The Vera Institute of Justice hosted this conversation between two people on the front lines of the movement to rethink solitary confinement in the U.S.—and the potential for reform.
Moderator
Bill Keller, The Marshall Project
Speakers
Commissioner W. David Guice
Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, North Carolina Department of Public Safety
Danny Murillo
Soros Justice Advocacy Fellow, The Opportunity Institute
Common Misconceptions and Emerging Safe Alternatives
While the precise number of people held on any given day in what’s commonly called solitary confinement—though also known as segregated or restricted housing—is not known with any certainty, estimates run between 80,000 to 100,000 in state and federal prisons. However, evidence mounts that the practice produces many unwanted and harmful outcomes—fo ...
Thirty-four people have died in county jails so far this year.
How are people dying?It typically takes months for Los Angeles County to publicly issue causes of death for people who have died in LA County jails. And even once autopsy reports are finalized, they don’t tell the whole story. When the coroner rules that a death is the result of “natural causes,” jail conditions can still be to blame. Researchers h ...
Finding employment after incarceration was already hard, but bias in AI hiring tools is making the job search more difficult. Policymakers must act now to prevent further harm.
For people leaving prison, finding a job is one of the strongest predictors of a successful return to community life. Research suggests formerly incarcerated employees can be a real asset in the workplace: a peer-reviewed 2018 study of entry-level hires found that employees with conviction histories stayed in their jobs longer and voluntarily quit ...