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Razor wire outside a California detention center.

Social Justice

California’s Out-of-Date Jails Face Inmate Deaths and Construction Delays

New and improved facilities are a critical pillar of California's corrections transformation. But bureaucratic roadblocks, indifference from county sheriffs, and critical errors in planning by local officials have meant dozens of California jails remain broken and dangerous.

Jason Pohl & Ryan Gabrielson

A bunk bed and desks inside a cell are seen at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, on August 13th, 2018. A former regional jail, the facility has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house undocumented adult immigrant detainees for violations of immigration laws.

Social Justice

Why Are Homicide Rates Spiking in California’s County Jails?

Since 2011 inmate-on-inmate homicides have risen 46 percent in county jails statewide compared with the seven years before.

Jason Pohl & Ryan Gabrielson

How Rush City Inmates Organized a Successful Prison Strike

Two inmates from a Minnesota state prison discuss organizing a strike—and why they feel rehabilitative programming is still inadequate.

Arvind Dilawar

Waves created by Hurricane Florence are seen along Cherry Grove Fishing Pier on September 14th, 2018, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

As Hurricane Florence Approaches, One South Carolina Inmate Says ‘Prisoners Are Extremely Nervous’ About Their Safety

Pacific Standard spoke with an inmate in Lee Correctional Institution as he and other prisoners prepared for the storm.

Jack Herrera

A sign warns people away from Union Point Park after it was flooded by the Neuse River during Hurricane Florence on September 13th, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina.

What Advocates Are Saying About South Carolina’s Refusal to Evacuate Prisoners in Hurricane Florence’s Path

Prisoners in the hurricane's path will not be evacuated—and many are outraged.

Jack Herrera

Prisons have no incentive to pay inmates better—to the contrary. Unlike workers in the free market, who (theoretically, anyway) can weigh factors like pay, working conditions, and other benefits when deciding where to work, inmates do not have a choice between employers. If they need the money, or the experience, they must take or leave what the prison is offering.

Social Justice

‘Modern Slavery’: The Labor History Behind the New Nationwide Prison Strike

A look at the origins of the 2018 prison strike through a legacy of involuntary servitude.

Emily Moon

Economics

Prison Commerce Goes Digital

While most commerce within prisons revolves around food and hygiene products, a recent report found that digital sales are the "future of commissary."

Mia Armstrong