"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

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.

“'Working at a fast food chain, for instance, may pay very similarly to a frontline corrections officer position,' Welch said. But prisons are crowded and hard places to work and staff are working with people who are 'potentially not receiving the services and resources that they need. And so, you know, conditions where people are getting aggressive, and you’re having to sort of argue with people. I mean, that’s tough conditions to be working in.'”

"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"

"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

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.

“It makes it impossible for attorneys to effectively represent their clients if they cannot have that confidential communication with them,” - PJIL Director Michele Deitch

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.

PJIL is featured in a news story on the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons. Michele highlights the risk of heat-related illnesses for both the incarcerated as well as the employees.

Linn County Jail (Iowa) reports an alarming number of in-custody deaths. Michele notes that the highly surveilled, closed environment of a jail should prevent deaths. She also advocates for the independent investigation of deaths behind bars.