Issue

Criminal Justice

It costs $13 million per year to hold each of the 40 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Where does the money go? How do police profit from seized property? What is it like to be one of 2.7 million children with a parent in jail or prison? What programs have succeeded in the U.S. and elsewhere to reduce recidivism?

These are a few of the questions Pulitzer Center grantees ask in the stories highlighted in Criminal Justice.

Innovative initiatives include a transformational theater piece based on a three-year investigation into solitary confinement. The play was performed on Alcatrez Island. A photography project features the work of court-involved youth who depict life on the streets of San Francisco. This project provided opportunities for youth to showcase their work while shining light on the criminal justice system in California.

Funding for Carol Rosenberg’s ongoing reporting on Guantánamo Bay comes from the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and other sources. The Art for Justice Fund, established by philanthropist Agnes Gund, is helping to support our reporting on mass incarceration. Omidyar Network has provided financial support for “Taken”—our project on civil asset forfeiture. The Pulitzer Center extends its heartfelt thanks to our generous donors.

Criminal Justice

C19WP Foreword

In March, C. Zawadi Morris set out to gather first-person narratives of as many subjects as possible across Brooklyn for The COVID-19 Writers Project. The multimedia project captured 10 stories on video, through Zoom calls, to represent our digital thumbprint as a society yearning to connect despite social distancing.

Nowhere to Turn

In remote villages of rural Alaska, Native women and girls who suffer high rates of sexual violence are frustrated by what they call an ongoing legacy of indifference from authorities.

Visions of Justice

The “Visions of Justice” workshop immerses court involved youth in visual storytelling as a means to nurture self-expression, self-respect, and the exploration their ideas of freedom and justice.

Children of the Incarcerated

What challenges do kids face when a parent is imprisoned? “Children of the Incarcerated" introduces young readers to programs that help families stay connected when a parent is behind bars.

The Prison Next Door

Brazil’s prison system is in crisis. The wives and mothers of inmates at Alcaçuz—some who live right next door to the maximum-security prison—are its unseen victims.

Pretrial Diversion

Pretrial diversion–where defendants pay fees to avoid prison time–are increasing popular. But some government agents are profiting from people's inability to pay the fees.