Reformers Soar in Pittsburgh Primaries, Opening New Chapter for Decarceral Efforts | Bolts

Voters in the Pittsburgh area spoke clearly Tuesday night in favor of progressive reform to the local criminal legal system. In Allegheny County primary elections, Pittsburgh-area Democrats nominated candidates for... Read More

In Major Blow to LA County's Cash Bail System, Judge Issues Injunction Limiting Bail Prior To Arraignment | LAist

Judge Lawrence Riff seemed to agree that requiring cash bail from jailed people who have not been arraigned discriminates against poor people.

Oregon Domestic Terrorism Law Targets the Far Right. Here’s How It’ll Backfire.

The Democrat-sponsored bill has broad bipartisan support, but civil rights groups say it’s open to misuse against climate and racial justice activists.

Police Killing Looms Over May DA Race in Eastern Pennsylvania | Bolts

The debate inside the Eastern Monroe Public Library on April 1 had gone mostly as expected by the time Mike Mancuso, a staff prosecutor running for Monroe County district attorney... Read More

US Supreme Court clears way for execution of Florida inmate sentenced to death by nonunanimous jury - World Socialist Web Site

Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for legislation that will once again allow a nonunanimous jury vote to send a person to the death chamber.

Hochul is wrong on bail changes: Public safety reforms have worked and should not be reversed – New York Daily News

For a second straight year, New York does not have an on-time budget because Gov. Hochul refuses to stop fighting to undo bail reform. Instead of embracing the immense policy success of bail reform, which was first passed in 2019, Hochul has instead chosen to align herself with Republicans in a figh..

Migrants Died In Detention Fire Because They Couldn't Pay $200 Bribe to Be Released

The facility operated as an “extortion center,” according to three survivors and two guards who spoke to VICE World News.

Chicago’s Organizer Mayor | Bolts

“God bless. Brandon Johnson isn’t going to be the mayor of this city,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in January when asked about the Chicago Teachers’ Union, a powerful left-leaning... Read More

Monell Doctrine: How the Supreme Court Let Cities Off the Hook For Police Violence

Do you think cities should be liable for cops who beat people up? Thanks to the Supreme Court's Monell doctrine, it's really, really tough.

“Back to 1902”: Virginia Governor Revives Lifetime Ban on Voting | Bolts

Governor Glenn Youngkin just gave himself a lot more power to pick and choose Virginia voters. The Republican governor’s administration told state lawmakers in a letter last week that he... Read More

NYPD cops shoot, critically injure man having 'medical episode' in Bronx - Gothamist

Gothamist is a non-profit local newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Youth at Baltimore County jail kept in cells for 23 hours a day in poor conditions, state public defender says – Baltimore Sun

Children detained at the Baltimore County Detention Center are locked up for 23 hours a day in rat-infested cells that sometimes flood with sewage water, according to a letter from the Maryland Office of the Public Defender.

The 'Violent Felon' Label Can Unfairly Brand People for Life

The “violent felon” label can mean someone committed anything from a murder to a purse snatching or verbal threat.

States Lead the Way in Banning Immigration Detention Centers

New Mexico and Colorado's bills would drastically decrease immigration detention. The states hope to then eliminate detention altogether.

Charging "Dealers" With Homicide: Explained - The Appeal

Exposing how the U.S. criminal legal system fails to keep people safe and perpetuates harm.

GOP proposal that would make a fentanyl deaths first-degree murder moves forward

Fentanyl dealers linked to an overdose death could face the death penalty under a Republican proposal that critics say will also sweep up drug addicts and send them to death row. 

The SFPD Brags About Busting Johns Seeking Sex Workers on Capp Street

Undercover SFPD officers have recently been posing as sex workers and they say they've busted 30 "johns" in a pointless exercise on Capp Street, in an ongoing effort to crack down on solicitation on that Mission District alley.

In Chicago’s Police Oversight Elections, Progressives Targeted by FOP Prevail | Bolts

In addition to ousting incumbent Lori Lightfoot in the mayoral election on Tuesday, Chicagoans also elected the members of their new police council districts, bodies created to exercise oversight over... Read More

How the State Sanctions Police Violence | Bolts

Americans have come to associate police killings with large financial settlements—a pitiful recompense for the loss of a loved one, but perhaps one that can allow family to pay for... Read More

Lawsuit alleges man was dead in jail for 18 hours before guards noticed | Freeaccess | idahostatejournal.com

POMEROY, Washington — A 36-year-old man was dead in a “dungeonlike” cell at the Garfield County Jail for more than 18 hours before dispatchers who monitor the jail noticed, a

Murmurs: Commissioner Rene Gonzalez Explains Tent Ban

Why California should let non-cops handle traffic stops - Los Angeles Times

A new bill would limit pretextual traffic stops and let cities use unarmed employees instead. It'll never pass without activists like Patrisse Cullors.

With Illinois Cash Bail Case, Courts May Wall Themselves Off from Reform | Bolts

Illinois was supposed to make history at the start of this year: with the full implementation of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T Act, passed by the legislature... Read More

As the Pandemic Swept America, Deaths in Prisons Rose Nearly 50 Percent - The New York Times

‌The first comprehensive data on prison fatalities in the Covid era sheds new light on where and why prisoners were especially vulnerable.

How One City Ended Prison Gerrymandering | Bolts

This story is produced as a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and Bolts. The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution sits between a creek and Interstate 495 in Wilmington,... Read More

After Another Police Killing in Chicago, We Need to Focus on Care, Not Cops | The Nation

Officers in Chicago killed Isidro Valverde and then lied about it—part of a pattern at CPD. We must reallocate excessive police funding to build systems of supportive care.

Video of probation officer bending teen sparks abuse claims - Los Angeles Times

After several L.A. County probation officers pinned a 17-year-old boy facedown following an argument inside Camp Kilpatrick in 2020, their boss grabbed the boy's legs and bent them toward his head.