Prison Doctor Speaks –  Dr. Jan Watson “I had never seen anything like that in my life,” she said, her eyes taking on a distant gaze as she recalled her experiences. “I had inmates dropping left and right. It was kind of overwhelming and scary at first, but then, I just – became accustomed to it.”

Delayed Care  –   In 2015, inmates settled a lawsuit with Arizona over poor health care conditions in state prisons. More than two years later, Arizona and its provider have failed to meet the more than 100 stipulations agreed to in the settlement and a federal judge is threatening to fine the state millions of dollars. Inmates have testified in the settlement process to long wait times for medicine, delayed chronic disease care and a lack of access to specialists. The voices in this series confirm those allegations and more, recounting their experiences with the Arizona prison health care system.

The Marshall Project-10/31/17

In August, when the solar eclipse passed over South Boise Women’s Correctional Center in Idaho, the officers held lunch early, handed out protective sunglasses, and invited the women outside to watch the sky. At the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut, a few prisoners and officers recently played cards together; the warden seemed a little stunned when describing the scene. John Wetzel, who runs the prison system in Pennsylvania, has noticed a shift in tone at annual gatherings of his peers. “We talk more now about the humanity of inmates, and the impact of harsh environments on both staff and inmates,” he said.  The influence: Europe

Arizona 12 News Reports – Four inmate suicides in three weeks within the state prison system is leaving many unanswered questions. Is there a suicide epidemic?

May 10, 2017 – This fall, Alaska officials will travel to Norway to learn how the country’s corrections system has been successful in keeping offenders from committing new crimes.

The trip is sponsored by the Berkeley-based Prison Law Office, a nonprofit, public-interest law firm focused on improving prison conditions in the United States.