prison-reform
Hunger strike ends at Pa. prison; organizers proclaim it a success
The hunger strike by more than 20 incarcerated men at State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County over prolonged solitary confinement is now over.
Report: Pa. Legislature a ‘bipartisan criminal offense factory’ that drives up costs, doesn’t fix crime | Wednesday Morning Coffee
"Ending Pennsylvania’s public policy of mass incarceration begins with the Legislature," the report by the ACLU-PA concludes.
‘These folks are not Hannibal Lecter’: Push to reform Pa. second-degree murder statute continues
“We finally have to invest in our communities to do everything possible to interrupt a vicious cycle,” House Minority Leader JoannaMcClinton said.
Report: Pa. has 2nd highest number of people in U.S. serving life without parole | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Black Pennsylvanians are 21 times more likely to be sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder than white people, research found.
Inmate Mental Health: The other public health crisis in Pa.’s prisons and jails | Opinion
Stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania prisons and jails and alleviating mental health crises are not mutually exclusive projects.
Pgh advocates gather 65K signatures for no-knock warrant ban and solitary confinement limit ballot initiatives
Pittsburgh City Council has also shown support for a no-knock warrant ban, and has introduced legislation to ban Pittsburgh Police officers from doing that practice.
Philly summit will highlight impact of mass incarceration on communities
“We may use our voices differently, nonetheless all of our voices are necessary to begin to eradicate the current system and start anew,” an organizer said.
Report: Nearly 200 pardons still await Wolf’s signature | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Last year, the board approved nearly 300 applications, The Appeal's Joshua Vaughn reported. Of those, 177 still await Gov. Tom Wolf's signature.
Dialing for dollars: Allegheny Co. will make $4.3M from contract providing phone service to county jail inmates
The money headed into the county's coffers will be coming directly out of the pockets of incarcerated people and their families
Panel looks at the state of policing and incarceration of Black people during COVID-19
By Atiya Irvin-Mitchel PITTSBURGH — A few weeks ago, prior to a trip to the grocery store with his family, Jerry Dickinson says he hesitated before wearing his face-mask out in public. On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that citizens wear face-masks out in public to slow the spread of COVID-19. […]
‘It could have been me’: Why we need to reform solitary confinement in Pennsylvania | Opinion
The trauma that solitary confinement inflicts upon individuals is unacceptable.
Locked up for being poor, Philly’s Maurice Hudson is free
Hudson, 29, was sentenced in 2009 to two to four years in prison for his role as a lookout in a robbery. But he he has been out on probation.