Jan 11 Trump roundtable looks at how to help inmates transition out of prison system By Ken Thomas, Associated Press President Donald Trump has promoted a tough-on-crime agenda at the White House. But he says the nation needs to find ways to help inmates eventually re-enter society. Continue reading
Nov 28 Watch 8:32 Prison-produced podcast ‘Ear Hustle’ lets you listen to real stories of incarcerated life By Jeffrey Brown, Mike Fritz, Jaywon Choe Prisoners inside one of California’s prisons are getting the opportunity to be heard -- behind bars and beyond. “Ear Hustle” is a podcast that offers listeners a rare look at inmate experiences, from race relations to sharing a tiny cell. Continue watching
Oct 22 Incarcerated women risk their lives fighting California fires. It’s part of a long history of prison labor By Kamala Kelkar As many as 1,600 trained inmates have fought California's recent wildfires, the latest chapter in a long history of prison labor. Continue reading
Sep 05 How death row inmates at San Quentin are using poetry to examine the prison system — and themselves By Elizabeth Flock Prison literature has a long and rich history, stretching back to Jack London, Nelson Algren and Malcolm X. The genre includes powerful work from prisoners incarcerated on death row, which is often surfaced with the help of activists or artists… Continue reading
Jun 24 Watch 9:49 Private prisons help with overcrowding, but at what cost? By Ivette Feliciano, Zachary Green, Sam Weber The Obama administration last year announced it would phase out privately-run prisons, citing little benefits to public safety and higher rates of assault and violence on the inside. The Trump administration reversed that decision while pointing to potential increases in… Continue watching
Jun 01 Column: 5 charts show why mandatory minimum sentences don’t work By Tanya Golash-Boza, The Conversation Earlier this month Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo which requires prosecutors to “charge and pursue the most serious” offense when seeking sentences. The memo hearkens back to a failed experiment in mass incarceration in the 1980s and 1990s,… Continue reading
Apr 16 Delaware returns to death penalty debate after prison uprising By Kamala Kelkar Just after 10 a.m. on Feb. 1, a group of inmates took four staff hostage as they seized control of Building C at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware. Continue reading
Apr 02 Watch 3:12 NYC mayor endorses Rikers shutdown plan By PBS News Hour New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has endorsed a proposal to shut down Rikers Island jail complex that holds 7,500 inmates. The facility, notorious for violence at the hands of guards and among inmates, has been the subject of… Continue watching
Mar 26 Oklahoma lawmakers, voters disagree on punishments for drug crimes By Kamala Kelkar Oklahoma lawmakers are rushing to undermine recent voter initiatives that weakened punishments for drug offenses and invested in rehabilitation services. Continue reading
Feb 21 Why children’s author Jerry Spinelli won’t shy away from tough topics By Elizabeth Flock In Spinelli's new book, "The Warden’s Daughter," the Newberry Award-winning author tells the story of a girl growing up without a mother in a county prison. Continue reading