Prisons

Family Files Lawsuit Against County for Inmate Death

Fun Times in State Prison

Feds Investigate Miami-Dade Jails

Federal Lockup is No Picnic, Either

An Ounce of Prevention -- At Last

County jail officials finally decide to get serious about a highly contagious disease

Patient at Risk

The medical association examines the county's jail system and finds trouble behind bars

Phoney Baloney

60 Minutes closes the book on the legacy of jailhouse phone-scam artist Danny Faries. You don't say!

The Further Adventures of Willy and Sal

Being thrown in jail was supposed to bring down the curtain on Miami drug lords Willy Falc and Sal Magluta. But there was an encore: Death threats, clandestine cameras, illegal searches, and major security violations.

The Amazing Crespo!

Whether agitating on behalf of Florida's film industry or aiming cruel barbs at state officials, ex-con activist Al Crespo is a gadfly with an attitude

Sal Speaks

Whether agitating on behalf of Florida's film industry or aiming cruel barbs at state officials, ex-con activist Al Crespo is a gadfly with an attitude

Hope For Florida Inmates With Mental Illness

It could be the most important legislation for Floridians with mental illness since the Baker Act in the 1970s. But you wouldn't know it from the amount of press it's getting. A House panel approved a measure yesterday that would divert some of the state's most mentally ill to treatment centers inst ... More >>

Unequal Justice

At federal prisons across the country, guards are preying on inmates. FDC Miami is no different.

Dead Man Talking

Kenny Carnes ponders life, mortality, and transformation on death row.

Women Send Words from Prison

Eve Ensler’s Broadway smash hits the Gusman

117 Dead

Since 2000, dozens have died in county jails. Poor medical care has contributed to the problem.

Letters from the Issue of May 3, 2007

"I thought there was no place I couldn’t handle … but I sure as hell won’t set foot in ‘Baghdad West,’ that’s fo sho!"

Executing Angel

A bad man, a flawed trial, and a needle

Pearl of the Antilles

The elephant in Guantanamo's living room gets 4200 calories a day and a Koran

Terminal Incarceration

The short, sad lives of some detainees facing relatively minor charges end in jail. Here are three such cases.

Contraband Combat

Cell phones, pot, and knives are found by county jail shakedown teams

Is There a Doctor in the House?

At Miami-Dade County's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the answer would be No

Contagious Outbreak Untreated

A rash of grotesque and dangerous staph infections among inmates gets no action from jail officials

Cellblock Salsa

Obie Bermudez, Jerry Rivera, and Vico C bring prison consciousness back to Puerto Rican pop

It's Broken, So Fix It

Corrections department investigators want an investigation -- of their department

Always Unprepared

At MetroWest Detention Center one bad fire deserves another -- and another?

The Snake Pit

The county jail is one of the largest psychiatric facilities in Florida

Mother Knows Best

And that goes for mothers of convicted Cuban spies, too

Jailed Birds

Stranger Inside

My Name Is Victor, and I'm a Jailbird

Too bad the county makes it so hard for me to get into a recovery program

Justice, Bloody Justice

A violent thug may lead investigators to a public-corruption bonanza

In Prison and Online

The techno revolution has spawned a new program that unites incarcerated moms and their kids in cyberspace

Con Kid

Jimmy Sabatino, self-described child of the Mafia, displayed a prodigious talent for confidence games even as a teenager. If he hadn't threatened to kill President Clinton, he'd probably be scamming today.

Inside Job

For years people have been alleging that Miami bail-bond king Jim Viola bribes county corrections officers. For years the FBI and the State Attorney's Office have been investigating. And for years nothing has happened.

Tales from the Big House

For years people have been alleging that Miami bail-bond king Jim Viola bribes county corrections officers. For years the FBI and the State Attorney's Office have been investigating. And for years nothing has happened.

My Life in Jail

There are plenty of wonderful places to spend the holiday season in South Florida. As the author explains, the Stockade isn't one of them.

Cleaning Up Krome

Lawyers Tina Fassnacht and Stacy Taeuber are all-purpose advocates at the West Dade immigrant camp

Caged Birds Sing

Prison librarian Rolando Valdes and his band of libretto-loving inmates stage an opera

A Shock to the System

Ouch! INS prisoners claim they were tortured with electroshock riot shields.

Jail Cells Are Forever

At least they are for Cuban immigrants who are not U.S. citizens

A Prisoner of Circumstance

Rachel Better never worried about her stateless status until the INS locked her up. Then it was too late.

Jailhouse Rumble

If racial strife and political bickering were crimes, the entire staff of Dade County's corrections department would be locked up

Trip to the Big House

Need to visit a loved one doing time in one of the many state prisons up near the Georgia line? Who you gonna call? Right. Prison Connection.

Prose and Cons

Need to visit a loved one doing time in one of the many state prisons up near the Georgia line? Who you gonna call? Right. Prison Connection.

Prison Guard Gets Caught Trying to Smuggle Cocaine Into Everglades Correctional Institute

Everglades Correctional Officer Shamel Watson thought he was negotiating with an inmate's family member to smuggle in 1 lb of marijuana, 4 ounce of cocaine, and two cellphones to the inmate. Everglades Correctional Officer Shamel Watson is apparently stupid. When he went to go collect the contr ... More >>

Jailhouse Blues

Arrested for nothing, Amanda Jessup spiraled out of control in county lockup.

Top Ten Thursdays: Top 10 Musicians Who Have Served Time in Prison

Many famous musicians have spent a day or three in jail for driving drunk, holding drugs, or something really stupid. But only the select few have spent a serious stretch of time in prison, which brings us to David Allan Coe. The original country outlaw performs Friday at the Culture Room in Fort La ... More >>

Jailhouse Knocks: Violence at Miami-Dade Pretrial Detention Center Leads to Jailers

Christopher Herwig via Flicker CC.​The photo of Calvin Kingcade, inmate 09-9975, shows a fit 25-year-old with a black eye, a broken jaw, and a mouth fastened shut with silver wires. He drools while he talks to his mom at Ward D of Jackson Memorial Hospital. After getting jumped at Miami-Dade Pretr ... More >>

For dozens of inmates, Miami-Dade County jail has become a permanent home

Christopher Herwig via Flicker CC.​The photo of Calvin Kingcade, inmate 09-9975, shows a fit 25-year-old with a black eye, a broken jaw, and a mouth fastened shut with silver wires. He drools while he talks to his mom at Ward D of Jackson Memorial Hospital. After getting jumped at Miami-Dade Pretr ... More >>

Kids claim abuse and violence at juvenile lockup Thompson Academy

Christopher Herwig via Flicker CC.​The photo of Calvin Kingcade, inmate 09-9975, shows a fit 25-year-old with a black eye, a broken jaw, and a mouth fastened shut with silver wires. He drools while he talks to his mom at Ward D of Jackson Memorial Hospital. After getting jumped at Miami-Dade Pretr ... More >>

Prison Legal News Sues Florida Department of Corrections for Banning Its Publication

PLN Associate Editor Alex Friedmann​A national legal magazine for prisoners has filed suit against the Florida Department of Corrections, claiming it's been censored from distributing in Florida prisons due to a vendetta by the state agency. According to a complaint filed today, the DOC has reje ... More >>