The Town That Turned Poverty Into a Prison Sentence The Town That Turned Poverty Into a Prison Sentence
Most states shut down their debtors’ prisons more than 100 years ago; in 2005, Harpersville, Alabama, opened one back up.
Mar 14, 2014 / Feature / Hannah Rappleye and Lisa Riordan Seville
Eric Holder Pushes for Reduced Drug Sentences Eric Holder Pushes for Reduced Drug Sentences
The proposal would reduce sentences for nonviolent drug traffickers by about a year.
Mar 13, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
Rick Perry at CPAC Panel on Criminal Justice: ‘Shut Prisons Down. Save That Money.’ Rick Perry at CPAC Panel on Criminal Justice: ‘Shut Prisons Down. Save That Money.’
You won’t believe what some leading conservatives had to say about criminal justice reform this week—because they were actually right.
Mar 7, 2014 / George Zornick
Rand Paul and Eric Holder Might Actually Get Something Important Done in Washington by Working Together Rand Paul and Eric Holder Might Actually Get Something Important Done in Washington by Working Together
The unlikely allies are leading a push to reform sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenders.
Mar 4, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
Abandoned and Imprisoned for Being Gay in Cameroon Abandoned and Imprisoned for Being Gay in Cameroon
Anti-gay laws in Nigeria and Uganda provoke outrage in the US—but Cameroon has quietly been locking up LGBT people for years with little international notice.
Mar 4, 2014 / Andy Kopsa
Colorado’s Federal Supermax Prison Is Force-Feeding Inmates on Hunger Strike Colorado’s Federal Supermax Prison Is Force-Feeding Inmates on Hunger Strike
Solitary Watch reports that eight to nine prisoners are taking part in the strike, held at the federal government’s highest-security prison.
Feb 27, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
American Missionary Kenneth Bae Languishes in a Pyongyang Prison American Missionary Kenneth Bae Languishes in a Pyongyang Prison
Resolving this injustice could open doors for diplomacy between the US and North Korea.
Feb 25, 2014 / Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Grace Ji-Sun Kim
New York Just Became the Largest State to Ban Solitary Confinement for Inmates Under 18 New York Just Became the Largest State to Ban Solitary Confinement for Inmates Under 18
The agreement also includes a ban on the use of solitary confinement to discipline pregnant inmates.
Feb 19, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
An Open Letter to President Obama: Close Guantánamo Bay An Open Letter to President Obama: Close Guantánamo Bay
Prominent lawyers from Obama's home state of Illinois urge the president to shutter the infamous, illegal prison.
Feb 12, 2014 / Abner Mikva, James Thompson, and Scott Turow
For Pussy Riot Members, No More Taking Freedom for Granted For Pussy Riot Members, No More Taking Freedom for Granted
They are using their fame, however sudden and unexpected, to champion prison reform in Russia, the United States and around the world.
Feb 11, 2014 / Katrina vanden Heuvel