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Articles by Christie Thompson

Another Kind of Isolation - The Bureau of Prisons tightens the rules at its secretive “Communication Management Units.”

Another Kind of Isolation

The Bureau of Prisons tightens the rules at its secretive “Communication Management Units.”

By Christie Thompson

In 2006 and 2008, the Bureau of Prisons quietly created new restrictive units for terrorists or other inmates they feared might coordinate crimes from behind bars. The Communication Management Units ...

The Untold Story Of What Happened At An Overcrowded West Virginia Jail After The Chemical Spill

The Untold Story Of What Happened At An Overcrowded West Virginia Jail After The Chemical Spill

By Christie Thompson

When roughly 10,000 gallons of chemicals leaked into a West Virginia watershed this January, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency. Officials shut down schools, deployed the National Guard, ...

New York Promised Help for Mentally Ill Prisoners – But Still Sticks Many in Solitary

When Amir Hall entered New York state prison for a parole violation in November 2009, he came with a long list of psychological problems. Hall arrived at the prison from a state psychiatric hospital after he had tried to suffocate himself. Hospital staff diagnosed Hall with serious depression.

In Mid-State ...