America’s prisons are facing staffing shortages. Inside Story reveals what this means for incarcerated people, their families and the corrections staff tasked with making prisons run.
Host Lawrence Bartley catches up with comedian Donnell Rawlings on tour to learn how he went from being a military police officer to the stand-up stage, and how his personal connection to the system impacted him.
And Carol Shapiro, former assistant commissioner at New York’s Rikers Island, explains how trying to make a difference during a stint on the state’s parole board changed the way she sees the system altogether.
In his closing message, Bartley remembers a visit to a Texas prison and being able to watch an incarcerated person feeling the sunshine on his face after months of being held inside because of staffing shortages.
Reading List:
- New Data Shows How Dire the Prison Staffing Shortage Really Is
- I Joined the Parole Board to Make a Difference. Now I Call It ‘Conveyor Belt Justice.’
CONTRIBUTORS
Shannon Heffernan, Gilad Thaler, Anna Flagg, Tom Meagher, Rochelle Widdowson, Carol Shapiro, Lily Padula, K Downs, Chelsea Beck, Akiba Solomon, Raghuram Vadarevu, Marci Suela
EDITORIAL PARTNER
USA Today
