In the 1790s, penal reformers rebuilt America’s squalid jails as airy, hygienic places meant to keep residents – and by extension society – healthy. Now they’re hotbeds of COVID-19. What went wrong?
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.
The effective response to crime has always been a matter of debate. But evidence is mounting in favour of treatment and support, rather than punishment.
Rapidly decreasing the prison population by letting people out is a public health imperative as governments for solutions to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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.
Nearly two-thirds of incarcerated mothers have never received a visit from their children. A scholar who studies women in prison explains the barriers that families face and how they might be removed.
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.
As of Dec. 1, inmates in Canada’s federal prisons can no longer be legally held in solitary confinement. But is it truly just an exercise in rebranding?