Piper French
@psfrench.bsky.social
reporting on prisons, jails, DAs for Bolts. freelance magazine work: NYRB, NYmag, Aperture, Lux, Drift, Nation piperstrehlowfrench@gmail.com -> psfrench.com en/es/fr
In our newsletter today, @tarpley.bsky.social revisits @psfrench.bsky.social’s Drift essay on RICO in light of the Trump administration’s intensifying criminalization of protest. newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/more-atom-...
More atom bomb than silver bullet
Piper French on RICO
newsletter.thedriftmag.com
After years of hunger strikes and litigation, survivors of solitary in California passed the Mandela Act to restrict isolation. But the governor vetoed it and told prison officials to make their own reforms. @psfrench.bsky.social reports how they’re now backtracking on even those minor reforms:
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts
California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, three years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.
boltsmag.org
"The reversals have validated advocates’ earlier fears about Newsom’s decision to let the prison system handle its own reforms, rather than imposing legislative guardrails. They come at a time of reduced judicial oversight, too." Via @psfrench.bsky.social @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/california-d...
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts
California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, four years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.
boltsmag.org
To this day, one of the most unbelievable facts we’ve ever published in @boltsmag.org: Over a 40-year period, *80* percent of death row convictions in Louisiana have ended up getting reversed.
Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · last mo.Big in Louisiana today: State Supreme Court upheld decision vacating the conviction of Chris Duncan, who spent 26 years on death row claiming innocence. Context: 80% of people on Louisiana death row have been exonerated; this conviction hinged on discredited doctors. We reported on case here:
My colleague @psfrench.bsky.social spent a while reporting on this case before it was vacated, while Duncan was on death row. Read her incredible reporting. boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
❗SCOTUS ruled today a defendant can't just waive away their rights to an appeal if that'd be a miscarriage of justice. Gorsuch wrote a concurrence saying: If we don't limit this, prosecutors will keep pushing their luck. And he cited Bolts' article on waivers in Virginia to show how far they go:
whoa apnews.com/article/deat...
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine wants Ohio to abolish the death penalty, saying it is not a deterrent
Gov. Mike DeWine says he believes Ohio should abolish the death penalty. The term-limited governor, who has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions, said Tuesday that data shows the death penalty is...
apnews.com
The size of the reelection victory of Kenneth Mejia (LA's left-wing city auditor) is very striking. He leads his challenger (who was endorsed by many prominent Dem officials) by more than 20%. revisit @psfrench.bsky.social's great profile of him from years ago: boltsmag.org/los-angeles-...
Auditing the Status Quo in Los Angeles - Bolts
Editor’s note (Nov. 11, 2022): Kenneth Mejia won the election for controller in the Nov. 8 election. Last summer, a billboard with an unexpected image graced the intersection of Olympic... Read More
boltsmag.org
Great feature from @boltsmag.org on how NYPD's civilian oversight board is...kinda not that.
The NYPD Has Final Say on Civilian Oversight. Will That Change Under Mamdani? - Bolts
New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board, ostensibly a police watchdog, cedes much power to police leadership. Experts say the mayor has the power to boost its independence.
boltsmag.org
Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen brought 1 of the harshest cases vs. Palestine campus protesters–until a judge kicked him off the case for framing it as "fighting antisemitism" to his "AIPAC [email] list" in order to fundraise. Today, Rosen is up for reelection for a 5th term: boltsmag.org/santa-clara-...
This DA Tried to Punish Stanford Protesters Again, Until Judge Pulled Him from Case - Bolts
Defendants had asked for Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen to be recused after evidence emerged that he was using the ongoing prosecution to fundraise for his reelection bid on June 2.
boltsmag.org
Also, I have a new piece on the ins and outs of New York's supposedly independent civilian review board – why the NYPD retains so much control over the process, and what Mamdani could do to demonstrate a real commitment to police accountability: boltsmag.org/nypd-civilia...
The NYPD Has Final Say on Civilian Oversight. Will That Change Under Mamdani? - Bolts
New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board, ostensibly a police watchdog, cedes much power to police leadership. Experts say the mayor has the power to boost its independence.
boltsmag.org
As war criminals like Bezalel Smotrich parade in NYC alongside US public officials, the Gaza flotilla's participants are recovering from the extreme violence inflicted on them at sea. I wrote about the history of the flotilla movement's efforts to break the blockade: www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
To Break the Siege | Piper French
When a ship sends out a Mayday signal, nearby vessels have a duty to come to its aid. This is a core tenet of maritime law. But on Monday, May 18, when a
nybooks.com
Oliver Darcy got the audio of the heated 60 Minutes meeting where Scott Pelley dressed Nick Bilton down! "You know what was rude? Black Thursday. That was the absolute definition of rudeness. Telling Tanya Simon she had to be out of here at five o'clock." www.status.news/p/scott-pell...
NEW: Civilian oversight of the NYPD in New York City has been continually overturned and weakened. And so far this year, there've been new setbacks. Can that possibly change? It'd take going after a history of police union running roughshod over civilian leaders, @psfrench.bsky.social writes:
The NYPD Has Final Say on Civilian Oversight. Will That Change Under Mamdani? - Bolts
New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board, ostensibly a police watchdog, cedes much power to police leadership. Experts say the mayor has the power to boost its independence.
boltsmag.org
New York's legislature has passed a bill banning 287(g) agreements with ICE, @nysfocus.com reports: nysfocus.com/2026/05/22/h... If the bill is adopted, New York would be the 11th state with a 287(g) ban, and the 5th (NJ, MD, NM, ME) to enact a ban this year alone. @boltsmag.org map for reference:
NEW: A California DA was prosecuting Stanford students for felonies over pro-Palestine protests. Bolts reported back in February that he was fundraising off these cases. Learning this, defense attorneys dug more, & filed a motion to force Rosen off the case for bias. A judge just removed him:
This DA Tried to Punish Stanford Protesters Again, Until Judge Pulled Him from Case - Bolts
Defendants had asked for Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen to be recused after evidence emerged that he was using the ongoing prosecution to fundraise for his reelection bid on June 2.
boltsmag.org
NEW: A former Phoenix PD officer whose company trained an ICE paramilitary unit was involved in six shootings while on duty, four of which resulted in death. @awinston.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/an-ice...
An ICE Firearms Trainer Was Involved in At Least 4 Deadly Shootings
David Norman, a former Phoenix police officer who’s described himself as “a f***ing savage,” now runs a company that provided training to Homeland Security’s Special Response Teams.
wired.com
see also Piper's own reporting on this: boltsmag.org/chris-duncan...
Piper French@psfrench.bsky.social · 4mo agoI 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 apnews.com/article/new-...
I 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 apnews.com/article/new-...
Louisiana GOP races to eliminate an elected office won by an exonerated man
A New Orleans man exonerated after serving nearly 30 years in prison has a new fight on his hands. Calvin Duncan has been elected as the city's new clerk of criminal court, but now Republican lawmakers are racing to eliminate the position.
apnews.com
NEW: A @wired.com investigation based on DHS records ID’d the paramilitary Border Patrol units involved in high-profile violent confrontations with civilians during Midway Blitz—and much more. @awinston.bsky.social & @regret.bsky.social w/ the scoop www.wired.com/story/border...
Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown
A WIRED analysis of DHS records identified dozens of specialized federal agents who used force against US civilians during the largest known deployment of its kind in US history.
wired.com
"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." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/w...
Israel’s Message to a Broad Swath of Lebanon: Shiites Must Go
nytimes.com
www.startribune.com/minnesota-su... Interesting development as DAs and state AGs seeking to hold federal agents accountable for abuse navigate pretty uncharted waters
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... 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.
Anti-ICE protesters accused of being part of antifa found guilty of support for terrorism in Texas
Case was seen as major test of the first amendment and whether the US could use broad anti-terrorism statute to prosecute leftwing protesters
theguardian.com
Based 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. boltsmag.org/stanford-san...
In Bay Area, Felony Charges Against Student Protesters Prompt Free Speech Concerns - Bolts
German Gonzalez grew up about an hour south of Stanford University, in a dusty California farming town where the apples for Martinelli’s sparkling cider are juiced and packaged. In high... Read More
boltsmag.org
Piper French@psfrench.bsky.social · 6mo agoUpdate: 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.
Based 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. boltsmag.org/stanford-san...
In Bay Area, Felony Charges Against Student Protesters Prompt Free Speech Concerns - Bolts
German Gonzalez grew up about an hour south of Stanford University, in a dusty California farming town where the apples for Martinelli’s sparkling cider are juiced and packaged. In high... Read More
boltsmag.org
Piper French@psfrench.bsky.social · 6mo agoUpdate: 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.
Today 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
Piper French@psfrench.bsky.social · last yr.This week, after 23 years with no contested executions, Louisiana put Jessie Hoffman to death. Now the governor is trying to kill more death row prisoners, insisting their convictions are ironclad. They're not - & Chris Duncan's story shows why. My new feature: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Five years ago, @elizabethweill.bsky.social and I did a deep dive for @nysfocus.bsky.social on the many irregularities in the case against Anthony Sims. Now, 28 years after his conviction, he's finally getting a new trial! hellgatenyc.com/after-28-yea...
After 28 Years Trapped in a Legal Nightmare, Anthony Sims Is No Longer 'Guilty'
A state appeals court judge overturned Sims' conviction for a 1998 murder after years of resistance from the Brooklyn DA's office.
hellgatenyc.com
The 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: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
She Spent Nearly 23 Years in Prison for a Crime She Didn’t Commit. Now She May Be Deported.
On Monday, Carmen Mejia was officially exonerated in the 2003 scalding death of an infant.
texasmonthly.com