Criminal Justice & Incarceration Archives

Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt

Book — Non-fiction. By Orisanmi Burton. 2023. 328 pages.
Drawing on oral history and applying Black radical theory in ways that center the intellectual and political goals of incarcerated people, this book argues that prisons are a domain of hidden warfare within U.S. borders.

Sept. 25, 1840: William Freeman Imprisoned and Challenged Convict Leasing

At 15 years old, William Freeman was incarcerated in the Auburn State Prison, America’s original prison for profit. From the start, he challenged the system of convict leasing.

July 9, 2020: Supreme Court Affirms Native Treaty Rights and Sovereignty

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the state did not have jurisdiction over crimes committed on Native reservations, affirming Indigenous treaty rights and sovereignty.

Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by James Forman, Premal Dharia, and Maria Hawilo. 2024. 496 pages.
Surveys various approaches to confronting the carceral state, exploring bold but practical interventions involving police, prosecutors, public defenders, judges, prisons, and even life after prison.

Oct. 28, 1958: Two Children Arrested in N. Carolina

Following a kiss by a 7-year-old white girl, two young Black boys ages 8 and 9 were unlawfully arrested and brutally treated in Monroe, North Carolina.

April 11, 1993: Lucasville Uprising

In one of the longest prison uprisings in U.S. history, incarcerated men at Ohio’s Lucasville prison launched an uprising that last for 11 days.

Jan. 13, 2014: CeCe McDonald Released from Prison

CeCe McDonald, a Black trans woman, was imprisoned following an act of white supremacist and transphobic violence in which McDonald defended herself and, in the process, her assailant was killed.

Feb. 12, 1971: Raiford Florida State Prison Uprising

Prisoners at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida, staged a sit-down strike to protest prison conditions. The 700 incarcerated protesters were met with gunfire by prison guards, leaving 63 prisoners injured.

Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Josh Davidson, with Eric King. 2023. 420 pages.
Oral histories of 36 current or former political prisoners of different liberation movements who describe what led them to prison, how they survived, and how they continue to struggle for a better world.