Ending the American Tragedy of Mass Incarceration

By Richard Blaustein / LARB Feb 2, 2019 The book “Start Here” yields a vision for a future United States that will not stand out for its distressing criminal justice system. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Trump’s Racist Language of Pollution Drives His Brand of Fascism

Henry Giroux / Truthdig Jan 9, 2019 The viciousness of the Trump administration and the cruelty imposed by neoliberalism mutually inform each other. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Recollections From Behind Bars: A Woman’s Tale

By Jamie Farthing Jan 8, 2019 Writer Jamie Farthing recounts a memorable meeting with a fellow inmate in a New Jersey prison. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Private Immigration Prisons Are Raking In Taxpayer Dollars Under Trump

Ilana Novick Dec 27, 2018 A damning new report reveals the industry pulled down $800 million in 2018 alone. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Is America ‘Civilized’? Not as Long as It Sanctions the Death Penalty

Kevin Cooper / Truthdig Oct 24, 2018 The ongoing support of capital punishment belies this country’s claim to having moved past the primitive stage of human development. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Homeless and the Indigent Are People, Too

Jordan Riefe / Truthdig Oct 2, 2018 A powerful new play at Hollywood's Hudson Guild Theater explores the lives of some of our most neglected and misunderstood communities. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Private Prisons Rake In Millions Detaining Immigrants

Ilana Novick Oct 2, 2018 As The New York Times reports, some do so with little regard for inmates’ welfare and safety. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

How America Came to Have the World’s Biggest Prison Population

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 28, 2018 In this week's episode, Japanese-American public defender Jeff Adachi tells how his family's past affects his present and reveals why he withdrew his support of California's new bail law. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Lying With a Straight Face

Kevin Cooper / Truthdig Sep 3, 2018 Wrongly convicted prisoners assert their innocence, and research backs them up, yet some politicians and law enforcement officials continue to propagate lies and prop up an unjust system. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Rot and Rehabilitation in the American Penal System

Rayyan Al-Shawaf / Truthdig Jul 13, 2018 Rachel Kushner's new novel set in a women's prison brims with morally tainted characters who are also victims of repressive and dehumanizing incarceration. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Drug Policy From the Precinct

Alexander Reed Kelly / Hudson Valley News Feb 14, 2018 Jeff Kaufman joined the New York Police Department in 1980 because he wanted to serve his community. He left six years later because the state’s drug laws made that impossible. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Atlanta Just Took a Major Step to Reform Its Inhumane Bail System

Mehreen Kasana / AlterNet Feb 7, 2018 "The city jails are filled with people charged with misdemeanors only because they cannot pay," says a human rights lawyer. A proposal unanimously approved by the City Council will let people out on their own recognizance. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )