“As coronavirus rapidly spreads through California’s overcrowded prisons, 400 people have tested positive for the virus at San Quentin State Prison. Advocates and incarcerated people warn conditions behind bars make it nearly impossible to stop the virus once it enters. We speak with Adnan Khan, executive director of Re:Store Justice, an organization that advocates for…
“New footage has surfaced of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man who was killed by former Atlanta cop Garett Rolfe June 12 outside a Wendy’s, speaking out on his struggles with the criminal justice system. Rolfe was charged Wednesday with felony murder and 10 other counts for killing Brooks. In a February interview with the…
“Elvis Brooks, walked out of Louisiana’s infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary, nicknamed “Angola,” Wednesday after agreeing to plead guilty to a lesser offense in the case that sent him to prison almost a half-century ago. Although evidence was uncovered that prosecutors withheld showing that Brooks’ fingerprints didn’t match those found at the scene, as well as…
“What if you were known for the worst mistake you ever made? What if that mistake haunted you in all aspects of your life, including ever being able to find a job? Shelley Winner details how she overcame the statistics stacked against her and is helping others do the same. This Talk was produced in…
“While America’s jail population may be finally decreasing after decades of massive growth, that doesn’t apply to women. In fact, the proportion of women spending time in jail is going up. Special correspondent David Tereshchuk explores some of the causes and potential remedies.” Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
“Reading and writing can provide a profession, a passion or an escape from reality. In Washington, D.C., the Free Minds Book Club positions the activities as mechanisms through which incarcerated people can express themselves in healthy and constructive ways. As Jeffrey Brown reports, inmates who participate in the organization have a much lower recidivism rate…
“The former chief medical officer of New York City jails has just published a remarkable new book about the health risks of incarceration. The book is titled “Life and Death in Rikers Island.” Dr. Homer Venters offers unprecedented insight into what happens inside prison walls to create new health risks for incarcerated men and women,…
“The path to the rehabilitation of an ex-con is stacked against them. The term itself even carries a stigma. Ex-con turned Adjunct Professor Benny Lee challenges us to re-think what prisoner reform is really about. Benny Lee spent the late 60s through early 80s as a gang leader of the Conservative Vice Lord Nation, eventually…
“Troy Williams did his time — 18 years of a life sentence in California prison — and he survived by using his experiences as bases for podcasts, videos and other valuable documentation on the inside. Continuing these pursuits after an unexpected parole in 2014, his acclaim and contributions have only grown, most recently as a…
“More than 5 million children in the U.S. have had a parent in prison at some point. In Indiana, where that number is 177,000, a mentoring program aims to bolster support for those children by connecting them with adults who can provide emotional support. Megan Thompson reports as part of an ongoing series of reports…