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A package of books that was rejected by the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs, Nevada, surrounded by printouts of prison policies about receiving reading material and publications from different states. The package has "Too much tape" written in marker on the side.
News October 18
Many Prisons Restrict Books to Stop Drug Smuggling. Critics Say It Doesn’t Work.
Battling an overdose crisis, more prisons are blocking books based on the sender or packaging. Free speech advocates call it a de facto book ban.
By and
A barbed wire fence surrounds a tan-colored building.
Closing Argument September 23
Juvenile Detention Centers Face One Scandal After Another
Despite repeated efforts at reform, allegations of mistreatment mount at youth facilities across the country.
By
A Black man, wearing a blue striped button-down shirt and black tie, sits with an emotional look on his face and eyes closed. A White female lawyer, sitting on his right, is looking down and smiling while patting him on his back. A White male lawyer, sitting on his left, is smiling while clapping his hands.
Closing Argument May 20
In 2022, Exonerations Hit a Record High in the U.S.
Globally, potential innocence has long outweighed potential guilt. That philosophy of justice may not be one that the majority of Americans endorse.
By
A Black woman and a White woman carried signs reading "DC Statehood is racial justice" during a protest.
Closing Argument March 11
How a Growing Political Fight Threatens Local Control of Criminal Justice
Anxiety about crime — and plain politics — are fueling efforts to supplant local rule, from Washington, D.C., to St. Louis and other localities.
By
An illustration shows Bobby Bostic, a Black man, opening a refrigerator door. Light shines out of the refrigerator. Photos of family are on the side of the refrigerator. A white dove flies above, and the background shows a pattern of leaves and plants.
Life Inside February 24
I Was Sentenced to Die in Prison. But After 27 Years, I’m Finally Free
When I went to jail in 1995, I had never used the internet. As I play catchup, the simplest things are everything.
By Bobby Bostic
An illustration shows line drawings of a person getting a COVID test, people at a city council meeting, people beautifying city streets, and a group of people in masks in the background. In the foreground are illustrations of, from left to right, a sniper rifle, a police K-9, police officers in riot gear, and a person receiving a bonus check.
Analysis October 13, 2022
How A Suburb Spent COVID Relief Funds on Sniper Rifles, Tactical Helmets and Police Bonuses
An inside look at how the Independence, Missouri, city council reallocated millions in federal ARPA dollars to police.
By and Susie Cagle
The entrance to a Texas prison facility, a gray rectangular building with a detached teal shaded structure in front of it. A black car is parked to the right. There are wired fences and buildings in the background.
Closing Argument September 10, 2022
Why Record Heat Can Be Deadlier in Prisons
Corrections officials across most of the nation have not prepared for warmer summers and record heat waves.
By
John Henry Ramirez, who is incarcerated on death row at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, in Livingston, Texas, on Sept. 1, 2021.
Death Sentences September 7, 2021
From Last Meals to Last Words, What Can Death Row Prisoners Request Before They Die?
As a Texas man sues for his pastor to touch him during his execution, a guide to rights for the condemned.
By and
Feature July 29, 2020
Your Local Jail May Be A House of Horrors
But you probably wouldn’t know it, because sheriffs rule them with little accountability. After one man's death in a notorious lockup, residents of a Missouri town fought back.
By
Prisoners at the Macomb Correctional Facility in New Haven, Mich., in 2016. Michigan is one of the only states that has tested every single prisoner for COVID-19.
Coronavirus May 28, 2020
Is COVID-19 Falling Harder on Black Prisoners? Officials Won’t Tell Us.
Some prison systems aren’t collecting race data. Others won’t disclose it. Experts say these are big mistakes.
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