TD Original

Discipline and Profit: The Origins of the Private Prison

Paul Von Blum / Truthdig Jul 19, 2024 A Harvard historian explores the roots of the for-profit carceral state through the tragic tale of a 19th-century African American teenager. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Author Interview

The Suburban War on Drugs

Michan Connor / History News Network Jan 20, 2024 Matthew Lassiter discusses the crack down on the sale and consumption of drugs at the behest of white, well-to-do parents. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Education

Inside Philadelphia’s Effort to Disrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Naomi Goldstein, Amanda NeMoyer / The Conversation Dec 7, 2023 Research on a police diversion program implemented in 2014 shows a striking 91% reduction in in-school arrests over less than 10 years. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

After a Jury Found Them Not Guilty, a Judge Sentenced Them to Life

Meg O'Connor / The Appeal Nov 28, 2023 Terrence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne have spent decades behind bars even after a jury acquitted them of murder. Now, the Virginia Supreme Court is set to decide their fate. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

Incarceration Rates for Black Americans Decline

Candice Norwood / The 19th Nov 1, 2023 Reform efforts have clearly helped but the imprisonment rate among Black people remains the highest, and researchers say political trends may put progress in "jeopardy." Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

TD Original

How to Cook Sausage When You’re Locked in a Cell

Tana Ganeva / Truthdig Aug 2, 2023 America incarcerates more people than any country on Earth. But did you know how to cook a sausage in a prison cell using a plastic cup, some wires and saran wrap? Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Prison Reform

Los Angeles Set To End Most Pre-trial Detention

Rafik Nader Wahbi and Nicholas Shapiro / Filter Jul 24, 2023 Los Angeles will end most pre-trial detention, amid nation-wide push to abolish cash bail—a system that is terribly harmful to the incarcerated community. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Dig Scape

The Crime of Prison

bart plantenga / Truthdig Jan 16, 2023 Nearly one out of every 100 Americans is behind bars. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Greatest Threat to the Prison-Industrial Complex

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jan 24, 2020 "College Behind Bars" director Lynn Novick and former inmate Jule Hall examine how prison education can be used to combat recidivism. Dig deeper ( 40 Min. Read )

America’s Approach to Marijuana Is a Gateway to Misery

Jill Richardson / OtherWords Dec 4, 2019 The so-called "gateway drug" is a gateway to pain relief for me. For others, its prohibition is a gateway to mass incarceration. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Unlikely D.A. Chesa Boudin Wants to End Mass Incarceration

Ilana Novick / Truthdig Nov 26, 2019 The newly elected top prosecutor in San Francisco is part of a wave of progressives who want to reform the criminal justice system. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Age of Radical Evil

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Oct 14, 2019 All life, including our own, has become expendable, sacrificed on the altar of profit in a culture of death. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )