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A condemned inmate is led out of his cell on death row at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California in 2016.

California

Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Closing Argument
From Surveillance to Robot Guards: How AI Could Reshape Prison Life
Critics worry about opaque data collection, privacy violations and the technology’s bias spreading in jails and prisons.
A Black man in a tan prison uniform stands in front of a black and white wall, holding a phone to his ear. A U.S. flag and two signs are on the wall. One sign reads, "Break the silence!" in English and Spanish. The second sign details that calls will subject to recording and listening.
An aerial photo shows a prison facility composed of over half a dozen buildings, with trees surrounding much of the property. In the foreground, there are activists gathered with signs and banners near the facility.
Analysis August 29
‘Zombie Prisons’: How ICE Detention Is Raising Troubling Facilities From the Dead
ICE needs more detention space, and it’s faster to open old facilities than to build new ones.
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A magazine called News Inside set against a grainy tan backdrop. Light refracted through prison bars shines onto the magazine.
News Inside August 4
Confined Trials
News Inside Issue 20 documents survival and resilience under extreme conditions.
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An aerial view of a tan brick prison facility with cars parked in front.
Closing Argument July 19
Why Closing Prisons — Even Bad Ones — Is Complicated
From politics to economics, closing old or bad prisons is not always straightforward. Even some incarcerated people have mixed emotions.
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A large group of protesters stand with signs in the lower half of the photo, facing green military-grade vehicles.
Analysis June 9
What History Tells Us to Expect From Trump’s Escalation in Los Angeles Protests
Since the 1960s, studies have shown that heavy-handed policing and militarized responses tend to make protests more volatile — not less.
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A person with dark-toned skin and a person with medium-toned skin, both wearing prison uniforms, play chess while sitting on blue chairs. In the background are doors to prison cells.
Closing Argument April 19
Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration
America’s experiment with Scandinavian-inspired prison units is growing — and being tested.
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Marshall, a man with light-toned skin, wears a blue suit jacket and glasses as he stands behind a podium. On person stands behind him and three are sitting.
News April 12
Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
West Virginia’s top corrections official led a troubled state agency, and will now head a federal bureaucracy plagued with problems of its own.
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An illustration shows a police officer in a blue uniform standing inside a dimly lit kitchen holding a walkie-talkie while looking outside the window. Outside the window, a woman is kneeling, with pale yellow light on her as she looks at a small grave.
News April 2
These States Have Investigated Miscarriages and Stillbirths as Crimes
A recent arrest in Georgia highlights the criminal suspicion that surrounds pregnancy loss in several states, experts say.
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A magazine called News Inside set against a grainy tan backdrop. Light refracted through prison bars shines onto the magazine.
News Inside March 11
Strength Behind Bars
News Inside Issue 19 honors women navigating the correctional system.
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A White man with a goatee and tattoos, wearing a white tank top and silver chained necklace, signs to a medium-skinned man wearing a blue shirt, gray vest and white long-sleeved shirt.
Life Inside February 7
‘Friendly Signs’ Documentary Follows One Man’s Quest to Create Community for Deaf Prisoners
Director Rahsaan “New York” Thomas explores the impact of Tommy Wickerd’s sign language class at San Quentin and the challenges of prison filmmaking.
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