prisons

Police walk on the roof of the Litoral Penitentiary on Saturday after riots broke out inside the jail in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

World News

Dozens of inmates die in a battle between prison gangs in Ecuador

2:42pm November 13, 2021

by The Associated Press

A prolonged gun battle between rival gangs inside Ecuador's largest prison was the latest violence to hit the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the country's worst prison bloodbath.

State prisons are grappling with how to deal with an increase in overdoses due to alcohol and drug abuse.

National

Overdose Deaths In State Prisons Have Jumped Dramatically Since 2001

3:49pm July 15, 2021

Deaths from drugs and alcohol have increased by more than 600% in state prisons in the last two decades, giving lie to the idea that sending addicts to prison can help them stop using.

Sonia Doe, pictured here, reached a settlement with the New Jersey Department of Corrections that will make it standard for the state to assign prison stays to a person based on their gender identity, not the sex assigned at birth.

National

New Jersey Prisoners Will Be Placed Based On Gender Identity Under A New Policy

9:49am June 29, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

As part of civil lawsuit settlement, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has agreed to make it customary for prisoners to be assigned a prison stay in line with their gender identity.

Steve and Neiva MagaÃ±a's baby is now 8 months old. Steve has still not met his son in person.

National

When The Pandemic Closed Prisons To Visitors Loved Ones Picked Up Pen And Paper

8:19am March 13, 2021

by Ninna Gaensler-Debs

In the year since the pandemic caused most prisons to shut their gates to visitors, people have not been able to see their incarcerated friends and family. So, some turned to letter writing.

Queue Listen Now

The IRS distributed the second round of stimulus money to eligible inmates using debit cards, which state prisons are unable to process. Correctional officials have communicated the problem to the federal agency, but it's unclear what steps the IRS will t

National

Stimulus Debit Cards Unusable For Prison Inmates In At Least Four States

8:01am February 06, 2021

by Jimmy Jenkins

The debit cards can't be processed in prisons so inmates can't deposit their payments. The IRS has acknowledged the problem, but hasn't offered an immediate solution.

Supervisors In North Carolina Prisons Issued Tasers

10:27am September 01, 2020

by Neal Charnoff

Supervisors at North Carolina's maximum-security prisons are getting Tasers to help break up fights. But critics worry that the stun guns could endanger the lives of some inmates.

Waiting for an Echo, by Christine Montross

Psychiatrist: America's 'Extremely Punitive' Prisons Make Mental Illness Worse

3:42pm July 16, 2020

by Dave Davies

Dr. Christine Montross says people with serious mental illnesses in the U.S. are far more likely to be incarcerated than to be treated in a psychiatric hospital. Her new book is Waiting for an Echo.

Queue Listen Now