Jails and Prisons

Melania Brown, sister of Layleen Polanco, a trans woman who died in an isolated cell in Rikers Island jail complex, and Akeem Browder, brother of Kalief Browder, who was incarcerated in Rikers as a juvenile and died by suicide following his release, during a march to demand the end of solitary confinement in New York, Monday, June 7, 2021.

How Solitary Confinement Is Used as a Weapon Against Trans People How Solitary Confinement Is Used as a Weapon Against Trans People

Incarcerated trans people say they are put into solitary confinement at highly disproportionate rates—including after being sexually assaulted.

Jul 20, 2023 / Riley Roliff

Basel Adra

I Was Detained by Israeli Soldiers for Reporting on Settler Violence I Was Detained by Israeli Soldiers for Reporting on Settler Violence

They blindfolded and detained me after I refused to turn over my recording of a settler attack on the West Bank.

Jul 19, 2023 / Basel Adra

A police armored vehicle patrols an intersection on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Police Are Spreading Authoritarianism Under the Guise of Counterterrorism Police Are Spreading Authoritarianism Under the Guise of Counterterrorism

Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has doubled down on an inquisitorial strategy of counterinsurgency in the name of counterterrorism.  

Jul 12, 2023 / Michael Gould-Wartofsky

New York Police Department detectives escort Chanel Lewis, 20, from the NYPD's 107th Precinct on Sunday, February 5, 2017 in Queens, NYC.

The “Disturbing” Prison Conditions Facing Chanel Lewis The “Disturbing” Prison Conditions Facing Chanel Lewis

To convict him of murder, the NYPD unlawfully used a secretive DNA lab. Now incarcerated, Lewis was reportedly confined to his cell where his toilet wasn’t functioning.

Jul 11, 2023 / Amos Barshad

Drought

Our Warming Planet Is Becoming a Hotbed of Violence Our Warming Planet Is Becoming a Hotbed of Violence

There has always been violent conflict. But we may now be preparing to top off that sorry record with climate-induced conflict.

Jul 7, 2023 / Stan Cox

A sculpture called “Anything to Say,” which features life-sized bronze figures of whistleblowers (left-right) Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning, is unveiled at Parliament Square, London, during a protest for Assange’s release from prison.

Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice

One has boasted of espionage. The other revealed massive government wrongdoing. So why is the whistleblower in jail?

Jun 27, 2023 / James Bamford

Retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright arrives for a hearing at US District Court, October 17, 2016 in Washington, DC. Cartwright was charged with making false statements during a federal investigation.

If Donald Trump Went to Jail for Violating the Espionage Act, He’d Be an Exception If Donald Trump Went to Jail for Violating the Espionage Act, He’d Be an Exception

It’s only whistleblowers who do hard time. Generals and high officials typically get just a slap on the wrist.

Jun 20, 2023 / James Bamford

Why Is It So Hard to Close Rikers?

Why Is It So Hard to Close Rikers? Why Is It So Hard to Close Rikers?

New York City’s public advocate Jumaane D. Williams and journalist Nick Pinto talk to Laura Flanders about the difficulties of shrinking the incarceration system.

Jun 15, 2023 / Q&A / Laura Flanders

US-Mexico Border

The Techno Dystopia Flourishing at the Border The Techno Dystopia Flourishing at the Border

Seeing the phaseout of Title 42 through the lens of a growing border-industrial complex.

Jun 13, 2023 / Todd Miller

A painting by Davide Coggins, mailed to the author in mid-May.

New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers New York’s Prison System Abruptly Halts a Policy Censoring Artists and Writers

One day after New York Focus broke the story about the censorship policy, the state department announced that it would suspend the rule impeding creative endeavors in prisons.

Jun 8, 2023 / Victoria Law

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