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The Appeal
@theappeal.org
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We are a worker-run newsroom reporting on the harms of the criminal legal system.

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Read Elizabeth's story to learn more about York County's use of restraint chairs and efforts to ban their use. theappeal.org/york-county-...
Read more at theappeal.org. https://theappeal.org/york-county-pennsylvania-restraint-chairs-everett-palmer/
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
theappeal.org
Advocates have widely condemned the use of restraint chairs in U.S. prisons, jails, and other detention facilities. The UN has called their use a form of torture. Nonetheless, many carceral facilities continue the practice, sometimes using them on children as young as 14.
We have stories of people who have defecated on themselves, thrown up on themselves, been denied access to toilets, food, water. Restraint chairs are sadistic. Tanisha Long, Abolitionist Law Center For decades, human rights organizations have condemned restraint chairs as a form of torture. More than twenty-five years ago, the United Nations Committee Against Torture called for the abolition of restraint chairs, concluding that their use ''almost invariably leads to breaches'' of the international treaty against torture. one company boasted on their website that its chairs “have been used with people as small as 45 lbs.” Restraint chairs have been used on people with mental illness and children as young as 14. Restraint chairs are disproportionately used on people in the midst of a mental health crisis. “If someone is in acute mental health distress, they might be strapped in and confined in that chair for hours at a time, in plain view of everyone else in the unit. It's a painful and degrading experience.” Noah Barth, Pennsylvania Prison Society
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
theappeal.org
York County paid a $1.5 million settlement to Palmer's family. His case made national headlines. But York County didn't change its practices, and six years later, another man died after being put in a restraint chair during a mental health crisis.
Over the last ten years, at least two people died shortly after they were confined to restraint chairs in york county prison. On April 7, 2018, Everett Palmer, Jr. was picked up on an old DUI charge and booked into York County Prison. Over the next two days, Palmer’s mental health deteriorated. In response, guards tased him, placed a spit hood over his head, and strapped him into a restraint chair. He died shortly thereafter. The County settled with Palmer’s family for $1.5 million. Haywood dixon begged for medical help. the guards strapped him into a restraint chair. Haywood Dixon was booked into the jail in July of 2023. He repeatedly told guards that he felt ill. When he was unable to comply with the guards’ demands to remove his shoes, they tased and shackled him, and placed a spit hood over his head. They forced him into a restraint chair and cut off his clothes. A short time later, he was dead. Dixon’s mother sued the County last year.
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
theappeal.org
In 2021, voters in Allegheny County passed a referendum banning the use of restraint chairs. Other large counties in PA, including Philadelphia and Delaware County, haven't used them in years, even without a formal ban.

York County has become an outlier in the state.
about 30% of jails did not use restraint chairs at all from 2018-2024, including the state’s largest jails Pennsylvania’s two most populous jails did not use restraint chairs at all from 2018 to 2024. The Delaware County jail, which had a monthly population of about 1,200, and Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, which had a monthly population of about 2,200, reported zero uses of the restraint chair.
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
theappeal.org
In her latest story for The Appeal, @elizabethweill.bsky.social analyzed use-of-force data for Pennsylvania's county jails, finding that York County used restraint chairs far more often than any other jail in the state.
A map showing restraint chair usage by county in Pennsylvania. York County is a deep shade of red, while most other counties are gray or light pink. The map is titled "Unrestrained: York County uses restraint chairs more than any other county in the state." How We Reported the Story The Appeal analyzed data on the use of restraint chairs at Pennsylvania’s county jails from 2018 to 2024. Most people in county jails are awaiting trial and presumed innocent. The data is published on the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections website. As required by state law, counties report data on use-of-force incidents, including the use of restraints, each month to the Department of Corrections. The data is not validated by outside sources. What We Found In 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, York County used restraint chairs more times than any other county in the state. In 2021, Allegheny County voters passed a referendum that ushered in several reforms, including bans on restraint chairs. Prior to the ban, from 2018 to 2020, Allegheny County used restraint chairs more times than any other county, topping out at about 340 times in 2019, according to The Appeal’s analysis. York County has had the top spot since 2021. A bar chart with the title "The Outlier: York County uses restraint chairs far more frequently than other jails in the state." A caption adds, "Several of Pennsylvania's most populous jails don't use restraint chairs at all. The others use it much less often than York County."
January 21, 2026 at 5:05 PM
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joeyneverjoe.bsky.social
There's the investigation I did for @theappeal.org that looked into the invasive surveillance tech police bought w/ state $ under the premise it'd help fight against organized retail theft. Including ALPRs, real-time crime fusion centers, and social media surveillance
theappeal.org/shoplifting-...
Cops Used the Shoplifting Panic to Buy Tons of New Equipment
The “shoplifting panic” myth let cops buy facial recognition software, drones, license plate readers, surveillance tech, and more.
theappeal.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:18 PM
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The current website will remain online, so your clips are safe!
November 14, 2025 at 9:30 PM
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We're also grateful for Christopher Blackwell for his continued brilliance from inside the system, and @jduffyrice.bsky.social, our indomitable board president.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Special thanks to our core team—Anna Simonton, @elizabethweill.bsky.social , @ethanscorey.bsky.social , @jerryiannelli.bsky.social , @megoconnor.bsky.social , Molly Greene, @nickwing.bsky.social, and Tara Francis Chan—who poured every drop of blood, sweat, and tears they had into The Appeal.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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To our readers, funders, writers, partners, advisors, and board members: thank you. We could not have done any of it without you.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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The Appeal lives on! As its new steward, The Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism is carrying forward and expanding The Appeal's journalism with a new monthly newsletter and original reporting, i...
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November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Policing, surveillance, and incarceration are some of the primary vehicles through which fascism is implemented and enforced. As such, this moment is an absolutely crucial one for The Appeal.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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“The Appeal has long played a pivotal role in shining journalistic light on the criminal legal system’s inherent injustices–and illuminating creative paths forward,” said Maya Schenwar, director of the Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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The good news: The Appeal lives on! The Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism will carry forward and expand our work with a new monthly newsletter and original reporting, including work by incarcerated journalists and deep-dive investigative projects.
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM