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Prince performing at the Super Bowl in 2007.
Commentary June 6, 2016
Why Prince’s Death Shouldn’t Lead to Bad Drug Policy
Lessons learned from the crack epidemic.
By Jeremy Haile and Michael Collins
Life Inside July 18, 2019
My Dad Taught Me How to Build Things. Now I’m Doing It in Prison.
“What neither of us knew was that coming to prison would create new worlds for me to build.”
By Jesse Luke Crosson
Life Inside December 18, 2020
A Question of Violence
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas is barred from COVID-related release from San Quentin because his 20-year-old crime was violent. GoFundMe cancelled his legal defense campaign for the same reason. Here’s what it’s like to live with the scarlet letter V.
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An illustration shows a Black man next to a Black power symbol in a blue graduation cap and gown, holding an orange diploma cover, as paper cranes fly around him.
Life Inside September 2, 2022
My Wild and Winding Path to a College Degree Behind Bars
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas was proud to finally earn his associate’s degree in San Quentin State Prison. But repeated COVID-19 lockdowns turned his graduation ceremony into a two-year ordeal.
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An illustration shows a silhouette of person, with a tear on their cheek, facing to the right. In the background, a Black man in a white T-shirt and black pants leans out of an orange silhouette, reaching forward and offering his hand.
Life Inside April 12, 2024
I Had a Tough Job at My Brooklyn Jail: Keeping Men From Taking Their Own Lives
As a suicide prevention aide, I had to make sure my fellow detainees didn’t harm themselves. It was surprisingly easy to get such a complex job.
By Rashon Venable
Rodney Reed, pictured here meeting with TV celebrity Dr. Phil, is on death row at the Polunsky Unit in Texas. His case has drawn the support of Kim Kardashian West, Beyoncé, Oprah and Gigi Hadid.
Death Sentences July 16, 2021
Everyone on Death Row Gets a Lawyer. Not Everyone Gets a Kim Kardashian.
The case of Rodney Reed — whose innocence claims were championed by the reality TV star — raises questions about celebrities’ role in the criminal justice system.
by and
A Black man wearing a tan prison uniform holds a tablet while looking up at light, faded images of family members. On the left is a person in a graduation gown, in the center is a child running to a woman, and on the right is a woman helping a child ride a bicycle.
Life Inside May 9
When New Jersey Switches Prison Tablet Companies, I’ll Lose 10 Years of Family Memories
Writer Shakeil Price uses his JPay tablet as a hard drive for his photos and videos. He’ll soon have to mail it home or have it destroyed.
By Shakeil Price
Donovan X. Ramsey, a Black man with short hair, wears a white shirt, vest and green pants, and stands in front of a newsstand.
Q&A November 6, 2023
The Untold Story of How Crack Shaped the Justice System
In a new book, a journalist wrestles with how lessons from America’s response to crack resonate in the opioid era.
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Clockwise from top left: Mary Ann Johnson; Calvin Fletcher; Angel Mays; Erica Jones; Monthane Miller-Jones; Carlos Amos; Ronda Williams.
Feature June 7, 2024
St. Louis Homicide Cases Often Go Unsolved. Victims’ Families Want Justice.
These St. Louis families have waited years for answers. They say police seem to have forgotten their loved ones.
By Shahla Farzan, Rachel Lippmann and Brian Munoz, St. Louis Public Radio; and Tom Scheck, APM Reports
A collage of items related to policing, the Black Shield Police Association and the author’s family. The items include: a police helmet; a baton; a gun; bullets; a sergeant’s badge; a newspaper clipping related to police misconduct and another related to use of force by police; and a photo of former police officer Vincent Montague.
Feature May 23, 2024
Out of the Blue: The Rise and Fall of a Black Cop
After Cleveland officer Vincent Montague shot a Black man, he got promoted. Then he allied with Black Lives Matter, and his life went off the rails.
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