23/03/2021.
An Oklahoma prison will close as the federal government moves away from using private facilities
The Biden Administration’s move away from the use of private prisons will shutter a facility in the western Oklahoma town of Hinton that houses federal inmates. Since the late 1990s, the Bureau of Prisons has used private facilities to help ease pressure on overcrowded federal prisons. But the bureau has seen a decline in federal prison populations over the past several years that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. — Readfrontier

10/03/2021.
Regions’ decision to sever link with private prison company ‘a win’ for Alabama activists
Alabama’s largest bank has taken a financial stand against private prisons, a decision made for racial equity reasons after executives held a meeting with a local Black Lives Matter chapter and other activists to “receive feedback on the issue of private prisons,” according to a statement. — Citizen Times

12/02/2021.
Biden launches review of Guantanamo prison, aims to close it before leaving office
President Joe Biden’s aides have launched a formal review of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, reviving the Obama-era goal of closing the controversial facility with the aim of doing so before he leaves office, the White House said on Friday. — Reuters

29/01/2021.
Biden and prison reforms: a soft target?
Putting a stop to private prison contracts does little to address dire conditions for inmates, especially during a pandemic. Reform groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) praised Biden for pulling the plug on private prison contracts but argued that it fell short of his campaign promise. Ultimately, what is missing from the order may be as telling as what it contains. — Al Jazeera

27/01/2021.
U.S. private prison revenue under pressure from new Biden rules
CoreCivic and the GEO Group, two of the largest U.S. private prison companies, could lose as much as a quarter of their revenue, about $1 billion a year between them, under new limits on the sector from President Joe Biden. — Reuters

08/03/2021.
Transgender woman sues prison after allegedly being raped by cellmate in male prison A transgender woman imprisoned at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson is suing the state prison system after allegedly being raped and sexually violated twice at the all-male facility in early 2020. — Michigan live

02/03/2021.
Visualizing the unequal treatment of LGBTQ people in the criminal justice system LGBTQ people are overrepresented at every stage of our criminal justice system, from juvenile justice to parole. — Prison policy initiative

22/02/2021.
Recidivism rates for Black men in the US prison system are higher than all other groups
If one objective of the judicial system is to rehabilitate criminals and help them successfully reenter society, it is failing Black men at a greater rate than any other group. — The Millennial Source

13/02/2021.
Arizona’s prison population declines by 11% during pandemic
The number of inmates in Arizona’s prisons has declined 11% since the start of pandemic, reflecting a slowdown in the state’s court system that has held far fewer criminal jury trials over the last year as it took steps to prevent the coronavirus from spreading at courthouses. - Ktar news

10/02/2021.
New York city has people on parole in jails at rates not seen since the early pandemic Despite calls to reduce incarcerated populations, the number of people being detained for minor parole violations has been rising. - The Appeal

03/02/2021.
Parole boards approved fewer releases in 2020 than in 2019, despite the raging pandemic
Instead of releasing more people to the safety of their homes, parole boards in many states held fewer hearings and granted fewer approvals during the ongoing, deadly pandemic. - Prison Policy

18/01/2021.
If Biden wants to end death penalty, he must also end death by incarceration
Death-by-incarceration sentences include life without parole sentences (LWOP), life with the possibility of parole (LWP) and virtual life sentences where a person is not expected to live beyond the life of their prison sentence. According to the Sentencing Project, more people are serving death-by-incarceration sentences today than the total number of people in prison in the 1970s. - Truthout

15/01/2021.
Hundreds of black people are in prison for life even though some jurors thought they were innocent
White supremacists devised Louisiana’s split-jury rule during an 1898 constitutional convention, hoping to make it easier to convict Black people. The Supreme Court will soon weigh whether to help people still serving split-jury sentences. - Mother Jones

19/03/2021.
California jail, prison inmates now eligible for coronavirus vaccine
Inmates in California jails and prisons — regardless of age or health — will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine under updated guidelines released this week by the state Department of Public Health. — Daily breeze

01/03/2021.
Reuters investigation: lamentable medical care in jails and prisons exposed during pandemic
As this disease swept around the globe, the focus was on identifying and protecting “vulnerable populations”, including those in jails and prisons. COVID put the national spotlight on these populations and the need to prevent needless deaths in facilities where adequate health care is lacking in the best of times. — Prison legal news

04/03/2021.
Education in prison: remote learning during Covid-19 has failed students
“Even before COVID, young people who were incarcerated had a number of educational challenges,” Nina Salomon, the program director at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, tells Teen Vogue. “These students often come into the system already behind educationally, and then they fall further behind because they don’t have access to rigorous curriculum or support while in custody.” — Teen Vogue

22/02/2021.
Only 35% of NC prison staff willing to take vaccine
The remaining employees, about 65 percent of detention staff, don’t want the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination is currently optional for correctional staff. — North Carolina health news

17/02/2021.
Lawsuit on Covid prison releases shows many DOC workers refusing vaccine
A year into the pandemic, the legal wrangling continues over releasing Massachusetts prisoners to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus behind bars. Though the state has started vaccinating prisoners and correctional staff, the numbers show that many are refusing the vaccine and advocates say more needs to be done to stem the spread of the virus now. — Wbur news

15/02/2021.
Associated Press finds federal executions were likely Covid superspreader events
In the ten days after the December 10, 2020 execution of Brandon Bernard, 70% of prisoners on federal death row and hundreds of others incarcerated in the Terre Haute Correctional Complex where the executions took place tested positive for COVID-19. — Death penalty information center

10/02/2021.
State officials expect 45% of Oregon prison staff to refuse a Covid-19 vaccine
Oregon Department of Corrections staff are responsible for all but one Covid-19 outbreak in state prisons, according to the department’s infectious disease doctor. Why won’t corrections officers wear masks? “I don’t know: COVID rebellion, confusion, politicization, orneriness.” — Willamette Week

10/02/2021.
In Connecticut’s state prison system, vaccinations begin
After much debate, the Connecticut Department of Correction staff issued the first wave of vaccinations for eligible groups of staff and inmates on Feb. 1. — Yale daily news

05/02/2021.
Of Louisiana state prison inmates now eligible for Covid vaccine, 85% have opted in
Since Louisiana prisoners over 70 became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, about 85% of them have accepted the offer, leaving corrections officials optimistic that large swaths of the state prison population will follow suit. — The Advocate

04/02/2021.
New York under fire for vaccinating prison staff, not inmates
People in the corrections system have been eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine for the past month — so long as they are personnel. — Courthouse News Service

03/02/2021.
Massachusetts inmates can get prison time reduced if they get the COVID vaccine
The state Department of Corrections offered extra “earned good time” to prisoners who receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being offered in state prisons, Commissioner Carol A. Mici wrote in a Jan. 28 memo. — Mass live

21/01/2021.
Covid-19 : conditions for workers and prisoners are “terrifying”, says nurse at Tampa Bay prison
A part of him hopes that things will change; that he’ll walk into his nursing unit and he’ll get the news that COVID-19 vaccines are on the way or that he will have access to proper sanitary supplies and hot running water will flow from the broken faucet in the treatment room. But on every shift it’s the same thing: unsanitary conditions and health risks for himself, the inmates and everyone who works there. — Creative Loafing

21/01/2021.
Covid-19 : on surviving —and leaving— prison during a pandemic
Across the country, what prisons have done right—and very wrong—to control the pandemic could point the way to a more just justice system. One that’s better for inmates like Triplett, who watched the news, wondering how long it would take COVID-19 to reach inside La Vista’s walls. — Popular Science

21/01/2021.
Covid-19 : North Carolina prisons give COVID-19 vaccine to inmates and staff “Science has thrown us a lifeline”. The vaccinations will be offered to prison healthcare workers, staff working in COVID-positive housing units, those who work with infected inmates, and inmates age 75 or older. The next in line will be inmates aged 65 and older based on availability. — CBSNews

13/01/2021.
N.J. prison with worst COVID-19 outbreak in the country set to get vaccine next week
The news of the vaccine comes as the Burlington County facility continues to endure the worst coronavirus prison outbreak in the country. In total, more than half of the inmates at the facility have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. — Nj

08/01/2021.
New York’s prison transfers increased Covid-19 risk for sick, elderly men
A new lawsuit accuses state officials of “deliberate indifference” for prison transfers that defy public health recommendations. — The Intercept

12/02/2021.
How the Affordable Care Act can keep people out of prison
Many former inmates struggle with mental health and substance use disorders. Appropriate treatment for these illnesses can be what stands between successfully reintegrating into society and returning to a life of crime – and ultimately back to prison. - The conversation

11/02/2021.
At San Quentin, the response to Covid-19 brings more isolation and suffering to people with mental illness
The Covid-19 crisis at San Quentin that infected three-quarters of the prisoner population and killed 28, as well as a correctional officer, changed how prison officials provide treatment to prisoners experiencing mental illness. - Solitary watch

03/02/2021.
Decarceration — and support on the outside — is the answer, not therapy behind bars
A new report finds little evidence supporting the idea that building new prisons for women will lead to better outcomes, even with gender-responsive and trauma-informed programming. - Prison Policy Initiative

21/01/2021.
As COVID-19 ups the stakes, advocates say prison food needs an overhaul
A new report shines a light on the low-quality food served to 2.3 million people behind bars in the U.S. Healthier food is possible—and on the agenda in some prisons. - Civil Eats

13/02/2021
Illinois prison deaths would require family notification as part of sweeping criminal justice reform
Illinois prisons and jails will soon be required to notify families when their incarcerated loved ones die. ABC7 Chicago

02/02/2021
After years of ignoring abuse at a women’s prison, department of corrections suspends nearly three dozen employees
How does something horrific become an epidemic? Well, if you ignore any problem long enough, it’s pretty much guaranteed to get worse. Techdirt

01/02/2021.
Pennsylvania correctional emergency response teams face new scrutiny in “noose” controversy
A Correctional Emergency Response Team, also known as CERT, is under investigation for allegedly placing a noose on the bunk of a Black prisoner, Aaron Tyson, at State Correctional Institution Houtzdale, in Pennsylvania. — Prison legal news

05/02/2021
A Virginia prison held a man in solitary confinement for over 600 days
Virginia’s Department of Corrections has recently settled two lawsuits over its use of solitary confinement—a practice lawmakers are moving closer to abolishing. Within two months in solitary confinement at Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison, Tyquine Lee began to speak in numbers. He signed his name with a series of random letters. The Appeal

02/02/2021
After years of ignoring abuse at a women’s prison, department of corrections suspends nearly three dozen employees
How does something horrific become an epidemic? Well, if you ignore any problem long enough, it’s pretty much guaranteed to get worse. Techdirt

23/03/2021.
It’s all about the incentives: Why a call home from a jail in New York State can cost 7 times more than the same call from the state’s prisons
New York State passed progressive legislation requiring contracts between state prisons and private phone companies to be negotiated “for the lowest price to the consumer,” and prohibiting the department of corrections from accepting commissions on phone calls. New York’s legislation, however, does not apply to county and city jails, meaning counties are free to choose the phone company that charges the most and kicks the most revenue back to the jail. — Prison Policy Initiative

22/03/2021.
Inmates on hunger strike protesting Arizona prison conditions
Arizona inmates in a maximum security unit at the Eyman state prison in Florence say they are holding a hunger strike in protest of unsanitary conditions. “They’re not asking to be released because of COVID and the fact that they can’t escape that. They’re not asking for conjugal visits or anything like that (…) They’re just asking for clean food and clean clothes.” — KJZZ

23/02/2021.
‘It’s a system in crisis’: long shifts and high turnover rate plague Florida prison guards
“The morale is getting badder and badder, and the officers are getting madder and madder.” Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch has been making the rounds in Tallahassee to pitch lawmakers on a plan to spend more than $26 million to shorten prison guards’ regular daily work shifts. — Creative Loafing Tampa

20/02/2021.
Unprepared for Covid, Texas women’s prison was equally unprepared for Uri
FMC Carswell is the country’s only federal medical prison for women. The majority of women there have serious medical issues that cannot be treated at other prisons. Over the past year, the prison has been hard hit by COVID-19. When Uri hit, Wrice was still feeling physically weakened and exhausted from the virus. Then, she had to contend with the havoc that the storm wreaked on the prison’s utilities. — Truthout

15/02/2021.
The many ways Muslim prisoners are denied religious rights in prison
Rick, an African American and Muslim prisoner, was in a correctional facility in a Midwestern state when he tried to obtain a Quran for worship. His request to the officer in charge was denied. But when he was told the price for it, he was shocked — it was far more than he could afford, and, significantly, was two to three times more expensive than a Bible. — Vox

22/02/2021.
Connecticut lawmakers want to try again to make prison phone calls completely free
Advocates are optimistic about a new round of legislation to curb predatory phone rates in the state — and pressure is mounting in Washington. — The Intercept

15/02/2021.
Just let people have cellphones in prison
In all federal and state prisons and jails, personal cellphones are classified as contraband—illegal for incarcerated people to possess. Due to COVID-19, in-person visitation has been halted in most prisons and jails since last March. These rigid policies isolate incarcerated people and weaken their ties to friends and family. - Slate

12/02/2021.
The cost of calling my mom from prison
For incarcerated people like me, access to communications comes at a steep price. - The New York times

27/03/2021.
Prison Renaissance program at San Quentin uses art to end cycles of incarceration Prison Renaissance aims to use art and community to end cycles of incarceration. They want to create more proximity between the general public and incarcerated people. The program provides a platform for incarcerated artists and writers to build personal and professional connections with people outside of prison and in their field. — abc7 news

21/03/2021.
Prison laborers are paid pennies to maintain the prisons they’re incarcerated in According to a representative for the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, incarcerated workers can earn 16 to 65 cents per hour at Corcraft, or up to $1.30 per hour in bonus pay for working dangerous and unsanitary jobs such as removing asbestos, mold and bird feces. — Truth out

01/02/2021.
Arizona pays prisoners pennies on the dollar to fight fires, all in the name of saving money
When historic wildfires burned through Arizona in June 2020, two out of three of the firefighters who brought the blazes under control were state prisoners who were paid just pennies on the dollar to do the same job as well-paid professional firefighters working right next to them. Prison Legal News