Climate Change and the Criminal Justice System
Climate change will affect prison infrastructure, the kinds of crimes committed, and defense arguments made in court, according to one legal scholar.
Introducing American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices from the Inside
This overlooked corner of the press provided news by and for people who were incarcerated. A newly available archive shows it worked hard to reach outside audiences too.
Lesbians in Prison: The Making of a Threat
A scandal at a Massachusetts women's prison marked a change in the construction of the "dangerous" female homosexual.
The Deadly Bilibid Prison Vaccine Trials
In 1906, physician Richard Strong's already-unethical vaccine experiment went horribly wrong. Then it was swept under the rug.
How Mass Incarceration Has Shaped History
A historian argues that it's time to look at the consequences of locking up millions of people over several decades.
Would Formerly Incarcerated People Vote Democratic?
Conventional wisdom says that Republicans don't want to give ex-felons voting rights because they'll end up voting for Democrats. But is this true?
Oscar Wilde’s Pamphlet: “Children in Prison and Other Cruelties of Prison Life”
Wilde's description is heart-wrenching, but that doesn't hold him back from the usual wit and drama that characterize his writing.
What the Prisoners’ Rights Movement Owes to the Black Muslims of the 1960s
Black Muslims have been an influential force in the prisoners' rights movement and criminal justice reform as early as the World War II era.
The Problem With Privatizing Prisons
If private prisons make their profit from criminal society, its goes against business sense to reduce criminality.
The Return of Debtors’ Prisons
New lawsuits allege that court officials are jailing people who fall behind on payment of court fees and fines, leading to a resurgence of debtors' prisons.