abolition
How I Came to Abolition
Even behind bars, I believed in prison. Then community organizing and the legacy of Martin Sostre helped me imagine a world beyond punishment.
A closer look
Diversion as Punishment
Diversion programs are often hailed as non-punitive alternatives to the traditional court process. But how different are they, really?
book review
No Medicine, No Nothing
Rebecca M. Rodriguez Carey’s ‘Birth Behind Bars’ examines how the state regulates incarcerated mothers’ bodies. Reading it, I found language for my own trauma.
A closer look
“We Have These Beautiful Dreams”
How a literary prize judged by incarcerated readers builds connection across prison walls and nurtures imagination in the face of oppression.
Defending Prison Journalism
Under the Warden’s Eye
For over two centuries, prison publications have produced an unflinching archive of U.S. punishment and resistance.
A closer look
A Somber Peace in Angola
In response to our 9/11 coverage, a contributor shares his memory of watching the attacks unfold from inside Louisiana State Penitentiary.
A closer look
Pathways Beyond Criminalized Crisis
This week, Inquest presents three short films from Represent Justice’s 2026 Ambassador Films collection, each exploring the far-reaching harms of incarceration.
In Depth
Shifting the Narrative
This fall, Inquest is sharing a series of short films made by Represent Justice’s 2026 Ambassadors.
Ideas & Essays
American Muslims and the Race Trap
After 9/11, racialization became a powerful way to describe anti-Muslim oppression. It also may have made racial thinking harder to escape.
In Depth
The Post-9/11 Surveillance Payday
How the pretext of homeland security birthed a public–private tech surveillance economy that makes billions in profit every year.
Essay
Rebuilding the Ummah Behind Bars
A decade after 9/11 fractured the Islamic community at Central Prison in North Carolina, I helped rebuild it.
in conversation
When Counterterrorism Comes for You
At nineteen, Asad Dandia discovered that an NYPD informant was spying on him. He joined a landmark suit against the department—and won.
In Depth
Twenty-Five Years Since 9/11
A series copublished by Inquest and Acacia magazines examining the impact of a quarter century of the War on Terror.
A closer look
“Muslims Were the Enemies at That Time”
In New York prisons, Islam offered Black men discipline, dignity, and a path away from violence. After 9/11, it also made us targets.
Policing
How Police in São Paulo and LA Keep People “Black, Poor, & Peripheral”
An international study of policing in Brazil and the U.S. highlights how racial and economic exclusion are enforced through violent state practices.
A closer look
“I Want to Know Who’s Responsible for This Man’s Health”
In Missouri prisons, people with cancer say lifesaving treatment is often delayed and denied by a private contractor, leaving incarcerated patients and their families to shoulder the caregiving.
first person
Virginia’s Prisons Have a Dog Problem
In the past decade, hundreds of incarcerated people have been attacked by guard dogs in Virginia’s prisons, often seriously. I'm one of them.
Policing
A Union Apart
Stuart Schrader’s ‘Blue Power’ illuminates the history of how police unions coalesced as tools for guaranteeing preferential treatment and protection from accountability.
interventions
Freed from the Community Supervision Trap
Parole is a nonsensical bureaucracy, with demands that run counter to public safety and successful reentry. In recent years, Oregon has passed legislation to reduce the number of people caught…
Beyond Reform
Reclaiming Social Work from the State
From crime bills to family policing, reforms have bound social work to punishment. Holistic defense offers a path to realign the profession.
A closer look
The Elderly “7-Ups” Enduring Indefinite Incarceration
Nearly 200 people are serving indefinite sentences in California. These are some of their stories.
interventions
Diagnosing the Trauma of Incarceration
It’s long overdue for Post-Incarceration Syndrome to be classified as a distinct psychiatric disorder, deserving of compassion and treatment.
Policing
You Can’t Reform a Traffic Stop
Despite requirements that they undergo bias training and use body‑worn cameras, local police are still leaving Black men bloodied after pulling them over for minor violations.
abolition
Ending Family Policing
The so-called child welfare system is a core plank of the U.S. carceral state. How can we actually make our communities stronger and safer?
Defending Prison Journalism
Destroying the Conditions that Make Speech Possible
Blocking reading materials and censoring writing are both ways that prisons erase expression before it can reach an audience.
public history
How the War on Drugs Packed Jails
Fifty-five years later, the impact of the War on Drugs continues to be felt in how it dramatically expanded the use of pretrial detention and money bail.
democracy & power
The Balance of Power Is on Our Side
A new anthology of writing from influential Black political prisoner Martin Sostre offers lessons from a previous era of mass political imprisonment that can inform resistance in our own.
interventions
The Art of Mothering Through Bars
For incarcerated mothers, sending handmade art to their children can help nurture vital connections—but often even this is hindered by prison officials.
interventions
When the Judge Used to Wear Blue
Data reveals that judges with law enforcement backgrounds are more likely to order pretrial detention and set high bail. In other words, judicial appointments are jail policy.
first person
Getting Short
To imagine closeness to freedom is to invite disappointment. To speak optimism aloud in prison is to make yourself vulnerable.