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Mass Incarceration

An illustration shows a transparent silhouette of a mother hugging her child. Inside the silhouette, a White woman in a blue prison uniform sits on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed.
Life Inside January 10
Motherhood Made Me Even More of a Prison and Police Abolitionist
In this excerpt from “We Grow the World Together: Parenting Toward Abolition,” co-editor Maya Schenwar names an unexpected source of wisdom: children.
By Maya Schenwar
Gov. Jeff Landry, a White man wearing a blue suit and red tie, speaking at a podium in January 2024.
Closing Argument March 9, 2024
These States Are Once Again Embracing ‘Tough-on-Crime’ Laws
Louisiana is one of several states passing punitive measures in response to public fears.
By
A musical band of Black men are playing instruments, such as a saxophone, guitar, piano, bass guitar and drums. They play behind bars in a room.
Closing Argument November 4, 2023
The Prison Soul Band That Opened for Stevie Wonder
The band The Power of Attorney flourished when more Americans saw incarcerated people as more than their crimes.
By
Life Inside October 28, 2022
I Spent Over 40 Years Working in Corrections. I Wasn’t Ready for Rikers.
Rikers Island jail complex “reflects our nation’s racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment,” writes former New York City jails commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. “It’s Exhibit A for why we need to end mass incarceration.”
By Vincent Schiraldi
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 , and
The System November 11, 2020
The United States of Incarceration
The United States locks up more people per capita than any other developed country. Here’s why.
By and
News October 27, 2020
What 2,392 Incarcerated People Think About #DefundThePolice
Americans are grappling with intensifying calls to remake the criminal justice system. We asked people behind bars to weigh in.
By , and Aviva Shen
Life Inside June 18, 2020
My Dad Went to Prison When I Was 5. Now I Write About Families Like Mine
Growing up with a father who was incarcerated didn’t define me. But it certainly taught me to challenge stereotypes and ask better questions.
By Sylvia A. Harvey
Election 2020 March 11, 2020
Millennials, Meth and Mass Incarceration
We asked incarcerated people to weigh in on the biggest issue facing the country today. Here is what they said.
By Aviva Shen and
Presidential hopefuls squared off at the second night of Democratic primary debates in Detroit in July, debating some criminal justice issues but overlooking many others.
The Lowdown August 1, 2019
Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice
By The Marshall Project
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