Prison

Angola Prison Lawsuit Poses Question: What Kind Of Medical Care Do Inmates Deserve?

6:15pm March 10, 2018

Prisoners have a constitutional right to health care, but inmates at Angola prison in Louisiana are suing for medical shortfalls that have allegedly caused "needless pain and suffering."

Queue Listen Now

Madison Jensen, 21, died on Dec. 1, 2016, of a cardiac arrhythmia due to dehydration and opiate withdrawal while in custody of the Duchesne County, Utah, jail.

National

Utah Jails, Prisons To Get New Safety Standards After Deaths And Controversy

1:46pm January 30, 2018

by Whittney Evans

Questions about the number of inmates dying in custody drew attention to the standards. A former Corrections chief said existing safety standards contained trade secrets, and would not release them.

Jymie Jimerson collects Willie Nelson memorabilia in her home in remembrance of her late husband, Steve, who was a fan.

Missouri Faces Costly Dilemma: How To Treat Inmates With Hepatitis C?

12:04pm January 19, 2018

by Alex Smith

Civil liberties groups in Missouri and at least five other states are suing to get more inmates treated with hepatitis drugs that are highly effective but quite expensive.

Pieces of cloth that Mansour Omari and other inmates at a notorious Syrian prison used to document the names of the "disappeared" held with them. They made ink out of blood from their bleeding gums and rust from the prison bars.

World News

Names Written In Blood And Rust: Documenting Syria's Disappeared

2:57pm December 07, 2017

by Martha Ann Overland

Political prisoner Mansour Omari hid the names of fellow inmates, penned in makeshift ink, in the lining of his shirt. Now free, he tries to keep a promise to ensure the world does not forget them.271

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The street where the body of Jeffrey Young was found in Dallas.

National

Why A Man Declared Innocent Can't Get Out Of Prison

4:36pm December 06, 2017

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Benjamine Spencer's case illustrates how difficult it can be for some prisoners in Texas to prove they did not commit a crime without new and unassailable evidence, such as DNA.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert leaves the Dirksen Federal Court House in a wheelchair after his sentencing on April 27, 2016 in Chicago, Ill. Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $250,000 to a victim's fund for breaking ban

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Transferred Out Of Prison

10:45am July 18, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Federal records show that Hastert, who has spent more than a year in prison, has been moved to a re-entry facility in Chicago. Hastert has admitted to paying hush money to cover up sexual abuse.

Waymann Washington, a 59-year-old prisoner at the Richland Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio, was sentenced in 2012 for drug trafficking and is currently earning an associates degree paid for through a federal Pell grant.

Earning A 2-Year Degree While Serving A 6-Year Sentence

10:34am July 07, 2017

by Lydia Emmanouilidou

An Obama-era program, which lets prisoners use Pell grants for college, is wrapping up its first year. So far, there's no indication whether the Trump administration will continue it past expiration.

After spending nearly 12 years apart, Five Mualimm-ak, 46, and his son Omar, 23, say their relationship is getting better and they're focusing on the present, not the past.

While He Was In Prison, His Son Grew Up; Now, 'They're Getting To Know Each Other'

5:08am July 07, 2017

By the time Five Mualimm-ak completed a sentence for weapons charges in 2012, he had served nearly a dozen years in prison. When he was released, his son Omar was already a senior in high school.

Crime
News

Report: Corruption Rampant Across NC Prisons

11:02am June 07, 2017

by Eddie Garcia

In 2009, reporter Ames Alexander received a letter that launched a multi-year investigation into corruption at the state's prisons.

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Cover detail from Becoming Ms. Burton, by Susan Burton and Cari Lynn

After 6 Prison Terms, A Former Inmate Helps Other Women Rebuild Their Lives

1:59pm May 16, 2017

by Terry Gross

For Susan Burton, getting on track after being released from prison was a daunting experience. Now she's determined to help other women follow in her footsteps. Her new memoir is Becoming Ms. Burton.