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Articles on Incarceration

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According to the state’s new guidelines, juvenile convictions that are 10 years or older should no longer be considered when determining a person’s sentence. Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao via Getty Images

Pennsylvania overhauled its sentencing guidelines to be more fair and consistent − but racial disparities may not disappear so soon

The new guidelines are not intended to reduce punishment but aim to reduce disparities in punishment that are linked to race and ethnicity.
The Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont. A coroner’s inquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s death at the facility has seen graphic video and heard testimony about the brutal force used against him by corrections officers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Inquest into Soleiman Faqiri’s death at an Ontario ‘super jail’ reignites calls for reform

People with mental health challenges are more likely to die in custody. The coroner’s inquest into the death of Soleiman Faqiri in an Ontario jail is one such tragedy that calls out for reform.
Many women who are incarcerated were just trying to make ends meet for their families. Here an image from a rally to demand the release of people held in jails, outside the Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, May 2020. Joe Piette/Flickr

More than 60 per cent of incarcerated women are mothers — Listen

For Mother’s Day, we look at the fastest growing prison population in Canada — racialized women, many of whom are mothers. Experts connect the trend to rising poverty and the attempts to cope with it.
Only 15% of adults in prison have earned a postsecondary degree or certificate – either before or while being incarcerated. Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images

As Second Chance Pell Grant program grows, more incarcerated people can get degrees – but there’s a difference between prison-run and college-run education behind bars

With the expansion of Second Chance Pell grants, more colleges and universities will soon offer degree programs to students in prison.
Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro speaks during a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers’ meeting on bail reform in Ottawa in March 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Race is closely tied to who gets bail — that’s why we must tread carefully on bail reform

Those determining bail must reflect on their own beliefs and show restraint as they determine risk to avoid relying on false racist narratives. So should those calling for bail reform.
Black men disproportionately make up the US prison population. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Biggest racial gap in prison is among violent offenders – focusing on intervention instead of incarceration could change the numbers

The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. When it comes to violent offenders and the Black community, the system isn’t working, argue criminologists.

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