The Appeal

We’re thrilled to share that Truthout is taking over The Appeal’s journalism. With Truthout’s powerhouse reputation for independent, reader-funded journalism, our reporting on overpolicing and mass incarceration will continue and reach even wider audiences. theappeal.org/news_awards/...

A lawsuit in Illinois charges that prisons blocking videophone capabilities violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. theappeal.org/tablets-make...

Well-known ICE contractors like CoreCivic and GEO Group have made headlines for allegations of mistreating immigrants. But ICE works with more than 1,000 other contractors across the country. We built a searchable database so you can explore contractors near you. theappeal.org/ice-local-bu...

Danyel Smith has spent more than 20 years in prison for a crime that likely never occurred. Last month, a Georgia judge ordered a new trial in his case, ruling that the evidence used to convict him of shaking his son to death lacked a scientific basis. theappeal.org/danyel-smith...

As Congress debates a major tool for government surveillance, it's important to remember one of the most pervasive forms of mass surveillance: prison telecoms. theappeal.org/securus-surv...

Immigrants detained in Delaney Hall have been on hunger and labor strikes since May 22, overcoming retaliation by ICE and GEO Group staff. They've been joined by protesters outside the facility who have faced weeks of police repression. theappeal.org/delaney-hall...

An 18-year-old college student lost an eye after a federal agent shot him with a “less-lethal” projectile while he was filming a protest. Weapons like tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets can blind, maim, and kill. Officers continue to use them. theappeal.org/less-lethal-...

A growing national movement for menstrual equity is calling on prisons to ensure menstrual products are freely available for people who menstruate behind bars. theappeal.org/prison-menst...

Pennsylvania has one of the largest populations of people serving life without parole sentences in the country—in part due to its onerous process for clemency seekers, which requires unanimous approval from a five-member board. theappeal.org/pennsylvania...

GEO Group CEO George Zoley suggested that selling private facilities directly to ICE could allow the federal government to dodge lawsuits filed by state and local governments seeking to block detention center operations, elizabethweill.bsky.social reports. theappeal.org/geo-group-ic...

In 1996, Maria Montalvo was sentenced to 100 years in prison after a jury convicted her of burning her children to death. Today, her attorneys say the conviction was based on junk science. theappeal.org/maria-montal...

Pennsylvania has the nation’s highest per capita rate of people serving life without parole. More than a decade of abolitionist organizing helped pave the way for a state supreme court ruling that could shift the momentum. theappeal.org/pennsylvania...

California's Gov. Gavin Newsom has touted the "California Model" as a more humane approach to incarceration. Viewed from the ground at San Quentin, it looks more like an expensive rebranding effort to make California prisons appear less inhumane, says Steve Brooks. theappeal.org/california-d...

Under the felony murder doctrine, a person can be convicted of murder even if they didn't kill anyone. In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court ruled that automatic life sentences were unconstitutional; punishments must consider culpability. theappeal.org/pennsylvania...

For Trans Day of Visibility, Gabriel Arkles spoke to trans people behind bars to learn how they've navigated anti-trans violence in an increasingly hostile environment. theappeal.org/trans-visibi...

Aramark is the largest provider of prison food in the country. A lawsuit filed by prisoner in West Virginia alleges that the company intentionally serves inedible meals to drive up sales of expensive snacks. theappeal.org/aramark-west...

Over the past 25 years, the share of women over age 55 incarcerated in California prisons has grown by 600 percent, costing the state millions to imprison people who pose little risk to public safety. A new report suggests pathways for expanding releases. theappeal.org/incarcerated...

Willie Cunningham nearly died after his appendix burst while he was incarcerated in Pennsylvania's York County Prison. Nurses working for the jail's for-profit healthcare provider told him he just had heartburn, @elizabethweill.bsky.social reports. theappeal.org/york-county-...

As ICE seeks to turn commercial warehouses across the country into massive detention centers, communities are fighting back, @bdolinar.bsky.social reports: theappeal.org/ice-wants-to...

ICE has jailed journalists as part of its mass deportation campaign. One unintended side effect: firsthand accounts of detention conditions from trained reporters. theappeal.org/ice-incarcer...

And in case you missed it, we cataloged the members of Congress who have taken thousands of dollars from private prison companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group. Find out if your rep is among them: theappeal.org/ice-cold-cas...

In earnings calls earlier today, investors in GEO Group and CoreCivic criticized ICE. Their chief complaint? ICE's detained population, despite hitting record highs, still isn't large enough. @elizabeth.weill.bsky.social has more: theappeal.org/ice-geo-grou...

In February 2021, seven men sat down to pray in a Missouri prison. Within minutes, guards put them in shackles and covered them in pepper spray. The incident highlights the dangers Muslims face practicing their religion in prison, @khawlanakua.bsky.social reports. theappeal.org/pepper-spray...

NEW FROM ME: for @theappeal.org. After a year of: ✅ Sifting through more than 200 pages of records. ✅ Sifting through more than 3,000 court document searches. ✅ Interviewing many sources. ✅ And filing many public records requests. My story is finally published today. theappeal.org/pepper-spray...

A record number of people died in ICE detention last year, @mludwig.bsky.social reports for @truthout.org Six more people have died during the first three weeks of 2026 alone. theappeal.org/ice-deaths-d...

Holly Krig, for @truthout.org: “I don’t want ‘justice’ from the shooters — they have none to give. I’d rather make a demand of the death-making institutions: die, dissolve, decay.” theappeal.org/ice-renee-go...

New in partnership with @invisible.institute and @phoenixnewtimes.com: Scotty Bach left the Seattle Police Department after an investigation found that he had attended Trump's rally at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Phoenix hired him anyway: theappeal.org/phoenix-poli...

A New Jersey Supreme Court decision ruled that the controversial "Shaken Baby Syndrome" lacked scientific support, barring testimony about SBS in criminal trials. @elizabethweill.bsky.social examines the potential ripple effects of the decision across the country. theappeal.org/new-jersey-s...

My latest for @truthout.org (co-published with @theappeal.org ) truthout.org/articles/ice...

There's the investigation I did for @theappeal.org that looked into the invasive surveillance tech police bought w/ state $ under the premise it'd help fight against organized retail theft. Including ALPRs, real-time crime fusion centers, and social media surveillance theappeal.org/shoplifting-...

New Jersey’s highest court has banned testimony on Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) from the state’s courtrooms. The decision could help unravel wrongful convictions throughout the country. New for @theappeal.org @truthout.org theappeal.org/new-jersey-s...

New from Kevin Light-Roth: Tim Ballard promoted the use of sting operations to combat sex trafficking until his own sexual misconduct allegations tore his career to shreds. Now, the families of men he helped send to prison are demanding answers: theappeal.org/net-nanny-wa...

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