Escape from New York

“Escape From New York” by Jarrod Shanahan analyzes the 1970s New York City carceral crisis, centering on prisoner-led resistance against the Department of Correction. The text highlights how alleged liberal reforms fueled the expansion of mass incarceration while documenting heroic, rebellious actions from within facilities like Rikers Island.

Read on HERE

America’s Incarceration Crossroads: Reversing Progress Amid Record-Low Crime Rates – The Sentencing Project

Thirty-nine states increased prison populations in 2023, despite violent and property crime rates hitting historic lows
— Read on www.sentencingproject.org/policy-brief/americas-incarceration-crossroads-reversing-progress-amid-record-low-crime-rates/

Did prison just replace mental hospitals?

Deconstructing a statistical myth
— Read on www.slowboring.com/p/did-prison-just-replace-mental-hospitals

For Most Women Who Give Birth in Prison, “The Separation” Soon Follows | The Marshall Project

Introducing “Tutwiler,” a Marshall Project/Frontline documentary about incarcerated women who support each other through pregnancy, labor and saying goodbye to their newborns.
— Read on www.themarshallproject.org/2020/05/06/the-separation

New laws shrank CA prison population. What happened after release – CalMatters

California adopted major sentencing changes under Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown. A new report shows very few people went back to prison after release.
— Read on calmatters.org/justice/2025/09/california-prisons-recidivism-study/

See the report HERE

‘We helped each other. We taught each other the law.’ | The Lens

In 1983, to help fight the wrongful charge, Calvin Duncan began to teach himself the law, while being held within the Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans. In his new book The Jailhouse Lawyer, co-written by Sophie Cull, he writes about that time in his life:
— Read on thelensnola.org/2025/07/08/we-helped-each-other-we-taught-each-other-the-law/

Why the St. Louis Jail Reflects City’s Deepest Struggles | The Marshall Project

A facility built for progress reflects ‘decades of neglect’ and the city’s deepest struggles, from mental illness to systemic dysfunction.
— Read on www.themarshallproject.org/2025/04/21/st-louis-justice-center-jail-reform

Trump 2.0 and opportunities for criminal justice reform

Keesha Middlemass discusses the need for criminal justice reform after Trump’s election win following his felony conviction.
— Read on www.brookings.edu/articles/trump-2-0-and-opportunities-for-criminal-justice-reform/

Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025 | Prison Policy Initiative

The big picture on how many people are locked up in the United States and why – 2025.
— Read on www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2025.html

Bad Behavior: How prison disciplinary policies manufacture misconduct | Prison Policy Initiative

A 50-state analysis of state prison discipline policies shows these unfair and unaccountable systems are counterproductive, traumatizing, and lengthen prison stays.
— Read on www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/discipline.html