Part of the Series
The Road to Abolition
Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.
Maya Schenwar, Editor-in-Chief, Truthout.org. (Photo: Jill Brazel)From Maya Schenwar, Truthout’s editor-in-chief, comes a hard-hitting and personal exploration of the enormous damage prison causes by severing millions of people from their families and communities – and the practical alternatives to incarceration that can create a safer, more just world. Get this new book before it is available elsewhere, only on Truthout! Click here to order.
Maya Schenwar talks about her new book Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better, and how corporations profit from prisons, decarceration, rehabilitation, social justice and prisons’ impact on society.
Truthout’s Editor-in-Chief Maya Schenwar’s knowledge of the criminal justice system is not purely theoretical. Her sister has been in and out of the prison system for almost a decade. Having a family member imprisoned spurred Schenwar to write a book describing how prisoners’ daily lives are about being caged, disconnected from loved ones and abused in a system has nothing to do with rehabilitation and everything to do with punishment and cruelty. Add to that the barriers prisoners face upon their release that block access to jobs, various kinds of care, and even the ability to vote, it’s no wonder the recidivism rates average between forty and seventy five percent in some states. Schenwar has written a compelling book, and in this Truthout Interviews, she expands on some of the issues she addresses in Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better.
25 Years of Truthout: An important fundraising appeal
This September, Truthout is celebrating 25 years of publication. For over two decades, we have been a trusted source for fiercely independent journalism thanks to readers like you.
As we look to the next 25 years, we have launched a special fundraising campaign. Looking to a sustainable future for our publication, we have a fundraising goal of $71,000 in the next 5 days.
We are asking for your support at this juncture because we face greater threats than ever before in our organizational history. Trump and his MAGA allies are determined to control the information ecosystem, and movement-based organizations are subject to dangerous censorship and scrutiny.
If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work and our legacy. Anything you can do makes a difference!