AltWeeklies Wire
Private Prisons, Public Problemsnew

Sometime around 3 o'clock on May 20, a disturbance at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Miss., erupted into a full-scale melee.
Jackson Free Press |
R.L. Nave |
06-08-2012 |
Crime & Justice
Jail Birdsnew

The fastest-growing group of inmates in Oregon: Women.
Willamette Week |
Hannah Hoffman |
01-23-2012 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Prisons, Women in Prison
In Defense of Floggingnew

The war on drugs has overpopulated our prisons. What if we gave prisoners the option of being flogged instead of jailed?
Hartford Advocate |
Gregory B. Hladky |
07-01-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: War on Drugs, Prisons
Shakeup in Lockdownnew

As Ohio prisons go private, a prison town goes berserk.
Cleveland Scene |
Loretta Ashyk |
06-01-2011 |
Crime & Justice
The Burden of Proofnew

For every person exonerated for a crime they didn't commit, there are many like James Legate: questionable cases, bulldozed through a flawed system, with no recourse left. Only a miracle could free him—and his wife is working, and hoping, for no less.
The Texas Observer |
Laura Burke |
05-17-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Prisons, James Legate
Oregon's Jails Are its Biggest Providers of Mental Health Servicesnew

The jail spends half of its annual $600,000 drug budget on psychiatric medications for the inmates who will consent to taking them. But jails can't force the inmates. Far from solving our state's mental health problems, the current situation is probably making them worse.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
01-14-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Life in Prison...For Punching a Man in the Facenew

Nearly 17 years ago, Joe Donovan initiated a tragic chain of events with a brutish act of machismo. But should he be in jail for life?
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
California Budget Cuts Squeeze Inmates Out of Prisonsnew
The budget upon which the governor and the Legislature recently agreed included a $1.2-billion cut in prison funding, and in order to save that much money, thousands of inmates would likely have to be released early.
San Diego CityBeat |
David Rolland |
08-05-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Schoo's Out Forever At Two Oregon Jailsnew
Mount Hood Community College -- the community partner that has led GED classes at Inverness Jail and the Multnomah County Detention Center for nearly 10 years -- is ending its GED program as it grapples with a tight budget.
Willamette Week |
Beth Slovic |
06-17-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Report Says Prison Phone Companies Still Gouging Familiesnew
Phone companies providing jail service depict happy scenarios on their websites. A recent report suggests the situation may not be so rosy for inmates’ families.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
01-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Don't Know What to Get for the Convict on Your List?new
Consult Prison Legal News.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
07-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Private Jailer CCA Faces Heightened Scrutiny After a Year of Heinous Controversiesnew

Since its inception in 1983, CCA has become accustomed to criticism, but it is now mired in a series of scandals, embarrassments and public-relations catastrophes that may tar its reputation for years to come.
Nashville Scene |
Matt Pulle |
06-20-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Another Dubious Death at a Downtown Seattle Jailnew
Details of the incident, based on public records and interviews, fit into a three-year pattern of preventable deaths at the King County Jail.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
06-02-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: death, prisons, Seattle, jails, inmates, crime & justice, King County Jail, preventable deaths
The How and Why of Prison Overcrowdingnew
The US prison population grew eight-fold since 1970; more than 2.3 million people are incarcerated nationally, and overcrowding is pandemic in Massachusetts prisons. Two years ago, Massachusetts Department of Corrections facilities were at 134 percent capacity. Now they've reached 143 percent.
Dig Boston |
Cara Bayles |
05-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Beyond the God Pod

A new era of Christian programming is making life better for some female prisoners -- the ones who believe.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Silja J.A. Talvi |
03-09-2005 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: faith-based initiatives, prisons