Jails and Prisons

People gathered at City Hall in October 2022 for a rally to protest deaths in New York City's Rikers Island jail complex.

Maryland’s Solitary Confinement Reform Bill Stalls in the Democratic State Legislature Maryland’s Solitary Confinement Reform Bill Stalls in the Democratic State Legislature

Lawmakers “had the opportunity to do something that would have made a huge systemic change and put the state on the right path—and they didn’t,” said the bill’s author.

May 25, 2023 / Victoria Law

When “Suicide Watch” Becomes a Death Sentence

When “Suicide Watch” Becomes a Death Sentence When “Suicide Watch” Becomes a Death Sentence

Instead of the help they need, people in prisons and jails with mental health issues are often left alone to suffer—and sometimes die.

May 22, 2023 / Feature / Katie Rose Quandt

Cherelle Parker speaks at a podium

Philadelphia’s Next Mayor Will Almost Certainly Be a Black Woman Philadelphia’s Next Mayor Will Almost Certainly Be a Black Woman

Yet, for all her claims to history, primary winner Cherelle Parker was the status quo candidate in a city where the status quo is badly broken.

May 18, 2023 / Gene Seymour

Jeffrey Epstein is photographed wearing a Harvard sweatshirt.

Jeffrey Epstein, Harvard Man Jeffrey Epstein, Harvard Man

Why a horrific criminal found elite universities so congenial.

May 8, 2023 / Jeet Heer

A prisoner is shackled while attending a class for mental health in the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit at California State Prison, Sacramento.

The New York Law Everyone Is Watching The New York Law Everyone Is Watching

The HALT Act was passed to end long-term solitary confinement. Enforcing it is a whole new struggle.

May 4, 2023 / Victoria Law

rows of barbed wire

A Texas Prison Guard Punishes a Woman for Talking About Abortion A Texas Prison Guard Punishes a Woman for Talking About Abortion

Legal experts told The Nation it’s not illegal. But that didn’t stop one guard from moving a woman to extreme isolation after sharing sexual health information.

May 2, 2023 / Victoria Law

soldier leads prisoner in Guant´namo Bay

Emptying Guantánamo Is Not the Same as Closing Guantánamo Emptying Guantánamo Is Not the Same as Closing Guantánamo

Unless the post-9/11 forever prison is permanently shuttered, it’s only a matter of time before one of Biden’s successors takes up Trump’s unrealized call to fill it back up with “...

May 2, 2023 / Column / Spencer Ackerman

The Night Carnival makes its way through Westminster on February 11, 2023, in London, England, calling for the release of Julian Assange

The Julian Assange Test Facing Every Member of the House The Julian Assange Test Facing Every Member of the House

How many representatives have the courage to defend the freedom of the press? Rashida Tlaib wants to find out.

Apr 14, 2023 / John Nichols

Chicago’s Rich Organizing Tradition Paid Off, Delivering Victory for Brandon Johnson

Chicago’s Rich Organizing Tradition Paid Off, Delivering Victory for Brandon Johnson Chicago’s Rich Organizing Tradition Paid Off, Delivering Victory for Brandon Johnson

The Windy City's first movement mayor faces a formidable array of challenges, testing him and the coalition that brought him into office.

Apr 13, 2023 / Barbara Ransby

Their Loved Ones Were Killed by Police. Why Are Officers Still Harassing Them?

Their Loved Ones Were Killed by Police. Why Are Officers Still Harassing Them? Their Loved Ones Were Killed by Police. Why Are Officers Still Harassing Them?

In Los Angeles County, grieving families are retaliated against for speaking out against police violence.

Apr 7, 2023 / Photo Essay / Francisco Aviles Pino

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