America Incarcerated
I Got Locked Up for 21 Years for Selling LSD
VICE contributor Seth Ferranti explains how the DEA's early-90s crackdown on LSD landed him behind bars for the first two decades of his adult life.
When Prison Food Is a Punishment
Nutraloaf, a blend of several different kinds of food mashed together and baked into a flavorless loaf, is still served to prisoners across the country.
Baking Pizza in Prison Is as Complicated As You'd Expect
You don’t realize how hard cooking in a prison cell can be until someone tells you their story. I spoke to a number of prisoners, as well as the author of a new book on prison cooking, to find out how to bake when you don't have an oven.
A Former Social Worker Recalls the Horrors She Witnessed at Rikers
Mary Buser worked at Rikers' notorious solitary confinement unit during the 90s, where she encountered injustice and brutality firsthand. She talked with us about the failings of the criminal justice system.
How Mississippi Slashed Its Prison Population and Embraced Criminal Justice Reform
After years of increasing sentences for offenders and decreasing parole, the conservative state is now being hailed as a model for prison reforms.
How the Women Who Visit Rikers Island Navigate the Complex Dress Code
Women looking to visit loved ones in the hellish NYC jail must submit to humiliating searches and allegedly inconsistent rules about what they can and cannot wear.
Photographing Trips to Visit Family Members in Prison
Jacobia Dahm captures the intimate moments of families inside and outside America's incarceration system.
Handball Saved My Life: A Sport Behind Bars
Handball can be found in nearly every jail and prison in America, and for the inmates who play it, it's more than just a sport.
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.
A Look at 40 Years of Jail Time
The Creators Project talks to filmmaker Bas Berkhout about creating the riveting documentary, '40 Years in Prison.'
'America Incarcerated': A Letter from the Editors
In advance of the premiere of 'VICE' on HBO's special 'Fixing the System' on September 27, we've decided to leverage the entire VICE ecosystem—video, editorial, ten websites, mobile, and print—to focus on the subject of American jails and prisons.