Category: Prisons
Correctional officers are driving the pandemic in prisons
New research shows correctional officers are vectors of infection, driving COVID-19 rates both inside prisons and in their communities. While prison may isolate people from the larger community, it does not isolate them from COVID-19. Scott…
Biden issues Executive Order ending DOJ private prison contracts
“There’s more to be done to end the for-profit caging of people in the U.S.,” stressed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Tuesday, January 26, 2021 Criminal justice reform advocates on Tuesday welcomed an…
As pandemic rages on, analysis finds 1 in 5 people in US prisons infected with Covid-19
Over 1,700 inmates have died in US prisons from Covid-19 The new data follow the ACLU’s warning that America’s “unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of…
ACLU sues Trump Admin. to obtain key records on federal handling of Coronavirus pandemic in prisons
The suit seeks “the immediate release of improperly withheld agency records related to federal government’s failed response to the spread of Covid-19 in prisons in jails.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Wednesday, October 21 The American…
When “usual residence” is a prison
Census method of counting prisoners distorts demographics. by Jonathan Thompson, High Country News If a demographer were to draw up a profile of eastern Colorado’s Crowley County using the most recent census data, it would appear…
Prison everywhere around you
by Wade Rathke October 10, 2020 Pearl River Talking to Victoria Law on Wade’s World about the book, Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, that she co-authored with Maya Schenwar,…
Cruel and usual punishment for prisoners
by Wade Rathke September 26, 2020 Pearl River Just when you might think things can’t get any worse, it turns out you don’t know half of it. At least, that’s how I felt visiting with Professor…
Activists help ICE detainee avoid deportation following alleged sterilization procedure at Georgia facility
Pauline Binam, a Cameroonian who has lived in the U.S. since the age of two, was detained at an ICE facility where her fallopian tubes were removed, allegedly without her consent. by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer…
Disaster work is often carried out by prisoners – who get paid as little as 14 cents an hour despite dangers
Prison systems have long championed the work of incarcerated persons in emergencies and disasters as a demonstration of the value of prisons to local communities and the state. Prisoners clearing vegetation to prevent the spread of…
108,000 US inmates infected with Covid-19
Among prisoners, the death rate from the potentially fatal virus is three times higher than average. Report: Only 7% of Inmates’ Loved Ones Say Prisoners Have Soap and Other Basic Necessities to Stop the Spread of…
California bill to help prisoner firefighters find work after release awaits Governor’s signature
As the Golden State burns amid a firefighter shortage, AB 2147 would expedite criminal record expungements so ex-inmates can apply for EMT licenses. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Monday, August 31 As dozens of major…
Inmate families, advocates push for prisoner release as California wildfires engulf state
‘They Have Nowhere To Run’ “I’m furious at the incompetence and severe inhumanity of this,” one advocate said. by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer Friday, August 21 As wildfires rage in California, advocates are pushing for Gov….
Saying ICE has ‘Lost the right to be trusted,’ Federal Judge orders mandatory testing at detention center hit by Covid-19
Court order follows an outbreak at the Mesa Verde Detention Center and evidence that officials opted not to test detainees for fear of positive test results. by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer Thursday, August 6 A federal…
Supreme Court rules jail does not have to provide basic protections to inmates
As Prisons Across US Report Surge in Covid-19 Cases “There is no legal principle justifying this stay. The only ‘principle’ animating it is the belief of the Republican appointees to the Court that prisoners are subhuman.”…
People are dying in US prisons, and not just from COVID-19
According to investigations by the Miami Herald, corrections officers gassed Randall Jordan-Aparo as he begged for help, likely killed Latandra Ellington for speaking out about sexual abuse and scalded Darren Rainey to death in the shower….
