Why do people from Shelby County make up most of death row?
Since the 1970s, one in three defendants sentenced to death in Tennessee have been from Memphis — a pattern that researchers say connects to how prosecutors use their power.
Power and Prejudice
Black August
How Black people fought for dignity from behind the bars at 201 Poplar
In celebration of Black August, we revisit the first 10 years of our Downtown jail — and the struggle to make it humane
What is Black August? In 1971, Black communist writer, activist and political prisoner George Jackson reflected on how those caged in U.S. prisons and jails could spark a mass movement for social change. He wrote in his book “Blood In My Eye” that “the sheer numbers of the prisoner class and the terms of their…
