reporting on prisons, jails, DAs for Bolts. freelance magazine work: NYRB, NYmag, Aperture, Lux, Drift, Nation piperstrehlowfrench@gmail.com -> psfrench.com en/es/frhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mj5mruw5ek2xI tend to agree w people who say innocence cases are the low-hanging fruit of carceral reform, but it's remarkable - & deeply symptomatic - how far Louisiana officials will go to deny that these clear miscarriages of justice occur & even retaliate against their victims https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-criminal-clerk-calvin-duncan-exonerated-d247677aa601a85cac604645d50fc73910 Apr 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj5mruw5ek2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3migwu7dxec2p"Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz laid out in the starkest terms yet that Israel plans to occupy nearly 10% of the country. ...Katz previously specified that Shiites would not be allowed to return and likened Israel’s strategy in Lebanon to that in Gaza." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/world/middleeast/lebanon-shiite-israel-evacuation.html01 Apr 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3migwu7dxec2phttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mhte6naef22chttps://www.startribune.com/minnesota-sues-trump-administration-for-evidence-in-good-pretti-killings/ Interesting development as DAs and state AGs seeking to hold federal agents accountable for abuse navigate pretty uncharted waters24 Mar 2026 19:55 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhte6naef22chttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mhj36azojk2khttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/texas-terrorism-trial this is really so outrageous. one of the defendants wasn't even at the protest, was only charged w concealing a document (for "moving leftwing zines" !) and now faces up to 40 years in federal prison.20 Mar 2026 17:47 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhj36azojk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mhei3rhg6k23Based on something I dug up for this piece – that Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen's campaign website has a "fighting Anti-Semitism" page where he boasts about prosecuting the Stanford students – the students' lawyers have moved to kick Rosen's office off its retrial. https://boltsmag.org/stanford-san-francisco-felony-conspiracy-palestine-protesters/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Mar 2026 21:55 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhei3rhg6k23https://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mhei3rhg6k23Based on something I dug up for this piece – that Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen's campaign website has a "fighting Anti-Semitism" page where he boasts about prosecuting the Stanford students – the students' lawyers have moved to kick Rosen's office off its retrial. https://boltsmag.org/stanford-san-francisco-felony-conspiracy-palestine-protesters/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Mar 2026 21:55 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhei3rhg6k23https://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mhefx4ucqs23Today is the 1 year anniversary of Jessie Hoffman's execution. In the past yr, Louisiana has kept trying to kill its death row prisoners (thus far failing), restricted post conviction relief to expedite killings–& Chris Duncan's conviction was vacated, yet more proof of a fundamentally flawed system [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Mar 2026 21:17 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhefx4ucqs23https://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mgs5t2eb6c2gThe shadow of a felony conviction and prison time still hang over a lot of exonerees after their release, affecting their lives and circumscribing their opportunities in various ways, but this really takes the cake: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/carmen-mejia-exonerated-facing-deportation/11 Mar 2026 15:03 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgs5t2eb6c2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mgazu5qpyk2zChris's conviction was overturned & he's been out of Angola since November, but the state is *still* trying to reinstate his guilty verdict & death sentence. The family of the girl he was accused of killing now believes deeply in his innocence & has filed a remarkable amicus brief: [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Mar 2026 19:37 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgazu5qpyk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mf3maoajmc2bSupport Lex and @lataco.bsky.social's invaluable contributions to investigative journalism in LA: https://givebutter.com/la-taco-investigative17 Feb 2026 22:25 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf3maoajmc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3meyt7vhqsc26In MA, politicians & groups normally supportive of immigrants make exceptions for prisoners. "People are more willing to talk about banning a hypothetical 287(g) with a hypothetical police department than they are a real 287(g) with the MA Department of Correction." https://boltsmag.org/massachusetts-prisons-contract-with-ice/16 Feb 2026 19:52 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3meyt7vhqsc26https://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3merpf3vcnc2jUpdate: the judge in the Stanford case has declared a mistrial, with jurors "hopelessly deadlocked" on both felony counts – a big embarrassment for the Santa Clara DA, who has already said he'll retry the case. [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Feb 2026 23:55 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3merpf3vcnc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3merpbphy3k2jThe most serious charges against pro-Palestine student protestors in the country have come from a Democratic DA in a blue state. In San Francisco & San Jose, prosecutors are using *felony conspiracy* charges to go after activists who aren't accused of any violence https://boltsmag.org/stanford-san-francisco-felony-conspiracy-palestine-protesters/13 Feb 2026 23:53 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3merpbphy3k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mdnz4p7moc2xThe deputy who murdered Sonya Massey, Sean Grayson, was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jan 2026 19:13 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdnz4p7moc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3mdgfonbzbc2rThe federal judge overseeing Rikers has finally chosen someone to run NYC's jails, wresting control from the city - a former CIA officer and former head of Vermont Department of Corrections: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/nyregion/rikers-island-control-deml.html27 Jan 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdgfonbzbc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social/post/3md4hbgwp2s2pAn officer said the dying woman said a black man attacked her - a claim disputed by several witnesses. Walker had an alibi: he was with his girlfriend, who was in labor. The PD homicide captain was a former KKK member; the DA "had overseen 20 wrongful convictions." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/us/tommy-lee-walker-dallas-execution-innocent.html23 Jan 2026 19:38 +0000at://did:plc:hhseep5d3tgzuadviybem47h/app.bsky.feed.post/3md4hbgwp2s2p