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.
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.
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.
Michele calls attention to how a family's grief of an incarcerated loved one's death can be made worse by the way the news is delivered. She advocates for death notifications to be as quick and empathetic as possible.
Hundreds await a state psychiatric hospital bed while in county jail anywhere from months to more than 800 days, raising health and legal concerns. PJIL's associate director, Alycia Welch, explains the state of competency restoration in Texas and offers recommendations for improvement.
Michele and PJIL researcher Benny Hernandez III were interviewed about excessive temperatures in the Texas Criminal Justice Department. Benny recounts his personal experiences trying to stay cool in prison during the summer months.
