Truthout
Prisons & Policing
CA Law Allows Low Wages for Incarcerated Firefighters as “Involuntary Servitude”
Voters in November rejected a ballot measure that would've made it easier to change prisoners' working conditions.
11 Men Freed After Decades in Guantánamo Bay Prison
Rights groups call on the Biden administration to release Guantánamo’s last 15 prisoners and close it once and for all.
Biden Should Go Beyond Commutations for Death Row and Commute Life Sentences Too
It's long past time to repair the harm done by sentencing guidelines that President Biden supported as a senator.
Biden Is About to Hand Over a Vast and Unconstitutional DNA Database to Trump
Every person’s privacy, security and civil rights are implicated by this program.
Mass Incarceration Traps More Than 180K Veterans in Military-to-Prison Pipeline
They can also be denied services and benefits -- or opportunities for citizenship -- promised by military recruiters.
60 Years After Assassination of Malcolm X, a Lawsuit Aims to Uncover the Truth
The outcome of this lawsuit will have broad ramifications for movements facing state surveillance and repression today.
Officials Knew About Violence in Prison Where Robert Brooks Was Fatally Beaten
Watchdogs called on officials to investigate racist human rights abuses at Marcy Correctional Facility back in 2023.
Illinois Bill Would Restore Voting Rights to Thousands of Incarcerated People
Encouraging participation in democratic processes will do more for public safety than disenfranchising people ever will.
After Writing About Prison Censorship, I Got Blocked From Messaging My Sources
Censorship in prisons has expanded as a few private companies have increasingly monopolized prison communications.
Other States Banned Forced Prison Labor. Why Didn’t California?
The liberal state voted to keep prison slavery in its constitution, but the national movement to ban it isn’t deterred.
I’ve Spent 26 Christmases in Prison, and Not One Has Been Merry
This year is no different. No family gathering. No Christmas meal. No gifts from my loved ones. No visits.
Biden Commutes 37 Death Penalty Sentences — Critics Call for More
Biden will exit the White House having failed to fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to abolish the federal death penalty.
Homemade Food Packages Were a Lifeline in Prison. New York Has Banned Them.
My mother used to send taffy to brighten life behind bars. Facing the holidays is grim under New York’s new rules.