Jail
Prison Ministry Group Sues Indiana Jail for Banning Amazon Books
The lawsuit claims the ban has no "legitimate penological justification"
Hunter Biden's Prison-Free Plea Should Be Available to Everybody
If it's not a sweetheart deal, everyone else deserves the same leniency.
He Spent a Decade in Jail Without Being Convicted. Now His Lawyer Says His Case Should Be Dismissed.
Maurice Jimmerson has spent 10 years in jail awaiting trial for a 2013 murder charge.
Under Scrutiny for New Deaths, Rikers Officials Shut Down Communication
No longer will the troubled jail system publicly report when somebody dies in custody.
Spurred by Uvalde, Texas Legislature Passes Bill To Finally Close 'Dead Suspect Loophole'
Texas' public record law let police hide records of suspects who died in custody from grieving families, reporters, and lawyers.
These Murders Don't Fit Into the Culture War
By glossing over routine crime victims in favor of stories with unorthodox circumstances, the press paints a distorted picture of a very real problem.
Jail Officials Refused To Give Him His Heart Transplant Medication. Days Later, He Was Dead.
A lawyer for the family speculates that jail officials balked at the medication's high price.
Lashawn Thompson's Death in Georgia Jail Was Homicide by Neglect, Says Autopsy
Plus: Louisiana bill would ban teachers from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity, TikTok is suing Montana, and more...
Jordan Neely Wasn't Killed by the System
Opposing sides of the debate around a New York City subway homicide have found unlikely common ground.
This Georgia Man Has Been Jailed for 10 Years Without a Trial
In 2013, Maurice Jimmerson was charged with murder. Ten years later, he's still languishing in a Dougherty County jail, awaiting trial.
Georgia Jail Officials Resign After Inmate Found Dead and Covered With Insects
"They put that man in that cell, left him there to die," said an attorney for the man's family. "And that's exactly what happened."
Reporter Detained in Russia Faces Arduous Path to Freedom
Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last month on espionage charges. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in a penal colony.
She Told Jail Employees That She Was 'Throwing Up Blood.' They Ignored Her. The Next Day, She Was Dead.
"They had a duty to protect her," says Ta'Neasha Chappell's sister. "She was not attended to because she was a Black woman and they didn't feel like she was worth getting any attention."
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.
An Oregon Man Was Wrongly Imprisoned for Almost a Year Because of an Error in a DMV Database
The Oregon DMV knew about the problem, but it "wasn't at a high enough level to understand the urgency" of the need to fix it.
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...
The Real Political Scandal Is That Too Many Documents Are Classified
Many Democrats and Republicans were outraged when Trump and Biden respectively were found with classified documents. But both sides are missing the point.
An Alabama Man Was Taken to Jail. Two Weeks Later, He Was Dead From Hypothermia.
Tony Mitchell's death was a "direct and proximate result" of jail officers' "deliberate indifference or malice, and of their ongoing denial of Tony's constitutional rights under a scheme that continued to operate after his death," his family's suit states.
New Data Show Prison Staff Are Rarely Held Accountable for Sexual Misconduct
Prison staff were fired in less than half of substantiated incidents of sexual misconduct between 2016 and 2018, and only faced legal consequences in 6 percent of cases.
Louisiana Sheriffs' Offices Have Been Destroying Public Records Without Permission
"Comprehensive and accurate records are critical if patterns and causes of harm are going to be identified and corrected," said an attorney representing Louisiana inmates.
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."
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Wrongfully Jailed Children for Months, New Lawsuit Alleges
"Sometimes I even feel like they wanted me in there, because I was in there so long," said one 18-year-old who was wrongfully incarcerated for 166 days.
A Man Pointed a Finger Gun at Cops, Was Jailed for Over a Year Without Trial, and Starved to Death Behind Bars
Plus: Court reminds cops they can't pull people over just to flirt, salary range laws aren't working as planned, and more...
'The Hypocrisy Hurts': Enes Kanter Freedom on Standing Up to China in the NBA
"When it comes to problems happening in America, [the NBA is] the first organization saying, 'This is wrong,'" says the former professional basketball player. But then they're silent for victims of torture.
Charity and Capitalism Are Better Than Government
When I was young, I assumed government would lift people out of poverty. But those policies often do more harm than good.
Rikers Island Sees 19th Death This Year After Judge Gives Leaders More Time To Fix Its Messes
Somehow deaths have climbed even though the prison population has dropped.
This U.S. Citizen Was Detained by ICE for Over a Month. Now He's Getting a $150,000 Settlement.
A Government Accountability Office report last year documented hundreds of ICE actions involving potential U.S. citizens.
Washington Town To Pay $1 Million to Family of Woman Who Died by Suicide in Jail After Being Harassed by Guard
That guard would later be convicted of sexually assaulting four other incarcerated women.
Tough-on-Crime Cash Bail Initiatives Win in Ohio and Alabama
The debate over bail has become a polarizing flash point. But as usual, the answer is more nuanced than either Republicans or Democrats would have their bases believe.
Study: Text Message Reminders Can Help Stop People from Missing Parole or Probation Meetings
It’s a little thing, but thousands of people end up in jail over these types of avoidable technical violations.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
This 78-Year-Old Woman Was Arrested for Feeding the Poor
Norma Thornton of Bullhead City, Arizona, is suing for the right to help people in need.
Rikers Island Sees 17th Prisoner Death This Year
Is a federal takeover of the troubled jail pending?
Florida Corrections Officers Paralyzed A Man, Then Left Him in Solitary Confinement
Craig Ridley died after corrections officers paralyzed him in a beating then left him without medical care for days.
A North Carolina Man Was Jailed for Refusing To Wear a Mask in Court
"I never thought this could happen in this country," Gregory Hahn said.
Judge Holds Federal Bureau of Prisons in Contempt for Allowing Man To Waste Away From Untreated Cancer
A federal judge wrote that the Bureau of Prisons should be "deeply ashamed" of medical delays that resulted in a man dying from treatable cancer.
Here's What the Media Get Wrong About Hurricanes
No, a big storm does not require big government.
Senate Investigation Finds Justice Department Undercounted Prison and Jail Deaths Last Year by Nearly 1,000
The report says the inaccuracies "deprived Congress and the American public of information about who is dying in custody and why."
In South Carolina, What You Say During Protests Could Land You in Jail
Brittany Martin, who is pregnant, was sentenced to four years in prison after telling police they'd "better be ready to die for the blue. I'm ready to die for the black."
In Mississippi, Dozens of Mentally Ill People Are Held in Jails While Awaiting Inpatient Treatment
While a new report highlights Mississippi's jailing of mentally ill people, the practice is common nationwide.
Incarcerated Children in Texas Left Without Bathroom Access for 22 Hours
"This is inhumane," one child told state inspectors.
This Alabama Woman Was Jailed for 3 Months Because She Smoked Pot While Pregnant
Pregnant and postpartum women arrested on minor drug charges can find themselves locked up for months in Etowah County.
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...
