This report was published in response to House Concurrent Resolution No. 89 (HCR89), which was passed by the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2021. HCR89 directed PJIL to work with the Louisiana Sheriffs Association and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections to expand upon Louisiana's Basic Jail Guidelines (BJG). In this report, Michele and Alycia recommend modifications to the BJG, changes to existing methods of enforcement, and pathways for expanding programming in local jails.

PJIL Director Michele Deitch calls for oversight in Alabama prisons in story of prison labor strike.

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.

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.

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.

PJIL's Michele discusses the impact that correctional education programs like prison literacy efforts can have on recidivism.

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.