Articles
Prison Conditions and BOP News
Articles filed under Prison Conditions, newest first.
- Why Releasing More People Was the Best Way to Slow COVID-19 in Prisons
A 2020 article in The Lancet argued that releasing more people from prisons and jails was the most effective way to slow COVID-19 behind bars.
- A Court Ruled People in Prison Were Owed 2020 Stimulus Payments
In September 2020, a federal judge ordered the IRS to stop denying the $1,200 CARES Act payment to people just because they were in prison.
- People in Prison Died of COVID-19 at Twice the Rate of the Public
In 2020, people in U.S. prisons died of COVID-19 at about twice the rate of people outside, even after adjusting for age, sex and race.
- Fewer Americans Were in Prison, Jail or on Probation in 2018
The number of U.S. adults in prison, in jail or on probation or parole fell 2.1% from 2017 to 2018, mostly because fewer people were on community supervision.
- How Overuse of Solitary Confinement Spread COVID-19 at a BOP Medical Center
A man held at a BOP medical center says staff spread COVID-19 by overusing solitary confinement, against the BOP's own policy and CDC guidance.
- How COVID-19 Spread Through FCI Seagoville: An Account From Inside
By July 2020, more than 800 of about 1,500 men at FCI Seagoville had tested positive, and one of them describes how lax masking and late testing let it happen.
- How Courts Used Compassionate Release to Fix Unfair Sentences in 2020
Once the First Step Act let prisoners file their own motions, some judges used compassionate release to cut sentences they saw as unfair, though later rulings have narrowed that path.
- A Letter From FCI Seagoville: How the Prison Failed to Stop COVID-19
A man held at FCI Seagoville wrote that unmasked staff and untested transfers spread COVID-19 through his building, after a judge denied his compassionate release request.
- Life on COVID-19 Lockdown at FCI Seagoville: One Man's Account
In July 2020, Anthony Accurso wrote from FCI Seagoville that men were locked down, services were cut, and no one he knew had been sent home.
- Prison Labor: Job Training or Exploitation?
Prison jobs can train people for life after release or turn them into cheap labor, and programs in Peru and federal prison pay in the U.S. show both sides.
- Three Months Locked in a Cell: COVID-19 Lockdown at FCI Petersburg
In July 2020, Kelly Jones wrote from FCI Petersburg that he had spent three months locked in his cell, cut off from visits, with few chances to shower or go outside.
- The BOP's Plan to Scan Incoming Prisoner Mail Instead of Delivering Paper
In early 2020, the BOP asked vendors how it could scan incoming prisoner mail and deliver it on screens, with the stated goal of stopping drug contraband.
- The First Step Act in July 2019: 3,100 Releases, Crack Sentence Cuts and the PATTERN Tool
In July 2019, the Justice Department announced more than 3,100 releases, 1,691 crack sentence reductions and PATTERN, the risk tool behind First Step Act time credits.
- Congress's 2017 Hearing on Halfway House Cuts Brought Few Answers
Families hoped a December 2017 House hearing would hold the BOP accountable for cutting halfway house time, but it brought mostly soundbites and soft questions.
- Why the BOP Cut Halfway House Time in 2017: Two Internal Memos
Two internal BOP memos from October 2017 blamed budget limits and crowding for cutting halfway house time, and predicted average stays would fall to about 120-125 days.
- The 2017 Federal Budget Gave the Federal Prison System Over $7 Billion
The 2017 federal budget gave the Federal Prison System just over $7 billion for salaries and expenses, with little change from prior years.
- Leavenworth Prison Guard Sentenced for Smuggling Tobacco to Inmates
Marc Buckner, a former guard at USP Leavenworth, got three years in federal prison for taking bribes to smuggle tobacco to inmates.
- Opening a Prisoner's Legal Mail Outside His Presence May Violate the Sixth Amendment
In 2017, the Ninth Circuit held that prisoners have a Sixth Amendment right to be present when legal mail about a criminal case is inspected.