What you’ll read today Spotlight: The country’s largest police department now has a drone program. NYPD critics worry illegal surveillance will follow Secretly recording police officers is protected by First Amendment A punitive turn looms on Florida Supreme Court Philadelphia law enforcement derived millions from selling seized properties, including to police officers Indiana police chief […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Jeff Sessions is gone, but there’s no cause to rejoice as Trump nominates William Barr to replace him ‘Things have changed’: A new Texas anti-immigration measure feeds fear of the police NYPD officers wrestle a woman’s baby out of her arms so they can arrest her on trespassing charges How […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Campus sexual misconduct is a problem. Emulating a broken system is not the only solution. The Appeal Podcast: Black Lives Matter and racism in the criminal justice system In ‘amazing’ verdict, jury awards transgender woman punitive damages against Suffolk County jail Why are women getting stuck in Rikers? In the […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: As long as police emphasize ‘force and complete submission over safety,’ they will continue to kill people with mental illness Virginia jail accused of favoring Christians who agree to live in ‘God Pod’ ‘No shower, wearing diapers, laying there for so long’ Louisiana prosecutor actually disbarred for misconduct ICE keeps […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Can a country that loves “perp walks” really believe in the presumption of innocence? New York just changed the way it prosecutes kids, but some got left behind D.C. will decriminalize subway fare evasion New York City Councilmembers ask NYPD why those caught with vaping marijuana oil are charged as […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: On George H.W. Bush’s legacy and who is afforded respect in death Immigrant who fled gangs and torture challenges ICE detainers Black Lives Matter DC’s battle to end stop-and-frisk in the nation’s capital In a Utah courthouse, kids are placed in belly chains and even ankle cuffs Massachusetts governor calls […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: A new database forces New Jersey to re-examine police use of force Lawsuit claims people in Delaware prisons are still being beaten, stripped, and tortured months after uprising Only one more day to stop execution of one of the ‘Texas Seven’ Former Dallas police officer indicted on murder charges Criminal […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: If Border Patrol agents should refuse to tear gas children, shouldn’t prosecutors, police, and judges refuse some of their duties too? The Appeal Podcast, Episode 23: The pseudoscience behind forensic science California Governor Jerry Brown is fighting Trump with pardons. Will other governors follow suit? Central Park Five prosecutor stripped […]

What you’ll read today New York high court rules that criminal defendants facing threat of deportation are entitled to a jury trial, but many others are deprived of juries New Orleans DA stokes fears over bail fund Incarcerated people sue federal government over proposed prison on polluted land Little-known federal ‘three strikes’ law imposes life […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: First, the cop who killed Laquan McDonald was found guilty of murder. Now attention turns to the alleged cover-up. In a Pennsylvania county, Black children are disproportionately charged in adult court Georgia woman endured arrest, million-dollar bond, and months of jail over ‘meth’ that was actually cotton candy Immigrants at […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Rather than continuing to target young people of color, some cities pull back on curfews Despite new rules, NYC is still jailing people long after they post bail Manhattan DA’s office still prosecuting people for the knives they carry for work ‘The People’ are on both sides Supreme Court will take […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Reconsidering excessive fines and fees, from California counties to the Supreme Court Jeff Sessions left behind a record-breaking prosecution machine The impact of the California law that scales back the felony murder rule Body camera video shows Milwaukee police shooting an unarmed man Police officers in schools don’t make students […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: New York Democrats won big. Will they deliver big change? A year after police shot Calvin Toney, his family still doesn’t know what happened When stealing Legos adds to a lifetime of consequences States use secrecy laws to hide information about executions Settlement to make life-saving Hepatitis C treatment available […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: The American Public Health Association on how to end police violence The ‘hypocritical’ loophole in New York’s pledge to stop prosecuting marijuana In Oklahoma, reform candidates for DA discuss their campaign challenges Six executions scheduled in Tennessee for 2019 and 2020 ‘No glory in being last’ on criminal justice reform Krasner […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Police can no longer pretend to be neutral enforcer of laws Could new cash to fight homelessness in San Francisco mean less reliance on police? Black men disproportionately represented on sex offender registries Tech, left, and right set out to clear criminal records New Hampshire might be next state to […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Trump-endorsed criminal justice reform bill would do a lot more good if it were made retroactive Boston’s new D.A. pushes back against prosecutors’ ‘punishment-centric’ point of view Is a Philadelphia agency’s seizure of vehicles a new form of civil asset forfeiture? Portland scuttles protest-restricting ordinance Black ‘good guy with a […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Over 20,000 Alcotests used in drunk driving convictions thrown out in New Jersey, and challenges to the convictions could follow Lawsuit accuses a Louisiana police chief of punching a man and throwing his wife to the ground With Democrats in control in New York, public defenders call for long-overdue reforms Democratic […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Will Portland adopt a law to restrict protests? New evidence reveals Columbus police filed misleading reports on Stormy Daniels arrest 50 preventable deaths over five years in New York’s prisons Private prison company spends record amount on midterm elections Police kill 26-year-old Black security guard A holistic defense approach leads […]

What you’ll read today Making jail a site of services for veterans Pennsylvania case challenges “death by incarceration” for 18-year-olds A suit on behalf of 6,000 women decries law enforcement’s handling of sexual assault cases Where ballot initiatives pertaining to the criminal justice system passed on Tuesday—and where they didn’t Number of attorney-client calls recorded […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: On his way out, Sessions guts one of the most important tools for ending police abuse The Appeal Podcast Episode 21: Criminalizing Trans Lives States are enacting their own bans against “sanctuary city” policies as a federal ban crumbles A mother wanted her son to be taken to a hospital. […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Beto didn’t make it to the Senate, but massive turnout turned important Texas courts blue Billionaire pushes Marsy’s Law to victory in six states, despite concerns that It threatens defendants’ rights After victory in Louisiana, Oregon is now the only state using split juries to convict people Oregon lawmakers say they […]

Special Edition Blue wave aside, there was a tide of criminal justice victories last night Yesterday was not quite the blue wave that Democrats had hoped for, but when it comes to criminal justice, there was a lot to celebrate. Ballot initiatives have rightfully gotten much of the attention. Florida voters approved Amendment 4, which will […]

Special Edition: Ballot Initiative Elections Guide As you head to the polls today, look out for ballot initiatives that would reform the criminal justice system. As Daniel Nichanian analyzed for The Appeal: Political Report, 14 states are holding 18 referendums on measures relevant to criminal justice and law enforcement practices. The outcome of these votes, […]

Special Edition: Attorney General Elections Guide As American voters are bombarded with messages about what they can do to control the House and Senate, few voters, or news outlets, are as fired up about another crucial group that is up for election on Nov. 6: state attorneys general. Even John Oliver recently chided voters for […]

Special Edition: Attorney General Elections Guide As American voters are bombarded with messages about what they can do to control the House and Senate, few voters, or news outlets, are as fired up about another crucial group that is up for election on Nov. 6: state attorneys general. Even John Oliver recently chided voters for […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: The high costs of low pay for public defenders A Trump favorite for his anti-immigration stance, Maryland sheriff now faces re-election In Allegheny County, people arrested with cell phones can be charged with ‘possessing instruments of crime’ Community supervision is the largest part of the correctional system NYC voter guide […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Pardons for immigrants with criminal records emerge as a tool of resistance to Trump’s deportation agenda Rural Oregon sheriffs lead charge to repeal state’s sanctuary law D.A. charges Pittsburgh mom after toddler’s mysterious death from fentanyl in sippy cup Report shows that formerly incarcerated people ‘rarely get the chance to […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Rethinking prosecutors’ ‘second bite at the apple’ during parole proceedings Solitary confinement, jail deaths rock race for sheriff in California Louisiana judge threatens to appoint every eligible lawyer to death penalty case Cooperation with ICE is on the ballot for the elections Former guards allege abuse and mismanagement at a […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Medical examiners and cover-ups Baltimore’s ‘eye in the sky’ plane is back with a new pitch: surveil the police An execution scheduled in South Dakota today makes a mockery of constitutional protections A sheriff blocks get-out-the-vote efforts Prison Legal News seeks Supreme Court review of Florida’s ban Detroit police seized […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: New York’s long-overdue ‘Raise the Age’ law will protect 16- and 17-year-olds from Rikers Island, but not upstate prison The Appeal Podcast Episode 19: Prison strikes are the front line against mass incarceration Georgia mayor plans to round up paroled sex offenders while kids trick or treat North Carolina county’s […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: How Amazon and other tech giants became crucial enablers of Trump’s immigration and law enforcement agenda Program meant to fight terrorism and narcotrafficking is being used to target the undocumented community Advocates say Brooklyn DA’s office is prosecuting transgender people in self-defense cases ICE arrested a man after he testified […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: People laughed when Kanye called for abolishing the ‘trap door’ in the 13th Amendment; now Coloradans are voting on theirs This Florida county’s sheriff is controversial. But his election won’t be close Lawsuit: Manhattan DA’s office tracks cops with credibility problems, but refuses to release its list USDA quietly funds rural […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Ohio’s Issue 1 ballot initiative could ‘deal a blow’ to mass incarceration In Alabama, Black people are 4 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession Washington Supreme Court bars life sentences for minors But Illinois Supreme Court upholds life sentence for 18-year-old Dashboard camera footage […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Why many aren’t cheering for officers who don’t shoot civilians Man convicted of obstruction for refusing to open his door to police Mother’s lawsuit says Oklahoma prison failed to prevent her daughter’s death New York prosecutors sue to prevent oversight Recent police killing hits close to home for Silicon Valley […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight:  Voting out judges to end mass incarceration Is Orange County DA candidate sending mixed signals on jail phone company’s contract? Charlotte district attorney says he won’t stop prosecuting panhandlers Former probation commissioners call for an end to marijuana testing Michigan police place a 12-year-old in handcuffs Allegation that Virginia prison […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Missouri’s parole board can no longer ignore the rehabilitation of people sentenced to juvenile life without parole Introducing the ‘Appeal: Political Report’ website Secretive campus cops patrol already overpoliced neighborhoods People charged with illegal entry posting bail, but judges find new ways to deny freedom Women in prison punished more […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Community behind the prison walls At Angola Prison, ‘People are suffering. People are dying’ Cash bail yields a new casualty Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated from Florida prisons Dangerous and illegal drug raids by Little Rock, Arkansas, police Canadian pension fund’s investment in US private prison companies keeps growing Autopsy […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Washington State’s death penalty ruled racially biased, unconstitutional Prisons crack down on an opioid treatment, endangering lives The Appeal Podcast Episode 18: How activists brought down the most powerful man in Chicago Ohio voters have a chance to ‘deal a blow’ to mass incarceration this November Massachusetts court throws out […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Police video helped Laquan McDonald’s killer get convicted, but it could have helped him get acquitted Will Alabama sheriffs finally stop diverting jail food funds to their own wallets? Baltimore’s gun offender registry is a misfire Police raise money by mocking bailouts (and have been doing so for years) LA […]

What you’ll read today Spotlight: Police video helped Laquan McDonald’s killer get convicted, but it could have helped him get acquitted Will Alabama sheriffs finally stop diverting jail food funds to their own wallets? Baltimore’s gun offender registry is a misfire Police raise money by mocking bailouts (and have been doing so for years) LA […]