Jail
ACLU Turns Against California Bail Reform Bill It Helped Craft
The group fears the bill wouldn't really reduce unneeded pretrial detentions of the poor.
Will California's Proposed Bail Reforms Lead to More People Behind Bars?
Changes in a bill have caused civil rights representatives to take a step back.
Arkansas Judge Sued Over Ruthless Cycle of Jailing of Those Who Can't Pay Fines for Minor Crimes
In many cases the sentence for missing a payment is harsher than the original conviction.
Federal Judges Order New Orleans Courts to Stop Shaking Down Citizens with Fees, High Bail
When half of a court's funding comes from criminal defendants, incentives get twisted.
NYC Guarantees Free Phone Calls for Inmates
New York, where three-quarters of inmates in city jails haven't been convicted, is the first city in the nation to do this.
As Bail Reforms Gain Steam, Civil Rights Groups Warn About Overreliance on Risk Assessment Tools
Data and algorithms can help end biases, but they can also help perpetuate them.
Prison Rape Reports Are Rising
After national reporting standards were implemented, substantiated sexual assault claims rose by 63 percent.
Key West Tourist Gets 15 Days in Jail for Collecting 40 Conch Shells
The woman, who planned to give the shells away as gifts, did not realize she was breaking the law.
Americans Support Alternatives to Cash Bail, Once They Know They Exist
People don't like the idea of people who haven't been convicted yet being stuck in jail because they can't pay
Federal Court Upholds New Jersey's Bail-Eliminating Pretrial Reforms
No constitutional right to pay cash for freedom if there are alternatives
Is Criminal Justice Reform Leaving Small and Rural Communities Behind?
A new report shows that the recent trend of reducing prison populations is heavily an urban phenomenon.
Bail Reform Efforts Are Backfiring in Baltimore, Leading to More People Stuck in Jail
Judges were told not require cash bail from defendants who were too poor to pay. Instead they're not offering bail at all.
Google to Purge Ads for Bail Bond Services
Company throws weight behind reformers who want to end the practice of jailing people who cannot afford to pay.
ACLU Sues Texas County over Pay-or-Stay Bail System
Magistrates don't consider risk or ability to pay, leaving a system where people are stuck if they're poor.
New Mississippi Law Will Stop Courts from Jailing People Who Can't Pay Fines
Scaling back debtor's prisons in a state with one of the country's highest incarceration rates
Philly D.A. Larry Krasner Ends Cash Bail for Many Offenses, Some Felonies
The new district attorney's reform train keeps rolling.
Emergency Hearing to Address Fate of Pregnant Prisoners in California
"Time is truly of the essence here," said a lawyer for women imprisoned at Santa Rita Jail.
People Stuck in Jail Because They're Poor Have New Hope
Potential pretrial reforms for those locked up in Nashville, Atlanta, Philly, or the Golden State.
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.
Dallas Cash Bail System Leaves Poor Languishing In Jail, Lawsuit Says
"The county operates a wealth-based system of detention. Every day people are held in jail simply because they can't afford very small amounts of money."
New York Gov. Cuomo Proposes Positive Criminal Justice Reforms
Less pretrial jail, more forfeiture restrictions
Disciplinary Records Reveal Out-of-Control Employees at County Jail
Transparency is an important prerequisite for reform, but it's not enough on its own.
Too Many Americans Languish in Jail Waiting for Trials, but Reforms Are Coming
A new report gives the country a D for its pretrial justice system. But there are reasons to be optimistic.
There Aren't Enough Beds in This Virginia Jail for All the Women Caught in Heroin and 'Human Trafficking' Dragnets
"We don't have enough space for them," said sheriff.
More Cities Join Efforts to Steer People Away From Jail
Millions of dollars in grants will go to eight different jurisdictions to keep people away from jail.
Chicago Launches Legal Fight with Justice Department over Sanctuary City Threats
Again left urban leadership embraces federalism, but for the purpose of protecting funds for police militarization.
Plunge in Pretrial Jail Detention Follows Bail Reforms in New Jersey
Twenty percent fewer people stuck in cells simply because they cannot afford to pay
Police Body Camera Appears to Catch Baltimore Officer Planting Drugs for a Search
This is why law enforcement should not have control over whether footage is released.
Bail Reformers Seek to Keep the Poor from Being Stuck Behind Bars
Legislation tries to end lack of money as an excuse for keeping non-dangerous people in cells until trial.
County Spends $58 Million on a Jail, Never Uses It, Sells it for $10 Million
The Oregon jail has sat empty since it opened in 2004.
Jury Says Jail Officials Should Face Charges for Prisoner's Dehydration Death
Man died after seven days without water in Milwaukee County's jail.
A Man Died in Jail After Getting No Water for a Week. Will Anybody Be Held Accountable?
Prosecutors in Milwaukee County ask a jury to consider whether to charge anybody.
Oklahoma Jury Rules in Favor of Army Vet Who Died in Jail Due to Neglect
Tulsa County owes $10.2 million in damages.
Meet the Community in Louisiana Where Police Throw People in Jail First and Then Investigate
Justice Dept. threatens intervention to stop unconstituional 'investigative holds.'
California Legislators Look to Reform Bail System to Stop Punishing the Poor
Effort to stop using money to determine who can go free.
Texas Judge Tells Woman Given $3,500 Bond for Misdemeanors She's 'Job Security'
County sued for not caring whether defendants can pay high bails.
How Not to Build a Jail
The D.C. jail has been a disaster for more than 100 years. Can a new jail avoid the mistakes of the past?
ACLU Suit Aims to Stop Debtors' Prison in Texas Town
Group says Santa Fe tosses misdemeanor violators in jail if they can't pay-and starves them, too.
Illinois Commits to Changing Bail Practices That Keep People Jailed For Being Poor
Amid a civil rights lawsuit alleging it operates unconstitutional debtor's prisons, Illinois is committing to reforming its bail practices.
Georgia Man Suing After Being Tased While His Face Was Against the Wall in a County Jail
Says county refuses to pay medical bills
Jailing of Rape Victim Could Spur Criminal-Justice Reform in Texas
Outrage over the handling of a Harris County rape case could lead to reform in the state's witness-detention processes.
Bill Clinton: Tough on Crime, Easy on Himself
The 1994 crime bill is a classic study in Clintonian triangulation.
Nine Years Paid Vacation for New Jersey Cop Accused of Sexually Assaulting Inmate
The city has spent nearly $2 million on leave pay plus legal costs.
Justice Department Tells Prisons to Take Gender Identity Seriously
Prison and jail policies "must allow for housing by gender identity when appropriate" say new federal guidelines.
