Imagine Having a Decade of Your Life Erased. It Happened to 161 People Exonerated from Prison in 2021.
A new report shows wrongfully convicted people serving 1,849 years behind bars across the United States before being released last year.
Prison sentence
Colorado Gov. Polis Commutes 110-Year Sentence for Trucker in Deadly Crash, Pardons Hundreds of Marijuana Convictions
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos faced harsh punishment under the state’s mandatory minimum sentences for insisting on the right to a trial.
Biden Administration Reverses Course, Will Let Prisoners Sent Home Due to Pandemic Stay There
Christmas comes a few days early for 2,800 inmates who had told they’d eventually have to return to their cells to serve out their terms.
He Wouldn't Wear a Mask on a Bus. One Thing Led to Another, and He Ended Up Dying in Jail.
Given the dangers of jails and prisons, the pettiest of crimes can become death sentences.
Pennsylvania Homeless Man Spared Felony Charge for 43-Cent Misunderstanding
However, the cruel policy that threatened him with years in jail remains in place.
ACLU Sues a Pennsylvania County for Detaining Probation Violators for Months With No Hearings
A Supreme Court ruling requires due process before sending these people back to jail. That’s not happening in Montgomery County.
Pennsylvania Could Put a Homeless Man in Prison Over 43 Cents
Overzealous three-strikes laws claim another victim.
A Philly Man Who Spent 37 Years of a 50-Year Prison Sentence in Solitary Confinement Has Been Freed
Arthur Johnson spent his entire adult life in jail for a murder he says he was coerced to confess to by police.
Former Staffers Condemn Cruel Treatment of Inmates at a Texan Prison for Sex Offenders
The men must keep masturbation diaries, wear ankle monitors, and even use penile circumference gauges.
The Pandemic Showed Home Detention Works
In the right circumstances, home detention is cheaper and more effective than prison.
The Government Says These Missouri Men Are Innocent. It Won't Release Them From Prison.
Kevin Strickland, Christopher Dunn, and Lamar Johnson are still paying for crimes that government officials say they did not commit.
Only Biden or Congress Can Prevent 4,000 Inmates From Being Forced Back Into Federal Prison Post-COVID
The CARES Act allowed home release of nonviolent inmates during the pandemic. But after it's over, many will have to go back unless their sentences are commuted.
Judge Frees 76-Year-Old Woman Sent Back to Federal Prison After Missing a Phone Call from Officials
Controversy highlights punishing responses to mundane mistakes during post-release monitoring of felons.
National Security Agency Leaker Reality Winner Freed from Prison Early
She was sentenced to more than five years for revealing how Russia tried to hack the 2016 election.
40 Years a Prisoner
The new HBO documentary looks at what happened before, during, and after the 1978 MOVE shootout in Philadelphia.
What Happened When Life Sentences Got Out of Control
The prisons are filled with aging inmates who no longer pose a public threat.
An Inmate Firefighter Might Be Deported After California Handed Him Over to ICE
Bounchan Keola was injured while fighting the deadly Zogg Fire. California rewarded him with a possible deportation.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Policing, Probation, Juvenile Justice Reforms
Limits on probation length, a ban on chokeholds, and a plan to dismantle a state juvenile prison system
At Angola, Coronavirus Turns Life Without Parole for Selling Weed Into a Potential Death Sentence
Fate Vincent Winslow, who has never committed a violent crime, fears catching coronavirus in prison.
Prosecutors Fight Early Release for Whistleblower Reality Winner
Fears of contracting COVID-19 in prison are not enough, Justice Department says
Serving 12 Years for Possessing a Cellphone—Unless the Coronavirus Gets to Him First
Some places are releasing nonviolent offenders during the COVID-19 outbreak. Mississippi won't free a man who failed to hand in his phone.
Mississippi Court Upholds 12-Year Sentence for a Man Who Unwittingly Had a Phone in Jail
The court says 12 years was "obviously harsh," but hey, at least it wasn't 15.
A 15-Year Sentence for Burning a Stolen Gay Pride Flag Is Not Justice
Hate crime enhancements meet three-strikes laws, and the consequences are terrible.
After Spending 23 Years in Prison for a Murder He Didn't Commit, Ricky Kidd Is Going Home
Reason previously shared the story of Ricky Kidd's wrongful conviction in April.
Thousands Freed from Federal Prison by FIRST STEP Act Reforms
Many benefit from an increase in "good time" credits and from retroactive reductions in crack cocaine mandatory minimum sentences.
Kim Kardashian and the FIRST STEP Act Freed Another Person From Prison
Jeffrey Stringer was sentenced to life in prison for a drug offense.
Julian Assange Sentenced to 50 Weeks in U.K. Prison for Skipping Bail
And the WikiLeaks founder will be in court again tomorrow.
London To Require GPS Trackers for Certain Residents Convicted of 'Knife Possession'
The latest in London Mayor Sadiq Khan's war on knife ownership.
Did SCOTUS Just Rule That Pickpocketing Is a 'Violent Felony'?
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has some concerns.
This 'Three Strikes' Law Sends People to Die in Federal Prison For Drug Crimes
Roughly 800 federal inmates are sentenced to life under an obscure sentencing enhancement that lawmakers in Congress might soon vote to reduce.
Florida Judge Sentences Corrupt Cops to Prison, Slams Prosecution for "Slap on the Wrist"
Former Biscayne Park Officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez are going to prison after pinning burglaries on innocent black men.
DNA Evidence Exonerates a Man Who Spent 19 Years in Prison for the Death of His Lover
The California Innocence Project helped free Horace Roberts from prison.
20 Years in Prison for Florida Man Who Swiped $600 Worth of Cigarettes
He has prior felony convictions, but 20 years still seems harsh.
After 27 Years, Golf Drawings Helped Clear a Convict of Murder
Valentino Dixon has been proclaiming his innocence for decades. After a golf magazine brought attention to his case, people started to listen.
A Young Mom Was Justified in a Shooting, but a Past Marijuana Charge Means Prison Time
Authorities say Krissy Noble was justified in shooting and killing a home intruder while she was pregnant.
Tourist Gets 8 Years in Egyptian Prison for Facebook Video Blasting 'Son of a Bitch' Country
Egypt has no freedom of speech.
Recalling Aaron Persky, the Judge Who Showed Brock Turner Leniency, Is a Mistake That Will Haunt Progressives
California voters just encouraged judges to show no mercy.
Ross Ulbricht Is Serving a Double Life Sentence
His mother, Lyn Ulbricht, talks about her son's life in maximum security prison and their Supreme Court hopes for the Silk Road case.