Prison Reform - Truthdig

Prosecutors Had a Drugs-for-Votes Scheme ‘Locked Up.’ Then the Trump DOJ Stepped In.

Raquel Rutledge / ProPublica May 5, 2026 Before the 2024 election, federal prosecutors were "full steam ahead" looking into how a prison gang in Puerto Rico gave drugs to inmates if they voted for a GOP gubernatorial candidate. After Trump’s election, the investigation evaporated. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Palestinians demonstrate against the decision by Israel's parliament to approve the death penalty

Middle East

Israel Institutes Death Penalty Only for Palestinians

Hassan Abo Qamar / Prism Apr 2, 2026 The new law mandates execution for Palestinians convicted in notorious military courts of killing Israelis in “acts of terrorism." Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif

Activism

The Fight to Keep ICE From Reopening a Notorious Prison

Victoria Valenzuela / Waging Nonviolence Feb 13, 2026 Survivors of abuse at a shuttered federal prison known as “the rape club” are teaming up with local activists to keep ICE out of Northern California. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

TD Column

Mamdani’s NYPD Problem

Michael Kwet / Truthdig Jan 20, 2026 The mayor’s decision to reappoint Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch does not bode well for his reform agenda — or his ability to protect New Yorkers from ICE. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

Memo: Trump Administration to End Prison Rape Protections for Trans and Intersex People

Adam Rhodes / Prism Dec 5, 2025 A Department of Justice memo obtained by Prism says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

An Unconstitutional Verdict Sent Him to Prison for Life. A New Law Aims to Keep Him There.

Richard A. Webster / ProPublica Aug 26, 2025 Five years ago, the Supreme Court came down against nonunanimous jury verdicts. But one Louisiana prisoner — and hundreds of others — still wait. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )

Immigration

Abuse and Neglect at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Alexandra Martinez / Prism Aug 19, 2025 ‘They stepped on his head, about six guards fell on him, they pushed us, they kicked us. It’s a lot of abuse.’ Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

TD Original

MAGA’s New Project: Making Asylums Great Again

Zeb Larson / Truthdig Aug 14, 2025 The Trump administration’s attitudes on mental health echo some of the worst impulses of the 19th century. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Ear to the Ground

The Men Trump Disappeared

Truthdig staff / Truthdig Aug 5, 2025 A new investigation sheds light on what 238 men endured after being deported to CECOT, the notorious Salvadoran maximum-security prison. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Courts & Law

Trump Administration Halts Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People

Corey G. Johnson / ProPublica Aug 1, 2025 The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division suits against Louisiana's prison system and South Carolina's group homes are both now on hold. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Americas

Venezuelan Nationals Subjected to Torture and Abuse While in CECOT

Pablo Meriguet / Peoples Dispatch Jul 25, 2025 Venezuela’s attorney general plans to investigate El Salvador officials for the treatment of detainees at the infamous prison. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

New York’s Solution to Prison Staff Shortage: Hire Teenagers

Jimmy Iakovos / Filter May 14, 2025 If we can’t keep prisons properly staffed, maybe we should incarcerate fewer people. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )