Over the coming weeks, “Inside Out” will highlight the experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, look at efforts to improve local jail and prison facilities, and share the perspectives of Black correctional staffers and attorneys who work on change from within and activists who have dedicated their lives to shining a light on the inequities of the criminal justice system.
Black Death Row Author On Hunger Strike Over Missing Mail
Jarvis Jay Masters, a California death row inmate and author, is on a hunger strike at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown, protesting the disappearance of his mail and lack of transparency, while supporters are calling for a fair, independent and transparent investigation into the center’s mailroom operations.
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United Nations Expert Calls Out U.S. Incarceration Practices
By OBSERVER Newsroom After visiting numerous prisons across the United States, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on racism says the country makes it way too easy for people to receive death-by-incarceration prison sentences, especially Black and Latino people and women. The report, released in November, chronicles an independent human rights experts’ visit that took place…
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Holding It Down
By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Teah Hairston was given an assignment, literally and figuratively. The now Dr. Hairston wrote her 2021 dissertation on the issue of Black women and mass incarceration and has made it her life’s work to support those impacted by it. She earned a doctorate in sociology from the…
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Incarceration Became A Family Matter
By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Crystal Willis was used to making multiple treks to visit her son, driving for hours to reach him, but this time last year, the trip was different. It was different because this time he was able to come back with her. Dewayne Presley was released from a…
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Federal Public Defender Wants To See Change In Our Defense
By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Lawyers don’t always have the best reputations and public defenders are often portrayed as overworked and unprepared. Local attorney Jerome Price is working to change perceptions one case at a time. Price serves as first assistant federal defender for the Eastern District of California and while he’s…
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Educator Dwight Harvey Seeks Change In Approach To Discipline In Youth Corrections And Beyond
By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Preachers have other pastors they go to for spiritual guidance and professional athletes have personal trainers who help them stay in tip-top condition. Local educator Dwight Harvey employs the same concept and as a lifelong learner, continues to sharpen his skills to be of best service to…
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