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Severed Ties: The Human Toll of Prisons
When a person is incarcerated, that imprisonment has reverberating effects on their family, loved ones and community. This 10-part series dives deeply into these impacts, showing how with the incarceration of more than 2 million Americans, many millions more are harmed by prisons in lasting ways.
“Stop-and-Frisk” for Caregivers: How Expanded Mandated Reporting Laws Hurt Families
Universal mandatory reporting laws increase complaints but do not reduce violence against children, research shows.
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Prison Rips Babies From the Arms of Their Mothers: A View From Behind Bars
Children are the “collateral damage” of a system obsessed with punishing rather than supporting mothers.
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I Spent 14 Months in Jail Because I Couldn’t Pay My Way Out
A 20-second bond hearing changed the lives of Lavette Mayes and her children because she couldn't afford bail.
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“I Have to Hold My Family Together”: The Hidden Costs of Prison Visits
After New York State ended a free bussing service designed to help families visit incarcerated loved ones in 2011, visits have plummeted.
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On Leaving Prison: A Reflection on Entering and Exiting Communities
Formerly incarcerated people suffer from losing their community twice — first while entering prison and again while leaving it.
The Gentrification-to-Prison Pipeline
Many of the incarcerated have this in common — they start out as casualties of “redevelopment.”
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With Nighttime Raids, Police Wage War on Black and Brown Families in New York
The specter of gang membership is used to justify massive state violence against young men of color and their families.
“Trauma on Trauma”: For Refugee Children, the Journey Is Just the Beginning
Confinement in immigrant family jails traumatizes refugee children fleeing violence.
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Mass Incarceration in the Cornfields: Shattered Families and Racial Profiling in Small-Town America
In the shadow of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Black families are ripped apart by mass incarceration.
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Double Punishment: After Prison, Moms Face Legal Battles to Reunite With Kids
Incarcerated parents — usually mothers — have to meet formidable benchmarks to avoid permanently losing custody.