Alisa Roth's new book suggests U.S. jails and prisons have become warehouses for the mentally ill. They often get sicker in these facilities, Roth says, because they don't get appropriate treatment.
Gunmen opened fire at the prison in Para state in northern Brazil in an effort to aid a breakout, but most of the dead were either inmates or their would-be liberators.
Prisoners have a constitutional right to health care, but inmates at Angola prison in Louisiana are suing for medical shortfalls that have allegedly caused "needless pain and suffering."
Questions about the number of inmates dying in custody drew attention to the standards. A former Corrections chief said existing safety standards contained trade secrets, and would not release them.
Civil liberties groups in Missouri and at least five other states are suing to get more inmates treated with hepatitis drugs that are highly effective but quite expensive.
Political prisoner Mansour Omari hid the names of fellow inmates, penned in makeshift ink, in the lining of his shirt. Now free, he tries to keep a promise to ensure the world does not forget them.271
Benjamine Spencer's case illustrates how difficult it can be for some prisoners in Texas to prove they did not commit a crime without new and unassailable evidence, such as DNA.
Federal records show that Hastert, who has spent more than a year in prison, has been moved to a re-entry facility in Chicago. Hastert has admitted to paying hush money to cover up sexual abuse.