Prisons

Alleged Letter From Alcatraz Prisoner Suggests Inmates Survived 1962 Escape

The letter claims to be from John Anglin, one of three men who escaped in 1962

By Sarah Begley January 24, 2018

Former NFL Star Aaron Hernandez Found Dead in Prison

He was acquitted in a double murder trial days earlier

By Kate Samuelson April 19, 2017

Arkansas Executions: What's Next for the Inmates Who Were Scheduled to Die

Three executions stall, but 5 others may go forward

By Josh Sanburn April 18, 2017

Your Smart Thermostat Could Take Down the Internet

These are today's best ideas

By The Aspen Institute November 4, 2016

Youth Prisons Don’t Work. Here’s What Does.

'We owe it to young people and their families to invest in community-based interventions that actually work'

By Mishi Faruqee October 26, 2016

Ramen Is in Higher Demand Than Cigarettes at Some U.S. Prisons, Researcher Finds

Ramen noodles are becoming an increasingly valuable commodity

By Kate Samuelson August 22, 2016

The U.S. Is Ending Private Prisons for Federal Inmates. So Where Will the Prisoners Go?

Private companies now run 14 federal prisons across the country that hold about 22,000 federal inmates

By Josh Sanburn August 18, 2016

Justice Department Will Stop Using Private Prisons

The Deputy Attorney General issued instructions for how to ultimately end their use in the U.S.

By Julia Zorthian August 18, 2016

Air Conditioning Is a Human Right

Texas, like other states, does not air condition its prisons—and by doing so, it kills people

By Jeff Edwards and Scott Medlock July 21, 2016

How to Stop Universities From Hoarding Money

These are today's best ideas

By The Aspen Institute August 25, 2015

Privately-Run Prisons Hold Inmates Longer, Study Finds

Prisoners are incarcerated 4% to 7% longer

By Josh Sanburn June 19, 2015

Why America Could Change How It Puts People to Death

3 Inmates in Oklahoma are challenging the use of certain drugs in executions

By TIME Video January 30, 2015

The Bipartisan Prison Reform Push

The push for prison reform gets momentum from a conservative power player

By Alex Altman January 29, 2015

Five Best Ideas of the Day: November 24

1. A bipartisan plan in North Carolina shrunk prison population and cut costs while the crime rate continued to fall. Can it serve as a model for other states? By the Justice Center at the...

By The Aspen Institute November 24, 2014

Five Best Ideas of the Day: October 29

1. Community colleges should lead the way in preparing America’s workforce, and states need to join the effort. By Matthew Dembicki in Community College Daily 2. To bring Asian-American communities to the ballot box, we...

By The Aspen Institute October 29, 2014

New Hampshire's Prison Population Booms

Live free or be incarcerated

By Josh Sanburn September 22, 2014

Five Best Ideas of the Day: August 13

1. True rehabilitation: We can reform prisons and reduce recidivism if we treat prison labor less like modern-day slavery and more like on-the-job training. By Beth Schwartzapfel in American Prospect 2. Drones are a powerful...

By The Aspen Institute August 13, 2014

Big Data Tries to Shrink the Prison Population

Risk-assessment programs aim to make sentencing more efficient—but can they deliver equal justice?

By Massimo Calabresi July 31, 2014

Study: Racial Inequality Largely Unchanged Since 1970

Rates of incarceration and unemployment remain high

By Justin Worland July 14, 2014

Man Visiting Jail Gets Trapped for 30 Hours

He escaped after breaking a sprinkler head

By Justin Worland July 9, 2014

Georgia Prisons See Violent Uptick

A report by a human rights organization finds that violence is on the rise within Georgia's prison system

By Mirren Gidda July 3, 2014

California Investigates Female Inmate Sterilizations

The state auditor's report demands that health agencies look into the violations

By Giri Nathan June 19, 2014

California Prisoners May Grow and Serve Own Food

Aside from feeding the prison population, the program aims to give participants a lower prison re-entry rate

By Charlie Campbell May 30, 2014

Immigrant Inmates Refuse Food

An inmate hunger strike at a Washington detention center is raising questions about immigration detention quotas and enforcement

By Alex Altman March 17, 2014

Doing Harder Time

Mississippi will stop conjugal prison visits on Feb. 1, ending a practice it is credited with introducing nearly a century ago. The state is one of five (along with California, New Mexico, New York and...

By Josh Sanburn January 16, 2014

'We Can Do Better.' Mississippi Governor Orders Closure of State Prison's Ward After String of Deaths

2 Inmates Killed in Mississippi Prison That Continues to Struggle With Deadly Violence

The True History of America's Private Prison Industry

There’s a War on Books in Prisons