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Articles on US prisons

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A ministry program student at a Texas prison. Some inmates cite religion to avoid gang recruitment. Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

We spoke to hundreds of prison gang members – here’s what they said about life behind bars

Gangs are still a significant reality in US prisons. But most inmates say that their power has been watered down, and they no longer rule facilities with an iron fist.
There is growing political interest in providing higher education to those behind bars. AdrianoK/Shutterstock.com

Higher education in America’s prisons: 4 essential reads

Education for those behind bars is gaining more attention. In these four articles, scholars take an up-close look at efforts to provide – and restrict – higher education in prison.
Students in an advanced bachelor’s degree seminar in the Bard Prison Initiative at Eastern New York Correctional Facility. Skiff Mountain Films

Documentary provides rare look at higher education in prison

A scholar who has taught in prison weighs in on ‘College Behind Bars,’ which airs Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS. The documentary prompts viewers to consider the importance of higher education in prison.
Moliere Dimanche would use anything he could scrounge up – pieces of folders, the back of commissary forms, old letters – as canvases. Moliere Dimanche

Through his art, a former prisoner diagnoses the systemic sickness of Florida’s penitentiaries

From solitary confinement, Moliere Dimanche started drawing on anything he could find. The result was a series of fantastical, allegorical images that depict abuse, racism and profound isolation.
Juvenile residents sit in a classroom at detention center in Atlanta. AP Photo/David Goldman

Ending sexual assault in youth detention centers

Research reveals that the factors that put youth at risk of sexual assault while in custody are significantly different from those that put adults at risk in prison.
A woman protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by Baton Rouge police. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

Who dies in police custody? Texas, California offer new tools to find out

No federal database provides reliable info on deaths that occur in police custody. It’s the same situation in 48 states. But now California and Texas are offering new models of accountability.
What helps ex-offenders avoid rearrest? Stephen Lam/Reuters

Helping ex-prisoners keep out of prison: what works

Case management from nurses combined with peer coaching from ex-offenders helps recently released parolees avoid the behavior that got them locked up in the first place.

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