Juvenile Justice Reform Will Fail Without Specific Focus On Young Women
Black girls were about three times as likely as white girls to be referred to juvenile court, and 20% more likely to be detained than white girls. American Indian/Alaska Native girls were 50% more likely to be locked-up.
Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement In U.S. Prisons (VIDEO)
American Friends Service Network: At any given time, there are more than 80,000 people in solitary confinement in prisons across the United States—locked up in closed cells for at least 23 hours every day and deprived of human contact for months, years, even decades.
Breaking Our Gun Addiction: Laura Flanders, Marlon Peterson & Jeff Chang (VIDEO)
The Laura Flanders Show: “How do we break America’s addiction to guns and gun violence? We talk with a young man who served ten years in prison on a gun-related crime and hear from cultural critic Jeff Chang about the cultural changes that have and haven’t transformed America.”
Modern Debtors Prison: Alabama Jailing Residents Over Tickets
According to a federal class action lawsuit filed in Alabama this month, the city of Alexander is incarcerating people who are unable to pay court fees and fines in a modern-day debtors prison. The suit argues the practice not only constitutes false imprisonment, but also violates inmates’ Fourth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the Constitution.
Formerly Incarcerated Black Youth Face Extremely High Mortality Rates in Chicago
Young black men detained in Cook County, Chicago, face a higher mortality rate than the general population of the county, according to a bulletin published by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as part of their “Northeastern Juvenile Project.”
Lawsuit: Inmate’s Skull Fracture Ignored For Days By Advanced Correctional Healthcare
A new lawsuit alleges for-profit inmate medical contractor Advanced Correctional Healthcare (ACH) and jail officials violated state laws and the Constitution in their substandard delivery of healthcare to an inmate suffering from serious conditions related to a traumatic brain injury. The inmate alleges his critical prescriptions were withheld and altered, and an injury to his head was left untreated for days until he developed paralysis on the right side of his body.
Human Interest: The High Cost Of Private Prisons
Winn Correctional’s switch from private to public opens a new chapter in the incarceration industry. MuckRock’s new Private Prison Project seeks to uncover the inner workings of privatized incarceration in America through FOIA requests and original reporting.
Report: US Jails And Prisons Ill Equipped For Global Warming
A new study published by the Columbia Law School Sabin Center for Climate Change Law found US jails and prisons grossly unfit for dealing with rising temperatures, which place inmate and staff health at risk. The study urged policy makers and administrators to begin taking steps to prepare for heat waves associated with climate change.
Tennessee Department of Corrections Struggles To Keep The Lid On Prison Crisis
The Tennessee Department of Corrections is threatening and intimidating corrections officers speaking out against dangerous work conditions, according to a letter [PDF] published on August 27 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee. The organization asked the DOC to clearly state it will not seek to silence or retaliate against employees for their speech.
State Appeals After Federal Judge Halts Mississippi Executions
The state government of Mississippi appealed a federal judge’s temporary restraining order against the use of two execution drugs, which effectively brought executions to a halt. Even if the state’s appeal fails, the death penalty in Mississippi would remain entirely intact.
