Mass Incarceration
Former Inmates Explain What You Should Do When You Get Out of Prison
6,000 people are about to be freed from federal custody—here's what they'll face on the outside.
A New Report Shows How Horrible Life Behind Bars Is for LGBT People
LGBT inmates are targets for sexual violence and other forms of abuse from other prisoners and guards.
How America Became the Most Imprisoned Nation in the World
Over the past 50 years, an era of mass incarceration took shape in the US as politicians raced to erect a sprawling detention system. Today, the country locks up more people than any other on the planet.
Why Solitary Confinement in America Needs to Finally End
Now that solitary is on the national radar, systemic problems with "the hole" are being laid bare for all to see.
How One Man from the St. Louis Projects Got Out of Prison and Went Back Again
Larry walked out of Missouri state prison with some money and a job, but like most former inmates, he got dragged back in.
My Struggle to Work as a Journalist Inside Prison
It was common practice for the Email Police, as we called them, to reject my incoming and outgoing messages. I once had all of my emails rejected for 72 hours straight – emails that said things like, "I love you mum," and "I'm going outside for a walk."
How I Held Onto Hope After Being Sentenced to Prison for Cocaine Trafficking
During my 26 years in federal lockups of all kinds, I earned a bachelor's and master's degree, published several books, and found the love of my life.
German Prisons Are Kinder, Gentler and Safer Than the Ones in America
As a recent touring group of US officials found out, German inmates wear their own clothes, cook their own meals and aren't put in solitary for more than eight hours at a time.
The Stiff Competition to Work in German Prisons
In Germany, where citizens actually compete with one another to work for prisons, some states require applicants to score over 100 on an IQ test to even qualify for the job.
Can German Prisons Teach America How to Handle Its Most Violent Criminals?
The preventative detention unit at Tegel Prison in Berlin offers a radically different way to approach those felons Americans might call the "worst of the worst."
Why Are So Many Sex Offenders Getting Murdered in California's Prisons?
One inmate says that prison gangs and even guards team up to assault and sometimes kill sex offenders.
Why Do Female Guards in US Jails Keep Having Sex with Inmates?
We asked a female corrections officer and a longtime prisoner for some perspective on why and how inmates manipulate the people who are supposed to be overseeing them.