ICYMI: Last fall, @jewstein3000.bsky.social reported a deep dive into Maryland's troubled Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Last month, an official investigation by the Maryland AG uncovered at least 36 people killed by police whose deaths were misclassified. theappeal.org/maryland-ocm...

For @theappeal.org, authors @chriswblackwell.bsky.social + @sarahlsax.bsky.social detail how prison strip searches serve as weapons of humiliation rather than security measures. theappeal.org/strip-search...

Efforts to criminalize trans people and the medical care many trans people rely on continue to escalate at the state and federal levels. Adam M. Rhodes takes a look at what trans people, their loved ones, and medical providers can do to protect themselves: theappeal.org/trans-legal-...

This new op-ed from @joshpage.bsky.social, Anna Hall, and Anna Simonton argues that Minnesota needs more than bail reform—building a safe and just pretrial system requires a ground-up transformation. theappeal.org/minnesota-ba...

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D. Razor Babb, Emily Nonko, and Nina Zweig report with @theappeal.org: www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio... /7

After mystery illnesses and toxic reports, prisoners at California’s Mule Creek State Prison worry their water is killing them. @theappeal.org D. Razor Babb, Emily Nonko, and Nina Zweig report: www.typeinvestigations.org/investigatio...

New from @theappeal.org and @typeinvestigations.org: For years, people incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison have raised the alarm about mystery diseases and foul-smelling water at the prison. But no one is taking responsibility for ensuring the water is safe. theappeal.org/mule-creek-d...

For @typeinvestigations.org and @theappeal.org, D. Razor Babb and Emily Nonko spent over a year investigating (across prison walls) the drinking water concerns at Mule Creek State Prison, where Razor is incarcerated. "If you want to live, don't drink the water..." theappeal.org/mule-creek-d...

My latest for @theappeal.org: James Carver spent 36 years in prison after he was convicted of setting one of the deadliest fires in #Massachusetts history. But after reviewing new scientific evidence, a judge set him free. “They took my life away for nothing,” Carver said.

In an earnings call this morning, CoreCivic's CEO told investors that Trump will "supercharge" the private-prison industry. "Never in our 42-year company history have we had so much activity and demand for our services as we are seeing right now.” theappeal.org/corecivic-ea...

For @theappeal.org, @chriswblackwell.bsky.social + Antoine Davis write about the infamous "Scared Straight" program. "There are far better ways to deter at-risk youth from crime." theappeal.org/prison-mento...

Check out Appeal Strategy and Legal Director Molly Greene on a recent episode of Beyond the Box, a criminal-justice-reform podcast from the Urban Justice Center www.urbanjustice.org/podcast/#mol...

“Scared straight” programs don’t work. But that doesn’t mean incarcerated people shouldn’t mentor at-risk kids. theappeal.org/prison-mento...

On today’s quarterly earnings call, for-profit prison operator GEO Group’s CEO J. David Donahue told investors the company is “very excited to support" Trump's mass deportation plans. theappeal.org/geo-group-ea...

On today's earnings call, GEO Group CEO told investors the private prison company is “very excited to support the mission at hand.” New from me for @theappeal.org. theappeal.org/geo-group-ea...

In a series of unpublicized revisions, DOJ removes references to trans people & gender from critical crime-data surveys Reports @theappeal.org

Scoop from yours truly: In a series of largely unnoticed revisions in late March, the Justice Department deleted questions about gender identity from major surveys, including the National Crime Victimization Survey, possibly violating federal law: theappeal.org/trump-doj-er...

Have you heard of the 1033 Program? Well, it’s only the beginning… 🎙️ How Local Police are Using Fabricated Panic to Purchase Military Weaponry 📢 The Law & Disorder show, with Joey Scott (@joeyneverjoe.bsky.social), who recently exposed the surge for @theappeal.org open.spotify.com/episode/15Zi...

In a series of unpublicized revisions last month, the DOJ removed references to trans people and gender from at least four critical crime-data surveys, The Appeal has confirmed. theappeal.org/trump-doj-er...

According to a wrongful death lawsuit, staff at the Angelina County Jail stood by as 33-year-old Glenn Smallwood vomited and died in front of them. theappeal.org/texas-jail-s...

Louisiana sends children to the adult Jackson Parish Jail, where kids say they're abused and held in solitary confinement. Investigators found the facility violated state rules 83 times between July and February—almost 12 times more than the second-worst lockup. theappeal.org/jackson-pari...

NEW from @theappeal.org: Louisiana sent kids to an adult jail that violated scores of regulations, reports say lailluminator.com/2025/04/30/j...

I obtained inspection reports for a dozen juvenile detention facilities in Louisiana. Jackson Parish Jail had more violations than the combined total of those facilities and almost 12 times more than the second-worst lock-up. My latest investigation for @theappeal.org. theappeal.org/jackson-pari...

BREAKING: Trump’s Department of Justice has cut all funding to the national Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center, according to a letter obtained by The Appeal. theappeal.org/trump-doj-de...

“#Minnesota, along with 19 other states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government, allows for the civil commitment of people convicted of sex offenses after they’ve completed the terms of their incarceration.” Read more @theappeal.org: theappeal.org/sex-of...#Minnesota, #MassIncarceration

Read more here: theappeal.org/trump-doj-de...

BREAKING: Trump’s Department of Justice has cut all funding to the national Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center, according to a letter obtained by The Appeal. theappeal.org/trump-doj-de...

my latest is out with @theappeal.org I've been thinking about the relevance of this piece for right now. we've all been talking about due process. if this system of imprisoning some people not as punishment, but to prevent future crimes exists, none of us can be free. theappeal.org/sex-offense-...

“They’re not going to deter me from doing what I’m doing,” Padrón said of his state’s commitment program. “And in embracing that, there’s a certain type of freedom that comes from it. You can’t do anything more to me. I know the end.” I always learn so much from people. theappeal.org/sex-offense-...

In half the country, sex offense civil commitment incarcerates people *after* they complete their prison sentences—sometimes for life—under the guise of "rehabilitation." "The environment here consistently produces no hope, you know what I mean?" theappeal.org/sex-offense-...

important reporting connecting some dots here!

Democrats and universities paved the way for Trump's deportations. Now, local prosecutors are threatening students and faculty members with decades in prison for speaking out against genocide.

As the Trump admin fights to deport students who support Palestinians, dozens more face extreme charges in local courts. In just five jurisdictions, prosecutors have filed 187 charges against 66 protesters—including alleged hate crimes on cops, mob action, and attempted ethnic intimidation.

At least six people at Virginia's Red Onion State Prison intentionally lit themselves on fire last year. Now, prisoners say staff are forcing people to comply with strict new rules—or punishing them by cutting their electricity. theappeal.org/red-onion-pr...

"…Otherwise, her qualifications are questionable: besides issuing rules for sawfish harvesting & letting military veterans hunt bears, Sheahan’s most relevant experience over the last year seems to be lending her officers…to round up homeless residents." @delaneynolan.bsky.social via @theappeal.org

"Sheahan, who is 28, was appointed secretary of the LDWF… in 2023, though she had no background in conservation or ecology. She previously worked on Noem’s campaign for… governor & was executive director of the Republican Party there, where she worked on banning trans athletes from college sports."

While leading a state agency, ICE’s new deputy director led sweeps of unhoused community members in NOLA. Attorneys representing unhoused folks sued but the state courts rules state’s police power rules—what a terrifying abuse of power harming our most vulnerable neighbors.

"They did it with migrants, and they've said they're going to do it with homeless folks. And we have to believe them."

ICE’s new deputy director, Madison Sheahan, previously used Louisiana’s fish & wildlife agency to help round up unhoused people and put them in a New Orleans warehouse: theappeal.org/ice-deputy-d...

The new deputy director of ICE earned her chops by helping to round up our unhoused neighbors here in New Orleans. My first for @theappeal.org : theappeal.org/ice-deputy-d...

ICE’s new deputy director, Madison Sheahan, previously used Louisiana’s fish & wildlife agency to help round up unhoused people and put them in a New Orleans warehouse: theappeal.org/ice-deputy-d...

My cousin trained dogs while she was incarcerated. It gave her a sense of purpose to give back to people in need. I believe it helped her with her parole and, since her release, she intends to continue training dogs as her career.

"Extreme social deprivation [in animal research] is considered inhumane and is heavily restricted. Yet, for prisons in America, distress is by design ... Individuals increasingly find themselves in cages unfit for lab mice and subjected to conditions with less scrutiny than that of invertebrate[s]."

For @theappeal.org's latest newsletter, Aaron Edward Olson and Randy Brennan write about how life-changing a dog training program has been inside their prison. "In this environment of deprivation, a powerful ally has emerged: dogs." theappeal.org/how-prison-d...

"Over weeks and months, I worked to gain his trust. I fed him by hand, spoke softly, and let him come to me on his terms. The day he finally wagged his tail when I entered the room, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years—hope." theappeal.org/how-prison-d...

Micaela Romero, whose partner is incarcerated, uses bumblebees to study how solitary confinement and prolonged isolation cause neurological damage. theappeal.org/researcher-s...

For the latest @theappeal.org newsletter, Christopher Blackwell talks with Micaela Romero, a neural systems and behavior researcher who studies the impacts of social isolation. theappeal.org/researcher-s...

Breaking news from @elizabethweill.bsky.social: Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced plans this morning to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. theappeal.org/pam-bondi-lu...

For @theappeal.org, Jeremy Busby writes about one harrowing reality in Texas state prisons, which incarcerate more than 4,500 people in two-person cells the size of a parking space for nearly 24 hours a day. theappeal.org/texas-double...