United States of America
Seen in the press
Read our selection of press reports about this country. This is a short description of prison conditions on a national scale.
United States: youth detention facilities face increased scrutiny amid a wave of abuse lawsuits
Since the start of the year, there have been lawsuits filed in at least four states, including the one in Illinois. In April, more than 150 people sued New York City. In February, 63 people sued Maryland, bringing the total there to at least 200 people who have sued since last fall. In January, 50…United States: many NC jails violate legal requirements by skipping meds for opioid use disorder
But momentum for the treatment is building. In recent years, more detention centers in the state are starting to provide medications for opioid use disorder, not just because it’s best practice, but because it’s now a legal imperative.United States: more college programs are slowly coming into prisons
More than 750,000 incarcerated students could potentially become eligible for Pell Grants. But to qualify, they must be at a prison that offers a college program approved by the federal Department of Education.To date, only one program has been fully approved, at Pelican Bay State Prison.United States: Bureau of Prisons to close California women’s prison where prisoners have been subjected to sex abuse
The beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons said Monday it will close a women’s prison in California known as the “rape club” despite attempts to reform the troubled facility after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant staff-on-inmate sexual abuse.United States: women emerging from prison face disproportionate challenges to resuming their lives
Ohio — an epicenter of the opioid crisis — is among the states that experienced the most dramatic jump in female prisoners. Programs aimed at helping women stay out of prison once they’re released have not grown at nearly the same pace, according to the National Institute of Justice.United States: judge appoints special master to oversee California federal women’s prison after rampant abuse
A judge on Friday appointed a special master to oversee a troubled federal women’s prison in California known for rampant sexual abuse against inmates, marking the first time the Bureau of Prisons has been subject to such oversight.United States: Newsom has approved three California prison closures but resists pressure to shutter more
Gov. Gavin Newsom went far beyond the promise he made in his first year in office to close at least one California state prison. But now, he is resisting calls from criminal justice advocates and liberal state lawmakers to shutter five more penitentiaries.United States: lawsuits accuse 2 Michigan jails of banning family visits to increase revenue
A pair of lawsuits filed this month claim that two county jails in Michigan banned in-person family visits for inmates several years ago as a way to boost county revenues from the increased number of phone calls and electronic messaging that resulted.United States: multiple lawsuits allege unauthorized organ removals from deceased prisoners
Alabama prison system faces outrage as multiple lawsuits allege unauthorized organ removals from deceased prisoners. The University of Alabama at Birmingham, which does autopsies for the Alabama Dept. of Corrections, is also under scrutiny.United States: there is little scrutiny of "natural" deaths behind bars
Autopsies are not required for federal prison deaths that are classified as natural. NPR found cases where medical neglect, poor prison conditions and a lack of resources contributed to these deaths. But families were given little information.