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In this Jan. 18, 2011 photo, inmates at William E. Donaldson prison in Bessemer, Ala., return to their cells after completing meditation classes. Vipassana is a meditative technique that dates back 2,500 years to Gotama Buddha. Vipassana courses are held four times a year in the prison gymnasium, where as many as 40 inmate volunteers meditate 10 hours a day and live for the duration. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
News October 6, 2022
Alabama Said Prison Strike Was ‘Under Control.’ Footage Shows System in Deadly Disarray.
While prisoners protest unsafe conditions, “it just doesn’t let up,” say advocates.
By Keri Blakinger
Prisoners stand in line at Elmore Correctional Facility in Elmore, Ala., in 2015. Thousands of Alabama prisoners began a work strike this week to protest poor prison conditions.
Closing Argument October 1, 2022
What an Alabama Prisoners’ Strike Tells Us About Prison Labor
Exploitation of incarcerated people isn’t limited to lockups. Voters in some states have a chance to curtail it.
By Jamiles Lartey
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
Analysis August 24, 2018
What’s Really Happening With the National Prison Strike?
Action is limited so far, but organizers are cheering the media attention.
By Nicole Lewis
A strike at prisons nationwide has been called in response to a riot in which seven inmates were killed at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, S.C.
Commentary August 22, 2018
A Former Warden’s View on Prison Strikes
“An inmate is there as punishment, not for punishment.”
By Robin Washington
The joint resolution proposing the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified December 6, 1865, and abolished slavery, except as punishment for a crime.
News September 27, 2016
A Primer on the Nationwide Prisoners’ Strike
Prisoners can be forced to work without pay — the Constitution says so.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
Audience members held signs and photos of Guantanamo detainees at a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights & Human Rights, in Washington, during a hunger strike at the prison, on July 24, 2013.
News September 21, 2016
Do Prison Strikes Work?
Amid a current prison work stoppage, here are five strikes and how they turned out.
By Christie Thompson
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