Brian Sonenstein

Brian Sonenstein is the publishing editor at Shadowproof and a columnist at Prison Protest.

Prisoners Are Facing Crackdowns for Speaking Publicly About National Strike

The severe disciplinary action is illustrative of the absurd lengths to which prison officials will go to prevent prisoners from speaking about the upcoming strike.

August 22nd, 2018

By Brian Sonenstein

Prisoners Are Facing Crackdowns for Speaking Publicly About National Strike

Ohio prison officials revoked phone access for one year and suspended other privileges for an incarcerated activist, who spoke publicly in support of a nationwide prison protest scheduled to begin August 21. Siddique Abdullah Hasan has advocated prisoner resistance for decades from death row at the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he has lived

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Nationwide Prison Strike Begins in at Least Seventeen States

Ten demands were chosen for their broad appeal to incarcerated people being held in different contexts across the nation.

August 21st, 2018

By Brian Sonenstein

Nationwide Prison Strike Begins in at Least Seventeen States

Incarcerated people in at least seventeen states are expected to protest from August 21 to September 9 for “humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform, and the end of modern day slavery.” Organizers told Shadowproof their demands don’t represent a full solution to the problems of incarceration. However, they are a

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The U.S. Has Been in the Business of Breaking Up Families For Years

ICE under Obama averaged 309,887 arrests per year from 2009-2012, while ICE under Trump averaged 139,553 in 2017.

June 14th, 2018

By Brian Sonenstein

The U.S. Has Been in the Business of Breaking Up Families For Years

CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein about a bill she introduced, which would prohibit the federal government from separating immigrant children from their families during arrests at ports of entry or within 100 miles of the border of the United States. As he asked his question, Tapper brought up a photo taken in 2014 of

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US Department of Agriculture Provided Over $277 Million for Local Jail Construction Since 1996

Counties in the state that received the most money from the program over the last 20 years collected $66.7 million in loans since 2005.

June 07th, 2018

By Brian Sonenstein

US Department of Agriculture Provided Over $277 Million for Local Jail Construction Since 1996

The United States government provided over $277 million in funding for county jail construction since 1996, according to documents obtained by Shadowproof. The funding came in the form of grants and long-term low-interest loans through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program run by the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development

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Oklahoma Moves Forward with Execution by Nitrogen Gas Chamber

Oklahoma’s turn towards nitrogen hypoxia is a response to multiple horrific botched executions involving lethal injection in recent years.

March 19th, 2018

By Brian Sonenstein

Oklahoma Moves Forward with Execution by Nitrogen Gas Chamber

Oklahoma will execute prisoners using an experimental method never before attempted anywhere in the world: nitrogen hypoxia. Mike Hunter, the state’s attorney general, and Joe M. Allbaugh, the director of the department of corrections, announced Oklahoma will asphyxiate prisoners by locking them in a chamber that will fill with

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Justice Department Has No Idea If Their Incarceration Alternatives Work

The Justice Department’s ignorance gives contractors an opening for more business without having to prove that their lucrative services actually provide the support needed to reduce recidivism.

December 18th, 2017

By Brian Sonenstein

Justice Department Has No Idea If Their Incarceration Alternatives Work

The Justice Department is not evaluating the performance of pretrial diversion programs, residential re-entry centers, and home confinement, according to congressional testimony from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Under President Barack Obama administration, the Justice Department sought to reduce booming federal

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‘Don’t Do Drugs:’ Inmate Dies From Opioid Withdrawal Under Controversial ACH Program

After suffering from severe opioid withdrawals, Shannon Bowles requested medical attention. He was given an antibiotic, Tylenol, and a warm compress. He died not long after.

November 08th, 2017

By Brian Sonenstein

‘Don’t Do Drugs:’ Inmate Dies From Opioid Withdrawal Under Controversial ACH Program

The family of a deceased man who was incarcerated at Kentucky’s Bourbon County Jail has filed a federal lawsuit against the county, jail officials, and the private medical contractor Advanced Correctional Healthcare. They allege “deliberate indifference” was shown to the man’s “obviously serious medical needs,” as he suffered from

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