Prison
Why is Michigan Failing to Compensate the Wrongly Convicted?
The state can provide $50,000 for each year of incarceration, but the law’s narrow criteria and confusion over eligibility leave former prisoners facing another system that seems stacked against them.
He Fled a Traffic Stop in Louisiana. Now He’s in Prison for Life.
After 12 years behind bars, Markus Lanieux thought he had a deal for his release. Then Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed a legal challenge that could derail hope for those imprisoned under the state's "three strikes" sentencing rules.
Local Reporting Network
Roadside Drug Tests Used to Convict People Aren’t Particularly Accurate. Courts Are Beginning to Prevent Their Use.
Field test kits provide the evidence most commonly used to secure convictions in drug cases in the U.S. One judge called the tests “arbitrary and unlawful guesswork.”
She Reported Her Medication Was Stolen at a Halfway House. She Was Blamed Instead.
Colorado halfway houses are required to have grievance policies for residents to file complaints. Many residents say they stay quiet out of fear of retaliation or being expelled, which can result in being incarcerated.
Impact of Our Reporting
Colorado Lawmakers Mandate Audit of Halfway Houses Following ProPublica Investigation
The facilities often lack adequate employment training and effective drug treatment while residents are burdened with debt. A lack of transparency, limiting lawmakers’ ability to gauge their effectiveness, has been a barrier to reform.
Michigan Proposes Juvenile Justice Reforms
The story of Grace, the Michigan teen detained for not doing her online schoolwork during the pandemic, has prompted a series of juvenile justice reforms.
Conditions at Mississippi’s Most Notorious Prison Violate the Constitution, DOJ Says
“The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision,” the report said.
Local Reporting Network
