Truthout
Prisons
![Russell "Maroon" Shoatz is pictured after his release from solitary confinement.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/10/2021_1026-maroon--400x300.jpg)
Former Black Panther Russell “Maroon” Shoatz Freed From Prison After 49 Years
Shoatz was transferred to a hospital in Pennsylvania amid a legal challenge to life in prison without parole.
![Prisoners’ inability to vote means we can’t vote for fair-minded judges who will protect our rights in civil court.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/10/2021_1023-voting-prison-400x300.jpg)
The Right to Vote Should Be Available to Everyone — Including Prisoners Like Me
Prisoners’ inability to vote means we can’t vote for fair-minded judges who will protect our rights in civil court.
![Correctional officers join demonstrators as they gather outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston to protest COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/10/GettyImages-1235317120-400x300.jpg)
When Prison Guards Refuse Vaccines, Incarcerated People Pay the Price
Over 400,000 vaccinated and unvaccinated guards potentially serve as vectors for spreading disease.
![People display a sign reading "COVID BEHIND BARS = DEATH" during an outdoor protest](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/10/2021_1013-COVID-PRISON-400x300.jpg)
I’ve Spent 35 Years in Prison. I Live Each Day Fearing Another Wave of COVID.
The pandemic has only exacerbated the poor conditions that I've experienced for 35 years in prison.
![Decades-Long Fight to Close Guantánamo Is Urgent as Biden Plans New Migrant Jail](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/10/SEG1-Ratner-Book-Split-400x300.jpg)
Fight to Close Guantánamo Urgent as Biden Plans New Migrant Jail at Base
The Biden administration is advertising for a new contract to operate a migrant detention facility at Guantánamo.
![Two months after the Minneapolis upraising visitors continue to pay their respects at George Floyd's makeshift memorial as fleeting rays of sunlight illuminate a haloed cross inscribed with the words "Rest in Power George Floyd" on July 26, 2020, in Minneapolis, MN.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-1228047333-400x300.jpg)
Christianity Is Empty If It Doesn’t Address the Racist Carceral State
Religious leaders must confront the evils of policing, which is sustained by the legacy of white supremacist domination.
![Police in riot gear stand by as they're accurately described by a banner in the background](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/09/2021_0920-police-400x300.jpg)
Bipartisan Reforms Often Expand Prisons and Police. We Need Abolition Instead.
If the system is functioning as it is designed to, then “reform” will almost always find ways to reinforce the norm.
![](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2018/05/SEG1-BW-Tyrone-Split-400x300.jpg)
Former Attica Prisoner Describes Racist Brutality That Sparked Deadly Uprising
Fifty years ago, prisoners overpowered guards and took over much of the notorious New York prison.
![Incarcerated LGBTQ people are finding creative ways to claim public space and gather in solidarity.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-152111264-400x300.jpg)
As Prison Staff Try to Erase Queer and Trans Folks, We Assert Our Right to Exist
Incarcerated LGBTQ people are finding creative ways to claim public space and gather in solidarity.
![Prison Country](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2021/09/7328226000_5d5ef45c72_o-400x300.png)
Biden Administration Should Grant Clemencies and Oppose Racist “Risk Assessment”
Biden must address the harm wrought by racist measures included in bipartisan prison reform legislation.