While many incarcerated people struggle with dangerous heat during the summer months, others find joy in the sun despite their circumstances. Here at News Inside, we continue covering what matters most to readers behind bars.
News Inside was recently featured in an academic study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, who examined our “radical humanism” approach and what mainstream journalism can learn from prison journalism.
This issue features “How We Survived Extreme Heat in Prison,” documenting dangerous conditions in facilities lacking air conditioning, where temperatures exceed 100 degrees and walls literally “sweat.” Research shows that even one day of above-average heat increases prison deaths by 4% and suicides by 23%.
We also take a fascinating look at South Carolina’s Restoring Promise program in “The Future of Prisons?” Young people in prison who participate in the program live in mentor-guided units inspired by German rehabilitation models. Violent infractions among participants have been 66% lower than for those who were not a part of Restoring Promise, but the program faces political pushback and a system that releases only 7% of parole applicants.
“George Floyd, 5 Years Later” marks the anniversary of Floyd’s murder and tracks how police reform promises made in 2020 have largely been abandoned. Many departments have retreated from accountability commitments despite widespread calls for change.
Issue #20 also has all our regular features: Local focus coverage from our Cleveland, Jackson and St. Louis newsrooms, “Peeps,” Reader to Reader, a crossword puzzle and more.
Check out our PDF—you’ll enjoy the same material we send inside.
Table of Contents
- Page 4: The Future of Prisons?
- Page 10: How We Survived Extreme Heat in Prison
- Page 13: What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Really Do?
- Page 14: Judge Stops Federal Prisons From Enforcing Trump’s Trans Care Ban, For Now
- Page 16: When New Jersey Switches Prison Tablet Companies, I'll Lose 10 Years of Family Memories
- Page 18: George Floyd, 5 Years Later
- Page 20: Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
- Page 22: The Big Business of Bad Prison Food
- Page 24: The Unbearable Darkness of Jail
Want your loved one(s) to receive free future copies of News Inside? Fill out our registration form for individuals. For corrections staff or community members seeking bulk shipments of News Inside, please email your request to newsinside@themarshallproject.org.
