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Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’

Nov. 4, 2022
“We literally do not have the means to assess the safety or dangerousness of a facility in any comparative way.” - PJIL Director Michele Deitch
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The False Promise of a Progressive Sheriff

Nov. 3, 2022
“There is something fundamentally incongruous about putting a politician in charge of the care of people in custody,” said PJIL Director Michele Deitch
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East Texas nonprofit hopes small loans and job training will ease the hardships of leaving prison

Oct. 12, 2022
“We make it so impossible for people to start over again, and of course that just pushes people back into the underground economy and illegal ways of making a living.” - PJIL Director Michele Deitch
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'I'm fighting for my life': Inside Alabama's prisons during ongoing labor strike

Sept. 29, 2022
PJIL Director Michele Deitch calls for oversight in Alabama prisons in story of prison labor strike.
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Does corporal punishment help correct behavior at schools? Studies say no

Aug. 31, 2022
"any move towards corporal punishment would be a real setback to those gains that have been made and that really have been in the right direction," - PJIL Director Michele Deitch
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People Say They Languish in Texas Prisons’ ‘Mental Health’ Unit

Aug. 22, 2022
Alycia Welch is quoted in this article on the state of mental health in Texas prisons. She addresses the role of staffing issues in TDCJ's unsafe working and living conditions. PJIL's publication on COVID-related staff deaths, Canary in the Coal Mine, is also featured in the article.
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Information about COVID-19 in jails is lacking nationwide

Aug. 19, 2022
"policymakers have no way to assess the risk to incarcerated people and staff in these facilities and no information to guide an appropriate policy response" - PJIL Director Michele Deitch
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Hays County Inmate Is Left to Rot in Jail

Aug. 19, 2022
"Most jails don't have functioning health care systems," said PJIL Director Michele Deitch. "They are not identifying people's medical needs. They're not addressing those needs"
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New details emerge on death of man held in Dauphin County Prison

Aug. 9, 2022
This investigative story about an in-custody death highlights the use of force on people with mental health problems. PJIL's Michele criticizes the use of jails as de facto mental health facilities and highlights how they can exacerbate these issues.
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State review shows Mecklenburg jail continues to miss many safety checks

Aug. 8, 2022
In a news story on safety checks in North Carolina jails, Michele comments on the role of understaffing in deficiencies in safety checks. Michele previously served as a court-appointed prison monitor in that state.