In 2019, local activists succeeded in stopping the construction of a new federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky. The prison was on track to be the most expensive federal prison ever constructed, with $510 million in allocated funding. The project had a powerful advocate in Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers, who […]
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It’s no secret West Virginia lawmakers are concerned about the state’s large incarcerated population. The Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety reports there are 5,300 people occupying the state’s 11 at-capacity prison facilities, and 4,980 people occupying its 10 regional jails, which on Monday were 19 percent overcapacity. One […]
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Sheriffs in multiple Alabama counties refuse to pay for some of their jail inmates’ health care needs. The inmates are personally billed, and their bills can end up with collection agencies while they are still behind bars, wrecking their credit. In Alabama, the county in which you’re arrested could be […]
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As the coal industry declines, rural communities are seeking new economic stability—but prisons may not be the answer. Big Sandy hides on a big hill. If you’re not looking for the federal prison, you’ll miss it easily. At first, all that can be seen above the soaring Kentucky cliffs, jagged […]
Read More Rural jails in Kentucky are increasingly relying on income derived from payments for holding state prisoners in county facilities, according to a new report by a think tank that advocates for criminal justice reform. To address overcrowding, states make payments to counties to hold convicted prisoners and pretrial detainees. States […]
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From the experience of a father’s forgiveness expressed with the pat of a hand, to a mother fixing your hair before the homecoming dance, to a brother holding you back from a schoolyard fight, our relationships with others are comprised of our shared sensory experiences. These formative life moments consist […]
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