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An illustration shows a side-profile silhouette of a long-haired man against a yellow and green gradient background. The man looks toward a window that displays nature and has prairie animals coming out of it.
Life Inside March 18
California’s Longest Serving Death-Row Prisoner On Pain, Survival and Native Identity
As the Monache and Cherokee 63-year-old awaits a new hearing for a 1978 murder he denies committing, Douglas Ray Stankewitz shares the cultural tools and memories he depends on to stay alive.
By Douglas Ray Stankewitz as told to Richard Arlin Walker
Analysis September 27, 2021
There Are Fewer People Behind Bars Now Than 10 Years Ago. Will It Last?
Census data show incarceration rates are down. It may have more to do with the pandemic than broad reforms.
By Weihua Li, David Eads and Jamiles Lartey
Feature September 24, 2021
No Driving, No Working, No Dating: Inside A Government Program That Controls The Lives of People Leaving Psych Hospitals
For those found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity and put into California’s CONREP program, strict supervision can last decades.
By Christie Thompson
News January 19, 2021
Zoom Funerals, Outdoor Classes: Jails and Prisons Evolve Amid the Pandemic
But will high-tech programs replace “the human touch” when the virus ebbs?
By Keri Blakinger
Feature November 8, 2020
When Going to the Hospital Is Just as Bad as Jail
A new lawsuit claims Black Americans with mental illness are being forced into traumatic emergency room stays.
By Christie Thompson
Rasheed Lockheart at San Quentin State Prison in 2018.
Life Inside October 1, 2020
Being a Prison Firefighter Taught Me to Save Lives
I first joined the San Quentin fire department to get my own room, eat well and train dogs. It ended up being the most important experience of my life.
By Rasheed Lockheart, as told to Christie Thompson
The CZU Lightning Complex fire, as seen from La Honda, California, on August 19, 2020.
News September 2, 2020
The Former Prisoners Fighting California’s Wildfires
“When people are in need, they don’t give a shit where you’re from or what your history is.”
By Christie Thompson
Life Inside August 13, 2020
During the Pandemic, a Prison Funeral for Our Angel
Despite coronavirus-related lockdown and a skittish staff, prisoners at California Women’s Facility pulled off a full-fledged memorial service for a beloved long-termer.
By Michele Scott
Feature July 22, 2020
One Roadblock to Police Reform: Veteran Officers Who Train Recruits
Field trainers "are part of the old guard of the department. They teach the old way of doing things."
By Simone Weichselbaum
Stephanie Parris was one of 250 people released early from Virginia prisons because of COVID-19 concerns. These early releases accounted for less than half of the state’s prison population decline in recent months.
Coronavirus July 16, 2020
Prison Populations Drop by 100,000 During Pandemic
But not because of COVID-19 releases.
By Damini Sharma, Weihua Li, Denise Lavoie AND Claudia Lauer
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