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.
USA: Texas bans greeting cards in prison
Every February 9, Joseph Mallonee sends his mother a handmade birthday card, with pastel hearts and roses sketched inside a Texas prison. Three weeks later, his mother returns the favor, buying a card or two from the local dollar store and mailing it to Huntsville in time for her son’s February 20…USA: el confinamiento en solitario prolongado en las cárceles equivale a tortura psicológica
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
USA: construction, welding, GED: the impact of prison education
On a typical school day, the carpentry workshop at Ingram State Technical College is buzzing with activity. Men in white prison uniforms chisel, saw and paint, transforming raw wood into decorative tables, chairs and art. Instructor Eddie Lucas watches from the front of the room.USA: new BJS report reveals staggering number of preventable deaths in local jails
A new Bureau of Justice Statistics report reveals that over 1,000 people died in local jails in 2016, underscoring the dangers of jail incarceration. Most troublingly, the report finds at least half of these deaths are preventable, with suicide remaining the leading cause of death.USA: proposals to ease post-prison transitions en route to lawmakers this session
Members of a task force studying how people’s criminal records negatively impact their lives after prison have produced dozens of recommendations for mitigating this harm, including remedies for housing and employment discrimination.USA: des millions gagnés sur le dos des prisonniers via des services de messagerie payants
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
USA: prison américaine de Guantanamo: 18 années d'un trou noir juridique continu
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
USA: in Maryland, many juvenile offenders languish in prison without parole (video)
In collaboration with the University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, John Yang reports on the uncertain fate of prisoners who are still serving life sentences for crimes they committed as minors.USA: youth confinement
On any given day, over 48,000 youth in the United States are confined in facilities away from home as a result of juvenile justice or criminal justice involvement. Most are held in restrictive, correctional-style facilities, and thousands are held without even having had a trial.