prisons

The Prisons Crisis Lawmakers Want to Fix Is “Inmate-on-Staff Sexual Assault”

Lawmakers have unveiled a proposal they claim will improve safety and security in prisons by addressing rampant sexual abuse—referring not…

February 5, 2025

Smoking Killed His Family. He’ll Still Smoke When He Leaves Prison.

Cigarettes have been a part of Eric Barnett’s entire life. His mother smoked during his childhood, and he started at…

February 5, 2025

What’s in the Drug “Strips” Common in Prisons and Jails?

Over the past year, prisons in several states have banned physical mail for incarcerated people, replacing cherished handwritten communications with…

January 30, 2025

Prison Social Circles Will Run on Smoking Until Vaping Isn’t Banned

Years ago, in that other life before prison, a friend once announced, I am going to quit smoking pot. I…

January 29, 2025

Trump Takes Aim at Trans Women in Prison

On January 20, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order titled "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological…

January 23, 2025

Parole Violations Didn’t Always Mean Prison. They Sent Us Somewhere Else.

Ben* is about to parole out of Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) custody. His approved release address is with his…

January 6, 2025

In Texas Prisons, Digital Mail Further Isolates Those in Solitary Confinement

Kwaneta Harris was cleaning her cell when she came across a manilla envelope filled with letters. Letters bearing crayon drawings…

December 31, 2024

TN Prisons Don’t Expedite Early Release. What If It’s an Emergency?

Douglas Richmond’s case for early release from prison is relatively straightforward. He’s served six years on a first-time, nonviolent conviction,…

December 26, 2024

Providing Sterile Syringes in Prison Is Not Only Right—It Also Saves Money

Providing sterile syringes in prison is an efficient way to keep people who use drugs safer and healthier, just as…

December 17, 2024

In Final Meeting, GA Prisons Senate Committee Votes for the Status Quo

Brought into existence to tell us whether Georgia's notoriously unsafe prison system is unsafe, a state Senate study committee has…

December 16, 2024