When a jail’s food budget falls short of nutritional standards, the problem is rarely just the price printed on a grocery invoice. It usually reflects a chain…
A routine booking at a local jail can create records that travel well beyond the courthouse. Names, fingerprints, photographs, dates of birth and arrest…
Court fines are often treated as a routine part of criminal sentencing, yet their effects can reach far beyond the courtroom. For people with little or no…
A high school equivalency credential can open an important door, but it cannot address every barrier a person may face during incarceration or after release.…
When one person is held in unsafe, degrading, or unlawful conditions, a coordinated letter-writing campaign can turn an isolated complaint into a visible…
When people picture mass incarceration, they often imagine long prison sentences, serious felony charges, and crowded facilities filled with men. That picture…
Louisiana’s habitual offender law allows prosecutors to seek enhanced penalties when a person with qualifying prior convictions is found guilty of a new…
Returning home from jail or prison can bring relief, uncertainty, and a long list of urgent decisions. A community reentry plan turns those decisions into…
For families of people held at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, a visit can be a vital connection to the outside world. A brief conversation may reassure a…
A jail medical unit operates at the intersection of healthcare and detention. Its staff may be managing diabetes, withdrawal, infections, mental health crises,…