings in 2016 garnered national media attention and a renewed push by local activists over conditions of confinement in the New York county’s jails. But the deaths haven’t stopped.

Raina Lipsitz

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

How the Media Can Stigmatize Parents and Separate Families

Stories that uncritically blame child welfare agencies for the deaths of children at the hands of their parents can contribute to increases in child removals—with devastating consequences for families.

Elizabeth Brico

Georgia To Execute A Man For A Crime That No Longer Gets The Death Penalty

Sarah Lustbader

Sexual Abuse In Youth Detention Facilities

Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 13, 2020

Why Keeping People With Sex Offense Convictions Off Social Media Sites Does Little To Make Those Sites Safer

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal purports to take sexual violence seriously, but it aggressively ignores reality in favor of lazy solutions.

Guy Hamilton-Smith

Life Sentences And ‘Draconian Power’ In The United Kingdom

Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 10, 2020

A City Council Resolution Could End Marijuana Arrests and Fines in Austin, Texas

The move is made possible by a Texas law that legalized the production of hemp last year.

Jay Willis

Pushback On New York’s Bail Reform Reflects Fear, Ignorance

Sarah Lustbader Jan 09, 2020

U.S. Senate Candidate Endorses Ayanna Pressley’s Criminal Justice Reform Plan

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez of Texas told The Appeal about her vision for a complete overhaul of her state’s legal system.

Kira Lerner

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

After Deadly Week For Mississippi Prisoners, Advocates See Blood ‘On The Hands’ of Lawmakers and Prison Officials

The violence that has left at least five people dead is the result of longstanding issues that have been ignored, justice advocates and prisoners’ family members say.

Lauren Gill Jan 07, 2020

More Hate Crime Laws Would Not Have Prevented The Monsey Hanukkah Attack

Sarah Lustbader Jan 06, 2020

Wisconsin Came Close To Changing A Rule That Often Leaves People On Sex Offense Registries Homeless

Republicans are leading an effort to get rid of blanket restrictions on where some people with sex-offense records can live. A Democratic governor is blocking them.

Steven Yoder Jan 03, 2020

Matt Bevin and the ‘godlike’ pardon power

Sarah Lustbader Jan 02, 2020

Inspired By Her Own Experiences, Baltimore Woman Publishes Magazine Giving Voice To The Incarcerated

Tia Hamilton’s State v. Us focuses closely on the criminal legal system, especially as it applies to people of color, who are statistically overrepresented in the carceral system.

Elizabeth Brico

Seeing The Humanity Of People Who Sell Drugs

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 20, 2019

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

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 Damage Done By Foster Care Systems

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 18, 2019

Contemporary Debtors Prisons

Sarah Lustbader

New Lawsuit Claims Texas Prison Guards Sexually Assaulted Female Guard

Guards at the Mark Stiles Unit in Beaumont are alleged to have led the victim to a hallway where there were no security cameras.

, Roxanna Asgarian Dec 17, 2019

Ohio Jail Faces $2.8 Million Lawsuit After Claims of Abuse Are Made By Dozens of Men

The suit is the latest of at least three complaints filed against the Portage County Jail this year.

Dawn R. Wolfe Dec 16, 2019

Freeing People As A Response To Prison Rape

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 13, 2019

New Lawsuit Alleges Abuse At ‘One Of The Worst’ County Jails In America

Officers at the Cuyahoga County Jail in Ohio are accused of pepper-spraying and assaulting a man for merely asking about his release date.

Joshua Vaughn Dec 12, 2019

Her Son Couldn’t Move His Limbs Or Swallow. Jail Officials Insisted He Was Faking.

In a federal lawsuit, Hardel Sherrell’s mother accuses the staff at a Minnesota jail of allowing her son to die.

Kira Lerner

Decades-old Protections For Protesters Are In Jeopardy

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 11, 2019

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

Sexual Assault Survivors Who Want Restorative Justice Have Limited Options

Alternative approaches to rehabilitation and healing still face resistance, even though the criminal legal system’s reliance on punishment has done little to move the needle on addressing sexual violence.

Tyler Kingkade Dec 10, 2019

‘It’s Just Heartbreaking’: Families Search for Answers as Death Rate Rises in Mississippi Prisons

Prison deaths in Mississippi have climbed nearly 40 percent in recent years, from 62 in fiscal year 2014 to a high of 85 in fiscal year 2018.

Lauren Gill Dec 09, 2019

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

Kansas City Chooses Free Public Transit

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 06, 2019

Trump Makes The Most Important Anti-Hunger Program Harder To Access For People Leaving Prison

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 05, 2019

People Of Color Receive The Harshest Punishments, And The Disparities Are Growing

Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 04, 2019

It’s OK To Root Against Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher

Sarah Lustbader

Kamala Harris’s Criminal Justice Record Killed Her Presidential Run

Harris’s record as a prosecutor was representative of a politics of the past. The nation has moved on.

Lara Bazelon

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

The Costs Of Not Releasing People From Prison

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 27, 2019

Longtime Louisiana Prisoner Who Maintained Her Innocence Dies Less Than Two Years After Her Release

The poor healthcare that Bobbie Jean Johnson received during her more than 40 years in prison contributed to her death, family members say.

Roxanna Asgarian Nov 25, 2019

Alameda County Sheriff, Aramark Are Forcing Prisoners Into ‘Involuntary Servitude,’ New Lawsuit Says

Some pretrial prisoners and immigration detainees are forced to work without pay in violation of the 13th Amendment, according to attorneys.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 21, 2019

Ilhan Omar Asks For Restorative Justice For The Man Who Threatened Her Life

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 20, 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

Orange County Judge Rules That Sheriff’s ‘Blanket’ Shackling Practice Violates Prisoners’ Rights

People held in courthouse cells were shackled for up to 15 hours a day, and some were unable to eat, change menstrual pads, or use the bathroom, advocates say.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Ayanna Pressley Hopes the U.S. Can Reduce Its Prison Population by Over 80 Percent

The Appeal spoke with the lawmaker about her “entirely new blueprint for a just society.”

Kira Lerner

The Way Forward Against Death By Incarceration In Pennsylvania

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 18, 2019

Someone Tell Joe Biden: Marijuana Is Not a Gateway Drug

Biden believes that the jury is still out on the question of whether marijuana is a gateway to other illicit substances. But the truth is that it is not—and this has long been a matter of settled science.

Paul Armentano

Speaking Out About Prison Conditions Is Risky. Incarcerated People Do It Anyway.

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 15, 2019

Sense of ‘hopelessness’ rises among Alabama prisoners as new rules, leadership changes, limit opportunities for parole

After a two-month moratorium, the state parole board reconvened last week, granting parole to 10 out of 87 people.

Lauren Gill

Rep. Ayanna Pressley Unveils Sweeping Plan To Reshape American Criminal Legal System

Under the proposal, localities would be incentivized to significantly decrease prison populations.

Kira Lerner Nov 14, 2019

Democrats Should Deliver On Gun Control That Doesn’t Feed Mass Incarceration

Vaidya Gullapalli Nov 13, 2019

New York’s Child Welfare Laws Will Advance Justice

Two bills, awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature, would help reduce the punitive impact of the child welfare system on kids and their families, including formerly incarcerated parents.

Nora McCarthy

You Can Be Sentenced, Even If You Were Acquitted.

Sarah Lustbader Nov 12, 2019

Why Prisoners Get The Doctors No One Else Wants

Even after a major class action suit required Illinois to revamp its prison healthcare system, doctors whose alleged neglect resulted in major injury or death still remain on the prison system payroll.

Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge Nov 08, 2019

Tuesday’s Election Boosts Voting Rights for People With Past Convictions

A claimed victory in Kentucky and wins in Virginia mean hundreds of thousands of people could have their right to vote restored.

Kira Lerner, Daniel Nichanian Nov 06, 2019

Yesterday, Oklahoma Saw The Largest Mass Commutation In U.S. History

Sarah Lustbader Nov 05, 2019

Illinois Department of Corrections Revises Book Ban Policy

Earlier this year, Danville prison removed about 200 books, many of which dealt with race issues. But the new rules don’t go far enough, says one advocate.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 04, 2019

Women In Jail And The Criminalization Of Survivors

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 30, 2019

Louisiana To Build New Prison For Women Displaced By 2016 Storm

More than three years after heavy rains and flooding devastated the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, officials have reached an agreement to build a new facility.

Lauren Gill Oct 29, 2019

Julián Castro’s Criminal Justice Plan: Long On Inspiration, Short On Specifics

Sarah Lustbader Oct 28, 2019

New York State Judges Are Jailing People Who Can’t Afford Their Fines

State law must change to stop judges from using jail time to force the poor into paying penalties they can’t afford, says one advocacy group.

Steven Yoder

Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Releases Criminal Justice Reform Plan

The South Bend, Indiana, mayor says his plan—which includes cutting the incarcerated population by half—will "rebalance" a system that is "unfair and racist in many ways."

Aaron Morrison Oct 26, 2019

The Failures Of Re-entry For Returning Citizens And Their Communities

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 25, 2019

Millions of Children Lose Their Parents To Incarceration. That Doesn’t Have To Happen.

Prosecutors can help implement policies that are better for families and communities.

Ebony Underwood, Miriam Aroni Krinsky Oct 24, 2019

People In Prison Are Uniquely Vulnerable To Tainted Water

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 23, 2019

Trump’s Disastrous Attempt At Restorative Justice

Sarah Lustbader Oct 22, 2019

Illinois Loosened Ankle-Monitor Restrictions, But Advocates Say It’s Too Soon To Celebrate

A Prisoner Review Board memo released in July requires a minimum of 12 hours of movement with ankle monitors, but some people say they’re still being given far less.

Kira Lerner Oct 18, 2019

A Deadly Father-And-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and The Adolescent Mind

Christopher Lay grew up under the influence of a father who was mentally ill. Drawn into a crime at age 19, he’s now seeking a second chance that could help other young adults demand the same.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

The Need To Support Visits For Incarcerated People And Their Families

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 15, 2019

Say No to New Jails in New York City

The mayor claims that building new jails is the only safe way to close Rikers Island jail complex, but the City Council shouldn’t fall for this Faustian bargain.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Prison Whistleblowers, Too, Are Vulnerable

Sarah Lustbader Oct 11, 2019

A One-Sided Report on North Carolina Gun Violence

The Charlotte Observer built a narrative on gun crime that relies almost exclusively on police and prosecutors, ignores the violence of incarceration, and offers zero non-carceral solutions.

Adam H. Johnson

A Discriminatory Rule Even Justice Kavanaugh Opposes

Sarah Lustbader Oct 10, 2019

The Appeal Podcast: The Problem With Jailhouse Informants

Adam H. Johnson

More Than 40 People Have Died in the East Baton Rouge Jail. Will Voters Oust the Sheriff?

Sheriff Sid Gautreaux faces two Democratic challengers in the Oct. 12 election.

Teresa Mathew Oct 09, 2019

Formerly Incarcerated People Will Host A Presidential Town Hall This Month

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 08, 2019

Oklahoma Woman Imprisoned For Boyfriend’s Abuse Gets Chance at Freedom

Tondalao Hall has served 15 years for allegedly ‘failing to protect’ her kids from their father’s violence. A parole board will now decide if that’s enough.

Roxanna Asgarian

Two Major Victories For A Public Health Approach To The Overdose Crisis

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 07, 2019

New Orleans Advocates Oppose Jail Expansion Plan Ahead of Public Hearing

Increasing the city’s jail capacity will lead to higher incarceration rates, advocates say.

Lauren Gill

‘Medical Bonds’ Save Money For Jails. Their Use Shows How Often We Jail People Who Need Care

Vaidya Gullapalli Oct 02, 2019

The 1994 Crime Law Hogs The Legal Reform Spotlight. But A Lesser-Known Law Deserves More Attention.

As the presidential election approaches, reformers should focus on the Prison Litigation Reform Act, which restricts the ability of incarcerated people to protest their conditions of confinement.

John Pfaff

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Agrees to Move ‘Qualifying’ Death Row Prisoners Out of Tomblike Unit

Some death row prisoners will be moved to another unit with access to direct sunlight, fenced-in recreation, and contact visits, department says.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 28, 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

Potential Second Chances For Prisoners In D.C.

Sarah Lustbader Sep 26, 2019

Book bans reveal what prison officials ignore and what they fear

Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 25, 2019

The Felony Murder Rule As A ‘Representation Of What’s Wrong In Our Criminal Legal System’

Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 23, 2019

Climate movement could radically transform criminal system

Sarah Lustbader Sep 20, 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

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

‘It Will Certainly Save Lives’: A Q&A About Medicaid Coverage For People Preparing For Re-entry

Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 18, 2019

South Dakota Leads Nation on Jail Admissions, New Report Finds

Nearly half of all arrests in the state are drug or alcohol related, compared to just 29 percent nationally.

Raven Rakia, Ethan Corey

The Deeper Questions Raised By Felicity Huffman’s Sentence

Sarah Lustbader Sep 17, 2019

Convicted Of A Deadly Crime As A Teen, He Worked For Decades To Get A Second Chance At Life

Richard Rivera served more than 38 years in prison after killing an off-duty NYPD officer during a botched armed robbery. He was released in July after being denied parole five times.

Aaron Morrison Sep 16, 2019

‘I felt it was my responsibility’: Why A Probation Commissioner Spent 25 Hours in San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall

Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 13, 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

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

Thousands of New Yorkers Face Arrest Each Year For Not Paying Fines and Fees, Report Finds

The city comptroller, state lawmakers, and advocates call on the state to end its use of fines and fees in the legal system.

Raven Rakia Sep 11, 2019

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

Pepper Spray Is Toxic, Experts Say. So Why Is It Being Used on Children?

California is one of only six states that allow staff in juvenile facilities to carry pepper spray. But LA’s coming ban is still facing pushback.

Charlotte West Sep 10, 2019

An Indiana Woman’s Long Fight for Justice

In a rare move, a federal court vacated Anastazia Schmid’s murder conviction, saying she’d received ineffective assistance of counsel and had been mentally unfit to stand trial. But Schmid, who’d spent 18 years in prison, remained locked up for three months more.

Victoria Law Sep 06, 2019

Can You Fight Mass Incarceration And Dodge Jury Duty?

Sarah Lustbader Sep 05, 2019

Pushed to Curb Use of Cash Bail By January, Indiana Relies On ‘Knee-Jerk’ Alternative

Advocates warn that overuse of ankle monitors and other forms of electronic monitoring produce consequences of their own.

Kira Lerner

As It Prepares For A Hurricane, South Carolina (Once Again) Does Not Evacuate A Prison

Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 04, 2019

Florida County: People On Sex Offender Registry Should Shelter From Dorian in Jail

Barred from other shelters, registrants were left with few options as the hurricane approached.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

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

Recognizing the ‘Dual Victim’ 

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 30, 2019

California Has a Chance to Repeal a Building Block of Lengthy Prison Sentences

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 28, 2019

Bail Isn’t Supposed to Be a Punishment. Why Does the Media Keep Acting Like it Is?

How high or low bond is isn’t a measure of how severe the state considers a crime.

Adam H. Johnson

When Americans Are Silent Spectators

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 26, 2019

ASAP Rocky’s Arrest Prompts Trump to Lecture Sweden On Criminal Justice

Sarah Lustbader Aug 23, 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

In One Arizona County, Pay For Your Ankle Monitor Or Go To Jail

A lawsuit is challenging Mohave County’s practice of charging certain people for mandatory GPS monitoring before trial.

Kira Lerner

How Warren And Sanders Would Overhaul The Criminal System

Sarah Lustbader Aug 22, 2019

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

Alabama’s Prisons Are the Most Crowded—If You Look at the Right Data

The Bureau of Justice Statistics relies in part on states to self-report prison capacity numbers, which can result in a misleading snapshot of overcrowding in the U.S.

Corin Faife Aug 21, 2019

Defending The Conviction Integrity Unit In St. Louis

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 19, 2019

In Liberal California, A Crusader Against Criminal Justice Reform

Assemblymember Jim Cooper is pushing to roll back changes that have successfully reduced incarceration.

Jessica Pishko

Jeffrey Epstein, An Ironic Catalyst For Jail Reform

Sarah Lustbader Aug 15, 2019

A huge victory in L.A. represents a shift in thinking about public safety

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 14, 2019

Ohio Governor Wants to Detain Fewer Mentally Ill People Before Trial

In the wake of the Dayton shooting, Gov. Mike DeWine proposed creating more space in psychiatric hospitals by removing some people who are court-ordered to be there.

Kira Lerner

Putting Their Lives And Livelihoods On The Line To Protest Immigration Policy

Sarah Lustbader Aug 13, 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

Jail Deaths Are Just One Reason To Invest In Jail Alternatives

Vaidya Gullapalli

The Mississippi Raids And What Awaits Those Detained

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 09, 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

LA County Supervisors to Vote on Canceling Jail Contract

Black Lives Matter and other advocates have pushed county officials to abandon the $2.2 billion project with McCarthy Builders.

Lauren Gill Aug 08, 2019

The First Beneficiary of a Sentence Review Unit Walks Free

Sarah Lustbader

How a Tool to Help Judges May Be Leading Them Astray

In Cook County, Illinois, 99 percent of defendants deemed ‘high risk’ for pretrial violence don’t reoffend.

Ethan Corey

Targeting A Group That ‘Lends Legitimacy’ To Human Caging

Vaidya Gullapalli Aug 07, 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

Horrific Cases Test Our Commitment To Mercy And Understanding

Sarah Lustbader Aug 06, 2019

Louisiana Woman Sentenced to Life for Attempting to Rob Grocery Store With Toy Gun Seeks Mercy

Gloria Williams was in her 20s when she was sent to prison for her part in a robbery that turned deadly. After serving nearly five decades, including one decade in solitary confinement, Williams now has a chance at freedom.

Victoria Law

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

Utah Jail Nurse Faces Negligent Homicide Charge in Death of 21-Year-Old Woman

In 2016, Madison Jensen died from opiate withdrawal at the Duchesne County jail. New court filings allege that jail staff, including its nurse, ignored her rapidly deteriorating health.

Lauren Gill Aug 01, 2019

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 Jul 31, 2019

It’s Time to Allow People With Felony Convictions to Serve on Juries

Vaidya Gullapalli

Prison Systems Can Respect the Religious Rights of Muslims. State Government Should Ensure They Do.

Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 29, 2019

Risk Assessment Tools Are Flawed—Should We Throw Them Away?

Sarah Lustbader Jul 25, 2019

Hoping for a Commutation After 48 Years in a Louisiana Prison

Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 24, 2019

Needed In Jails In A Heat Emergency: Air Conditioning And Oversight

Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 22, 2019

Spotlight: Cory Booker’s New Sentencing Reform Bill Is About Redemption

Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 19, 2019

I Was Sexually Assaulted. And I Believe Incarcerating Rapists Doesn’t Help Victims Like Me.

The carceral system fails to heal victims and perpetuates trauma by caging human beings. It‘s time to try something else.

Stefanie Mundhenk Jul 18, 2019

County Failures, Not State Reforms, Are Killing People In California Jails

Since the state’s public safety realignment in 2011, sheriffs have used criminal legal reform as a scapegoat for their failure to maintain safe jails—and recent reporting has given county officials a free pass to make that excuse.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem Jul 16, 2019

The Struggle to Be Trans in Minnesota’s Sex Offender Program

Four transgender women say clinicians and staff deny them gender-affirming care and see their identity as in conflict with sex offender treatment.

Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard Jul 15, 2019

Spotlight: Challenging Lawmakers to Go Inside Prisons and Jails

Vaidya Gullapalli

Media Frame: Chicago ‘Bean’ Graffiti Outrage Prioritizes Property Over People

Outlets ran over 200 articles covering the vandalism. The outsize attention will likely damage young lives.

Adam H. Johnson Jul 11, 2019

When Someone Dies in An Orange County Jail, Who’s Culpable?

Advocates say Anthony Aceves’s death conforms with long-standing issues in the second-largest jail system in California.

Raven Rakia Jul 10, 2019

Spotlight: Biden and the Tough-on-Crime Election Fallacy

Sarah Lustbader Jul 02, 2019

Spotlight: Fighting Against a New Prison—and Winning—in Eastern Kentucky

Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 01, 2019

‘Do Not Record’

Phone calls between prisoners in Orange County and their lawyers were recorded and accessed. How wide the eavesdropping was remains an open question.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 28, 2019

Spotlight: Presidential Candidates—Pay Attention to Poverty and All of Its Drivers

Vaidya Gullapalli Jun 26, 2019

In Oklahoma, Private Companies Run Pretrial Services, Driving People Into Debt

A company in Cleveland County exemplifies how for-profit legal services affect poor and vulnerable individuals.

Kira Lerner

Spotlight: Reactions to Free Jail Calls Demonstrate ‘Status Quo Bias’

Sarah Lustbader Jun 25, 2019

Spotlight: Marion Wilson’s Execution Is a Grim Milestone

Vaidya Gullapalli Jun 21, 2019