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Prisons
![Albert Woodfox in His Own Words on 43 Years in Solitary, the Black Panthers & Fighting Injustice](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/08/seg2-woodfox-400x300.jpg)
Black Panther and Former Political Prisoner Albert Woodfox Has Died of COVID
Woodfox spent 43 years in solitary confinement due to a wrongful conviction.
![Medical staff with Delta Health Center work at the Bolivar County Correctional Facility to give prisoners a COVID-19 vaccination on April 28, 2021, in Cleveland, Mississippi.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/08/2022_0805-covid-prison-400x300.jpg)
17 States and DC Have Stopped Reporting Active COVID Cases Behind Bars
People inside prisons report that infections are ongoing even though precautions and testing have fallen by the wayside.
![Prison guard 'orange crush' group pictured over portrait of woman prisoner](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/08/2022_0801-pris-w-c-400x300.jpg)
Incarcerated Women in Illinois Win Court Battle Against Brutal “Tactical Team”
The lawsuit was filed by women who were subjected to humiliating strip searches as part of a staff training exercise.
![Prison Health Expert Warns Monkeypox Could Dramatically Increase Behind Bars](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/07/SEG5-monkeypox-400x300.jpg)
Prison Health Expert Warns Monkeypox Could “Dramatically Increase” Behind Bars
The first case of monkeypox behind bars was reported in Chicago this week. Jails could accelerate the disease's spread.
![An illustration of a man's skull set against the sun behind prison bars](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/07/2022_0727-prison-heat-400x300.jpg)
Hundreds of Thousands of Incarcerated People Are in Danger Amid Scorching Heat
This summer is among the hottest on record, but many people in U.S. prisons can’t access even basic ways to cool down.
![A photo of a 2021 San Rafael production of End of Isolation.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/07/14-San-Rafael-Production-2021-scaled-1-400x300.jpg)
A New Play Imagines the End of Isolation for All Incarcerated People
"The Box" shows the humanity of the people being subjected to solitary, says playwright Sarah Shourd.
![Advocates for reproductive rights in Tennessee won an important concession — an end to pregnancy in cuffs and chains.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/06/freehearts-400x300.jpg)
Formerly Incarcerated Women in Tennessee Win Reforms Ending Shackled Births
Advocates for reproductive rights in Tennessee won an important concession — an end to pregnancy in cuffs and chains.
![A red sign on a cell door signifies an active COVID-19 case for its inhabitants, at Faribault Prison on January 4, 2021, in Faribault, Minnesota.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/06/2022_0623-prison-cell-doors-400x300.jpg)
As Governments Push Us “Back to Normal,” Don’t Forget About Prison Conditions
In a nation with the world’s largest prison population, decarceration must be our goal.
![Illustration of man with head against wall in solitary confinement](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/06/2022_0620-solitary-b-400x300.jpg)
“Mental Health Units” in Prison Are Solitary by Another Name, Activists Say
New York now puts people with mental health needs in prison units that claim to be therapeutic but are harshly punitive.
![Abortion rights demonstrators march into downtown following a rally in Union Park on May 14, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2022/06/2022_0616-abortion-rights-400x300.jpg)
Abortion Funds Are Preparing for a Storm. To Help, “Get in Where You Fit in.”
“The fact that we have to talk about decriminalizing pregnancy is a strong argument for abolition,” says Kelly Hayes.