Mass Incarceration
Why the Friendships You Make in Prison Should Stay Behind Bars
In federal prison, you form friendships with unlikely people. What happens after that is sensitive.
The 14-Year-Old Who Grew Up in Prison
In 1979, Ricky Olds watched his friend kill a man, then himself got sentenced to life in prison. More than three decades later, the Supreme Court has given him a shot at freedom.
What Life Is Like Inside the Massive Jail That Doubles as Chicago's Largest Mental Health Facility
Talking to inmates and employees at one of the biggest jails in America.
Photos Showing the Reality of Prison Inmate Rehabilitation
Nick Vedros's photo project Faces of Changes aims to humanize the men and women who are actively changing their lives through a prison rehabilitation program aimed to lower recidivism rates.
'Prison Legal News' Is a Publication by Prisoners, for Prisoners
The monthly magazine that Paul Wright founded from his jail cell now has a circulation of 10,000—and a reputation for not being afraid to fight the government to get its issues into prisoners' hands.
Former Inmates Explain What You Should Do When You Get Out of Prison
6,000 people are about to be freed from federal custody in the US —here's what they'll face on the outside.
Can Anyone on Earth Come Up with a Good Reason to Jail People Who Take Drugs?
A leaked document from the United Nations that voiced support for the decriminalization of all drugs is a sign that global drug policy is shifting—and that even old-school drug warriors know the end is near.
How a Woman Locked Up with Breast Cancer Became a Prison Activist
Sue Ellen Allen went to prison when she was 57 years old and emerged determined to improve conditions for every woman who goes to prison.
How America Became the Most Imprisoned Nation in the World
How the US became the most Imprisoned nation in the world.
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.
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.