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News Articles: prison reform

Jamariel Hobbs poses for a portrait in Covington, Ga., Dec. 18, 2024.

Georgia cuts loose more people from probation after a fitful start

The state with the highest per capita number of people on probation is trying to lower that number. Georgia has been working to implement reforms since 2017.

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Georgia Department of Corrections cadets and trainers before the 2010 ribbon cutting for the department's training facility and offices in Forsyth. A labor strike of the incarcerated would come about month later. GDC lost over 2,000 correctional officers in the following year.

Gov. Kemp recommends adding $372 million to shore up Georgia prisons

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has released his recommendations for spending more adding $372 million in spending to strengthen Georgia prisons.

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Senator Jon Ossoff speaks at the Martin Luther King Jr, National Historical Park to announce a prison reform bill has become law on August 7, 2024.

Ossoff joins Georgia civil rights leaders to announce federal prison reform bill signed into law

Sen. Jon Ossoff joined Georgia civil rights leaders this Tuesday to announce his criminal justice reform bill has been signed into law.

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Isaac Lester carries a photo of his son, Isaac Lester, Jr., as he and other prison rights advocates march to the entrance of the Georgia State Capitol. Lester says his son died from an acute asthma attack because the prison where he was incarcerated did not have adequate health care.

Georgia prisons are full and understaffed. Families of the incarcerated want that message heard

There are now almost 51,000 people incarcerated by the state of Georgia — but too little staff and too much violence.

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Hands behind bars

McBath, Ossoff reintroduce prison oversight bill

Two Democratic members of Georgia’s congressional delegation introduced legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight of the federal prison system.

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Chairman Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., questions Michael Carvajal, the outgoing director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as the Senate Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations holds a hearing on charges of corruption and misconduct at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, at the Capitol in Washington, July 26, 2022.

Senators push new oversight to combat federal prison crises

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons.

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In September 1971, prisoners at Attica prison in update New York revolted in protest of inhumane living conditions.

How the Attica prison uprising started — and why it still resonates today

A new documentary goes behind the walls of the deadly 1971 uprising. Attica filmmaker Stanley Nelson and former prisoner Arthur Harrison reflect on the five-day revolt, and its lasting legacy.

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  • Dave Davies
Anthony Bottom, who now goes by the name Jalil Muntaqim, was interviewed in New York state prison in 2018. He's going home on parole after more than four decades behind bars.

N.Y. Parole Of Former Black Panther Activist Who Murdered 2 Cops Sparks Reform Debate

Anthony Bottom, 68, is at the center of a discussion over elderly inmates convicted of violent crimes in their youth. Reform advocates say after decades behind bars most should go home.

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  • Brian Mann
The Atlanta City Detention Center Task Force will help decide what to do with the Atlanta Detention Center, which will be closed and repurposed.

Atlanta Jail Task Force Holds Fourth Public Meeting

The Atlanta City Detention Center Task Force held its fourth public meeting Tuesday night. The group is coming up with new uses for the detention center...

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Faith leaders and activists from all around the state are in Atlanta to explore ways to end mass incareration at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Ebenezer Baptist Church Hosts 'Ending Mass Incarceration' Conference In Atlanta

This week, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta will host the ‘Ending Mass Incarceration’ Conference.

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Georgia has the ninth-highest rate of incarceration in the nation, with about 52,000 people in 33 prisons.

Lock ‘Em Up At Any Cost? Ga. Study Suggests Most Wouldn't

“Lock ‘em up and throw away the key!” That’s the attitude many people take toward criminals — before they consider the cost of incarceration to...

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Georgia Agrees To Improve Solitary Confinement Conditions

Corrections officials have agreed to improve conditions for prisoners in Georgia's most restrictive solitary confinement facility, which an expert had...

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  • Associated Press
Pat Turner, left, hugs Anthony Ray Hinton as he leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham, Alabama.

Exonerated After 30 Years On Death Row, 'The Sun Does Shine' For Anthony Ray Hinton

For nearly three decades, Anthony Ray Hinton lived on Alabama's death row. When he was convicted in 1985 for allegedly murdering two restaurant managers...

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Morehouse Lab Uses Data To Promote Prison Alternatives

Computer Science students at Morehouse College are working on a project to help save young minority men from incarceration. They have created a tool...

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