Gavin Newsom Can Sign a Bill to End Price-Gouging in California Prisons
California prison canteens currently sell essential items—such as snacks and medication—at a markup of between 65 and 200 percent.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 18, 2023
More in Politics
Behind the Right’s War on Prosecutors
Reform-minded prosecutors across the country have faced efforts to remove them from office or limit their powers.
Eric Tegethoff Aug 03, 2023
Pressley, Tlaib Announce Bill to Limit Criminal Background Checks on Renters
Formerly incarcerated people are 10 times more likely to become homeless than people without criminal backgrounds. The Housing FIRST Act would ban credit-check companies from including criminal history information on prospective tenants’ files if enacted.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 14, 2023
Democrats Won Power in Four States. Will They Use It to Pass Bold Justice Reforms?
In Minnesota, Democrats used a newly won legislative trifecta to legalize marijuana, overhaul the pardons process, and limit no-knock warrants. But they also funneled hundreds of millions in new funding toward prisons and policing.
Cinnamon Janzer May 25, 2023
Post-Traumatic Prison Disorder Could Impact Millions. Congress Wants to Learn More.
Federal lawmakers are asking the National Institute of Mental Health to research the condition—also known as post-incarceration syndrome—and share its findings with lawmakers.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 04, 2023
Congress Seeks to Create New Independent Federal Prison Oversight Body
Legislation introduced this week follows a string of reports, including in The Appeal, that have revealed widespread sexual abuse and misconduct at Bureau of Prisons facilities.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 27, 2023
Kathy Hochul’s ‘Pro-Suffering’ Campaign Against Bail Reform
The New York governor is making an appeal to “mob justice” as she threatens to take her state back decades on issues of pretrial justice and policing.
Victor Dempsey, MK Kaishian Apr 11, 2023
Georgia’s Backslide Into a Carceral Hellscape
A wave of bills threatens to channel more people toward incarceration, mete out longer prison terms, and limit prosecutors’ discretion.
Anna Simonton Mar 29, 2023
Washington State Bill Would Undo ‘Superpredator’-Era Sentencing Scheme
Under state law, adult prison sentences are automatically enhanced based on prior youth adjudications. New legislation would rein in the practice and allow for reconsideration of extreme sentences.
Chelsea Moore, Christopher Blackwell Mar 27, 2023
Anti-Trans Bills Flood States in ‘Centrally Coordinated’ Attack on Transgender Existence
Advocates have expressed shock at a rapid escalation in the severity of anti-trans legislation, which is increasingly seeking to restrict medical care and public expression, including with threats of criminal punishment.
Adam M. Rhodes Mar 22, 2023
To Honor MLK, Let New Yorkers in Prison Vote
Four lawmakers explain why they introduced legislation to finally end felony disenfranchisement in New York.
Julia Salazar, Zellnor Myrie, Harvey Epstein, and Latrice Walker Jan 17, 2023
Voters Didn’t Buy the ‘Crime Panic’ Narrative. Democrats Should Take Note.
Americans around the country were unmoved by tough-on-crime rhetoric, and instead voted in a string of reform-minded candidates. The results show that it’s time for Democrats to rethink their approach on public safety.
Jerry Iannelli, Nick Wing Nov 11, 2022
A New Class of Candidates Seeks to Transform L.A.’s Approach to Housing, Justice
After a scandal engulfed some of L.A.’s most powerful politicians, a slate of progressive candidates is running on new approaches for tackling homelessness and mass incarceration.
Francisco Aviles Pino Nov 08, 2022
How Imprisoned People Forced to Pick Cotton Got ‘Prison Slavery’ Bans on the Ballot
On Election Day, voters in Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont will decide whether to close loopholes in their state constitutions allowing the forced labor of incarcerated people.
Bryce Covert Nov 07, 2022
Chesa Boudin Looms Over the Race for the Oakland Area’s Next Prosecutor
Pamela Price is running a progressive campaign to change the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in California. She’s winning. But her opponent, longtime prosecutor Terry Wiley, is trying to paint her as the next Chesa Boudin to score votes.
Akintunde Ahmad Nov 04, 2022
Backlash on the Ballot: Three Prosecutor Races to Watch in November
The politics of criminal justice is overwhelmingly local, and elected prosecutors have some of the most direct power over how justice is dispatched.
Anna Simonton Oct 12, 2022
Who Will San Francisco Blame for Crime and Disorder Now?
If Brooke Jenkins fails to deliver results with “tough-on-crime” policies, will San Franciscans blame her, just as they did her predecessor, Chesa Boudin?
Nick Wing Aug 10, 2022
Stacey Abrams’ Bold New Idea is to Tack to the Center
Stacey Abrams wants to give police officers raises. Time and again, Democrats have reacted to calls for racial justice by giving more money to cops.
Nneka Ewulonu Jul 20, 2022
Arizona Judge Blocks Law That Treats Fetuses as People
The law granted embryos and fetuses the same rights as a person. Civil rights groups sought an injunction out of concern the law could criminalize people who provide or obtain abortions.
Meg O'Connor Jul 12, 2022
Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Opening Door for Mass Criminalization of Abortion
Police and prosecutors will now be tasked with enforcing state anti-abortion laws.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 24, 2022
Democrats Would Rather Become Republicans Than Make the Case for Justice Reform
If the Democratic Party wants to run away from those candidates, it will only be running towards its own demise.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 22, 2022
The Chesa Boudin Recall Was a Fight to Protect the Status Quo
For the wealthy backers of the Boudin recall, “progressive” prosecutors are the perfect scapegoat for what they see as threats to a system that treats them just fine.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 08, 2022
New York’s Prison Package Ban Places New Burdens on the Incarcerated
Advocates say the policy, aimed at eliminating contraband, will harm prisoners and their loved ones by making it much harder to send fresh food and other essentials into prisons.
Molly Hagan Jun 02, 2022
Without Roe, Prosecutors Will Be The Abortion Police
Prosecutors across the country could soon be tasked with enforcing abortion laws that require people to reproduce against their will.
Meg O'Connor Jun 01, 2022
Criminalized Abortions Loom Over Phoenix’s Biggest Prosecutor Election
Maricopa County elects a new top prosecutor this year. In the meantime, state law could let the county’s conservative county attorney prosecute abortions if Roe falls.
Meg O'Connor May 27, 2022
It’s Time to Take a Clearer Look at Bail Reform
In the raucous debate over bail reform, simple facts have fallen out of sight.
Bryce Covert May 09, 2022
What Would the End of Roe v. Wade Mean for Pregnancy Behind Bars?
A Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion could force thousands of incarcerated people to carry pregnancies to term.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 05, 2022
The Pandemic Spurred Governors to Grant Clemency, But Advocates Say It Isn’t Enough
Despite sentencing reforms, hundreds of thousands of people who have been incarcerated over the last several decades are ineligible for parole.
Rachel M. Cohen May 24, 2021
California’s New Attorney General Has A Reputation As A Criminal Justice Reformer. But His Biggest Test Is Yet To Come
Rob Bonta’s career has hinged on the idea that the law can be used to engender social justice. His elevation to California’s “top cop” position, where he will become responsible for the vast bureaucracy of the state’s criminal legal system, will be a crucible for that belief.
Piper French May 03, 2021
San Antonio Activists ‘Cannot in Good Faith’ Support This Year’s Mayoral Candidates
Local activists have soured on incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and no other candidate offers a compelling alternative.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 30, 2021
Cincinnati’s Upcoming Mayoral Race is ‘Make or Break’ for Policing and Housing
True public safety, advocates say, is one of the most urgent issues facing Cincinnati voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 29, 2021
How Policing Is Shaping the Pittsburgh Mayoral Race
Incumbent Bill Peduto’s policing record is under scrutiny after protests last summer. He is facing what may be his most competitive race yet.
Joshua Vaughn Apr 27, 2021
‘It Tears Families Apart’: Lawmakers Nationwide Are Moving to End Mandatory Sentencing
Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 15, 2021
The Major Real Estate Donors Influencing the St. Louis Mayoral Race
Days before the election, campaign finance reports show that real-estate and construction industries favor Cara Spencer over Tishaura Jones.
Jerry Iannelli Apr 02, 2021
These Progressive Candidates Could Flip The Balance Of Power In St. Louis City Government
Four first-time candidates could grant progressives a majority on the Board of Alders and transform public safety and housing policy.
Eoin Higgins Mar 31, 2021
Anchorage’s Anti-Homeless Movement May Elect the City’s Next Mayor
One of the leading candidates for Anchorage’s mayoral race is backed by a far-right Facebook group tied to the U.S. Capitol riot.
Jerry Iannelli Mar 23, 2021
The St. Louis Mayoral Race Reflects a Progressive Shift In Local Politics
Two progressive candidates will move on to the general election, while Lewis Reed, a figure in St. Louis’s Democratic party establishment since 1999, couldn’t carry a single ward.
Meg O'Connor Mar 16, 2021
How Teri Castillo Plans to Protect San Antonio From ‘Salivating’ Housing Developers
The housing advocate’s run for city council could be a Texan litmus test for the broad appeal of policies popular with working class voters.
Eoin Higgins Mar 08, 2021
Tishaura Jones Wants to Change St. Louis
Jones says her experience transforming the treasurer’s office will make her an effective mayor. Voters will let candidates know what they think next week.
Meg O'Connor Feb 25, 2021