Prison Riot

News August 11

Breaking Out With A Bar of Soap

In Texas, prisoners are opening their cells to chat—and to riot.

By Keri Blakinger

Life Inside April 24

During the COVID-19 Crisis, Don’t Shoot the Messenger

When you lead the Inmate Liaison Committee in a pandemic, you have to deliver bad news with finesse.

By Corey Devon Arthur

Life Inside June 27, 2019

We Thought Our Prison Strike Was a Success. Then Came the Officers in Riot Gear

“Panic ensued as everyone braced for the inevitable attack.”

By Mangaaka Ade

Feature November 15, 2016

Inmates Say They Paid a Bloody Price for a Guard's Injury

Prisoners describe a rampage by correctional officers in a New York prison.

By Tom Robbins

Commentary September 9, 2016

Revisiting the Ghosts of Attica

A wrenching new book recounts the bloodiest prison battle in our history.

By Tom Robbins

News August 25, 2016

Revisiting Attica Shows How New York State Failed to Fulfill Promises

A new book brings attention to the deadly 1971 prison uprising. Reporters for The New York Times and The Marshall Project describe what has changed since then, and what hasn’t.

By Michael Winerip, Tom Robbins and Michael Schwirtz

Q&A May 26, 2015

The Attica Turkey Shoot

Malcolm Bell, former special state prosecutor and whistleblower, on getting away with murder.

By Tom Robbins

News March 16, 2015

After Willacy

A private prison company, a prison riot, and what comes next.

By Maurice Chammah

Feature February 28, 2015

Attica’s Ghosts

A savage beating, a culture “beyond repair.”

By Tom Robbins

Commentary February 24, 2015

A Most Unsurprising Riot

Life inside the infamous Willacy immigration prison.

By Carl Takei