The Truth About Deinstitutionalization
A popular theory links the closing of state psychiatric hospitals to the increased incarceration of people with mental illness. But the reality is more complicated.
Tina Tona
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Podcast: Should Intent Matter?
A widely criticized legal principle disproportionately puts youth of color and women behind bars. But is it the only way to hold police accountable when they kill?
America’s Rural-Jail-Death Problem
Every day, in small towns and cities across the country, thousands of people are booked into local jails, many for minor crimes. Some never come home.
Anissa Jordan Took Part in a Robbery. She Went to Prison for Murder.
The legal doctrine that allows people to be prosecuted for murder even if they didn’t kill anyone has fallen out of favor across the globe. In America, it remains common.
They Called for Help. They’d Always Regret It.
Two families called 911 to get help for their sons. They didn’t know that they’d be thrusting them into a complex and often brutal system.
An Alternative to Police That Police Can Get Behind
In Eugene, Oregon, a successful crisis-response program has reduced the footprint of law enforcement—and maybe even the likelihood of police violence.
When Mental Illness Becomes a Jail Sentence
Arrestees who are mentally incompetent to stand trial are supposed to be sent for treatment. But thousands are being warehoused in jails for months without a conviction.
The Tragedy of Mental Illness in American Prisons
At the time of his death, following a violent altercation with guards, Karl Taylor was one of thousands of mentally ill inmates who are confined to institutions that are supremely ill-equipped to handle them.
America’s Largest Mental Hospital Is a Jail
At Cook County, where a third of those incarcerated suffer from psychological disorders, officials are looking for ways to treat inmates less like prisoners and more like patients.