Gold explained how the U.S. had been involved over the years in El Salvador, inadvertently creating the conditions that fomented the growth of gangs in the Central American country shortly after the 1980-1992 civil war that was partially funded by the U.S. government.

Organizers report that inmates in at least 17 states planned to join the protest.

Encouraging an act of mercy and arguing it would not compromise justice, Nebraska's three Catholic bishops said July 6 they oppose the scheduled execution in August of death-row inmate Carey Dean Moore.

Incarceration serves four purposes: deterrence, incapacitation, retribution and rehabilitation. Life without parole is not necessary for any of them.

Latino men born in 2001 have a 1-in-6 chance of ending up in prison, compared to a 1-in-17 chance for non-Latino white men.