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Kathy Hochul, Robert Ortt, Hector LaSalle, and Anthony Palumbo superimposed over the New York Court of Appeals building.
Amid Democratic Outcry Over LaSalle, Hochul Turned to Republicans

The governor’s team coordinated meetings between her failed chief judge nominee and Senate Republicans in the days before a key committee vote, emails show.

Sam Mellins   ·   June 2, 2023
Empty chairs in a circle with the shadows of jail bars over it.
New York Mandates Peer Support in Jails, But Lets Sheriffs Keep Peers Out

Formerly incarcerated “peers” offer drug counseling to people in county jails — when they can get in.

Spencer Norris   ·   May 31, 2023
Attica Correctional Facility on a winter day in Attica, New York.
Will New York Stop Letting Prisons Police Themselves?

A new bill would subject the state prison system to independent oversight for sexual assault complaints. The Senate has two weeks to bring it to a floor vote.

Victoria Law   ·   May 25, 2023
Collage of photos of Anthony Annucci
Prison Chief Anthony Annucci to Retire

Annucci has been characterized as an institutionalist loyal to the prison system above all else — even, at times, the law.

Maia Hibbett   ·   May 18, 2023
Anthony Annucci’s Ten-Year Temp Job

Andrew Cuomo named Anthony Annucci acting commissioner of New York prisons back in 2013. Now, someone his agency incarcerates is trying to take him out.

Rebecca McCray   ·   May 4, 2023
A bail bonds sign
Here’s What the Budget Would Do About Bail

Budget legislation released Monday night includes eight pages of bail law markups — significantly more than the governor announced last week. A vote is imminent.

Chris Gelardi   ·   May 2, 2023
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz speaks at a holiday celebration in Queens on December 19, 2021.
Queens DA to Pursue NYPD-Enforced Curfew for Pretrial Defendants

Police will receive photos of defendants with curfews and report alleged violations to District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 24, 2023
A New Liberal Era for New York’s Highest Court?

The confirmations of Rowan Wilson and Caitlin Halligan may reverse the Court of Appeals’ rightward trend.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 19, 2023
Inflation Is Putting Food Out of Reach in New York Prisons
The confluence of rising commissary prices, stagnant wages, and a package ban are making basic items inaccessible.
Freddy Medina   ·   April 11, 2023
A Law Hasn’t Fixed Solitary Confinement in New York. Can a Lawsuit?
A new legal challenge takes aim at the New York prison department for locking hundreds of people up in solitary over offenses that should be exempt.
Chris Gelardi   ·   April 7, 2023
Hochul Has a New Bail Proposal. It’s a Lot Like Her Old One.
With budget talks at a stalemate, Hochul offered the legislature new draft language on bail. It would accomplish largely the same result as her previous plan: a dramatic expansion in judges’ ability to set bail.
Chris Gelardi   ·   March 31, 2023
Hochul Quietly Bets on Police to Battle Fentanyl
The governor buried policies in her budget proposal that would give police and prosecutors more leverage over people with opioid addictions.
Spencer Norris   ·   March 30, 2023
New Chief Judge Shortlist Features Previously Excluded Liberal Judges
Hochul has a month to nominate one of the seven candidates to be New York’s next chief judge, after the state Senate rejected her first pick last month.
Sam Mellins   ·   March 24, 2023
Why Does Rikers Island Still Lock People in Shower Stalls?
So-called “de-escalation units” were supposed to help people cool off after violent encounters. But months after their implementation, Rikers staff still use the old brutal methods.
Chris Gelardi   ·   March 22, 2023
Rikers Intake Is a Mess, But We Can’t Expect Too Much Progress, Federal Judge Rules
Nearly a year and a half after they were supposed to fix their system, jail officials still don’t know how long they’re keeping people in notorious intake pens.
Chris Gelardi   ·   March 21, 2023
Prison Department Writes Its Way Out of Following Solitary Confinement Law — Again
After months of ignoring reforms, the corrections department published new rules. They look a lot like the old rules.
Chris Gelardi   ·   March 6, 2023
Hochul’s Budget Pads Prosecution Funding Without Match for Public Defense
The governor proposed an outsized boost worth tens of millions for prosecutors — drawing comparisons to New York’s history of public defense neglect.
Chris Gelardi   ·   February 27, 2023
Hector LaSalle’s Chief Judge Shot Ends With Historic Rejection by State Senate
The surprise vote was a stinging rebuke to Governor Kathy Hochul, who pushed aggressively for LaSalle’s confirmation.
Sam Mellins   ·   February 15, 2023
Can Anyone Make New York Prisons Follow Solitary Confinement Law?
A recent hearing was legislators’ chance to have acting prison commissioner Anthony Annucci explain himself. They didn’t make him.
Chris Gelardi   ·   February 13, 2023
Hochul’s New Bail Reform Plan Would Reverse Decades-Old Protections
Long before 2019, New York law mandated that judges setting bail consider only a person’s likelihood of returning to court. Hochul’s proposal would strip that limit.
Chris Gelardi   ·   February 1, 2023
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