Jun 21 Watch 7:10 Prisoners with disabilities lack ‘scaffolding for success’ By PBS News Hour According to a new report, more than 750,000 people with disabilities are currently imprisoned in the United States. Advocates say that children born with physical or intellectual disabilities are far more likely to end up in prison than their able-bodied… Continue watching
Jun 08 Here’s why many Americans don’t clear their criminal records By Rebecca Beitsch, Stateline Many Americans are not taking advantage of a growing number of state laws that allow people to clear or seal their records of arrests and convictions after they’ve served their sentences. Continue reading
May 13 Watch 7:46 Top civil rights lawyer says U.S. criminal justice reforms are falling short By PBS News Hour The Equal Justice Initiative’s Bryan Stevenson has become a leading voice for criminal justice reform, and blames the U.S.’s world-leading incarceration rate on deep-seated institutional racism that goes back to slavery. As some states move to increase probation and parole… Continue watching
May 05 Obama administration commutes 58 prison sentences, all nonviolent drug offenders By Eric Tucker, Associated Press The Obama administration on Thursday commuted the prison sentences of 58 federal convicts, part of a broader push to revamp the criminal justice system and ease punishments for nonviolent drug offenders. Continue reading
May 02 Watch 3:10 This is what it’s like to be arrested while suffering mental illness By PBS News Hour Paton Blough has two labels he will have to bear for the rest of his life: “bipolar” and “convicted felon.” Having been arrested during his delusional episodes, Blough uses his experiences to help train police officers in crisis management when… Continue watching
Apr 29 Proposed rule would delay questions about criminal history By Kathleen Hennessey and Kevin Freking, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Obama administration wants federal agencies to stop asking early questions about some job applicants' criminal history, part of an effort to help ex-convicts enter the job market and decrease the number of those who end up back… Continue reading
Apr 28 Watch 7:25 An inside look at the Obama administration’s criminal justice reforms By PBS News Hour Top senators revealed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill on Thursday that includes changes to sentencing guidelines for some offenders and the creation of reentry programs for newly released prisoners. The move comes as the Obama administration is pushing its… Continue watching
Apr 28 How do 5.1 million children cope with a parent behind bars? By Laura Santhanam More than 5 million children have parents who have been behind bars in the United States. How do children cope with missing an incarcerated mother or father. Continue reading
Apr 27 Watch 9:23 How a Seattle murderer slipped through the cracks of the mental health system By PBS News Hour In 2009, Jennifer Hopper and Teresa Butz were attacked and sexually assaulted in their home; Butz did not survive. In “While the City Slept,” Eli Sanders, a Pulitzer winner for his reporting on the case, examines the troubled life of… Continue watching
Apr 08 Watch 9:29 Violent, overcrowded Alabama prisons hit a breaking point By Frank Carlson Alabama has the most overcrowded prison system in the nation: More than 24,000 inmates are housed in a system designed for half that number. The violence, overcrowding and actions taken by the federal government pushed state government to action, passing… Continue watching