Truthout
Mass Incarceration
As Coronavirus Spreads Through Prisons, States Are Failing Incarcerated People
Some officials pledged to reduce incarceration to curb the spread of COVID-19, but are they actually following through?
Louisiana Issued a COVID Memo to Release Prisoners — Then Quickly Rescinded It
Louisiana is a COVID-19 epicenter with the U.S.’s highest incarceration rate, but officials won’t release its prisoners.
HIV Prison Activists Are Leading a Freedom Movement in the Face of COVID-19
People who have long organized against HIV in prisons are demanding the release of incarcerated people amid COVID-19.
COVID-19 Is Turning Prisons Into “Kill-Boxes”
Activists are calling for large numbers of people to be released from jails, prisons and immigrant detention.
If Social Distancing Is Impossible in Prisons, People Should Be Freed
So far, no state governor has responded to the call for releasing the most vulnerable people from prison.
Activists Are Reclaiming Jails as Community-Operated Social Service Facilities
Grassroots organizers in Atlanta, Georgia, are showing other cities how to approach transformative justice.
In Rural Areas, a “Quiet Jail-Building Boom” Is Taking Place
Many rural areas are marketing their jails to immigration and drug enforcement agencies.
Hunger Striker Nearing Death in ICE Custody: “I Just Want Freedom”
Advocates are demanding ICE release five asylum seekers after a months-long hunger strike in a Louisiana jail.
Most States Saw Prison Reforms in 2019, But Incarceration Rates Remain High
While politicians remain intransigent, grassroots movements to end mass incarceration are growing stronger.
Abolishing Private Prisons Is a Start, But It Will Not End Mass Incarceration
Private prisons are a symptom, not the cause of mass incarceration.