Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Inmates

Silhouette of a pregnant woman behind prison bars | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Midjourney

Women

Pregnant Women in Prison Aren't Getting Care, and No One Is Keeping Track

U.S. criminal justice policies have led to a 585 percent increase in the incarcerated women’s population since 1980 and have resulted in the highest female incarceration rate in the world.

Autumn Billings | 5.23.2025 10:13 AM

An AI-generated image of a prison inmate in an orange jumpsuit, sitting in a dark prison cell, facing a barred window. | Ihor Lukianenko | Dreamstime.com

Jail

Brickbat: Breathe It In

Charles Oliver | 5.21.2025 4:00 AM

Prison cell | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Lou Oates | Dreamstime.com

Prisons

At a Missouri Prison, Inmates Fear for Their Lives in Sweltering Cells

Without air conditioning, inmates are "literally trapped in a burning hot cell," according to a new lawsuit.

Emma Camp | 5.19.2025 5:00 PM

prisoner health illness | Lex Villena; Midjourney

Prisons

Bill Would Require Federal Prisons To Notify Families of Serious Illness and Death

Families described not being told their loved one was in the hospital or even when they had died.

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.10.2025 12:47 PM

Sing Sing Correctional Facility | Illustration: Lex Villena;  Peter Hermes Furian | Dreamstime.com,, Acroterion (CC BY-SA 4.0), Midjourney

Prisons

New York's Illegal Prison Guard Strike Challenges Law Limiting the Use of Solitary Confinement

It's also a reminder of the disarray that ensues from strikes put on by state employees, who hold monopolies on public goods.

Billy Binion | 3.6.2025 3:59 PM

Mass incarceration of gang members in El Salvador | Jonathan Alpeyrie/SIPA/Newscom

El Salvador

El Salvador Offers To House Violent U.S. Criminals and Deportees 

Yet its penitentiary centers are already running at over 300 percent capacity.

Katarina Hall | 2.4.2025 10:46 AM

Rikers Island welcome sign | RICHARD B. LEVINE/Newscom

Criminal Justice

New York City's Push To Ban Mail at Rikers Was Based on Drug Test Kits With an 85 Percent Error Rate

The problems with these test kits are well-known, and there have been hundreds of documented cases of wrongful arrests based on them.

C.J. Ciaramella | 11.22.2024 1:58 PM

LaShawn Thompson's jail cell. | Michael Harper

Civil Liberties

Justice Department Finds 'Dehumanizing' Filth and Violence at Atlanta Jail Where Man Died Covered in Bugs

Justice Department investigators found squalid living conditions, unchecked violence, and illegal mistreatment of minors and mentally ill inmates.

C.J. Ciaramella | 11.15.2024 1:25 PM

Texas flag with a statue of Lady Justice | Mehaniq/Newscom

Criminal Justice

Texas Lawmakers Temporarily Save Death Row Inmate Robert Roberson From the Execution Chamber

Roberson was scheduled to become the first person in the country to be executed based on "shaken baby syndrome" evidence, until Texas lawmakers subpoenaed him to testify.

C.J. Ciaramella | 10.18.2024 2:15 PM

FCI Waseca | Illustration: Lex Villena | Reason; Ylivdesign | Dreamstime.com

Government failure

A Federal Prison Was Warned About Synthetic Marijuana. Then Inmates Started Overdosing.

"We are living in pure chaos," an incarcerated woman at a federal prison in Minnesota tells Reason following a string of suspected overdoses.

C.J. Ciaramella | 9.6.2024 2:01 PM

probation | Illustration: Lex Villena; Midjourney

Criminal Justice

Federal Supervised Release Is a Wasteful Mess. A Bipartisan Bill in Congress Is Trying To Fix That.

The Safer Supervision Act would create an off-ramp for those with good behavior to petition to have their supervised release sentences terminated early.

C.J. Ciaramella | 6.4.2024 11:34 AM

Four-square collage of photos from inside jails, an image of a corroded jail sink, and a snippet from a filing in Mattix, et al. v. Tarrant County, Texas. | Illustration Lex Villena; Midjourney

Jail

3 People Died of Thirst in a Texas County Jail in Under 2 Years

All three inmates were mentally ill and became dehydrated despite ready access to water.

Joe Lancaster | 5.23.2024 2:15 PM

FCI Dublin | APEX / MEGA / Newscom/DFBEV/Newscom

Federal Prisons

The Feds Will Close a Notorious California Prison Where Guards Abused Women with Impunity

In 2021, the Associated Press uncovered rampant sexual abuse at FCI Dublin. After three years of failing to fix the problem, the Bureau of Prisons is shutting it down.

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.16.2024 1:07 PM

Woman with horse and lawsuit text | Illustration: Lex Villena; Estate of Alicia Upton

Criminal Justice

A Suicidal 21-Year-Old Was Jailed In California. Nine Days Later, She Was Dead.

More than 20 people died while in custody of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department last year.

Emma Camp | 1.5.2024 3:24 PM

Woman's shadow | Illustration: Lex Villena; Vitaliy Mitrofanenko

Jail

A Los Angeles Jail Let a Woman Die of Withdrawal, Then a Coroner Allowed Her Body To Decompose

“I couldn’t believe it was my baby,” Amanda Bews' mother said. "She looked like she was mummified."

Emma Camp | 11.29.2023 4:00 PM

rejection letter | Illustration: Lex Villena | Reason

Censorship

Federal Prison Censors Reason Issue About How Federal Prison Employed Serial Rapists

The issue was rejected because it "jeopardizes the good order and security of the institution."

C.J. Ciaramella | 10.9.2023 11:18 AM

featurecover | Illustration: Federico Gastaldi

Government abuse

Federal Prison Guards Confessed to Rape and Got Away With It

"I knew they were scumbags," a former Bureau of Prisons officer tells Reason.

C.J. Ciaramella | 9.3.2023 6:00 AM

LaShawn Thompson's jail cell. | Michael Harper

Criminal Justice

DOJ Opens Probe Into Jail Where Inmate Died Covered in Insects

The Justice Department will investigate reports that inmates at Fulton County Jail are subject to filthy living conditions.

Emma Camp | 7.17.2023 1:39 PM

Rikers Island protesters | Ron Adar/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Jail

Under Scrutiny for New Deaths, Rikers Officials Shut Down Communication

No longer will the troubled jail system publicly report when somebody dies in custody.

Scott Shackford | 6.2.2023 1:25 PM

jail book | Cunaplus / Dreamstime.com

Prisons

Lawsuit Challenges Ban on Physical Mail at California County Jail

Prisons and jails around the country have been banning physical mail and used book donations under the flimsy justification of stopping contraband.

C.J. Ciaramella | 3.23.2023 11:49 AM

A bed in an execution chamber next to a red-tinted map of Idaho | TCJD/ MEGA / Newscom; Illustration: Lex Villena

Death Penalty

Idaho Likely To Authorize Execution by Firing Squad

"The firing squad, in my opinion, is beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho," said one state senator. "We have to find a better way."

Emma Camp | 3.21.2023 3:34 PM

man behind prison fence | Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@fakurian?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Milad Fakurian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/1r0TPtmhEZA?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Reason Roundup

Prison Deaths Spiked by Almost 50 Percent During Early Months of COVID-19 Pandemic

Plus: ACLU urges Congress not to bank TikTok, a backdoor way to subsidize childcare, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 2.28.2023 9:30 AM

lawsuit text | Illustration: Lex Villena | Reason

Prisons

Reason Files FOIA Lawsuit Against Bureau of Prisons for Inmate Death Records

Reason reported in 2020 on allegations of fatal medical neglect inside two federal women's prisons. The Bureau of Prisons heavily redacted reports that would show if women died of inadequate care.

C.J. Ciaramella | 2.17.2023 3:26 PM

hands hanging out of a prison cell | Willeecole/Dreamstime.com

Criminal Justice

Louisiana Keeps Over a Quarter of Inmates Detained Past Their Release Dates, DOJ Investigation Finds

"There is an obligation both to incarcerated persons and the taxpayers not to keep someone incarcerated for longer than they should be," a Louisiana district attorney said. "Timely release is not only a legal obligation, but arguably of equal importance, a moral obligation."

Emma Camp | 1.26.2023 2:25 PM

inmate with walker | Jan Woitas/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom

8th Amendment

Federal Inmates Suffering From Unconstitutional Medical Neglect Could Get Relief Under Rule Change

The U.S. Sentencing Commission might make medical neglect a qualifying condition for compassionate release.

C.J. Ciaramella | 1.23.2023 12:43 PM

a firing squad chair | S.C. Department of Corrections

Death Penalty

South Carolina Supreme Court To Decide the Future of the Death Penalty in the State

On Thursday, the South Carolina Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case that could see the state's attempt to execute inmates by electrocution or firing squad declared unconstitutional.

Emma Camp | 1.6.2023 2:58 PM

pregnantjail_1161x653 | Supahkaln Wongcompune / Dreamstime.com

Criminal Justice

An Arizona Prison Is Requiring Inductions for Pregnant Inmates

"Just because I made some bad choices in my life, they shouldn't be allowed to make bad health choices for me and my baby," said one woman whose labor was induced against her will.

Emma Camp | 1.4.2023 1:36 PM

hands reaching out from behind prison bars | Robin Nelson/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

Prisons

These Louisiana Inmates Served Their Sentences, but the State Wouldn't Let Them Go

Plus: A potential fusion energy breakthrough, the possible return of the child tax credit, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.12.2022 9:30 AM

dice and character sheet |  imageBROKER/Firn/Newscom

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons Is Apparently Banned in Federal Prisons

State prisons around the country ban the roleplaying game, too, because of bizarre concerns about gang behavior and security threats.

C.J. Ciaramella | 11.2.2022 1:20 PM

pregnant woman in front of starbucks sign | Illustration: Lex Villena; Lacreme

Jail

Orange County Settles With Woman Whose Baby Died After Authorities Stopped at Starbucks Before Hospital

Plus: California "Kid's Code" bill could mean face scans to visit websites, Michael Horn on reinventing schools, and more...

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 8.30.2022 9:31 AM

thumbnail | Artur Widak/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom Illustration: Lex Villena; Wisconsinart | Dreamstime.com

Opioids

This Jail Won't Provide Drug Addicts With Essential Meds

Inmates with opioid addiction suffered severe withdrawal after the Jefferson County Correctional Facility stripped them of their medication.

Julian Verdon | 3.22.2022 11:40 AM

body cam reason pic | Stan Carroll/TNS/Newscom

Body Cameras

San Diego County Jails Will Use Body Cameras Following Damning State Audit

The California State Auditor's Office found that the jails responded poorly to inmate deaths.

Julian Verdon | 3.4.2022 3:50 PM

topicscivilliberties | PeopleImages/iStock

Civil Liberties

COVID-19 Pulls Back the Mask on America's Prison System 

This deadly and contagious disease has exposed problems with prison systems that have been ignored for decades.

C.J. Ciaramella | 7.6.2020 6:00 AM

coleman-prison | Paul Hennessy/Polaris/Newscom

Coronavirus

Bureau of Prisons Reverses Coronavirus Home Confinement Policy

"What they are doing to people is cruel and unusual. It isn't right."

C.J. Ciaramella | 4.21.2020 4:20 PM

minisjustmercy | Jake Netter/Warner Bros.

Criminal Justice

Just Mercy

Stephanie Slade | 4.10.2020 6:30 AM

dc jail | D.C. government

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Fears Mount in D.C. Jail After Quarantines

Lawyers, inmates' families, and correctional officers worry the jail is ill-prepared to handle an outbreak.

C.J. Ciaramella | 3.23.2020 5:00 PM

weimar | FDOC

Excessive Force

Guard Who Allegedly Paralyzed a Florida Inmate Has Long History of Complaints

Inmates complained for years that they were in fear for their lives. Now one of them is a quadriplegic.

C.J. Ciaramella | 11.1.2019 5:30 PM

topicspolicy | Elena_Garder/iStock

California

Union Battles Inmates Who Want To Work as Firefighters

Eric Boehm | 6.13.2019 6:00 AM

inmate with walker | Jan Woitas/dpa/picture-alliance/Newscom

Criminal Justice

A Terminally Ill, Wheelchair-Bound Inmate Applied for Compassionate Release. The Justice Department Argued He Wasn't Dying Fast Enough To Qualify.

The FIRST STEP Act gives dying inmates the opportunity to appeal to a judge for compassionate release. This case shows why.

C.J. Ciaramella | 5.3.2019 2:00 PM

Large image on homepages | Screenshot/KOTV

Jail

The Majority of an Oklahoma Sheriff's Office Just Quit Over Unsafe Jail Conditions

It's encouraging to see police stand up for inmates' rights.

Joe Setyon | 3.19.2019 10:30 AM

Large image on homepages | Peggy Peattie/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Utah

Will Utah Ban the Shackling of Inmates in Labor?

A bill to stop the dangerous practice reaches the next step.

Zuri Davis | 3.18.2019 4:15 PM

Large image on homepages | theblackrhino/123RF

Civil Liberties

The Right Not To Snitch

The First Amendment protects your right to not be a rat.

C.J. Ciaramella | 10.9.2018 6:00 AM

Large image on homepages | Peggy Peattie/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Jail

9 Women Describe Horrific Treatment at the Hands of Their Jailers

In California's Santa Rita Jail, pregnant inmates were pressured to have abortions, forced to go without food, and made to live in unsanitary conditions, a new lawsuit alleges.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 2.16.2018 1:50 PM

Large image on homepages | Babawawa / Pixabay

Prisons

Oklahoma Jury Rules in Favor of Army Vet Who Died in Jail Due to Neglect

Tulsa County owes $10.2 million in damages.

Lindsay Marchello | 3.21.2017 3:15 PM

Large image on homepages | www.JobsForFelonsHub.com

Civil Liberties

Cell Blocks Aren't Psych Wards

Even with the best of intentions, using jails to house the mentally ill is a bad policy.

C.J. Ciaramella | 2.21.2017 6:00 AM

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300