What you’ll read today Spotlight: Let them eat steak: The disgraceful press coverage of holiday meals in federal prisons 24 prisoners have died on Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard’s watch Cyntoia Brown gets clemency, will be freed New York’s new marijuana policy brings arrests way down, but racial disparities are soaring Incoming Missouri attorney general, […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Why it makes no sense to criminalize fathers who can’t pay child support—and why we should support prosecutors who recognize that The Power of Sheriffs: An Explainer Scott Dozier dead in an apparent suicide on Nevada’s death row Federal judge finds that Virginia prison fails to provide basic standard of medical […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: In the first of a series, “The New Prosecutors,” we consider whether recently elected district attorneys can make transformative change. Caging kids is an American tradition Philadelphia will clear old convictions for minor crimes ‘Ballistic Fingerprint’ database rests on shaky science, expands anyway Nevada loosens its felony disenfranchisement rules, a […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: The real death panels––withholding medical care in prison ICE is using driver’s license applications to arrest immigrants Overdoses, riots, and escapes roil a rural Kentucky jail California police misconduct transparency law survives sheriff challenge Criminal justice in 2018, as covered by the Intercept Tallying the lives taken by police in […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Deaths in custody show the folly of immigration arrests and mass incarceration The Appeal’s favorite stories of 2018 In 2018, activists transformed ‘tough on crime’ from asset to liability Eight new chief prosecutors who promised reform take office this month How cash bail contributes to deportations Alabama ‘Beach House sheriff’ […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Looking back on 2018 Louisiana strip club dancers fear more crackdowns as ‘Anti-Trafficking’ law goes into effect Video shows Baton Rouge police pinning man to the ground and beating him Back-to-back jail deaths rock small Utah county Pretrial detention costs $15 billion a year Arrests under a constitutionally suspect statute […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Why the First Step Act is, at best, a ‘baby step’ Oklahoma governor releases 21 prisoners shut out of drug sentencing reform New Jersey cop sued over shooting ranks first in his department for use of force ‘Justice’ wins!… Merriam-Webster’s word of the year Legal loophole lets Texas hide records of jail […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: ICE Air, a little-known division of ICE, deports people in shackles and funnels tax dollars to Republican-friendly businesses ‘I gotta be strong for my babies.’ Senate passes First Step Act, a significant change to federal approach to criminal justice Republican-sponsored amendment requiring data collection on police shootings didn’t make the […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: ‘Stand Your Ground’—a law that favors white men and increases homicides—now applies to cops in Florida Is the NYPD’s Special Victims Division prematurely closing sexual assault cases? St. Louis reformer DA hasn’t taken office yet, and his staff already wants to join a police union Statue of Liberty protester found […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Cambridge, Mass., asserts community control over surveillance technology San Francisco officials wanted to close a dilapidated jail by 2019. So why is it still open? Woman held on $300 bail dies after five months in Texas jail Officers who snatched a 1-year-old from his mother’s arms did nothing wrong, according […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: We know how to make prosecution less awful, but many prosecutors work hard to resist any changes The Appeal Podcast: How local governments are pushing back against ICE Florida’s Supreme Court rules that ‘Stand Your Ground’ applies to police officers, too Debunking frightening myths spread by Arizona prosecutor Bill Montgomery Reformist […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: The waiting game—NYPD ripped 1-year-old from mother, but why did the benefits office expect her to wait for hours, standing up, with a child? Pennsylvania man charged with homicide wasn’t even present when victim was killed Man who trolled officer by playing “F*** tha Police” found not guilty With almost 15,000 […]
What you’ll read today Spotlight: Cyntoia Brown and an effort to end life imprisonment NYPD commander’s text messages show how the quota system persists Sheriff’s office allegedly tipped off ICE in violation of sanctuary law Will Kentucky end felony disenfranchisement? Many life sentences and few commutations in Pennsylvania Courts can’t be in the business of collecting […]
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 […]