prison reform Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Obtained documents reveal years of unsanitary conditions at the Northwest Detention Center

By Lauren Gallup February 7, 2023

Inside the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, also known as the Northwest Detention Center. Photo courtesy of La Resistencia, May 2022.

Over 100 people participated in a hunger strike last week at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, known colloquially as the Northwest Detention Center. The strike ended on Feb. 5 after four days according to detention abolitionist group La Resistencia. Read More

Northeastern Oregon County Suspends Habeas Corpus Hearings Over Coronavirus Concerns

By Conrad Wilson April 1, 2020

Men incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution wait to re-enter the prison following a community event Aug. 24, 2019, in Umatilla, Ore.

Umatilla County is home to two large state prisons, which hold more than 3,500 inmates between them. The petitions are a last resort for inmates who need things like medical equipment and procedures that have been denied. Continue Read More

Serving Time, Dodging Tumbling Boulders, And Fighting Wildfires For $2 A Day

By NPR News November 18, 2018

Inmate firefighters battle a California wildfire in July. Qualified inmates can volunteer to be trained in firefighting; in exchange, they are paid $2 a day and an extra $1 per hour when fighting fires. The inmate firefighters also receive sentence reductions. CREDIT: Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images

As flames consume parts of California, an unexpected group of firefighters has put their lives at risk to protect communities: prison inmates. For $2 per day — and another $1 an hour when battling fires — qualified inmates can volunteer to help authorities combat fires. Read More