Search About Newsletters Donate
Left, a gravesite with a cross and decorated with flowers on a sunny day with blue skies; right: a White woman with medium-length brown hair wearing an orange shirt and leaning against a brown wall.
Inside Story March 2
Drug Addiction and the Paths to Prison
We learn how prosecutors can turn one of the darkest days in a mother’s life into a prison term, and hear Tarra Simmons’ journey from behind bars to writing laws.
By Lawrence Bartley and Donald Washington, Jr.
A light-skinned person, wearing a red hat and blue jacket, casts their ballot at a voting booth. An electronic voting machine can be seen on the left, in a different voting booth.
Closing Argument November 12, 2022
7 Key Criminal Justice Takeaways From the Midterms
Sheriffs. Prosecutors. Abortion and slavery amendments. Here’s what you should know about this week’s results.
error in byline
A woman with light-toned skin and reddish long hair sits on a sofa, with a toddler in front of her.
Feature September 13, 2022
Oklahoma Is Prosecuting Pregnant Women for Using Medical Marijuana
Two district attorneys have targeted mothers with child neglect felonies.
By Brianna Bailey
A woman with light-toned skin and a gray T-shirt is seated while hugging a young girl with a medium-toned skin as a young girl with light-toned skin plays on a patio.
Feature September 1, 2022
They Lost Their Pregnancies. Then Prosecutors Sent Them to Prison.
Dozens of women who used drugs while pregnant have faced criminal charges. Experts expect even more cases now that Roe has been overturned.
By Cary Aspinwall, Brianna Bailey, and Amy Yurkanin
A White woman with long brown hair looks at the camera.
Feature September 1, 2022
She Lost Her Baby, Then Her Freedom
In its war on drugs, Alabama targets moms.
By Amy Yurkanin
Between 2006 and 2010, women deemed likely to return to prison received tubal ligations at California’s Valley State Prison for Women, pictured here.
Commentary July 26, 2017
Our Long, Troubling History of Sterilizing the Incarcerated
State-sanctioned efforts to keep the incarcerated from reproducing began in the early 20th century and continue today.
By David M. Perry
News November 10, 2015
Could Virtual OBGYN Services Help Stop Miscarriages? One Arkansas Jail Hopes So
Prodded by lawsuits, one jail moves to curb fetal deaths.
By Simone Weichselbaum
Feature April 15, 2015
Hard Labor
A doula offers a little comfort for a birth behind bars.
By Simone Weichselbaum
About
People
Jobs
Sitemap
Funders