Category Archives: Prisons and Prisoners

Queer History in New York’s “House of D”

NPR’s Fresh Air recently aired a segment called The Queer History of the Women’s House of Detention (May 16, 2022). Terry Gross interviewed Hugh Ryan, the author of  The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison. … Continue reading

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Making the Case of a Constitutional Right to Menstrual Products for Prisoners and Detainees: Flores v. City of New York (E.D. N.Y. Feb. 19, 2021)

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a ruling last week that plaintiff Jennifer Flores can move forward with her suit alleging violations of her constitutional rights by failing to provide her with access … Continue reading

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Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, “The Fight for Menstrual Equity Continues in 2021”

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (NYU Brennan Center and Period Equity) has published a new op-ed in Marie Claire. Here’s what she calls “the five menstrual equity policies we should commit to fighting for in 2021:” End the Tampon Tax Across the U.S. … Continue reading

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Posted in Activism, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Primary and Secondary Education, Prisons and Prisoners, Women and Economics, Women's Health | Comments Off on Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, “The Fight for Menstrual Equity Continues in 2021”

CFP-Prison Abolition, Human Rights, and Penal Reform: From the Local to the Global

Bumping to the front; submission deadline 7/15 From colleagues at the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law: Prison Abolition, Human Rights, and Penal Reform: From the … Continue reading

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Bra-Gate: A 2019 Tale of Institutional Misogyny (@JCSherriffOffice)

by JoAnne Sweeny Back in May 2019, the Jackson County Detention Center, without any warning to local attorneys, instituted a new security policy that requires all visitors, including inmates’ attorneys, to pass through a metal detector.  Seems reasonable in theory … Continue reading

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Posted in Criminal Law, Employment Discrimination, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Feminism and the Workplace, If you're a woman, Legal Profession, Prisons and Prisoners | Comments Off on Bra-Gate: A 2019 Tale of Institutional Misogyny (@JCSherriffOffice)

History of Forced Sterilizations in California: No Justice Yet

Over at governing.com, writer Chris Kardish writes about how different states have approached forced sterilization and compensation for its victims: Forced sterilization by the government sounds like a ghastly practice that ought to be safely locked away in the distant … Continue reading

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The Conditions for Women in Chinese Prisons May Be Improving

At least according to this NYT article. There is also some comparative information including the claim that women are not shackled during childbirth in Chinese prisons, and this: In the United States and in China, women now account for about … Continue reading

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Punitive Pink Prison Pants?

Providing male pre-trial detainees with pink garments is apparently “punishment without legal justification,” so says the Ninth Circuit. Read Ruthann Robson’s commentary on Wagner v. County of Maricopa here. -Bridget Crawford AP image

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Correlation is not Causation

Why, why, why do people continue to ignore this simple rule–including people who presumably know better but who invoke a correlation as a lazy rhetorical device? In The Atlantic this month, neuroscientist David Eagleman writes about biological bases for criminal … Continue reading

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Posted in Acts of Violence, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Science, Masculinity, Prisons and Prisoners, Race and Racism | 1 Comment

CFP: Incarcerated Mothers: Oppression and Resistance

From the FLP mailbox: CALL FOR PAPERS Demeter Pressis seeking submissions for an edited collection on: Incarcerated Mothers: Oppression and Resistance. Co-Editors: Gordana Eljdupovic and Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich. Publication Date: 2012 Deadline for abstracts: May 31, 2011. A large proportion – … Continue reading

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Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, Feminism and Families, Prisons and Prisoners | 1 Comment

Jail for Getting Pregnant + Dying in Police Custody = Major Human Rights Violation

Amy Gillespie stole shampoo and steak from a grocery store.  She subsequently was arrested for prostitution.  She was placed on probation but then jailed for getting pregnant, a violation of the terms of the probation.  One guard allegedly told Ms. … Continue reading

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Posted in Prisons and Prisoners, Reproductive Rights | 1 Comment

Prison Parenting in Texas

From time to time there are glimmers of hope in the often bleak landscape of Texas criminal justice policy. Rarely do those glimmers also resonate positively – much less progressively – with the welfare of women and children. But this … Continue reading

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