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The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’
by Shakeil Price
This article was originally published in Prison Journalism Project
In 1917, a group assembled by the New Jersey Legislature to investigate prison conditions found that the buildings at West Compound in the New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) were “wholly unsuited for the …
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More from this issue:
- Alabama’s Non-Solution to the Crisis Overtaking Its Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
- Colorado Governor Tells Lawmakers to Open New Prison
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, by Chuck Sharman
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, by Chuck Sharman
- The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, by Shakeil Price
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, by Chuck Sharman
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, by Matthew Clarke
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, by Jo Ellen Knott
- $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, by Chuck Sharman
- ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, by Jo Ellen Knott
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, by Victoria Law
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, by Chuck Sharman
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, by Chuck Sharman
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.5 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached in Texas Jail Over-Detention Case, by Chuck Sharman
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, by Chuck Sharman
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight
- Almost $1 Million in Settlements Paid to Three Nevada Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
- Two Texas Women Charged for Using Plastic Crows in Smuggling Scheme
- Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits, by Chuck Sharman
- California County Hires New Healthcare Company After Jail Deaths Under Wellpath
- New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, by Michael Thompson
- At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers, by Jeffrey Shockley
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, by Michael Thompson
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, by Matthew Clarke
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, by Chuck Sharman
- Faults Found with Centurion in Kansas Four Years Ago Are Still Not Fixed, by Michael Thompson
- Montana Switches to Sending Prisoners to a Private Prison in Mississippi
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes, by Chuck Sharman
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, by Matthew Clarke
- First Circuit Revives Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against Rhode Island Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, by Chuck Sharman
- The Same Company that Built Guantanamo Bay Is Building Kansas City’s World Cup Jail
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, by Chuck Sharman
- Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, by Abbey Kim
- Federal Jury Awards $1,670,000 for Diabetic Detainee’s Preventable Death in Philadelphia Jail, YesCare Reaches Separate Confidential Settlement, by Chuck Sharman
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, by Michael Thompson
- Idaho DOC Transfers Prisoners to Arizona Facility Run by CoreCivic
- Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas
- More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year, by Reuven Blau, Kennedy Sessions
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths
- Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less
- Analysts Recommend Closing California’s Soledad Prison
- Private Company Investigating Rapes at California ICE Detention Center Instead of Sheriff
- News in Brief
- Officials in Kansas Allow CoreCivic to Reopen Leavenworth Prison
More from Shakeil Price:
More from these topics:
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Eighth Amendment, Exercise, Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity.
- Alabama Barred from Executing Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia, July 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Eighth Amendment, Death Penalty, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Wrongful Use of Force.
- New Hampshire Officials Halt $700 Million Prison Replacement, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin.
- Pennsylvania Closes Its Second-Oldest Prison, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Boot Camps, Plumbing, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Oklahoma DOC Paid Prison Guards $35.5 Million in Overtime in 2025, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Staff Training.
- Trump Wants $152 Million to Turn Alcatraz Back Into a Prison, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Federal Legislation, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
- Connecticut Correction Ombuds Finds DOC in “Sustained Institutional Failure”, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Lockdowns, Prisoner Legal Assistance.
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding.
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Totality of Conditions, Parole, Life without Parole (LWOP), Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Failure to Treat, Totality of Conditions, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Deliberate Indifference.