Arizona’s Incarcerated Firefighters Push for Legislation That Recognizes Their Labor By Reducing Their Sentences
Unlike other states, Arizona offers just minimal early release credits for the prisoners it sends to fight its wildfires. But one crew of incarcerated firefighters is fighting for a bill to change that.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
The Damage Done By Foster Care Systems
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 18, 2019
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Kansas City Chooses Free Public Transit
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 06, 2019
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.
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.
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
What Does Death By Incarceration Look Like In Pennsylvania? These Elderly, Disabled Men Housed In A State Prison.
More than 5,400 people in the state are sentenced to life without parole. This month, The Appeal went inside one prison that helps provide end-of-life care for men.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
When Americans Are Silent Spectators
Vaidya Gullapalli 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.
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.
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.
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
In Liberal California, A Crusader Against Criminal Justice Reform
Assemblymember Jim Cooper is pushing to roll back changes that have successfully reduced incarceration.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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 Harrelson 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
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
‘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
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.
Suicides, ICE Cooperation, and Racism Allegations at Maryland Jail
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler’s office, which partners with immigration enforcement, faces jail deaths and a discrimination claim from a Legal Aid attorney.
Lauren Gill Jun 18, 2019
In Pennsylvania, Detention as a First Option
Heavy reliance on pretrial incarceration in Berks County subjects people to poor medical care and unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 14, 2019
Trans Woman’s Death in Rikers is Still a Mystery. But Why Was She There At All?
Though little is known about how Layleen Polanco died, advocates say her story highlights New York City’s flawed approach to criminal justice.
Raven Rakia Jun 12, 2019
How a D.C. Lawmaker is Challenging the Racist Roots of Prison Voting Restrictions
Right now, only the whitest states—Maine and Vermont—allow prisoners to vote. Washington, D.C., could change that.
Arrested for Shoplifting and Dead 2 Days Later
A lawsuit filed by Kentrell Hurst’s children is the latest against New Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman over jail conditions.
A Troubled Virginia Jail Looks To Add Guards, But Advocates Push For Decarceration
As the Hampton Roads Regional Jail proposes spending $7 million for 113 new guards, advocates renew calls for officials to improve conditions—and an Appeal analysis suggests that the jail could save millions by incarcerating fewer people with mental illness.
Pleading Guilty to Get Out of Jail
The criminalization of poverty in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, has led to a staggering increase in incarcerated people, all at a huge cost for defendants and taxpayers alike.
Video Hearings: The Choice ‘Between Efficiency and Rights’
Many jurisdictions across the country use video instead of holding bail hearings in person, a practice that often leads to dire consequences.
Indefinite Solitary Confinement in New York Is Finally Put to the Test
Court challenges and a sweeping reform bill are offering hope to men trapped in isolation for decades.
Joshua Manson Jun 03, 2019
An Alabama Woman Got Pregnant While In Jail. She Has No Memory of Having Sex.
Since 2017, LaToni Daniel has been incarcerated pretrial in a capital murder case. During that time, Daniel became pregnant, and she just delivered a baby boy. But as she brings in new life, she also faces the death penalty.
Lauren Gill May 31, 2019
‘I Was in Constant Fear’: Immigrant Faces Deportation After Prison for Domestic Dispute
Aylaliya Birru has served over four years in a California prison for assaulting her husband, who she said was physically abusive. A pardon from Governor Gavin Newsom is her last hope to stay in the U.S.
Aaron Morrison May 29, 2019
Family of Orlando Prisoner Who Died After Police Dog Bites Gets Legal Breakthrough
A new court order allows the family’s lawsuit to proceed, and may lead to holding jail staff accountable.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 28, 2019
New Data Reveals the Racial Disparities in Pennsylvania’s Money Bail Industry
Despite accounting for less than 12 percent of the state’s adult population, roughly 40 percent of all bail bonds were issued in cases involving a Black defendant.
Joshua Vaughn May 22, 2019
Instagram Photos Offer Glimpse Inside Notorious Georgia Jail
The DeKalb County Jail, now at the center of protests, has a long history of problems and a legacy of housing people for unpaid fines.
Raven Rakia May 21, 2019
New York Prisons Offer ‘Tough Love’ Boot Camp Programs. But Prisoners Say They’re ‘Torture’ And ‘Hell.’
Prisoners can shave time off their sentences by participating in shock incarceration programs. More than a dozen former shock prisoners say that comes at a steep cost.
Wisconsin’s ‘Constitutional Crisis’ Is Forcing People To Sit in Jail Without a Lawyer
At least two people have killed themselves in jail after waiting for more than a week to be appointed a lawyer.
Mario Koran May 20, 2019
North Carolina Jail Staff Accused Of Beating And Abusing Mentally Ill Veteran
A civil rights lawsuit claims officers pepper sprayed him, stripped him naked, and then surrounded him and beat him to death.
Kira Lerner May 17, 2019
Atlanta Bail Reform Is Leaving Behind Homeless and Mentally Ill People
A number of people spent multiple days at the Atlanta City Detention Center for low-level offenses, including for driving while using a cell phone and for walking in the roadway.
Aaron Morrison May 16, 2019
Veteran’s Death Highlights ‘Inhumane’ Conditions in an Ohio Jail
A newly amended class-action lawsuit accuses the Cuyahoga County jail of neglect and mistreatment.
Raven Rakia May 14, 2019
New Orleans Bail Companies Owed Millions In Illegal Fees. Now They May Get To Keep The Money.
The bail bonds industry was caught overcharging 50,000 families $6 million over 14 years, according to SPLC.
Bryce Covert May 08, 2019
Solitary is a ‘Tomb’ With No Escape, Virginia Prisoners Allege
A new lawsuit, filed against the Virginia Department of Corrections, says prisoners are kept in isolation for frivolous reasons and prevented from rejoining the general population.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 06, 2019
Overdose In An Arizona Prison? Get Ready To Pay Up.
‘Worst policy imaginable’ punishes, rather than treats, patients who earn less than a dollar an hour, advocates say.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 03, 2019
‘I Can’t Afford It and I Never Will Be Able To’
Florida is poised to pass a law that imposes a ‘poll tax’ on thousands of formerly incarcerated people.
Kira Lerner May 01, 2019
‘They Sent Him to His Cell to Die’
Rashad McNulty entered a guilty plea in a series of federal gang indictments in New York that have been criticized as racist and overly punitive. But before McNulty was even sentenced, he died in jail. Now, his family is seeking justice.
Trans Woman Jailed and Harassed Because She Didn’t Pay A $15 Seatbelt Fine, Lawsuit Says
Sierra Castle alleges she faced discrimination and harassment after being placed in a men’s holding cell in the Cobb County, Georgia, jail.
Raven Rakia Apr 30, 2019
Alabama Prisoners Say They’ve Been Punished For Trying to Reduce Violence
A wave of hunger strikes hit Alabama prisons as DOJ released a report calling the facilities “unconstitutional.”
Raven Rakia Apr 25, 2019
Deputies ‘Tortured, Then Killed’ Man At Georgia Jail On ‘Taser Tuesday,’ Attorneys Say
Antonio May, a 32 year-old father of three, died in the Fulton County Jail in September after deputies pepper-sprayed and shot him with a Taser.
How Jails Are Replacing Visits With Video
Two sheriffs in Missouri have cut off all in-person visitation in favor of costly video technology.
Teresa Mathew Apr 22, 2019
Jailed Men Get Help While Women Languish, Georgia Lawsuit Claims
Women with mental illness are left in isolation and filth, and often placed in solitary confinement, according to a suit against the Fulton County sheriff.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 19, 2019
St. Louis County Jailed a Pregnant Woman For 39 Days Because She Refused a Paternity Test
Adrianna Thurman said she was informed by jail staff after her release that she had ‘slipped through the cracks.’
‘They’re Trying To Kill Us In Here’
At Virginia’s Hampton Roads Regional Jail, reform has been slow even after high-profile tragedies including the death of mentally disabled man incarcerated who allegedly stole $5 worth of snacks.
Aaron Morrison Apr 16, 2019
New Orleans Wants to Make Its Notorious Jail Bigger
Activists say the sheriff is trying to add jail beds under the guise of mental health treatment.
Raven Rakia Apr 15, 2019
Texas Is Poised to Make It Easier to Jail People For Voting Errors
The legislation is part of a wave of bills across the country meant to criminalize mistakes in the name of voter fraud.
Kira Lerner Apr 12, 2019
Chicago is Tracking Kids With GPS Monitors That Can Call and Record Them Without Consent
Cook County has a new contract for juvenile ankle monitors that critics say are an invasion of privacy.
Kira Lerner Apr 08, 2019
‘I Had Nothing’: How Parole Perpetuates a Cycle of Incarceration and Instability
Richard Cannon was making gains after being released from prison. Then one arrest changed the course of his life.
Raven Rakia Apr 05, 2019
I Worked As a Bail Bond Agent. Here’s What I Learned.
Low-income women are fueling bail industry profits—and getting harmed in the process.
Joshua Page Apr 04, 2019
Texas Plans to Execute a Man For A Murder He Didn’t Commit
Patrick Murphy didn’t even learn about the murder until later that day. A controversial law allows him to be executed anyway.
Katie Rose Quandt Mar 28, 2019
Black Mississippians Say Sheriff’s Office Deputies ‘Terrorize The Community Like A Gang Would’
Attorneys and advocates call for change in Madison County after the deaths of three Black people at its jail and because of what they allege is a system of roadblocks targeting Black residents.
Aaron Morrison Mar 27, 2019
Undercutting reform, Florida moves to ban certain people from ever voting again
Lawmakers are redefining certain crimes in order to carve out broad exceptions to who can regain the right to vote.
Kira Lerner Mar 20, 2019
In El Paso Jails, Immigrants Are Incarcerated Far Past Their Release Dates
In the deep blue home of Beto O’Rourke, attorneys and advocates are questioning the county’s multi-million-dollar contract to detain migrants and refugees.
New York City Looks To Eliminate Hidden Bail Fees
As they await statewide action to eliminate cash bail, city councilmembers are looking for ways to reduce the financial burden on families of incarcerated people.
Bryce Covert Mar 12, 2019
Federal Prisons Official Used Prison Labor For Work On His Church
The Bureau of Prisons’ South Central regional director utilized incarcerated people from a Texas prison to work on a landscaping project at his church.
Confession Throws Prison Uprising Trials Into Chaos
A judge excluded a confession that exonerated defendants in one trial related to a Delaware prison uprising, but a pair of defendants were nonetheless acquitted, promising further problems for prosecutors.
Ella Fassler Mar 05, 2019
As States Look To Cut Jail Populations, Electronic ‘Miniature Prisons’ Are On the Rise
There are more than 2,700 people on electronic monitoring in Cook County, Illinois, alone.
Kira Lerner Feb 28, 2019
After Uprising, Delaware Prison Sends Hundreds Of Prisoners Away
Family members are frantic after 330 prisoners are transferred to Pennsylvania.
Raven Rakia Feb 27, 2019
‘Just Leave Them to Die’
The crisis at Brooklyn’s federal jail reveals how jails and prisons ‘are not prepared for a disaster.’
JB Nicholas Feb 22, 2019
‘I am a Human and I Just Ask to Be Treated as One’
A lawsuit challenging cash bail in St. Louis could help close a notorious jail.
Kira Lerner Feb 19, 2019
Man Exonerated In Murder, But Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer As He Awaited Freedom
William J. Richards was cleared in the death of his wife. But he says he was the victim of medical neglect while he was behind bars, which led to a cancer diagnosis becoming terminal. Now he's suing.
Over 200 People Went On Hunger Strike After Months In Lockdown At California Prison
Corcoran state prison has a history of abuse that includes forcing prisoners into ‘gladiator fights.’
Raven Rakia Feb 15, 2019
ICE-friendly Policies. A String of Jail Deaths. Why Does This Sheriff Keep Getting Elected?
Advocates say Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern is an odd fit for the Bay Area, but mounting a challenge has proved daunting.
Kyle C. Barry Feb 14, 2019
Prison Tech Company Is Questioned for Retaining ‘Voice Prints’ of People Presumed Innocent
Defense attorneys say they were unaware of the practice and are unclear on how they can expunge the data of nonconvicted clients.
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.
Corizon, The Prison Healthcare Giant, Stumbles Again
The company recently lost its contract with Arizona after allegations of serious—and sometimes fatal—medical neglect that have echoes across the country.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Feb 08, 2019
Iowa Moves Toward Expanding Voting Rights. But It May Require a ‘Modern Day Poll Tax.’
Lawmakers are debating whether to let people with felony convictions vote—but there could be a catch.
Kira Lerner Feb 07, 2019
Prisons Across the U.S. Are Quietly Building Databases of Incarcerated People’s Voice Prints
The technology also allows authorities to mine call databases and cross-reference the voices of individuals prisoners have spoken with.
In 1 Day, New Mexico Prison Had 2 Suicides In Solitary Confinement
The state uses solitary at one of the highest rates in the nation.
Kira Lerner Jan 29, 2019
Florida Locales Vote to Stop Using Prison Labor—and Others May Follow
One commissioner wants the state Department of Corrections to show proof that his county isn’t just using prisoners as ‘slaves.’
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jan 28, 2019
Incarcerated Transgender Women’s Lives Must Matter
As Kamala Harris begins her presidential run, her move to block gender affirming surgery for an incarcerated transgender woman deserves scrutiny, especially as new cases highlighting the struggle for the rights of imprisoned trans women emerge.
A Prison Strike in Minnesota Actually Got Results
Most prison strikes are met with retaliation and abuse, but one recent work stoppage is starting to pay off.
Raven Rakia Jan 25, 2019
‘The Sixth Amendment Doesn’t Shut Down When the Government Does’
Federal defenders say the shutdown is hurting poor people stuck in jail.
Kira Lerner Jan 24, 2019
Expansion Of Largest Jail System In The United States Must End
Los Angeles County’s jail system incarcerates tens of thousands of people at a multi-billion dollar cost. The communities most impacted by mass incarceration have had enough.
Migrants Endure Brutal Conditions in Border Encampments
As they wait for permission to cross into the U.S., migrants, including children and infants, sleep on concrete and under plastic tarps, exposing them to cold, wind, rain, and illness.
Debbie Nathan Jan 17, 2019
Moving Away From ‘Jail for Everybody’
Harris County Judge Darrell Jordan discusses his newly elected colleagues’ decision to withdraw an appeal of a landmark bail reform lawsuit.
Roxanna Asgarian Jan 14, 2019
Showtime’s ‘Escape at Dannemora’ Left Out Torture and Abuse
The miniseries depicting a New York prison escape fails to show what happened to the men left behind.
Katie Rose Quandt Jan 10, 2019
The ‘Failure to Appear’ Fallacy
Prosecutors denounce bail reform efforts when people miss court dates, but ‘failure to appear’ rates obscure the fact that many who miss court aren’t on the run.
Disabled Prisoners Decry Treatment in New York’s Prison System
Prisoners in the state’s Regional Medical Units allege that they are being denied access to essential programs and services like law libraries.
Keri Blakinger Jan 08, 2019
24 Prisoners Have Died on Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard’s Watch
Reports detail suicides and care for one woman that was ‘so grossly incompetent and inadequate as to shock the conscience.’
Raina Lipsitz Jan 07, 2019
Caging Kids Is An American Tradition
Trump didn’t start it, but we can end it.
Ethan Brown Jan 03, 2019
Overdoses, Riots, And Escapes Roil A Rural Kentucky Jail
The Boyd County Detention Center has been consumed in chaos, even as the DOJ investigates it. Now, the community is pinning hopes for reform on a new jailer.
Zachary A. Siegel Jan 02, 2019
Back-to-Back Jail Deaths Rock Small Utah County
Two women died at the Duchesne County Jail in the span of about one week in 2016. Now their families are suing in federal court.
Lauren Gill Dec 20, 2018
Oklahoma Governor Releases 21 Prisoners Shut Out Of Drug Sentencing Reform
But more than 1,100 others are still serving sentences that voters decided were too harsh.
Kira Lerner Dec 19, 2018
San Francisco Officials Wanted to Close A Dilapidated Jail by 2019. So Why Is It Still Open?
Everyone agrees the jail at 850 Bryant should close, but it’s not yet clear what would happen to those locked inside.
Melissa Gira Grant Dec 14, 2018
In ‘Amazing’ Verdict, Jury Awards Transgender Woman Punitive Damages Against Suffolk County Jail
The landmark decision could help other transgender people in jails and prisons who have been denied access to hormone treatment, a violation of their constitutional rights.
Melissa Gira Grant Dec 07, 2018
Why Are Women Getting Stuck in Rikers?
New York City has reduced its jail population, but those who remain are staying longer.
Virginia Jail Accused of Favoring Christians Who Agree To Live In ‘God Pod’
Muslim prisoners, meanwhile, say they were starved during Ramadan and deprived of religious texts.
‘No Shower, Wearing Diapers, Laying There For So Long’
Lawsuits that challenge mental healthcare and medical care for incarcerated people advance in Illinois.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Dec 05, 2018
Lawsuit Claims Delaware Prisoners Are Still Being Beaten, Stripped And Tortured Months After Uprising
Meanwhile, the abysmal medical care that helped spark the riot persists.
Raven Rakia Nov 30, 2018
Despite New Rules, NYC Is Still Jailing People Long After They Post Bail
A new Bronx Freedom Fund report documents these extended pretrial lockups, which threaten people’s jobs and destabilize families.
George Joseph Nov 26, 2018
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
Communicating While Queer Is Being Punished in Prison
A lawsuit accuses Illinois of cutting off LGBTQ prisoners’ lifeline to supporters.
Raven Rakia Nov 08, 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
For The First Time, A Chicago Judge Could Lose His Seat For Being Too ‘Tough on Crime’
No Cook County judge has lost a retention election in 28 years.
Solitary Confinement, Jail Deaths Rock Race For Sheriff in California
In Santa Clara County, incarcerated people, and a former undersheriff challenging six-term sheriff Laurie Smith, have turned conditions of confinement into a potent electoral issue.
Victoria Law Oct 29, 2018
Mother’s Lawsuit Says Oklahoma Prison Failed to Prevent Her Daughter’s Death
New development in a high-profile case comes as advocates question the state’s prison conditions and sentencing practices.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 17, 2018
At Angola Prison, ‘People Are Suffering. People Are Dying’
Trial begins in class action suit alleging medical neglect by Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Jessica Pishko Oct 12, 2018
Cash Bail Yields A New Casualty
A Texas jail suicide involving a woman who couldn’t make bail in a shoplifting case highlights of the plight of pretrial detainees with mental illness.
Prisons Crack Down On An Opioid Treatment Drug, Endangering Lives
Few of the prisons trying to stem flow of contraband Suboxone offer substantial opioid treatment programs.
Raven Rakia Oct 11, 2018
Common Bails Out a Stranger
What it’s like to take part in New York City’s Mass Bailout.
Sarah Lustbader Oct 10, 2018
Will Alabama Sheriffs Finally Stop Diverting Jail Food Funds To Their Own Wallets?
The governor is making sheriffs sign an oath promising they won't misuse funds meant to feed jail prisoners. But some sheriffs are already pushing back.
One Year After Cook County’s Bail Reform, Court Watchers Say Things Are Getting Worse
Judges are still setting bail at unaffordable levels, and more people are being held without bond.
Bryce Covert Oct 05, 2018
NYC Prosecutors Are Stoking Fear About the Mass Bailout, But Their Arguments Don’t Add Up
District attorneys’ comments belie the true purpose of bail in New York and ignore the safety risks of jail itself.
John Pfaff Oct 02, 2018
‘Worse Than Guantánamo’
Dozens of former detainees at the Gwinnett County jail in Georgia claim they were subjected to brutality at the hands of its Rapid Response Team.
Kira Lerner Oct 01, 2018
House of Cards
‘Cold case’ playing cards were just introduced into Delaware prisons in hopes of producing tips on unsolved homicides—but critics warn that informants cultivated behind bars can be dangerously unreliable.
Lauren Gill Sep 27, 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
Activists Brace For Further Retaliation In The Wake Of The National Prison Strike
As media attention wanes, “this is the most dangerous period with any prisoner action,” one organizer said.
Bryce Covert Sep 25, 2018
Pennsylvania Prisons Hired A Private Company To Intercept And Store Prisoners’ Mail
The company is being paid $4 million a year to open and scan prisoners’ mail into a searchable database.
Raven Rakia Sep 24, 2018
The Incalculable Costs of Mass Incarceration
Prisons carry enormous, perhaps impossible to measure social costs—but when assessing the system fiscally, reformers should focus on staffing salaries instead of the number of incarcerated people.
John Pfaff Sep 20, 2018
Curtis Brooks Didn’t Kill Anyone. So Why Is He Labeled A Murderer For Life?
A man sentenced to die in prison is inciting debate over ‘felony murder’ rules in Colorado.
Katie Rose Quandt Sep 18, 2018
‘Safer to Leave Them There’
How the politics of storm preparation reveal whose lives matter, and who gets left behind.
Kate Aronoff Sep 14, 2018
In New York, Most Parolees Can Now Vote—But Many County Websites Say They Can’t
As Thursday's election approaches, confusion reigns.
Emma Whitford Sep 12, 2018
Deported Before His Case Was Closed
Immigrants are being deported while their cases are still pending, immigration attorneys say.
Zack Peterson Sep 11, 2018
Man Sentenced As ‘Career Criminal’ Gets His First Chance At Freedom In 48 Years
Despite a 2015 Supreme Court ruling limiting the mandatory minimum law, few people are seeing relief.
Louisiana Attorney General May Run For Governor By Fearmongering Over Criminal Justice
Attorney General Jeff Landry has taken a number of extreme positions on policing and sentencing in response to reform.
Kira Lerner Sep 06, 2018
‘Just Let Him Kick’
Lawsuits allege that a private Tennessee prison neglected diabetic prisoners, contributing to at least one death.
‘There’s An All-out Manhunt’: A Strike Organizer Speaks From Prison
An imprisoned organizer with Jailhouse Lawyers Speak said prison officials are trying to identify those leading the strike.
Raven Rakia 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
‘We thought it was important to knock down doors’
Lewis Conway Jr., a formerly incarcerated activist running for Austin City Council, sits down with The Appeal.
Sylvia A. Harvey Aug 30, 2018
Here Are the Criminal Justice Issues Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon Should Debate
From policing to parole, this election could be pivotal for reform.
Emma Whitford Aug 28, 2018
A Troubled Federal Prison Unit Gets New Life In A Different State
Instead of changing its conditions and practices, The Bureau of Prisons is simply moving a problem-plagued federal prison unit in Pennsylvania to Illinois.
Victoria Law Aug 21, 2018
Why Prisoners are Striking Today
Prisoners are striking to end death by incarceration, prison slavery and poor living conditions.
Angola Prisoner Says He Was Punished For Organizing Against ‘Slavery’
Ronald Brooks was helping plan a prison strike when he was abruptly transferred to a new prison hours away.
Bryce Covert Aug 20, 2018
The Appeal Podcast Episode 12: When Electronic Cages Replace Steel and Cement
With journalist Kira Lerner.
Adam H. Johnson Aug 16, 2018
Most Recent Deaths At East Baton Rouge Jail Could Have Been Avoided
A new report details the abysmal conditions, lack of medical care, and staff shortages that led to the unusually high death rate in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Teresa Mathew Aug 15, 2018
Caretaker Faces Deportation Over Dubious ‘Shaken Baby’ Conviction
After being released from prison, her only chance is a pardon from the governor.
Jessica Pishko Aug 14, 2018
‘They treated me like a dog’: An Immigrant Was Forced to Clean the Truck of the Border Agent Who Arrested Him
Under ‘Operation Streamline,’ Border Patrol has become responsible for the housing and transporting of immigrants.
New Orleans Court Ordered To Stop Funding Itself On The Backs Of The Poor
The criminal court was funneling millions of dollars a year from poor communities.
Bryce Covert Aug 13, 2018
Milwaukee Candidates Clash In Race to Succeed The Infamous Sheriff Clarke
Several candidates are vying to become Milwaukee Sheriff in the wake of Sheriff David Clarke's resignation last fall. But will they truly spurn his legacy of jail deaths and cooperation with ICE?
Raven Rakia Aug 10, 2018
Ohio Council Member Wants to Implant Microchips in People Awaiting Trial
Taking electronic monitoring to the next level.
Kira Lerner Aug 07, 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
Philadelphia Courts are Running a Financial Scheme That Profits Off The Poor
And padding city and state coffers with millions of dollars.
Maura Ewing Aug 03, 2018
How Activists Convinced New York City To Stop Profiting Off Prisoners’ Phone Calls
News of the victory is spreading rapidly to other cities.
Bryce Covert Jul 26, 2018
Expert: Crime registries turn people into pariahs with ‘very little to lose’
New types of registries are being created around the country, despite research showing they don’t work.
Jessica Pishko Jul 20, 2018
Pretrial Detainees Are Being Billed For Their Stay in Jail
In jurisdictions across the country, people incarcerated before they've ever been convicted of a crime are charged a daily fee just for sitting in jail—and several courts have ruled that the practice is legal.
Immigrants Share Horror Stories From Inside Massachusetts’s ‘Worst’ Jail
“Jail is not a country club,” the Bristol County sheriff said. “That’s why once you’ve done time in the Bristol County House of Corrections, you won’t want to come back.”
Eoin Higgins Jul 17, 2018
What Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court Would Mean for Criminal Justice
Trump’s pick to replace Justice Kennedy would most likely undermine the rights of criminal defendants and stall progress on solitary confinement, prisoners’ rights, and the death penalty.
Kyle C. Barry Jul 13, 2018
Trump’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Immigration Policy Has an Antidote
New bail funds aren’t just getting immigrants out of detention—they’re helping them stay in the country permanently.
Max Rivlin-Nadler Jul 10, 2018
This Red State Governor Is Giving Hope To People Sentenced To Die In Prison
But after a spree of commutations, the governor recently put down his clemency pen amid tough-on-crime fear mongering.
Kira Lerner Jul 09, 2018
The Only Winners In California’s Fines and Fees System Are Private Debt Collectors
San Francisco just became the first city in the nation to stop charging court fines and fees, but the rest of the state has a long way to go.
Teresa Mathew Jul 02, 2018
Mayors Who Care About Child Separation Should Look in Their Own Backyards
Families are torn apart by the criminal justice system every day.
Josie Duffy Rice Jun 28, 2018
ICE Limits Access To Lawyers For NYC Immigrants In Detention, Citing Protests
Advocates decry court's shift to using teleconferencing for hearings.
Emma Whitford Jun 27, 2018
Thousands of ‘Lawyer Moms’ Will Swarm Congress To Fight For Migrant Children
'We have a reaction as mothers to what’s been going on.'
Why do Prisoners in Florida Keep Dying?
With privatization of the state’s prisons in full swing, this year is on track to be its deadliest on record.
Michael Sainato Jun 25, 2018
Exclusive: Immigrant Detainees In an Oregon Federal Prison Are Being Held In General Population Units
As a consequence, authorities are keeping them in cells for 22 to 23 hours a day, according to Oregon’s federal public defender.
Locked up for three decades without a trial
A New York City man has been shuffled between Rikers Island and mental hospitals for 32 years.
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
‘You Never Want to go to the Workhouse’
Activists launch a new campaign to close an infamous St. Louis jail.
Sylvia A. Harvey Jun 18, 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
Illinois Prisoners Speak Out—and Then Lose a Cherished Debate Program
Debate coach Katrina Burlet says she was banned from state’s prisons after prisoners in her program argued for parole.
Michael Sainato Jun 11, 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.
Louisiana Prisoners Demand an End to ‘Modern-day Slavery’
People incarcerated at Angola want opportunities for education instead of hard labor in the fields.
Bryce Covert Jun 08, 2018
‘I didn’t lay down’: How a California man convicted of murder may have saved his own life
Death penalty mitigation offers juries a chance to see defendants in a different light.
Maura Ewing Jun 06, 2018
We’ve been fighting the drug war for 50 years. So why aren’t we winning?
A new paper argues that President Johnson’s 1967 Commission on Law Enforcement’s report on the subject was “decades ahead of its time.”
Zachary A. Siegel Jun 04, 2018
How the Push to Close Rikers Went From No Jails To New Jails
Activists say a once-radical campaign has been co-opted.
This Deep Red State Just Ended Cash Bail
Alaska’s new comprehensive criminal justice reform law will reduce the prison population by 13% and save taxpayers $380 million.
Bryce Covert Jan 10, 2018
Jail Policies Restrict Legal Representation in North Carolina
Public defenders in Charlotte say restrictions on communication hinder their ability to help jailed clients.
Jessica Brand Dec 14, 2017
Cyntoia Brown Case Reveals Entrenched Problems with Tennessee Juvenile Justice
State law makes it easier to throw Brown away than consider traumas youth face and offer them hope of rehabilitation.
Demetria D. Frank Dec 01, 2017
Ditching the Bondsman is Only Part of the Battle for Bail Reform
The five states that have done away with commercial bond outlets still struggle with inequity when it comes to cash bail.
Rebecca McCray Nov 22, 2017
Louisiana Man Ordered Released From Jail After Waiting Almost Eight Years For Trial
Case called an “embarrassment to criminal justice system.”
Finding a Place for Restorative Justice
A new project chronicles the myriad alternative visions of justice taking place in the U.S. and Canada.
Rebecca McCray Nov 17, 2017
Cryptocurrency is the Next Frontier in the Quest to Abolish Cash Bail
A new app seeks to liberate people from more than “liberal malaise.”
Rebecca McCray Nov 15, 2017
New Jersey Governor-Elect Promising Bold Criminal Justice Reform Agenda
Phil Murphy has promised marijuana legalization, end of cash bail and will look at ending minimum mandatory sentences
Larry Hannan Nov 09, 2017
Commentary: Ripping Off Cy Vance’s Mask
The “reformer” still prosecutes farebeaters
Josmar Trujillo Oct 31, 2017
When “Ambiguity” Can Mean Life in Prison
A Louisiana man’s request for a “lawyer dog” was deemed unclear by the state’s Supreme Court.
New Data Throws Fuel on the Fire for Nashville Bail Reform
The majority of people who face misdemeanor charges remain behind bars just because they are poor
Larry Hannan Oct 27, 2017
California jail hunger strikers: “We’re seeking humanity”
Alameda and Santa Clara County jail detainees round out the first week of a hunger strike for better conditions.
Rebecca McCray Oct 20, 2017
Spotlight on juvenile life without parole
Matt Henry Oct 13, 2017
Federal monitors go where they’re not wanted: Juvenile Court
Memphis critic says Juvenile Court Judge’s resistance to reforms has ‘emasculated’ Department of Justice
Wendi C. Thomas Oct 05, 2017
Las Vegas jury decides that a brutal murder does not justify the death penalty
John Valerio shows that violent offenders can change.
Carimah Townes Sep 25, 2017
Louisiana mother faces jail time for her children’s alleged crimes
A district attorney wants to solve crime by breaking up families.
Carimah Townes Sep 06, 2017
Shoplifting from Wal-Mart can get you 12 years of prison time in Tennessee
The price of shoplifting at Wal-Mart isn’t always low.
Carimah Townes Sep 05, 2017
Does childhood end at 18?
Jessica Pishko Aug 17, 2017
Top Five Articles On Bail Reform Last Week
Rory Fleming Aug 10, 2017
Oklahoma sheriff indicted for jail death
Carimah Townes Jul 31, 2017
Top Five Articles on Bail Reform Last Week
Rory Fleming Jul 25, 2017
In Mississippi, a Lost Second Chance for Gerome Moore
“You look like a cold-blooded monster.”
Rebecca McCray Jun 22, 2017
Arizona’s Incarcerated Firefighters Push for Legislation That Recognizes Their Labor By Reducing Their Sentences
Unlike other states, Arizona offers just minimal early release credits for the prisoners it sends to fight its wildfires. But one crew of incarcerated firefighters is fighting for a bill to change that.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
The Damage Done By Foster Care Systems
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 18, 2019
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Kansas City Chooses Free Public Transit
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 06, 2019
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.
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.
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
What Does Death By Incarceration Look Like In Pennsylvania? These Elderly, Disabled Men Housed In A State Prison.
More than 5,400 people in the state are sentenced to life without parole. This month, The Appeal went inside one prison that helps provide end-of-life care for men.
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