May 14, 2023 by V Leigh

People w/ mental health conditions make up 53% of the population at Rikers. On average, they are held 61% longer. We pay $556,000 per person annually to keep them in jail. 90% on Rikers are held without conviction. By contrast, it costs ~$42k to put them in supportive housing.

NEW: Video reveals Indiana jail guards left Josh McLemore, 29, naked in solitary confinement for 3 weeks straight before he died of malnutrition. He was in a state of psychosis and had no bed or bathroom while trapped in a windowless cell w lights on 24/7https://t.co/zJbkW9mvVp
— Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) April 12, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

NEW from @TanaGaneva at @theappeal: A lawsuit filed today says that jail guards in Indiana locked a man in solitary while he had a psychotic break for three weeks, gave him no toilet access, & let him starve to death. We obtained graphic jail footage. https://t.co/cvBkE96Ef7
— Jerry Iannelli (@jerryiannelli) April 12, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

SCOOP: Texas prisons have killed the 3D denture program they started in 2019 after I found they were giving ppl pureed meals instead of 🦷

NOW they’re promising something better! They just wont give details 🫤

My last for @HoustonChron makes me sad https://t.co/RWBSHzCtDb
— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) April 12, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

This is WILD! Inmates from Brooklyn federal lockup paid low wages to do handiwork at apartment complex for jail staff – New York Daily News 1/3 https://t.co/TaLvzTVnSm
— Monifa Bandele (@MonifaBandele) April 23, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

People w/ mental health conditions make up 53% of the population at Rikers.

On average, they are held 61% longer.

We pay $556,000 per person annually to keep them in jail. 90% on Rikers are held without conviction.

By contrast, it costs ~$42k to put them in supportive housing.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 4, 2023

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

July 1, 2022 by V Leigh

The 13th Amendment didn’t completely abolish slavery & purposely excludes incarcerated individuals. A new ACLU report explores the use of prison labor across the U.S. & how prisoners make little to nothing for their work while incarcerated!

Another person died at Rikers today — a jail meant to hold people temporarily — the 8th person this year, the second in 24 hours. Have we become numb to the monotony of crises?
— Elizabeth Glazer (@LizGlazerNYC) June 21, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

NEW 🚨: In 3 days, 3 men died after being held on Rikers Island. Here’s what we know about them. Antonio Bradley, 28, was hanging in a Bronx courthouse cell for several mins before jail officers noticed him. He was brain dead & died in a hospital June 18: https://t.co/FrG19DxmVz
— Jan Ransom (@Jan_Ransom) June 22, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

the only “pre-existing condition” that is relevant is that Rikers is a torture chamber, DOC failed to take care of people forced into their care by prosecutors & courts, and the inherent violence of incarceration. https://t.co/ASqITbeyj6
— wongisms (@justwongisms) June 23, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Many people are aware that incarcerated people are forced to work at subminimum wage, but uh a lot of them are forced to work for no money at all, which sounds a lot like…https://t.co/bf4oMvPM9M
— s. e. smith (@sesmith) June 20, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

In the same 24 hours, scotus made abortion illegal in half the country and the Senate of the largest, most “progressive” state in the Union confirmed that yes, they would like to keep prison slavery in place. That’s sitting heavy with me today. #ACA3 #RoeVsWade #EndTheException pic.twitter.com/vXBjVeayPC
— Abolition is Not a Metaphor (@RoshanBliss) June 25, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The 13th Amendment didn’t completely abolish slavery & purposely excludes incarcerated individuals. A new ACLU report explores the use of prison labor across the U.S. & how prisoners make little to nothing for their work while incarcerated! Full report: https://t.co/QKdnMlyNba pic.twitter.com/GbHbl2xAHX
— ACLU of Nevada (@ACLUNV) June 27, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

December 18, 2021 by V Leigh

New year, new annual report! from The Bail Project

70% of people in jail are there for one reason: living in poverty.

Low-income Americans are sitting in jails for days, months, and even years simply because they can’t afford to pay high bail amounts.

And the bail industry is raking in billions. pic.twitter.com/AqlPkD7KxQ
— Brave New Films (@bravenewfilms) December 6, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

As you read these words, there are 400,000 human beings in cages separated from their families solely because they cannot pay cash bail, and the U.S. and the Philippines are the only two countries in the world that allow a for-profit cash bail industry.
— Alec Karakatsanis (@equalityAlec) December 6, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

End cash bail.

“Three people were out on bond following an investigation that alleged insurance fraud, credit card fraud and prostitution at a well-known Des Moines bail bond service.”https://t.co/Pr2t1Fsv4y
— Jill Lehmann (@justiceseeker78) December 17, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

New year, new annual report! 👏 Hear from our clients, have a look at our financials, our plans for the future, and more.
Read it here: https://t.co/fuRzGujIsE pic.twitter.com/nxHIuEbG3o
— The Bail Project (@bailproject) December 13, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

December 11, 2020 by V Leigh

Mass Incarceration: This is a moral outrage

In New York, Black people are 5 times more likely than whites to be incarcerated for technical violations.

That’s incarceration for noncriminal behaviors that violate (often onerous and overly burdensome) probation/parole rules. https://t.co/1kOHNd4NCs
— Prison Policy Init. (@PrisonPolicy) September 15, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The whistleblowing complaints of medical neglect, further findings, & a new @Kare11 investigation has led to the director of the Minnesota’s Department of Corrections (DOC) Inspection and Enforcement Unit being placed on administrative leave.

New Report: https://t.co/lY6YAAh0zW pic.twitter.com/4IvVEedhaS
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) September 29, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Most of the 700,000 people in jail are still eligible to vote, because they are in pretrial detention or serving sentences for minor offenses. But few can actually do so. “The de facto disenfranchisement of jailed citizens is a democratic failure.” https://t.co/7qhmD7Ltag
— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 24, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

80 percent of those who died of Covid-19 in Texas county jails were never convicted of a crime, a new report finds https://t.co/EjLpTPPQ4E
— Vox (@voxdotcom) November 12, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“80 percent of those who died of Covid-19 in Texas county jails were never convicted of a crime”

This is a moral outrage. https://t.co/rJMEpSxSsj
— Robert Greenwald (@robertgreenwald) November 16, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

New Orleans voters just elected a district attorney who has committed to ending mass incarceration.

Local elections matter. https://t.co/bksYgf6xTN
— ACLU (@ACLU) December 6, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Defund the police isn’t just a slogan.

It’s a demand to shift resources from incarceration and criminalization to education and emancipation.

It might not be good politics right now — but neither was abolition for decades before the civil war. Movements shift public opinion.
— Max Berger (@maxberger) December 2, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

August 2, 2020 by V Leigh

While we protest against police violence, let us also protest for those who die in custody

Some background: Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the *world.* Within that, black people are locked up at much higher rates. pic.twitter.com/Wcc85JCOwM
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) May 19, 2017

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While we protest against police violence, let us also protest for those who die in custody because of negligence and indifference. https://t.co/9v7cfFUBT6
— Jenn Budd ✊🏻 (@BuddJenn) June 15, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Our client Carl Stephens was convicted in 1993 of possessing cocaine residue & stealing cigarettes – acts for which he received a 50-year sentence without the possibility of parole. On Wednesday, after 26 years of imprisonment, he walked free. Happy Liberation Day Mr. Stephens! pic.twitter.com/OMN8XRILcR
— Southern Center for Human Rights (@southerncenter) June 19, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Tucson Police in Turmoil After Death of Latino Man in Custody – The New York Times https://t.co/wFuJ73ECtD
— glenn robinson (@glncv) June 25, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

December 3, 2019 by V Leigh

It makes no rational sense to invest more in keeping people in prison than keeping them in school.

And… cutting the current population down by 50% doesn't even get us close to the U.S. incarceration rate in 1970 which was much much lower. A 50% cut means the U.S. will STILL remain the largest jailer in the world. People need to understand this. https://t.co/A7T2m2I2i3

— #AbolitionMeansNoPrisons (@prisonculture) November 14, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

People incarcerated in West Virginia prisons will soon be charged $3 an hour to read books and $15 an hour for video visitation with their families.

Prisoners in West Virginia are paid between 4 and 58 cents an hour for their labor.

https://t.co/va319pC5M8

— Rebecca J. Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) November 23, 2019

Three men who were falsely convicted of murder in Maryland have been freed. They have served 36 years in prison. They were sentenced in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy.

Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby said “police and prosecutorial misconduct” was to blame. pic.twitter.com/8YUBC5i7Np

— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 26, 2019

Yes, it’s a gateway to a prison cell and a permanent record for a disproportionate number of black and brown men. But, go ahead Mr Crime Bill, we wouldn’t want to starve the beast known as the prison industrial complex… https://t.co/lG5mQNyxGF

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) November 18, 2019

Last year South Carolina spent:

$21,756 per prison inmate
$11,552 per student

It makes no rational sense to invest more in keeping people in prison than keeping them in school.

As president, I will do everything I can to reverse this absurdity.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 1, 2019

March 23, 2019 by V Leigh

We gave every state’s parole system a letter grade. Most states failed.

NEW 50-state analysis: We gave every state’s parole system a letter grade. Most states failed.

Why investigate the parole process? Because, to incarcerated people, it can mean the difference between hope and despair. It deserves more of our attention.https://t.co/tImwSZb2Cw

— Prison Policy Init. (@PrisonPolicy) February 26, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon says that bail bondsmen in the state have been overcharging clients and must start issuing refunds. Donelon estimates that refunds could go to approximately 50,000 clients at a cost of nearly $6 million. https://t.co/CtlCW8m2pF

— The Appeal (@theappeal) February 21, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Needed: A tech upgrade and an end to overdetention in the Louisiana Department of Corrections. “Every week over the last decade, prison staff found at least one person who had been kept in jail or prison longer than their sentence required.” https://t.co/QKVomTVTKv

— The Appeal (@theappeal) February 26, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Repeat: Kalief Browder was locked up *pretrial* on $3500 bail he couldn’t afford for stealing a backpack *for longer than Manafort will now serve in prison* including time he already has in. Kalief was innocent. He later committed suicide. https://t.co/vE82ro6u1X

— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) March 8, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Former Milwaukee County corrections officer James Lee Ramsey-Guy was sentenced to 30 days in prison in the dehydration death of Terrill Thomas, 36, at the jail. In 2016, Ramsey-Guy, who worked under Sheriff David Clarke, shut off the water in Thomas' cell. https://t.co/zF7PQDdtlK

— The Appeal (@theappeal) March 8, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Paul Manafort is a rich white man who stole millions, tampered witnesses & undermined US democracy. He got 4 years in prison.

Crystal Mason is a black woman who mistakenly cast a ballot in a local election. She got 5 YEARS.

Never tell me there is equal justice in this country. pic.twitter.com/7pHUxny6ig

— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) March 8, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

February 16, 2019 by V Leigh

In some cases, inmates have served more time awaiting trial than they would have for the crimes they are accused of committing.

America’s bail system is a war on the poor. Let’s get rid of it https://t.co/qlhTwvHLBY #SoJustBail #SaturdaySchool

— Rhonda Ragsdale (@profragsdale) March 31, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

"… innocent people… plead guilty, simply so they can get out of jail with time served. In some cases, inmates have served more time awaiting trial than they would have for the crimes they are accused of committing."#SaturdaySchool #SoJustBail https://t.co/fI05fLJtYs

— Andrew H. (@CobaltTiNor) March 31, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Denver settles lawsuit with man jailed for five days because he couldn't pay a $50 bail fee. The man was also assessed a $25 public defender fee. As part of the settlement, Denver agreed to no longer hold inmates who paid bond but could not afford the fee. https://t.co/638YlzRgJB

— Ethan Brown (@ethanbrown72) December 27, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

From June to October, a total of six prisoners died in Ohio's Cuyahoga County jails. Three prisoners died in one week. “I’m not sending anybody else to this hellhole of a jail, unless it’s a violent felony,” one judge said. https://t.co/brmTsp3hjR

— The Appeal (@theappeal) December 23, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Lanekia Michelle Brown, 37, died at the Madison County, Mississippi Detention Center; she was 3-4 weeks pregnant and complained of stomach pains. “I need to know what happened to her…they won’t tell me or give me no information. That’s my child." https://t.co/wLEnq7CmP6

— Ethan Brown (@ethanbrown72) December 25, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

We're not the only ones fighting inhumane conditions in prison. An investigation by @virginianpilot found horrific deaths & brutal treatment of people with mental illness in jails across the US—just one of piece we recommend in our #SPLCWinterReadingList https://t.co/BmH1q42DIh pic.twitter.com/HdPrKdwYdo

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) December 25, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Lanekia Brown, a Black woman, locked in a Mississippi jail. Pregnant. Complaining of stomach pains. Seen by a jail nurse, but not taken to a hospital. Lanekia died. A pregnant white woman in the jail complained of pain, was taken to a hospital & survived. https://t.co/UoqtVEo1DI

— The Appeal (@theappeal) January 3, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A man filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Hampton Roads jail after he says their neglect caused him to lose a foot. In late Jan., the jail paid $3 million to the family of a man who died at the jail while being held for stealing $5 worth of 'snacks.' https://t.co/lD23VimoCe

— The Appeal (@theappeal) February 14, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

February 12, 2019 by V Leigh

The call for prison reform

Efrain Romero de la Rosa committed suicide after being held in solitary confinement for 3 weeks at Stewart Detention Center. We're already suing the private prison company, CoreCivic, that operates Stewart + forces the immigrants detained there to run it. https://t.co/CUXuQ55lTf

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) December 18, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A 61-year-old woman died in a San Antonio jail last week. She was charged with trespassing, her first arrest. She had been held *since July* on a $300 bond – she apparently didn't have the $30 that would have sprung her. So many needless jail deaths. https://t.co/w7GS1FukjJ

— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) December 18, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Family of Janice Dotson-Stephens, who died at TX jail while held on $300 bail in trespass case, say they didn't know she was jailed. "She had…family who would have easily paid…to get her out of jail if that’s what we had to do to take the next step.” https://t.co/ZiENHVjiM1

— Ethan Brown (@ethanbrown72) December 18, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Two Florida correctional officers charged by feds with violating the civil rights of kids locked up at the South Florida Reception Center after ushering them into a broom closet and striking them with fists and a broomstick. https://t.co/lOypXYI6RA

— Ethan Brown (@ethanbrown72) December 18, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

In 1 day, a New Mexico prison had 2 suicides in solitary confinement. New Mexico uses solitary confinement at one of the highest rates in the nation. https://t.co/thz23wrYHX by @kira_lerner

— The Appeal (@theappeal) January 29, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

. @REFORM 1 in 5 African Americans are sentenced to a life in prison. Have you screened our film series on prison reform yet? #JusticeInCrisis https://t.co/2zKpnbJDHi

— Brave New Films (@bravenewfilms) February 1, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

I break down NY’s unfair evidence laws in 5 minutes. “In NY people accused of crimes are denied all info until their trial begins. The result: NY has the 2d highest wrongful conviction rate in the country.” In 2019 we change things: https://t.co/92KprIBpp8 pic.twitter.com/4EmXyCwOpE

— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) February 1, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“The prisoners, who could see the protest from their cells, responded by banging against the metal bars on their windows, a haunting call and response that hinted at the mass of humanity inside, and out.” https://t.co/p69Fb9IB7V

— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) February 4, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

November 12, 2018 by V Leigh

News of the prison and justice system

The US is the only country in the world that allows its courts to sentence youth to die in prison. Washington joined 20 states to end this injustice. When will other states follow suit? https://t.co/Y0dftvcAv0

— Brave New Films (@bravenewfilms) October 19, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

As a teen, Pedro Hernandez spent 12 months at Rikers unable to make bail. This summer, we reported that documents revealed that the Bronx DA was still withholding key evidence in his case. This last week the DA agreed to dismiss his remaining charges. https://t.co/CjPf3V9ugm

— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 14, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

If incarcerated Pennsylvanians want to read, they now must come up with $147 to purchase a tablet and then pay a private company for electronic versions of their reading material. And keep in mind, incarcerated people are paid less than $1 per hour. https://t.co/DyNVC7ssAV

— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 15, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

8. African Americans are exponentially more likely to be wrongly convicted (and executed) for crimes they never committed.

SOURCE: https://t.co/CkbWz12i3Z

SOURCE: https://t.co/6wAVpi10Bb

SOURCE: https://t.co/68DdGoTUa4 #WhyWeSayBlackLivesMatter

— Shaun King (@shaunking) April 21, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A few months ago, someone slipped me a copy of a grievance against a Harris County judge. I started digging, went down a data rabbit hole & ended up w/this story. One finding: 96% of the kids the cty sent to juvy prison last year were children of color. https://t.co/mzSoCaV34I

— Keri Blakinger (@keribla) October 21, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Forced, sudden withdrawal in jail can be deadly. In Colorado, Tyler Tabor died of dehydration in jail after experiencing painful opiate withdrawal symptoms for three days. Nearly all withdrawal deaths, especially those due to dehydration, are preventable. https://t.co/V1QmDdktdV

— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 15, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

How America Systematically Fails Survivors of Sexual Violence | American Civil Liberties Union
See more at -> #SoJustSystemic https://t.co/bis8xvrnG7

— Rhonda Ragsdale (@profragsdale) October 17, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“Many reformers rightly point out that an ankle bracelet is preferable to a prison cell. Yet I find it difficult to call this progress. As I see it, digital prisons are to mass incarceration what Jim Crow was to slavery.“ – Michelle Alexander https://t.co/F5KNnhOx8V

— The Appeal (@theappeal) November 10, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The prison system sees us as easy targets. Trans and queer folks are stalked and preyed upon by police.

-Keira Dixon with @YouthBreakOUT on how trans and queer bodies are used to support the the prison industrial complex NOLA pic.twitter.com/3eElk77pgZ

— Rinku Sen (@rinkuwrites) November 9, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Oppression Monitor Daily

A Community Village Site

prison

People w/ mental health conditions make up 53% of the population at Rikers. On average, they are held 61% longer. We pay $556,000 per person annually to keep them in jail. 90% on Rikers are held without conviction. By contrast, it costs ~$42k to put them in supportive housing.

Like this:

The 13th Amendment didn’t completely abolish slavery & purposely excludes incarcerated individuals. A new ACLU report explores the use of prison labor across the U.S. & how prisoners make little to nothing for their work while incarcerated!

Like this:

New year, new annual report! from The Bail Project

Like this:

Mass Incarceration: This is a moral outrage

Like this:

While we protest against police violence, let us also protest for those who die in custody

Like this:

It makes no rational sense to invest more in keeping people in prison than keeping them in school.

Like this:

We gave every state’s parole system a letter grade. Most states failed.

Like this:

In some cases, inmates have served more time awaiting trial than they would have for the crimes they are accused of committing.

Like this:

The call for prison reform

Like this:

News of the prison and justice system

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: