Dec 10 Watch 5:35 How drug testing in Alabama holds former prisoners back from creating a new life Across the U.S. random drug testing is required for many people charged with or convicted of crimes dealing with alcohol or drugs. But a joint NewsHour and AL.com investigation found that one state system, Alabama's, can trap people with high… Continue watching
Dec 09 Watch 7:55 Changing the criminal justice system on behalf of children We continue with our week-long reporting on the challenges facing former prisoners with Bryan Stevenson, an American lawyer, social justice activist and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Kelly Corrigan, host of PBS’ "Tell Me More," spoke to Stevenson about… Continue watching
Jun 09 ‘When this virus gets behind bars, it runs like wildfire,’ experts warn By Saher Khan Prisons are incubators for the virus. Social distancing, frequent hand-washing and use of masks are preventative measures that are accessible to much of American society, but they’re rare luxuries for the incarcerated. Continue reading
Mar 29 Watch 7:31 Incarcerated people face potential disaster during outbreak By Ivette Feliciano With more than 2 million prisoners held in thousands of detention centers across the U.S., advocates for the incarcerated have been sounding the alarm about the dangers posed to this vulnerable population during the current pandemic. Ivette Feliciano spoke with… Continue watching
Feb 06 Feds investigate Mississippi prisons after string of deaths By Michael Balsamo, Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Federal prosecutors are looking into conditions at four state prisons after the deaths of at least 15 inmates since late December. Continue reading
Jan 16 12-year sentence for having a phone in jail is ‘failure,’ Mississippi justice says By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press The Mississippi Supreme Court's confirmation of a 12-year prison sentence for an African American man who carried his mobile phone into a county jail cell is being slammed as a brutal example of racial injustice. Continue reading
Jan 02 4th Mississippi inmate dies from prison violence in a week By Jeff Amy, Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press The violence comes even as a federal judge has rejected claims that conditions in one Mississippi prison are unconstitutionally harsh. Continue reading
Oct 17 NYC to close Rikers Island jail complex by 2026 By Associated Press New York City lawmakers have approved a plan to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex and replace it with four smaller jails. Continue reading
Oct 11 California to end its use of for-profit prisons, including for immigrant detention By Don Thompson, Amy Taxin, Associated Press California will ban the use of for-profit, private detention facilities, including those under contract to the federal government to hold immigrants awaiting deportation hearings. Continue reading
Jun 10 Watch 5:27 How these grieving mothers seek to stop the cycle of violence By Maya Trabulsi, KPBS A group of mothers whose children were murdered are taking their tragic stories to inmates imprisoned for committing violent crimes. The perspective shared by Mothers with a Message encourages prisoners, some of whom will never be released, to understand the… Continue watching