Unlocking the Black Box of In-Custody Deaths
Despite the frequency of in-custody deaths, their exact scope remains unknown and data is often intentionally obfuscated.
Christopher Blackwell Sep 06, 2023
How Toxic Masculinity Drives Homophobia in Prison
The phrase “toxic masculinity” is ubiquitous these days, but there are few places where it’s more all-consuming than in a men’s prison
Christopher Blackwell Jul 05, 2023
LASD Says It Wants to Keep Hitting People in the Head
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has taken legal action against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to stop deputies from hitting incarcerated people in the head so often. Yesterday, LASD said it should not be forced to change.
Meg O'Connor Jun 27, 2023
Georgia Jail Medical Staff Failed to Treat Man While Tumor Slowly Killed Him: Lawsuit
Gwinnett County Jail’s for-profit health provider NaphCare has been sued more than 100 times for malpractice and neglect.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 08, 2023
Georgia Jail Detainees Say Their Lives Are at Stake Ahead of Key Sheriff’s Election
With a special election for Clayton County sheriff coming up next week, people detained at the county’s scandal-plagued jail are speaking out about horrific conditions.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 13, 2023
Georgia Sheriff Stonewalling Official Jail Death Investigation, Medical Examiner Says
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office is refusing to share information about in-custody deaths with the medical examiner’s office, which is responsible for conducting investigations.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 10, 2023
Can Closed Prisons Be Repurposed to Mend the Harm They’ve Done?
Some recent redevelopment projects show how the work of reforming and dismantling the prison system can move us towards a society centered around restorative justice and social wellness.
Prince Shakur Nov 30, 2022
Internal Report Details Severely Malnourished Detainees at Atlanta-Area Jail
The facility’s medical provider described people with mental illness wasting away in a unit overrun by an outbreak of lice and scabies.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 17, 2022
Judge Strikes Down New York Jail’s Prolonged COVID Visitation Ban
The ban had helped the Broome County Sheriff rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits from detainee video and phone call fees.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 18, 2022
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
Private Tech Surveillance Companies Are Taking Over Prisons
Barbed wire and a surveillance cameraUser 652243 via Pixabay Private Tech Surveillance Companies Are Taking Over Prisons by Nneka Ewulonu Incarcerated Americans are being watched like never before. Private American companies are rapidly digitizing prison mail. Some ankle-monitors can record whole conversations without people’s knowledge or consent. Most recently, at the end of last month, […]
Nneka Ewulonu Mar 08, 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 Dec 09, 2020
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 May 28, 2020
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, 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 Apr 27, 2020