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The U.S. Penitentiary at Lewisburg in Pennsylvania in 2010.

Pennsylvania

Christopher Sadowski/Splash News, via Newscom
Redemption Songs
He Wrote a Song Called ‘Freedom.’ Now He’s Free.
After playing bass in a Philadelphia-area prison music program, Bernard Lee, 73, earned parole.
By
A photo shows a gray brick prison building surrounded by barbed wire fencing.
Closing Argument August 8
Will a Looming Budget Crunch Reverse Efforts to Rein in Fines and Fees?
From suspended driver’s licenses to jail stays, legal financial obligations can shape lives long after an arrest.
By
An illustration in shades of blue shows two incarcerated people sitting on a bench in the background, while six incarcerated people stand on the left and right sides of the foreground.
Life Inside July 31
Pennsylvania Struck Down Mandatory Life Without Parole for 2nd-Degree Murder. What Comes Next?
People affected by the state’s felony murder law reflect on the ruling and the uncertain path ahead.
By
An aerial view of a tan brick prison facility with cars parked in front.
Closing Argument July 19, 2025
Why Closing Prisons — Even Bad Ones — Is Complicated
From politics to economics, closing old or bad prisons is not always straightforward. Even some incarcerated people have mixed emotions.
By
A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including “tortured for 18 hours with an..” and “I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest.” Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs.
News July 11, 2025
Shackled For Days and Weeks: A Federal Report Finds Widespread Abuse in Prisons
The report, by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog, comes after an investigative series by The Marshall Project and NPR exposed similar abuses.
By Joseph Shapiro, NPR
A person with dark-toned skin and a person with medium-toned skin, both wearing prison uniforms, play chess while sitting on blue chairs. In the background are doors to prison cells.
Closing Argument April 19, 2025
Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration
America’s experiment with Scandinavian-inspired prison units is growing — and being tested.
By
A collage shows two black-and-white images. The photo on the left shows three men sleeping on the floor of a jail. The film scan on the right depicts several incarcerated men sleeping or watching TV in Central Jail’s chapel.
News December 12, 2024
‘Sleep Don’t Come’: The Dangerous Problem of Sleep Deprivation Behind Bars
Moldy mattresses, 24/7 lights and constant noise contribute to a persistent health and safety crisis in prisons and jails.
By and
A White woman, wearing glasses and a red dress, sits at the front door of her house. One of her children stands behind her inside. A children's bike is stationed on the right side of the door.
Feature December 11, 2024
Hospitals Gave Patients Meds During Childbirth, Then Reported Them For Positive Drug Tests
Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.
By
Susan Horton, a White woman wearing a black tank top, arranges her children’s toys on top of a table.
Feature September 9, 2024
She Ate a Poppy Seed Salad Just Before Giving Birth. Then They Took Her Baby Away.
Hospitals use drug tests that return false positives from poppy seed bagels, decongestants and Zantac. Yet newborns are being taken from parents based on the results.
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
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