prison reform
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Patrisse Cullors, Reform LA Jails Lead the Charge to Decriminalize Mental Health with #CancelMcCarthyContract Campaign
For years, activist and community organizer Patrisse Cullors has poured her passion for the people into cofounding movements and coalitions such as Black Lives Matter and Reform LA Jails. But with the announcement of her #CancelMcCarthyContract campaign comes one of her biggest challenges yet—the fight for the mental health and wellbeing of incarcerated individuals. As…
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91 Percent of Inmates Freed by First Step Act Were Black. Should We Give Republicans Credit?
As soon as the U.S. Sentencing Commission released its new report on the effects of criminal justice legislation promoted by Jared Kushner, introduced by Republicans and signed by Donald Trump, the GOP immediately began taking credit. Trump will undoubtedly count the report showing that the First Step Act significantly reduced the sentences of more than…
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When They See Us Is the Haunting Masterpiece the Central Park Five Deserve
After watching Netflix’s upcoming miniseries When They See Us ahead of its release, here are five observations. 1. While the tragic tale of the Central Park Five is at least vaguely familiar to most, this miniseries does an exceptional job of exploring the myriad of ways in which Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef…
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Free Your Mind: 10 Missouri Eastern Prison Inmates Graduate College
If you didn’t know the ceremony was taking place in a state prison, you might think it was just another joyful celebration of newly credentialed scholars. But the 10 members of this graduating class are all convicted felons—and inmates at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. And on Wednesday they became the first graduates of Washington…
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America Is Finally Facing the Fact that Solitary Confinement Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment
The research is in—in fact, the facts on solitary confinement have been known for years—but finally, we seem to have reached a tipping point for ending this well-studied, torturous practice in American jails and prisons. In New York, there is currently a bill before the upper house, the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, which would prohibit…
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Fed Up With the Criminal Justice System, Man Acts as His Own Attorney and Gets Acquitted After Serving 13 Years for Murder
Philly native Hassan Bennett had always maintained his innocence, but unfortunately, our faulty criminal justice system ensured it would take him four trials and 13 years to finally prove it. The Washington Post reports that on September 22, 2006, Bennett was accused of orchestrating the murder of his friend Devon English, 19, over a $20…
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Mentally Ill Black Woman Complains of Contractions, Gives Birth Alone in Florida Isolation Cell
Tammy Jackson, a mentally ill pregnant woman, was forced to deliver her baby in an “isolation cell” in a Florida detention center in April, according to public defender Howard Finkelstein in a letter to Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony. According to the Washington Post, she was escorted to her cell alone, only to have a…
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Ayanna Pressley Tells Pundits 'Don't Dare' Make Inmate Voting Rights About the Boston Marathon Bomber
Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley ain’t here to play: “Don’t dare invoke one of the darkest days of terrorism in MY city to stoke fear and derail a meaningful conversation,” she said. Pressley is calling out “pundits,” media reporters and social influencers who are misleading discussions about restoring voting rights to convicts, Boston.com reports. Sen.…