All Posts

06 Jul What To Make of the Bureau of Prisons Budget Problems

Posted at 10:18h in Prisons

The media is covering the Bureau of Prisons' budget problems, but what can we really make out of the supposed "cash crunch" for the BOP?

Mean world syndrome describes the way in which viewing violent media can affect one's perception of the world.

05 Jul Mean World Syndrome: Public Perception of Crime Doesn’t Match Reality

Posted at 09:59h in Decriminalizing Mental Illness

In the 1970s, communications professor George Gerbner coined the term "mean world syndrome" to describe the effect that depictions of violence can have on the perceptions of those who view them.

01 Jul Overturned Cosby Conviction Shows Flaws in Prosecutorial Discretion

Posted at 09:30h in Prosecutors

The fact that Cosby's convictions were overturned made headlines for many reasons, but one should be the flaws with prosecutorial discretion.

01 Jul Durbin-Grassley Bill Seeks To Fix First Step Act Problems

Posted at 08:35h in Uncategorized

The Bureau of Prisons' implementation of the First Step Act has been filled with problems. A new bipartisan bill aims to solve some of them.

30 Jun Technical Violation Sends 74-Year-Old Gwen Levi Back to Prison

Posted at 10:08h in Ending Mass Incarceration

As COVID-19 infection rates slow throughout the United States, 74-year-old Gwen Levi is back behind bars, one more example of how technical parole violations drive mass incarceration in America.

29 Jun Vaccination Rates Are Still Too Low to Stop COVID Spread in Prisons

Posted at 09:38h in Prisons

The United States is in the top 10 in the world for total percentage of population fully vaccinated, despite being the third most populous country in the world. But when it comes to vaccinations inside American correctional facilities, the numbers aren't so promising.

A new law has made prison phone calls free in Connecticut.

28 Jun Phone Calls From Prison Will Be Free in Connecticut Under New Law

Posted at 13:11h in Prisons

For the friends and families of millions of incarcerated people across the country, staying in touch can be expensive—often prohibitively so. But that's about to change in Connecticut, where Gov. Ned Lamont just signed a new law that makes all phone calls from prison free.

Lawmakers in California are addressing the high cost of incarceration.

24 Jun California Begins to Reckon With the Cost of Incarceration

Posted at 10:00h in Ending Mass Incarceration

Keeping people in jails and prisons also accounts for a significant portion of government budgets at the state and federal levels. Now, some lawmakers in California are addressing the cost of incarceration at each of these levels.

Technical violations account for roughly 25% of the prison population in some areas.

23 Jun Technical Probation Violations Silently Add to Prison Populations

Posted at 10:00h in Ending Mass Incarceration

At the time of publishing this article, around 4.5 million Americans are under some form of supervision. When justice-impacted people are on probation, there are certain rules they must follow. When someone violates those rules, it can lead to going back to prison.

Body cameras are increasingly being used in community policing efforts.

22 Jun Community Policing and Body Cameras: Building Trust

Posted at 10:00h in Ending Mass Incarceration

A body-worn camera (BWC) is a wearable camera. Clipped to a police officer's uniform, they are designed to capture police encounters and violent crimes. These cameras are becoming a common problem for police officers. Vigilant people in the community tend to capture crime scenes as