Brian Sonenstein

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

‘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.

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
Screenshot from Advanced Correctional Healthcare advertisement on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqYhTAll0qI)

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 opioid

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Watchdog: Attica’s Mental Health Unit A Haven For Abuse

“In the winter time, they open all the windows to freeze us out, throw water on us, and leave the window open all night.”

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
Attica Correctional Facility is shown in Attica, N.Y., Thursday, May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

A new report from Disability Rights New York, the federal watchdog for people with disabilities in the state, found rampant abuse and neglect within the mental health treatment unit at the Attica Correctional Facility. Under state law, people with diagnosed serious mental illness, who face punitive solitary confinement in excess of 30 days, are

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Massive Prison Abolition Rally Held In Washington D.C.

The Millions For Prisoners Human Rights March was the first march on Washington in opposition to prison slavery since the adoption of the 13th Amendment.

Brian Sonenstein
Jared Ware
By Brian Sonenstein
And Jared Ware
Krystal Rountree of IAMWE Prison Advocacy Network. (Photo: Brian Sonenstein/Shadowproof)

As white nationalists in Charlottesville and Boston provoked large, and at times, violent demonstrations, what may have been the largest gathering of abolitionists in the nation’s history took place in Washington, D.C. The Millions For Prisoners Human Rights March was the first march on Washington in opposition to prison slavery since the

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Mississippi Prison Still Hasn’t Addressed Conditions That Led To Deadly 2012 Riot

A recent DOJ audit found that a Mississippi private prison which holds mostly immigrant prisoners, failed to address issues with staffing and living conditions that led to a deadly riot in 2012.

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
prison strike

Published in partnership with Shadowproof. A recently released Department of Justice audit found a Mississippi private prison — which holds over 2,500 immigrant prisoners, most of whom are Mexican nationals—failed to remedy serious problems with staffing and living conditions that led to a deadly riot in 2012. According to the audit [PDF],

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Proposed Legislation Would End Bail System That Punishes The Poor

Money bail is a hallmark of America’s unequal and blatantly discriminatory justice system–one in which freedom and justice are only available to those with the money to buy them

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
A sign is seen outside a bail bondsman across the street from Mercer County criminal courthouse Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, in Trenton, N.J. There isn’t much disagreement with the underlying goal of a constitutional amendment that will be before New Jersey voters next month: Low-level suspects who are not threats to anyone should not have to pay to get out of jail as they await trial, and those who are threats shouldn’t be let out on bail at all. But there is some debate over whether the ballot measure would accomplish that. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Congressman Ted Lieu introduced the No Money Bail Act of 2016, which prohibits the payment of money as a condition of pretrial release in federal criminal cases, and bars vital federal funding from going to states that impose money bail. If enacted, the legislation could potentially abolish money bail in the United States. Co-sponsored by Reps.

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DNC Chairwoman Flippantly Defends Her Support For War On Drugs

Unfortunately, Wasserman Schultz’s scary feelings about “drug culture” perpetuate the destruction of “safety” for countless Americans, including numerous people who live in her own state.

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz at Netroots Nation 2011 (Marta Evry on Flickr)

In a recent interview with Ana Marie Cox in the New York Times Magazine, Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz admitted her “criminal-justice record is perhaps not as progressive” as the records of some of her progressive colleagues. Wasserman Schultz was asked during the interview

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More Reports Of Debtors Prisons Surface In Louisiana And New Hampshire

Plaintiffs stated judges used some of these funds to pay for private insurance benefits for themselves and their spouses that are not provided by the state.

Brian Sonenstein
By Brian Sonenstein
Judge's Gavel and Sound Block created and folded by Glenn Sapaden out of two dollar bills (Glenn Sapaden on Flickr)

Published in partnership with Shadowproof. A federal lawsuit in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a report by the ACLU of New Hampshire, document the practice of jailing people unable to pay their court debts, violating the due process rights of the poor by failing to provide them with legal counsel and ability-to-pay hearings. New Orleans In New

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