Truthout
Prisons & Policing
California Is Dependent on Prison Labor for Fighting Fires. This Must End.
CAL FIRE’s decades-old reliance on prison labor is coming to an end. The state should invest in firefighting jobs.
New York Prisons Are Blatantly Violating State Law Limiting Solitary Confinement
Data released in New York exposes rampant violations of a state law limiting how long people may be held in isolation.
Reimagining the Commons Is One Step Toward a Future Without Police
This is about far more than access to goods and services; it’s about a new conception of community and social relations.
Across the Midwest, Counties Are Building New Jails on Toxic Land
At least 23 jails have either been proposed or constructed on toxic and contaminated lands since 2020.
1 in 4 Women Has a Family Member in Prison
Those that remain at home are left shouldering the economic and emotional burden of the family.
Law-and-Order Policies Make Us Less Safe. The Trajectory of the ’90s Shows Why.
Across the U.S., Democratic politicians are embracing playbooks that put mass incarceration into overdrive in the ‘90s.
Some Youth Don’t Get to Go Back to School Because They’re Stuck Behind Bars
Many young people of color will spend their entire adult lives incarcerated, in many cases, based on coercion by cops.
Biden Is Still Issuing Calls to Increase Police Funding
Racial justice advocates say both parties are exploiting “defund the police” for political gain.
Alabama Hides the Horrors of Its Executions by Classifying Them as Homicides
The recent state-sanctioned murder of Joe James may be the longest execution in U.S. history, but it's not an outlier.
The Plea Bargain Originated as a Means to Undermine Working-Class Solidarity
By making jury trials obsolete, plea bargaining allows the American criminal legal system to run on autopilot.