New data: Solitary confinement increases risk of premature death after release

Any amount of time spent in solitary confinement increases the risk of death after release from prison, including deaths by suicide, homicide, and opioid overdose. by Andrea Fenster, October 13, 2020 A recently published study of people released from North Carolina prisons confirms what many have long suspected: solitary confinement   increases the risk of premature death, even…

Tracking responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

The Prison Policy Initiative is tracking responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prisons and jails are amplifiers of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, because the conditions that can keep diseases from spreading – such as social distancing – are nearly impossible to achieve in correctional facilities. So what should criminal justice agencies be doing to protect public health?…