jails

National

'Cheat Code to Life': Jailhouse lawyers help incarcerated people — and themselves, too

5:10am October 16, 2024

A new trove of letters and oral histories is shining a light on the successes and challenges of jailhouse lawyers: people in prison who help themselves and others navigate the legal system.

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National

DOJ opens civil rights probes into South Carolina jails beset by deaths and violence

3:44pm November 02, 2023

by The Associated Press

Jails in Charleston and Columbia where incarcerated people have died violently at the hands of employees or others held behind bars are under federal investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Lashawn Thompson, 35, died in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta in September 2022. His family's attorney, Michael Harper, said Thompson's body was covered with insect bite marks.

Crump says Kaepernick to pay for autopsy for inmate who died in 'appalling conditions'

12:45pm April 21, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The former NFL quarterback is assisting the family of Lashawn Thompson, a Georgia jail inmate who died last year while covered in insects, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said.

Ben Crump speaks at a news conference in April in New York City. On Monday, the civil rights attorney called on the Justice Department to launch an investigation into inmate deaths at the Harris County Jail in Houston.

National

Dozens of inmates have died in a Houston jail since 2021. Now the FBI is investigating

4:34pm February 15, 2023

by Giulia Heyward

Dozens of inmates have died while in custody at the Harris County Jail, according to attorneys representing victims' families. The FBI has opened civil rights investigations into two of the deaths.

Matt Butler performing at the Central Utah Correctional Facility.

Matt Butler has played concerts in more than 50 prisons and jails

4:00pm January 30, 2023

"Reckless Son" is a one-man show by singer/songwriter Matt Butler inspired by the convicts he's met while touring American prisons and jails.

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Politics & Government

Body Cameras Will Now Be Worn In Guilford County Jails

10:17am September 02, 2020

by Neal Charnoff

Body cameras will now be worn by detention officers in both of Guilford County's jail facilities.

A picture of a cell at the state prison in Florence, Ariz., where attorneys for the Prison Law Office and ACLU found what they called "squalid" and "filthy" conditions on a recent tour.

National

Prisons And Jails Change Policies To Address Coronavirus Threat Behind Bars

5:00am March 23, 2020

by Jimmy Jenkins

Some prisons are waiving fees for hygiene supplies and county jails are releasing certain inmates early to combat the potential threat posed by the Covid-19 virus.

Corrections health experts have been urging prison administrators to plan for coronavirus.

National

Prisons And Jails Worry About Becoming Coronavirus 'Incubators'

4:18pm March 13, 2020

by Martin Kaste

Inmates and guards don't have the option of staying home during a coronavirus outbreak, so detention centers risk becoming "incubators" for the disease. Some are scrambling to mitigate the risk.

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Kristine Autenreith teaches language arts to juveniles at the Allegheny County Jail. The students are in the jail because they're being tried as adults for crimes such as murder, rape and robbery.

In Pittsburgh, Juvenile Offenders At The Local Jail Go Back To School, Too

1:47pm September 05, 2019

by An-Li Herring

The Allegheny County Jail runs a full high school for juveniles charged as adults. "In this part of the building, you are a student," Principal Jay Moser tells students on the first day.

In Massachusetts last July, several Franklin County Jail inmates were watched by a nurse and a corrections officer after receiving their daily doses of buprenorphine, a drug that helps control opioid cravings. By some estimates, at least half to two-third

County Jails Struggle With A New Role As America's Prime Centers For Opioid Detox

3:04pm April 24, 2019

by Eric Westervelt

The National Sheriffs' Association has published a detailed guide to jail-based medication-assisted treatment. States hardest hit by opioids are moving fastest to get inmates the help needed to quit.

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