A recent report by the Prison Policy Initiative advocates for universal access to discretionary parole for all incarcerated individuals, including those within states that have formally curtailed such mechanisms. The study further recommends that jurisdictions implement various ‘release valves’ to facilitate the reevaluation of lengthy prison sentences.
A recent Prison Policy Initiative briefing asserts that community supervision, including probation and parole, represents the largest segment of the U.S. criminal legal system, with an estimated 3.5 million individuals under correctional control compared to 2 million incarcerated. The analysis further contends that this system is frequently deficient in design, often leading to reincarceration for technical violations rather than the commission of new offenses.
Dr. Elizabeth Ostler, founder of the Communal Theater Company, addressed the forthcoming theatrical production “SisterPlay,” a work directly informed by the custodial death of her sister, Lisa, at the Salt Lake County Jail. Ostler detailed the process of translating this personal experience into a dramatic narrative, emphasizing its role in public discourse regarding incarceration and medical neglect.
In an essay published in Inquest, incarcerated writer Troy Hendrix delineated the profound long-term psychological and physical impact of solitary confinement, characterizing the experience as one that progressively erodes an individual’s identity and “steals bites from the mind, heart, and soul every day.”
A new report from Worth Rises finds that providing free phone calls in prisons and jails has saved families over $622 million, increased communication, improved rehabilitation, and facility conditions across the US.
The Sentencing Project report finds that formerly incarcerated individuals face significant barriers to reentry due to inadequate preparation by correctional systems, including limited access to rehabilitative programs, financial pressures, and digital culture shock.
Immigrants are significantly less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans, according to a recent report by the Cato Institute, which analyzed data from the 2024 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample.
The San Quentin Film Festival held its first-ever event outside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center at the Central California Women’s Facility, providing incarcerated women with the opportunity to reclaim narrative authority through film and media programs.
Solitary confinement is being challenged across the US due to its harmful effects on incarcerated individuals and its failure to improve prison safety, with studies and legal cases showing that it can lead to serious injury or death.
Failure to appear in court due to confusion, transportation problems, child care needs, illness, or a simple scheduling mistake is resulting in 19 million additional nights in jail each year, making it a major and preventable driver of incarceration in the United States.
The ACLU of Southern California released a report this week that documents systemic medical neglect, delayed care and a lack of accountability in Orange County jails, which has resulted in at least 119 deaths between 2010 and 2021, nearly half of which occurred within one month of booking.
Proposition 36 has failed to deliver on its promises of safety, accountability, and mass treatment, instead fueling incarceration, straining local budgets, and deepening racial disparities across California, according to the Prosecutors Alliance and criminal justice reform advocates.
Shazad Carbaidwala, a volunteer and board member with Prisoner Visitation and Support, has spent nearly a decade visiting incarcerated people in federal facilities, providing human connection and helping to counter isolation, neglect, and dehumanization within the correctional system.
Three ambassadors from Represent Justice share their experiences of trauma, incarceration and healing, emphasizing that the system failed to rehabilitate them and that true change begins with listening, acknowledging harm and recognizing shared humanity.
A group of incarcerated people and their family members have filed a federal class action lawsuit against Aramark Corporation, alleging that the company is using its exclusive control over food provisions in West Virginia prisons to exploit a captive consumer market and unlawfully profit from inadequate food service.
PEN America has launched the Incarcerated Writers Bureau, a digital platform to provide professional and creative opportunities for incarcerated writers and break down industry barriers, featuring 21 writers and offering guidance to publishers, journalists, and literary agents.
Deputy Public Defender Erin Dacayanan argued that the court delayed justice for an accused individual who needs mental health diversion, but Judge Paul K. Richardson ruled not to release the accused, leaving them in jail and untreated for their mental illness.
A new report from Solitary Watch details systemic abuse in New York prisons, citing physical violence, deprivation of basic resources, and widespread solitary confinement, and calls for urgent and sweeping reforms to ensure humane conditions for incarcerated individuals.
A yearlong joint investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law has uncovered a pattern of pregnant women in jails across the United States miscarrying, giving birth alone on filthy cell floors or toilets, and in some cases losing their babies or their own lives while requests for help were reportedly ignored.
Parole systems in the US are broken and need to be fixed to ensure that people who have demonstrated rehabilitation are given a fair chance to be released, as parole can be an important tool for decarceration and reducing prison overcrowding.