California Considers Giving the Incarcerated a Right to Vote
It takes a constitutional amendment followed by a statewide vote to legalize balloting behind bars. Will it happen?
Prisoners Donating Organs to Get Time Off Raises Thorny Ethical Questions
By Austin Sarat / The Conversation In January 2023 two Democratic representatives, Judith Garcia and Carlos Gonzalez, proposed a bill that would offer prisoners in Massachusetts a new way to…
Life Without Parole Prisoners Reignite Movement to End Mass Incarceration
A 50-year-old organization led by prisoners with life sentences has emerged from a COVID shutdown to fight for the abolition of legalized slavery.
[Rewind] Eddie Conway: Prisons Enable America’s Obscene Wealth
Prisoner-turned-journalist Eddie Conway talked about how the immorally cheap labor of those caught in the prison industrial complex is the shame of the U.S. economy.
The Holidays are the Most Painful Time of the Year to be Behind Bars
Every holiday season, prisoners suffer spikes in suicides, violence, and depression. Eddie Conway, who spent 44 years locked up, explains what people on the outside can do to help.
Four States Voted to End Slavery — But Not Louisiana
Wardens and industries that rely on prison labor will undoubtably argue that their “work programs” do not constitute slavery, but it should be up to the courts, the public and…
US Private Prison Industry: Profiting From Exploitation and Suffering
Eugene Puryear of BreakThrough News talks about the high rates of incarceration in the US and the role of the private prison sector in intensifying the crisis.
Being Pregnant in Prison Is a Nightmare That Won’t Be Ended by One Bill Alone
Even for future people who are pregnant behind bars, legislation doesn’t necessarily ensure that prison or jail officials will follow the new measures.
What an Alabama Prisoners’ Strike Tells Us About Prison Labor
Exploitation of incarcerated people isn’t limited to lockups. Voters in some states have a chance to curtail it.
Despite Three Botched Executions, Alabama Plans to Kill a Fourth Man Next Month
Despite multiple botched executions, the Alabama Corrections Department appears to be determined to continue its barbaric torture.
‘Habitual Offender’ Laws Imprison Thousands for Small Crimes — Sometimes for Life
Data obtained by The Appeal show nearly 2,000 people in Mississippi and Louisiana are serving long—and sometimes life—sentences after they were labeled “habitual offenders." But most are behind bars for…
California’s Dependency on Prison Labor for Fighting Fires Must End
Incarcerated firefighters face much higher rates of injury than professional firefighters, are minimally compensated, and are largely unable to negotiate the conditions of their work.
“Death By Incarceration”: Human Rights Groups Urge UN to Call for Abolition of Life Without Parole Sentences
The United States condemns one out of every seven prisoners — or more than 200,000 people — to die in prison. Over two-thirds are people of color.
Major Criminal Justice Reform is on the Docket in California
Bills that would restrict solitary confinement and allow review of inmates’ trials that were tainted by racial bias are now awaiting Gov. Newsom’s signature.
Chris Hedges on Trauma and Teaching Writing in Prison
Chris Hedges joins Mansa Musa on Rattling the Bars to discuss his new book, “Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison.”