Deadly riots regularly occur in the third-largest prison system in the world, reports Eduardo Campos Lima, and Brazilian authorities are restricting the practice of religion rather than address overcrowding, gang activity and other problems.

The Church in America Initiative focuses on the future of the Catholic Church in the United States, with particular emphasis on the challenges facing Latino communities in the U.S., especially in the areas of education, immigration and incarceration.

The paramount concern of all prisons is safety. This is understandable, but it still seems unfair when security eclipses the health and well-being of inmates, writes John T. Booth.

Solitary confinement is in widespread use in prisons across the United States and, in New York state alone, more than 3,000 inmates are isolated in 6-by-10 cells for over 23 hours a day.

It brings into sharp focus that, while the methods have changed over the past 2,000 years, torture remains part of prison life.

County supervisors approved $2.2 billion in June 2018 to build a replacement with the notable amendment that the new facility would be designed with a focus on mental health and rehabilitation.