New York Jail’s Prolonged COVID Visitation Ban Drives Big Profits on Detainee Calls More than two years into the pandemic, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office is still prohibiting all jail visits. The policy helped them take in more than a half-million dollars in 2021. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 14, 2022
‘It’s an Emergency’: Tens of Thousands of Incarcerated People are Sexually Assaulted Each Year Cynthia Alvarado was raped in jail before she was sentenced to life in prison for a murder she did not commit. Now that her sentence has been overturned, Alvarado is fighting for women like her. Val Kiebala Apr 18, 2022
‘It’s a Money Grab’: Billions in COVID Relief Going to Fund Police and Prisons Less than two years after racial justice protests sparked calls to “defund the police,” states and jurisdictions are using pandemic aid to pad already bloated law enforcement budgets. Brian Dolinar Mar 23, 2022
When It Comes to Reporting Deaths of Incarcerated People, Most States Break the Law Our team at the University of North Carolina analyzed death-in-custody reporting policies at every state and federal carceral entity. Data collection is a mess—and many states don’t follow the law at all. M. Forrest Behne, Craig Waleed, Meghan Peterson, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Mar 02, 2022
Why New York Jail Populations Are Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels After the state rolled back a progressive bail law, data from the Vera Institute of Justice suggests judges are ordering more people be held in jails, amid continued worry over COVID-19. Bryce Covert Jan 20, 2022
Pregnant Women Allege Abuse in Texas Jails At the same time, state lawmakers are pushing to incarcerate more people pretrial. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 28, 2021
The Successes and Shortcomings of Larry Krasner’s Trailblazing First Term Philadelphia’s top prosecutor has made good on promises to reduce incarceration in the city. His re-election bid will be a litmus test for the progressive prosecutor movement he helped start. Joshua Vaughn Mar 22, 2021
How Chesa Boudin Is Pursuing His Promise to Reduce Incarceration After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 18, 2021
Misdemeanor Convictions Cause Real Harm. New York Needs a New Approach Getting convicted of a “minor offense” inflicts serious, long-term harm. The state can and must divert more people to counseling, group meetings, or other interventions. Jackie Fielding, Chloe Sarnoff Mar 12, 2021
Trump Turned the Justice System Into a Black Box. Biden Could Fix It The Bureau of Justice Statistics has suffered from years of poor funding and political interference by the Trump administration. Fixing it could be one of the most important tasks on Biden’s criminal justice reform agenda. Ethan Corey Feb 02, 2021
L.A. County Jails Are Locking People Up For Longer During the Pandemic The percentage of people held pretrial for six months or longer is up six percent from January of last year, according to a UCLA School of Law report. Amy Munro Jan 21, 2021
Don’t Delay on Closing Rikers The city says COVID-19 budget constraints will set back its plans to close the jail but people incarcerated there are suffering from the disease right now. Jonathan Ben-Menachem Dec 17, 2020
People in Prisons and Jails Should Get COVID-19 Vaccines As Early as Possible The coronavirus has ripped through our prison and jail populations, infecting and killing hundreds of thousands of people most vulnerable to COVID-19. Brendon Woods Dec 09, 2020
Shifting Incarceration Costs to Counties Could Mean Fewer People in Prisons and Jails, Study Suggests A new study suggests that if counties—rather than states—bear the cost of incarceration, they may be less likely to incarcerate people. Joshua Vaughn
America’s Biggest City Was Hit Hard By COVID-19. Its Jails Are Filling Up Again New York City’s jail population is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels. Advocates say dishonest fearmongering about bail reform—and the politicians who capitulated to it—have created a very real safety crisis. Joshua Manson Nov 30, 2020
Andrew Cuomo Promised Criminal Justice Reforms, But New York Is Still Waiting The governor has rolled back bail reform, not released enough prisoners during the pandemic, and failed to rein in police abuses, advocates and prisoners say. Rebecca McCray Nov 24, 2020
The Pervasive Violence of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Several recent killings have put the spotlight on the largest sheriff’s department in the U.S., but many of the LASD’s abuses go unseen, advocates say. Piper French Sep 15, 2020
Impunity for Law Enforcement Must End. That Includes Officers in Jails and Prisons. Qualified immunity is just one obstacle of many that incarcerated people face when seeking to hold correctional officers accountable for misconduct. Joshua Manson Jul 23, 2020
New York City’s Public Housing Rules Could Force Many Released Prisoners Into Homelessness As thousands of people are freed from local jails, a group of nonprofits and activist organizations says the city's housing authority must revamp its policies that banish the formerly incarcerated. Jerry Iannelli Jul 22, 2020
Budget Cuts May Keep Rikers Open Past 2027 Deadline Reductions in budgets related to the novel coronavirus have slowed New York City’s plan to close Rikers by building new jails, and it’s becoming increasingly possible that the city will not meet its January 2027 deadline. Jonathan Ben-Menachem Jun 29, 2020
As Use of Solitary Confinement Surges, Advocates Call for Releasing Prisoners Legal, medical, and religious groups warn in a new report that the widespread use of solitary confinement in response to COVID-19 risks spreading the disease further and undoing a decade of progress. Joshua Manson Jun 19, 2020
Governors’ Coronavirus Decisions Put People of Color In Harm’s Way As the country reopens, we can’t quickly forget these failures of government, which have disproportionately harmed Black, Latinx, and Native people. David A. Love Jun 12, 2020
Despite COVID-19 Cases, Mississippi Is Slow to Review Jail Populations For Release The state’s public defender asked the state Supreme Court in April to speed up reviews of people held pretrial, but advocates say it’s unclear if district courts have complied. Ko Bragg May 28, 2020
Honolulu Police Keep Putting Homeless People in Jail The city is flouting CDC guidance by continuing to dismantle homeless encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic, though it does not have nearly enough shelter space. Meg O'Connor
Lawsuit Alleges Women Are Held In Worse Conditions Than Men At Upstate New York Jail The women are kept in cramped, unsanitary quarters, the suit says, and are not permitted the same job opportunities as men held at the same facility. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 19, 2020
The Other Infectious Disease Ravaging America’s Jails And Prisons Hepatitis C has ripped through prisons and jails, despite more effective treatments for the disease. It is a comorbidity to COVID-19, and the pandemic threatens to cut already weak state funding for prisons to treat those with the disease. Samuel Weiss May 14, 2020
Pregnant Woman in Pennsylvania Jail Denied Release An Erie County judge said the pregnant 20-year-old would be ‘safer’ in jail from the COVID-19 outbreak. Victoria Law May 11, 2020
The Public Health Risks of Jailing People for Poverty In Hillsborough County, Florida, the jail population is bloated by cash bail, fines, and fees, perpetuating health inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan Ben-Menachem May 04, 2020
As the Coronavirus Spreads, Prisoners Are Rising Up For Their Health Faced with inaction on the part of state and corrections officials, incarcerated people in jails, prisons, and detention centers are protesting their treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak. Dan Berger, Ryan Fatica and Duncan Tarr Apr 27, 2020
‘She Had Sweat Dripping Down From Her Hairline and Down Her Face’ A woman detained by ICE was sick with COVID-19 for days before being removed from a 50-person jail dorm in York County, Pennsylvania, according to women housed with her. Joshua Vaughn
Missing Jail Data Hampers COVID-19 Release Efforts in Massachusetts The state’s law enforcement agencies failed to implement a 2018 data-sharing law. Now officials are struggling to identify high-risk people to release from county jails. Ethan Corey Apr 22, 2020
Formerly Incarcerated Americans Were Excluded From Federal COVID-19 Relief The Small Business Administration has created barriers for people re-entering the workforce after serving time in prison. Alex Sherman Apr 20, 2020
Drive-By Protesters Demand Release Of All Prisoners In D.C. Amid Coronavirus ‘It seems like Black people are still being criminalized and are not free,’ one organizer said. Lauren Gill Apr 17, 2020
‘That Man Can’t Breathe’ A sheriff’s deputy in Louisiana is caught on video choking a man after he says he asked for COVID-19 treatment. Jerry Iannelli Apr 16, 2020
Emptying Prisons to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus Will Save Lives on the Outside, Too By letting people out now, we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system with sick prisoners later. Oliver Hinds Apr 15, 2020
Every Public Official With The Power To Decarcerate Must Exercise That Power Now Doing so will save countless lives, and in the process, they may show us by example how to begin, finally, to dismantle mass incarceration for good. Sharon Dolovich Apr 10, 2020
The COVID-19 Prison Disaster Is No Longer Hypothetical People are dying in jails and prisons because elected officials hesitated at the worst possible moment. Jay Willis Apr 09, 2020
Palm Beach County Sheriff Opposes Prisoner Release Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Public defenders are working with the courts to secure release for people incarcerated in the Florida county, many of whom are jailed for low-level offenses. Victoria Law Apr 08, 2020
California Makes Major Bail Change To Slow the Spread of Coronavirus In Jails Bail will be set at $0 for most misdemeanors and low-level felony offenses. Kira Lerner Apr 06, 2020
New York Retreats on Bail Reform Amid Coronavirus Outbreak The state, which accounts for roughly one-third of all positive COVID-19 cases in the country, is facing a rapid spread of the disease in its jail and prison systems. Bryce Covert
The Pandemic Exposes The Shared Fates Of The Jailed And The Jailer Incarcerated people, corrections officers, and their families and communities are bound together by the threat of a deadly and fast-moving disease. The sooner we recognize this, and take decisive action, the more lives we will save. Cyrus Ahalt Apr 03, 2020
Closing California Courts Won’t Prevent A COVID-19 Crisis in Jails Los Angeles County judges must move quickly to release a broad group of people in custody. Alicia Virani Apr 02, 2020
Prosecutors In This Virginia County Are Letting People Go To Jail for Low-Level Offenses In The Middle of a Pandemic Public defenders in Fairfax County say their clients are being sent into harm’s way. Kira Lerner
Despite Coronavirus Fears, ICE Fights to Keep a Sick Michigan Man It Can’t Deport Locked Up ICE has adopted no policies aimed at releasing any of the 38,000 people it keeps in county jails and private detention centers across the country. Chris Gelardi Apr 01, 2020
A Public Health Doctor And Head Of Corrections Agree: We Must Immediately Release People From Jails And Prisons Decisive action by governors and the President now can save lives -- of incarcerated people, correctional and medical personnel, and nearby community members. Business as usual will not. Brie Williams, Leann Bertsch Mar 27, 2020
An Update On What’s Happening Inside Rikers Island as Coronavirus Spreads “The doctors said they were going to come and do screenings every day, but for the past two days, they’ve just come into the dorm and stood by the front door and yelled, ‘Does anybody have any symptoms?’” Kim Kelly Mar 25, 2020
Why Coronavirus in Jails Should Concern All of Us New research shows that jails contribute to infectious disease deaths in the greater community. Sandhya Kajeepeta, Seth J. Prins Mar 24, 2020
Despite Risk of Spreading Virus, Judges Continue to Impose Cash Bail in Pennsylvania In Northampton County, advocates say the practice is putting the people charged for minor offenses, and the broader community, in danger. Joshua Vaughn Mar 19, 2020
A Tweet Raises Questions About Immigrant Safety During Coronavirus Pandemic As COVID-19 spreads, ICE detained a Central American immigrant in a hospital, causing confusion and raising concerns. Lexi McMenamin Mar 18, 2020
What Sheriffs Can Do To Slow the Coronavirus Outbreak Sheriffs wield enormous power, and they can direct it in ways that will help contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect incarcerated people. Jessica Pishko
This Tool Can Track Changes to Incarcerated Populations Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic At a time when it’s vital to reduce jail and prison populations to prevent outbreaks, this data can help advocates identify areas where that is or is not happening. Oliver Hinds Mar 17, 2020
Prosecutors Across U.S. Call for Action to Mitigate Spread of Coronavirus in Jails and Prisons In a joint statement, they emphasized the need to reduce the number of people currently incarcerated in order to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus. Jessica Pishko
Why Jails Are Key to ‘Flattening the Curve’ of Coronavirus Local jails are notorious amplifiers of infectious diseases. If we don’t move quickly to reduce their population, it may undermine our ability to control the new coronavirus, nationally and locally. Kelsey Kauffman Mar 13, 2020
Pressure Builds on New York Governor To Address Coronavirus Impact on Prisoners Andrew Cuomo, who recently announced the state would employ prisoners to make hand sanitizer, must prepare for the particular vulnerabilities of the state’s prison population to COVID-19, advocates say. Bryce Covert Mar 11, 2020
San Francisco Officials Push to Reduce Jail Population to Prevent Coronavirus Outbreak The public defender and district attorney both directed their staffs to keep individuals who are more vulnerable to the virus out of jail. Darwin BondGraham
Indiana Advocates Call on Governor to Release Elderly And Infirm Prisoners As Coronavirus Spreads More than 100 people signed an open letter to Eric Holcomb requesting that he begin releasing people most likely to be seriously harmed or killed by the coronavirus. Joshua Vaughn Mar 10, 2020
Michigan Agrees to Pay $80 Million in Prison Sex Abuse Lawsuit A complaint filed in 2013 on behalf of 500 currently and formerly incarcerated youth alleged that they were assaulted and harassed by incarcerated adults and corrections staff in adult prisons and jails across the state. Dawn R. Wolfe
ICE Protester to Face Trial in ‘Build the Wall’ Sheriff’s Massachusetts County Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who once offered prisoners at his jails as laborers to build the border wall, is one of many sheriffs who partners with the agency. Ella Fassler Mar 04, 2020
Louisiana Continues to Imprison People Past Their Release Dates A Department of Corrections official knew the extrajudicial practice was going on but little has been done to correct it. Victoria Law Feb 18, 2020
Deaths By Suicide and Overdose Skyrocket in North Carolina Jails A report from an advocacy group says that deaths in the state’s jails have soared— and that 2019 could set a record for suicides. Zachary A. Siegel Nov 19, 2019
Orange County Judge Rules That Sheriff’s ‘Blanket’ Shackling Practice Violates Prisoners’ Rights People held in courthouse cells were shackled for up to 15 hours a day, and some were unable to eat, change menstrual pads, or use the bathroom, advocates say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Say No to New Jails in New York City The mayor claims that building new jails is the only safe way to close Rikers Island jail complex, but the City Council shouldn’t fall for this Faustian bargain. Jonathan Ben-Menachem Oct 15, 2019
Drug Treatment Is Reaching More Prisons and Jails Recent legal victories have spurred counties and states to provide medication-assisted treatment to prisoners struggling with substance use. JB Nicholas Jul 31, 2019
St. Louis County Jailed a Pregnant Woman For 39 Days Because She Refused a Paternity Test Adrianna Thurman said she was informed by jail staff after her release that she had ‘slipped through the cracks.’ Katie Rose Quandt Apr 19, 2019
Expansion Of Largest Jail System In The United States Must End Los Angeles County’s jail system incarcerates tens of thousands of people at a multi-billion dollar cost. The communities most impacted by mass incarceration have had enough. Patrisse Cullors, Lex Steppling Jan 23, 2019
