The Appeal

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We are a worker-run newsroom reporting on the harms of the criminal legal system.

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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.
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theappeal.orgThe Appeal Joins Truthout: A New Chapter BeginsExposing the harms of the criminal legal system and elevating solutions that keep all people safe.
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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...

theappeal.orgDeportation Dollars: ICE Contracts With More Than 1,000 Businesses Across the U.S.The Appeal’s investigation found contracts in nearly every state. Find out if your local businesses are working with ICE.
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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...

theappeal.orgAfter More Than 20 Years in Prison, Georgia Man Wins New Trial in “Shaken Baby” CaseA Georgia judge ordered a new trial for Danyel Smith, who was convicted of a crime that may have never occurred.
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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.

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theappeal.orgEveryone Has a Role to Play in Supporting the Strike at Delaney Hall ICE JailThe uprising at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, has become a focal point for broader resistance to ICE.
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Prison prison executives and PACs affiliated with private prison companies donated an additional $1.1 million. The majority of people detained by ICE are held in facilities operated by private prison corporations.

Private prison PACs donated approximately $675,000 to members of Congress, and private prison executives donated close to $380,000. Most of the approximately 60,000 people detained by ICE are locked up in for-profit immigration jails. People in these facilities, including children, have reported that they’re held in atrocious conditions. Of the 48 people who died in ICE custody between January 21, 2025, and April 1, 2026, about 62% were detained in for-profit lock-ups, according to data collected by lawyer and journalist Andrew Free.Three Democrats in the House and one democratic senator received donations from at least one private prison PAC. Reps. Sanford Bishop (Georgia), Henry Cuellar (Texas) and Bennie Thompson (Mississippi), and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) received donations from at least one private prison PAC. Private prison executives donated to only one Democratic member of Congress—Cuellar.
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Palantir Technologies, which provides ICE with many of the information technology tools used to identify and locate immigrants, was the largest donor, with Palantir execs giving more than $1.3 million to Democrats and Republicans alike.

Palantir executives donated more money to Democrats than Republicans. They donated a total of about $880,000 to 67 Democratic members of Congress and about $420,000 to 48 Republicans. The five executives at ICE contractors who donated the most amount of money to members of Congress were Palantir’s Alex Karp, Mehdi Alhassani, Shyam Sankar, and Akash Jain, as well as GEO Group CEO George Zoley.palantir develops technology to stalk, abduct, and detain people who are not U.S. citizens or are suspected of not being U.S. citizens. The company has also come under fire for its role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Purge Palantir, which describes itself as a coalition of organizers and researchers, launched a campaign to demand that candidates and elected officials reject Palantir donations. The group has also published the Palantir Payroll, which tracks campaign contributions made by the company’s executives. “Palantir, in many ways, has a front seat in this administration, and is helping to drive an agenda that includes surveillance, deportation, and disappearances of immigrants. We want to make sure that we are exposing the members of Congress who are in bed with one of ICE's top corporate colluders.” Sara Cullinane, Deputy Director of Make the Road
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The story builds on our previous reporting on political contributions from ICE contractors. Using Federal Election Commission data, we identified an additional $1.7 million in donations to 168 current members of Congress since the 2022 election cycle.

How We Reported the Story Using Federal Election Commission records, we compiled information on every member of Congress who received campaign contributions from the top contractors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) either through the company’s Political Action Committee (PAC) or executives. Our analysis only includes contributions made to committees directly controlled by the candidates for the 2022, 2024, and 2026 election cycles. What We Found Executives at ICE’s biggest contractors donated more than $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress for the 2022, 2024, and 2026 election cycles. Palantir CEO Alexander Karp outspent the other executives, donating a total of about $465,000, including nearly $200,000 to Democrats.
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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...

theappeal.orgIn Pennsylvania, Lifers Face Steep Hurdles Before They Can Ask for Second ChancesPennsylvania requires unanimous approval from a five-member pardon board before people incarcerated on life sentences can ask for clemency.
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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...

theappeal.orgPennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down Mandatory Life Sentences for Felony MurderThe state's highest court ruled that automatic life without parole sentences for felony murder violated the Pennsylvania constitution.
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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...

theappeal.orgCA Should Send Prisoners Home Instead of Spending Millions on New FacilitiesA new facility celebrated by Gov. Gavin Newsom will disrupt prisoner-led programming and normalize our captivity.
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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...

theappeal.orgPennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down Mandatory Life Sentences for Felony MurderThe state's highest court ruled that automatic life without parole sentences for felony murder violated the Pennsylvania constitution.
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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...

theappeal.orgPrison Dining Giant Aramark Serves Inedible Food to Drive Commissary Sales, Lawsuit AllegesIncarcerated people in West Virginia filed a lawsuit arguing that the nation's largest prison food provider violates consumer protections.
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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...

theappeal.orgCalifornia Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s PrisonsCalifornia’s incarcerated population has aged rapidly over the past 30 years. A new report recommends pathways for release.
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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-...

theappeal.orgHe Almost Died From A Burst Appendix. A For-Profit Jail Medical Provider Dismissed It As Heartburn.A new lawsuit in York County, Pennsylvania, highlights a pattern of allegations of medical neglect by for-profit correctional healthcare company PrimeCare.
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