Truthout
Jails
Bail Bond Industry Attempts to Slow the Train of Reform
On July 17th, a judge in Chicago ruled that courts there could no longer hold people in jail on bail simply because they could not afford it.
In Chicago and Beyond, Bail Reformers Win Big in Fight to End Money Bail
Chicago is poised to stop incarcerating people just because they can't pay their way out.
The Inhumane Ways Baton Rouge Police Treated Protesters After the Police Murder of Alton Sterling
A year after the murder and protests, a new report details police brutality in local jails.
|
The Ability to Vote Is Compromised for People Awaiting Trial
Ambiguous state law means the ability of prisoners to vote varies between jails, disproportionately affecting poor people of color awaiting trial.
|
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.
|
“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.
On Black Mama’s Bail Out Day, “Goal Is to Free Our People From These Cages” Before Mother’s Day
Mary Hooks, co-director of Southerners On New Ground, discusses Black Mama's Bail Out Day and what she hopes the effort will accomplish.
|
“When a Parent Is Taken Away, It’s Like a Death”: Two States Consider Bills to Keep Parents Out of Jail
The dehumanizing environment of a jail is no place to visit a parent, but millions of US children have no choice.
What the Shutdown of “Tent City” Jail Says About Grassroots Power
For decades, “Tent City” represented the ongoing struggles that Latino communities endure within the US legal system.
|
In the Fight to Close Rikers, Don’t Forget Deaf and Disabled People
People with disabilities are among the hardest hit by the crushing weight of mass incarceration.