'America Incarcerated': A Letter from the Editors

VICE publishes a lot of work on the state of criminal justice in America. In addition to exploring the systemic problems that have led to the incarceration of 2.2 million people—perhaps the highest rate of imprisonment in the world—we have given a platform to the people most affected by those problems by posting many articles from current and former inmates.

For much of this year, it felt as though America was riding a wave of public frustration at policing in this country and was on the verge of seriously addressing the issue. Protests and stories of excessive force—often aimed at minorities—took over headlines across the country. People were fed up and screaming for reform.

And then came the start of the election cycle and, with it, Donald Trump.

Criminal justice is still a huge story, but as we slip into months of endless election coverage, it's important that the media and the American people continue to shout in order to ensure that the country's most marginalized do not slip back into the shadows. Now, 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 and how so many people end up in them.

On October 5, VICE magazine will launch its prisons special, and over the next few weeks this page will be the hub of our "America Incarcerated" series, including work from every site—from VICE News to Motherboard, Munchies, and more.

Thanks for reading,

VICE