What you’ll read today Spotlight: The criminal and juvenile legal systems are drivers of poverty. Presidential candidates should recognize that.  Progressive Philly DA Larry Krasner’s bail reform plans seem stalled, advocates say Tiffany Cabán close to victory in Queens DA primary Marijuana legalization and ‘reparations’ in Illinois People in Louisiana prisons describe years in isolation […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Free phone calls from San Francisco and NY jails demonstrate ‘status quo bias’ In a North Florida county, prosecutors drop nearly 50% of sexual battery cases  Media Frame: Time to ban ride-along police TV Women of color have been elected as prosecutors, but often fight to maintain their positions Public […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: After Nipsey Hussle’s killing, gang members call for an end to violence In Louisiana, a messenger of change disregards his message California cops said a man wielded a deadly weapon when they shot him. But records reveal he waved a tent pole. ‘Nothing sanitary’ and ‘not safe’ Move 9 member […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: With the taking of Marion Wilson’s life, a grim milestone a death penalty in decline The Appeal Podcast: Qualified immunity, a roadblock to reform Supreme Court orders new trial for Curtis Flowers Federal judge blocks civil ICE arrests in Massachusetts courts Queens prosecutor Democratic primary next week Arizona prisons reverse […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Corrupt cops, lazy lawyers, and cowardly politicians: Kevin Cooper’s case exemplifies three and a half decades of systemic failures Orange County’s ‘standard operating procedure’ Jackie Lacey’s legacy is ‘unfair and discriminatory,’ advocates say New York State strikes three blows against private prisons Protesters shut down North Carolina jail, say bail […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: When police spread racism and hate online, it says something about how they work Arizona man faces deportation after filing lawsuit against Coconino County sheriff Suicides, ICE cooperation, and racism allegations at Maryland jail Will New York end solitary confinement? New York Times endorses Tiffany Cabán for Queens DA What abolition […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: In Alabama, departing sheriffs destroy property, deplete funds, and (usually) face no consequences Floridians are suing a cop fired for planting drugs in their vehicles California and Iowa police ask for access to security doorbells and neighborhood crime apps Federal court says Michael Brown’s shooter did not illegally detain Brown […]

What you’ll read today Flint and the pursuit of accountability In Pennsylvania, detention as a first option Solitary confinement, marijuana legalization, parole reform among New York legislature’s unfinished business Off-duty LAPD cop shoots and kills intellectually disabled man A watered-down immigration bill becomes law in Colorado Criticisms of judicial appointment of sheriff’s adviser in Chicago […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Linda Fairstein is canceled. Is ‘Law & Order’ culture next? Media Frame: Using gun fears to demagogue bail reform The Appeal Podcast: What’s changed since the 2018 prison strike? Kentucky Supreme Court strikes down ‘Marsy’s Law’ because voters were not told what it would do New York advocates go on […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Bill de Blasio seems perplexed about circumstances that led to a trans woman’s death at Rikers Island. He shouldn’t be. How a D.C. Lawmaker is challenging the racist roots of prison voting restrictions Arrested for shoplifting and dead 2 days later New York lawmakers propose decriminalizing sex work Federal government withdraws […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Will Chicago get a memorial to honor the survivors of police torture? A troubled Virginia jail looks to add guards, but advocates push for decarceration Trial of No More Deaths volunteer ends in a mistrial Northern Virginia victories for progressive prosecutors San Francisco will end jail phone charges and commissary […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: When saving lives is illegal, something is wrong with the law. When humanitarians are prosecuted, something is wrong with law enforcement. Data raises questions about Harris County DA’s push for more lawyers Commentary: Body cameras and Tasers rake in billions for Axon, but they’re no panacea for police violence Utah […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Durham City Council says no to more police LA prosecutor touts her mental health reforms, but critics say she’s making the crisis worse The Appeal Podcast: American cities’ growing reliance on surveillance Powerful Virginia prosecutors face challenges in tomorrow’s primaries Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 12 and a half years […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: ‘A new wave of prosecutorial transparency’ Introducing Media Frame: A column that critiques coverage of criminal justice issues Pleading guilty to get out of jail A bill in Alabama would require people convicted of sex offenses to undergo ‘chemical castration’ as a condition of parole Dallas Police Department responds after […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Incarcerated women helped draft a New York bill to help free domestic violence survivors. Now it’s law.   Queens prosecutor’s office failed to share 911 tapes in murder trial and then lost file, attorneys say Video hearings: The choice ‘between efficiency and rights’ Largest public defense office in Oregon stops taking […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Saying yes to solitary confinement for Paul Manafort means saying yes to it for tens of thousands of people Virginia teen was detained and prosecuted for saying ‘oink oink’ to cop A close look at Tiffany Cabán’s campaign for Queens DA Video shows Ohio jail guard walking away from a […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Neighborhood crime apps stoke fears, reinforce racist stereotypes, and trick people into performing police surveillance Indefinite solitary confinement in New York is finally put to the test New Orleans police appear to use surveillance to initiate investigations D.C. could become the first jurisdiction to restore voting rights to people while […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: In a study of cops’ Facebook accounts, 1 in 5 had posted racist, violent content An Alabama woman got pregnant while in jail. She has no memory of having sex. Millions of diapers needed for babies in immigration detention Texas police union lobbied against transparency in jail deaths Illinois to […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: People in prison face extreme heat and extreme indifference A new moral panic targets moms The Appeal Podcast: Criminal justice reform hits roadblock in Arizona New York does away with ban on gravity knives The pressure on prosecutors to act unethically In the Spotlight 5/12/2019 Ten years ago, a woman […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Memorial Day shootings prompt calls for more police—but why? ‘I was in constant fear’: Immigrant faces deportation after prison for domestic dispute It’s time to make Chicago police pay for their misdeeds—out of their own budget New Hampshire abolishes the death penalty Bill to prevent police shootings advances in California […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Translating Black voters’ political knowledge into political power Family of Orlando prisoner who died after police dog bites gets legal breakthrough Baby’s death in mother’s bed leads to 5-year prison term, but was it her fault? One week for Connecticut to make prison phone calls free Supreme Court will hear […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Baltimore police union’s tweet tells cops to ‘protect each other’ and reminds them that some children are ‘criminals’ Notorious jailhouse informant case resurfaces as New Orleans DA race nears Washington State ends its legislative session by reforming youth detention, prison gerrymandering Philadelphia judge declines to resentence juvenile lifer; instead, she […]

Special Edition: Parole Will New York’s parole system give Jerome Wright’s decade of community contributions and family support the weight they deserve? Yesterday, Radley Balko of the Washington Post wrote about Jerome Wright, a deacon, activist, father, and husband in Buffalo, New York, who has been in jail for six months after nearly a decade […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: ‘To remain silent would mean complicity’: Whistleblowers expose harm in ICE detention facilities Scandal-plagued Arizona prosecutor won’t release records, lawsuit alleges New data reveals the racial disparities in Pennsylvania’s money bail industry De Blasio says new jails to replace Rikers will be smaller than originally planned Philadelphia DA calls for new trial […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: ‘If you build it, they will come’: How jail beds drive incarceration New York prisons offer ‘tough love’ boot camp programs. But prisoners say they’re ‘torture’ and ‘hell.’ Instagram photos offer glimpse inside notorious Georgia jail City prosecutors’ changing stances might lead to repeal of discriminatory ‘gravity knife’ law in […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Prosecutors become unlikely line of defense against abortion bans Wisconsin’s ‘constitutional crisis’ is forcing people to sit in jail without a lawyer State trooper said man took bag from a Fentanyl supplier, but video showed that deal never happened Border patrol agent accused of running a migrant down with his […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Examining the chokehold that killed Eric Garner, from One Police Plaza to Arizona This grandfather was granted parole in 2018. Why is he still in prison? North Carolina jail staff accused of beating and abusing mentally ill veteran Philadelphia votes for sheriff tomorrow New Jersey marijuana decriminalization bill is pulled, […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: In domestic violence cases, prosecutors seek a way around the Sixth Amendment Atlanta bail reform is leaving behind homeless and mentally ill people Johns Hopkins University’s private police force would bring more cops to an overpoliced Baltimore Sherry Boston, DeKalb County district attorney, will not prosecute anyone under Georgia’s new […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: U.S. drug companies won’t help execute people, so the DOJ will allow prisons to buy from other countries Incarceration is always a policy failure Judge says Seattle’s contract with police union undermines public trust in police accountability Massachusetts law would ban cell phones while driving but also monitor for racial […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: San Francisco bans government use of facial recognition technology Veteran’s death highlights inhumane conditions in an Ohio jail In D.C., policing of petty offenses is largely policing of Black people Delaware high court disqualifies prosecutors who stole a defendant’s files and notes Former Nevada attorney general says people with felony […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Harvard professor loses post for defending an unpopular client Simon Liu isn’t a sex offender. But he’s still on the registry for life. Queens DA candidates compete for ‘most progressive’ Klobuchar will push for hundreds of millions of dollars for police Indiana law will compensate wrongly convicted people In the […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: A vision for keeping women out of jail Bronx cops celebrated a copwatcher’s arrest. They had no idea they were caught on tape Louisiana bill could jail defense attorneys for doing their jobs Five years later, officer goes on trial in Eric Garner’s death Violent crime down in Chicago after […]

Special Edition What abolitionism looks like Try telling someone that you’re a prison abolitionist. The response, most likely, will be a sympathetic but condescending chuckle with an expression that says, “You’re incorrigible.” Or else it will be an earnest nose crinkle, followed by the inevitable question: “But what will we do with all of them?” […]

Special Edition How we count people skews political power In late April, the Supreme Court heard arguments in one of the most consequential cases of the term. Department of Commerce v. New York  deals with the Trump administration’s decision to add a question asking about citizenship to the 2020 census. In the current political climate, […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: A rare guilty verdict in a police shooting case cannot substitute for systemic reform Police in California are killing sleeping people The Appeal Podcast: The NYPD SVU’s low clearance rate for sexual assault A ‘poll tax’ to undermine Amendment 4 California appeals court rejects DAs’ challenge to law that keeps 14- […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: LAPD retreats from ‘predictive policing,’ for now ‘They sent him to his cell to die’ ‘I can’t afford it and I never will be able to’ New York has become the first major U.S. city to provide free phone calls from jails No reduction in court appearances after Philadelphia DA […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Revitalizing clemency, at the federal and state level Border Patrol in New Mexico stood by as right-wing militia terrorized migrants Trans woman jailed and harassed because she didn’t pay a $15 seatbelt fine, lawsuit says Their son died in solitary. They are asking New York to end the practice. Baltimore […]

Special Edition From ‘civil death’ to ‘civic bonds’: There is no (good) reason prisoners can’t vote There are various arguments for why people in prison should not be allowed to vote; none of them is persuasive. Recently, when CNN hosted town halls with contenders for the Democratic nomination for president and some were asked whether […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Women in jails and prisons are forced to use cotton balls and rags as substitutes for tampons and pads New Orleans’s youth jail faces overcrowding crisis as DA targets kids Illinois law brings back parole, expands boundary of youth justice Oklahoma police opened fire on a truck that had children […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: What “the largest gang takedown in New York City history” tells us about gang indictments Alabama prisoners say they’ve been punished for trying to reduce violence Deputies ‘tortured, then killed’ man at Georgia jail on ‘Taser Tuesday,’ attorneys say The Appeal Podcast: Policing public health Federal prosecutors accuse judge of […]