prison
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Calls and Video Visits Free in Federal Prisons During Pandemic
Those currently incarcerated are among the most vulnerable of our population when it comes to COVID-19, as the crowded living conditions make them far more susceptible to catching the disease. Exorbitant calling fees have also made it harder for inmates to check in on their loved ones during these trying times. At least, they did.…
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Jay-Z and Meek Mill's Reform Alliance to Send 100,000 Masks to Prisons
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, one of the places that are being most affected are jails and prisons. They are also the places most likely to be overlooked in the government’s horribly mismanaged response efforts. According to CBS News, Jay-Z and Meek Mill’s REFORM Alliance is donating 100,000 masks to multiple jails…
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The 'Forgotten Population': Yusef Salaam Speaks Out About COVID-19 and the Prison Industrial Complex
“There’s going to be a more serious health crisis as it relates to the prison industrial complex and a prison population. Whatever we are seeing in the world is going to be times ten—it’s going to be magnified in the prison industrial complex.” —Yusef Salaam, Ph.D. text In the state of New York alone, there…
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He Terrorized Poor Black Women for Decades. Now, California's 'Grim Sleeper' Is Dead
Lonnie Franklin Jr., the convicted serial killer nicknamed “The Grim Sleeper,” was found dead in his cell this weekend in California’s San Quentin Prison. The 67-year-old, who is believed to have killed at least 10 women over the span of 30 years, was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday night, reports CNN. According to…
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Man Convicted of Double Murder 25 Years Ago Is Free After New Evidence Emerges
It’s an unfortunate reality that failings in the American judicial system often result in people being imprisoned who don’t deserve to be. These failings more often than not affect black men. While it’s long overdue, justice has finally been served to a man wrongfully convicted by the system. CBS News reports that after 25 years,…
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A Nurse Accused An Inmate of Faking His Illness. Days Later He Died
Another day and unfortunately, another unnecessary death of a young black man. KMOV reports that Lamar Catchings, a 20-year-old man, died on March 1, 2019 in the St. Louis County Jail. A report released by the county has revealed new details surrounding the young man’s death. The report states that during the weeks before his…
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Justice Department to Investigate Conditions in Four Mississippi Prisons
Each week it feels like yet another story comes out about a prisoner being killed in a Mississippi prison. Hopefully,tonight’s news means that meaningful change is on the way. CNN reports that the Justice Department has begun an investigation into four Mississippi prisons. The investigation is being spearheaded by the departments Civil Rights Division and…
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Jay-Z, Roc Nation File Federal Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prison Officials for Violent Conditions, 'Failure to Meet Basic Human Rights'
I’ve never spent a day of my life in prison, but after a recent rash of stabbings and violent attacks led to the deaths of five inmates housed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, I’m pretty sure there’s a blatant disregard for the safety of those being kept behind bars. Evidently, Jay-Z feels the same way,…
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In the Past Week, Five Inmates Have Been Killed in Mississippi Prisons Due to Gang Violence
In Mississippi, five inmates have been killed due to stabbings and attacks within the past week. NBC News reported on Friday that 36-year-old Denorris Howell died after sustaining neck wounds in a fatal attack following an altercation with his cellmate at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. He was the fifth inmate who was killed at…
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Virginia Department of Corrections Apologizes After Subjecting 8-Year-Old to Unauthorized Strip Search
The Virginia Department of Corrections has publicly apologized after it’s been revealed that an 8-year-old visiting her father at a state prison was subjected to a strip search. The Washington Post reports that on Nov. 24, Diamond Peerman drove her boyfriend’s daughter to visit him at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, Va. Upon their…