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Prison Conditions

Marshall, a man with light-toned skin, wears a blue suit jacket and glasses as he stands behind a podium. On person stands behind him and three are sitting.
News April 12
Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
West Virginia’s top corrections official led a troubled state agency, and will now head a federal bureaucracy plagued with problems of its own.
By , and
An incarcerated person wearing food preparation gloves adds French fries to a food tray that contains a hamburger and a small bag of baby carrots.
Closing Argument March 8
The Big Business of Bad Prison Food
A market analysis said the food service industry in U.S. prisons and jails is worth billions — and is forecasted to grow.
By
An illustration shows a yellow and orange illustration of a person, wearing a tank top, pants and shoes, laying down in a fetal position within a box.
Life Inside September 19, 2024
How We Survived Extreme Heat in Prison
Incarcerated journalists detail the first signs of a heat wave in prison — and how they’ve coped with record-breaking temperatures.
By Prison Journalism Project Contributors and
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a White man, points a finger while giving a speech.
News January 25, 2024
Trans People in Florida Prisons Say Gender-Affirming Care Ban Upended Their Health Care
Nearly two dozen transgender women in prison said their access to treatment suddenly changed following the “anti-woke” law championed by Gov. DeSantis.
By
A collage illustration shows three layered scenes: on the left, light-skinned hands place a bumper sticker on the back of a car that reads “NOW HIRING” circled in red. In the center, the back of a man with light skin tone shows him wearing a white T-shirt that says “ACADEMY” on the back. He holds his hands clasped behind his head and looks downward. On the right, over a textural layer of barbed wire, a line of corrections officers representing diverse genders and ethnicities walks away. A red hand-drawn scribble underlays the image, which is also toned red.
News January 10, 2024
New Data Shows How Dire the Prison Staffing Shortage Really Is
The stubborn staffing crisis affects almost every aspect of life in prison, for employees and the incarcerated alike.
By and
A dark brown high-rise federal prison.
Closing Argument January 6, 2024
Federal Prisons Are Over Capacity — Yet Efforts to Ease Overcrowding Are Ending
The Bureau of Prisons’ system is in trouble and needs serious upgrades on several fronts.
By
Darrius Turner, a Black man with glasses, works on radio equipment and wears headphones in a studio.
News November 1, 2023
This Radio Show Connects People Behind Bars With the Outside World
Prisoncast! — a special audio project from WBEZ Chicago — brings the sounds of life beyond prison walls to incarcerated people in Illinois.
By and
A scene outside the Corcoran prison complex with a razor-wire topped fence and white observation towers behind it. A water-filled canal runs alongside the facility.
Feature October 24, 2023
In Harm’s Way
How decades-old decisions to build two California prisons in a dry lakebed and a chaotic climate left 8,000 incarcerated people at risk.
By
A man wearing an orange and red prison uniform looks out the window of his solitary confinement cell.
Closing Argument September 2, 2023
Ending the Golden State Era of Solitary Confinement
California could reshape the practice as other states limit isolation. Meanwhile, prisons aren’t keeping pace.
By
A photo shows the silhouette of a prison tower, trees and lamp posts against an orange sunset.
Closing Argument July 22, 2023
‘Concrete Coffins’: Surviving Extreme Heat Behind Bars
Record temperatures in much of the U.S. threatening more people in prisons.
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