Page 5 - Wanda Bertram News Today

Two companies shape what it’s like to be in prison in most of America. Their opacity gives them power.

Florida lawmakers are being asked to use the winter months to swiftly install air conditioning in prison housing units before the return of scorching summer temperatures. Ricky Dixon, secretary of the Department of Corrections, told a Senate committee 75% of Florida prison housing currently lacks air conditioning. Denise Rock, executive director of the advocacy group Florida Cares Charity Corp., a nonprofit working with people who are incarcerated and their families, said she is convinced the ...

North Dakota is releasing fewer prisoners on parole than it did before the coronavirus pandemic, but leaders are saying they believe they could get back to pre-COVID-19 numbers.

The lifetime likelihood of imprisonment for Black men has changed significantly from one generation to the next, according to The Sentencing Projects latest report. In 1981, one in three Black men was likely to be imprisoned at some point in his life. By 2001, the number decreased to one in five. ...

On this edition of Prison Pipeline: The Myths and Harms of Electronic Monitoring. The Prison Policy Initiative has released a report entitled “Not an alternative: The myths, harms, and expansion of pretrial electronic monitoring.” To learn more, host Doug McVay speaks with Wanda Bertram, Communications Strategist with the Prison Policy Initiative.

North Dakota tied for having the highest parole grant rate in the U.S. as of 2022, but its grant rate dropped 3% since 2019. It also released 23% fewer prisoners on parole, data showed.

A new law in Alabama is helping thousands regain their driving privileges after license suspension for debt-related reasons. Senate Bill 154 allows individuals to miss one court appearance or two payments before facing suspension. Previously, even a single missed payment or court date could result in a license being revoked. ...

The bond sale, if passed, would allow the Ada County Sheriff’s Office to expand the jail.

A new study of incarceration trends shows Black people in the Commonwealth are jailed at a rate nearly three times higher than their white peers, despite making up around 8% of the states population. The Prison Policy Initiative research found disparities in the criminal justice system have not changed over the past decade, despite debates about addressing mass incarceration. Wanda Bertram, communications strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, said decisions at a local level often dictat...

The Prison Policy Initiative research found disparities in the criminal justice system have not changed in the past decade, despite debates about addressing mass incarceration