Prison

National

Training Helps Inmates Build A Bridge To Life Outside Prison Walls

5:08pm April 30, 2016

by Carrie Johnson

Loretta Lynch made her first visit to a federal prison as the nation's top law enforcement officer. She highlighted the need for more services to help inmates re-enter society.

Stacey McHoul said she ran out of psychiatric medicine a few days after leaving jail last year and soon began using heroin again.

Thousands Leave Maryland Prisons With Health Problems And No Coverage

10:43am April 24, 2016

by Jay Hancock

Maryland's prisons and jails release thousands of inmates each year without helping them enroll in Medicaid, jeopardizing their health and putting communities at greater risk.

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik in court in March at Skien prison.

World News

Norwegian Mass Killer Wins Human Rights Case Over Prison Conditions

1:07pm April 21, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Anders Breivik — the right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in 2011 — has been treated inhumanely in prison, a Norwegian court says.

Elizabeth Bennett, director of partnerships, and Nikki Yates, program participant, place cookie dough they've just made onto baking sheets.

National

This Bakery Offers A Second Chance For Women After Prison

5:33am April 15, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

Together We Bake is a bakery in Alexandria, Va. that supplies granola, cookies and kale chips to local eateries. It's also a job-training program for women — many of whom have criminal records.

Queue Listen Now

One of the last family photos of Bernard Simmons is shown by his sister, Debra Simmons, in her home in Chicago.

National

Doubling Up Prisoners In 'Solitary' Creates Deadly Consequences

11:36am March 24, 2016

Imagine living in a cell smaller than a parking space or a king-size mattress. Now add a roommate. The result for some inmates forced to live together in solitary can be murder.

National

Riot Breaks Out In Alabama Prison

10:09am March 12, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The 1,031-bed Holman Correctional Facility, about 50 miles north of Mobile, is the only prison in Alabama that carries out executions. Prisoners are reportedly setting fires and roaming the facility.

The front entrance of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La. Woodfox spent much of his decades in solitary confinement at the prison.

National

Last Of 'Angola 3' Released After More Than 40 Years In Solitary Confinement

7:36pm February 19, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Albert Woodfox, accused of killing a prison guard in 1972 with two other men, has always maintained his innocence. His decades in solitary became an international human rights issue.

Karriem Saleem El-Amin of Baltimore is one of the more than 130 prisoners serving life sentences for violent crimes who were released on probation following a landmark ruling by Maryland's highest court.

National

From A Life Term To Life On The Outside: When Aging Felons Are Freed

3:41pm February 18, 2016

A landmark ruling by Maryland's highest court affected prisoners convicted of violent crimes before 1981. None of them has re-offended so far. But that's no comfort to angry families of their victims.

Chess players score a game at the Northern New Hampshire Correctional facility in Berlin, N.H.

Chess Wars: 20 Inmates, 5 Weeks, 1 Champion

6:39pm February 09, 2016

by Keith O'Brien

Deep in the woods of New Hampshire, 20 inmates are engaged in a fierce chess tournament in a secluded prison. The prize may be just a paper certificate, but even then, winning means a lot.

Queue Listen Now

National

Computer Glitch Leads To Mistaken Early Release Of Prisoners In Washington

4:28pm January 01, 2016

by Martin Kaste

Discovered three years ago, the miscalculations were made public only recently. Two inmates set free early have been charged with homicides committed when they should have still been in prison.