Police have no place in places of learning — By Rob Barton, with Pam Bailey “I would absolutely say that the juvenile justice system in Maryland created a criminal…If you want to know how to create a criminal, interview my son.” Keisha Hogan, whose son spent 891 days in a Maryland juvenile detention center after stealing a cell phone. …

From suicide attempts to confiscated coats — Through my More Than Our Crimes network, I correspond with many incarcerated individuals. Below I share three of the messages I received just today. I think you will quickly understand just why I do this work — Pam Bailey Life and death on the cell block Today an inmate in my unit tried to commit suicide. He…

Some prisoners give up….others keep at it, and pay the price — Note from blog editor Pam Bailey: I am in the midst of preparing a report on the inhumane conditions in federal prisons, and among the most common types of stories I have received are those about retaliation by facility staff against any incarcerated resident who dares to file grievances. …

Action was long overdue, and follow-up will be critical — By Pam Bailey Perhaps reacting to complaints from his progressive base that he has been neglecting his pledges to address criminal-legal reform, President Biden announced — with some fanfare — both a (very) limited number of sentence commutations and what he billed as a “comprehensive strategy to expand employment opportunities…

Determined to succeed in a place that’s designed to break you Angelo Daniels is one of approximately 600 D.C. residents who are eligible to petition for immediate release despite their indeterminate sentences, thanks to the District’s Second Look Amendment Act. …

Beatings aren’t just prisoner-on-prisoner, but also guard-on-prisoner — By Pam Bailey Abuse of prisoners by the staff supposedly hired to assure their safety and security has been in the news lately. Most recently, the headlines focused on the federal women’s prison called Dublin in northern California. A fifth employee has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a…

When rehabilitation occurs, it’s despite prison, not because of it — By Askia A. Afrika-Ber Prisons have been described by scholars, journalists, activists and prisoners as “revolving doors” due to the high recidivism rates. But for many of us, prisons don’t offer any kind of door. Mass incarceration in the 21st century has transformed the majority of American penitentiaries into modern-day mausoleums, with those of…

Too often, halfway houses set residents back in their attempts to reintegrate — On its website, the federal Bureau of Prisons describes the halfway houses it operates (which it calls “residential reentry centers”) this way: “RRCs provide reentry assistance that reduces recidivism, offering a safe, structured, supervised environment, along with employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services.”

D.C. residents behind bars deserve better By Pam Bailey In 2001, the District of Columbia shuttered its lone prison, the Lorton Correctional Complex, seeking a way out of its financial troubles and eager to offload a facility that had become known for being violent and overcrowded. …