Philadelphia Inquirer: Laura McCrystal - December 21, 2020 Philadelphia prison officials pledged Monday to complete and release coronavirus test results for all inmates and staff members by the end of January after a federal judge mandated universal testing amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in city prisons. Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney explained the testing plans as she faced tough questions from City Council during a hearing on the coronavirus inside the prison system. C

Politico: Michael Stratford - December 20, 2020 Congressional leaders have struck a deal to reinstate Pell grants for incarcerated students more than a quarter century after banning the aid for prison education programs, top Democrats and Republicans announced on Sunday. The legislation, which is expected to be included as part of the year-end spending deal, would lift the prohibition Congress imposed in the 1994 crime bill that then-President Bill Clinton signed and Joe Bide

The Marshall Project: Beth Schwartzapfel, Katie Park, and Andrew Demillo - December 18, 2020 One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population. In some states, more than half of prisoners have been infected, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. As the pandemic enters its tenth month—and as the first Americans begin to

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Joseph Darius Jaafari - December 18, 2020 Yvonne Newkirk would talk to her 60-year-old brother Edward Ball on the phone almost every day. He was serving time at a state prison in Luzerne County, where he would also write to her every week. Then, in mid-November, all contact ended. After three weeks of silence, Newkirk was desperate, and asked prison officials where he was housed, SCI-Dallas, for help. But staff there refused to give her answers, cit

Prison Policy Initiative: Katie Rose Quandt - December 8, 2020 As the approaching rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine brings hope of an eventual end to the pandemic, it also introduces ethical dilemmas. With various groups of Americans at heightened risk of exposure, and others at increased risk of severe cases, who should be vaccinated first? By any reasonable standard, incarcerated people should rank high on every state’s priority list. The COVID-19 case rate is four times higher

City residents can now sign up for free, online adult education classes scheduled to begin next month. Classes include reading, writing, math, basic computer classes, high school equivalency preparation, and English for speakers of other languages. The City of Philadelphia has partnered with several community-based providers to provide the classes through a centralized enrollment and referral process. To enroll, residents should visit phila.gov/adult-education to find the cam