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The Lock-Up Society
by John Biewen

As the new millennium began, the number of Americans behind bars passed two million—five times the inmate population in 1972. In these reports, American Radio explores some of the causes and ramifications of this unprecedented experiment in mass incarceration.


Hard Time      Hard Time: Life After Prison
More than 600,000 inmates now leave prison each year. Often less prepared for life in society that then were when they entered prison, they face more closed doors. Many are likely to be imprisoned again. For this report, John Biewen spent more than a year following ex-inmates in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

 
     Corrections, Inc.
The nation's swelling inmate population has turned imprisonment into a $40 billion a year industry. Those who've prospered along the way include corporations, prison guard unions, and police agencies. American RadioWorks examines how some of those with vested interests help to shape who gets locked up and for how long.

 
Jailing the Mentally Ill      Jailing the Mentally Ill
America's jails and prisons now house more than a quarter million people with serious mental illnesses—more than four times the number in state mental hospitals. John Biewen and Stephen Smith explore why.


MORE AMERICAN RADIOWORKS REPORTING ON PRISONS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE:

America's Drug War  The fight against one of the world's most profitable industries.

Prison Diaries Five inmates, four correctional officers, and a judge kept audio journals for six months.
360 Degrees online documentary   |   All Things Considered coverage



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CREDITS
Correspondent and Producer: John Biewen
Editor: Deborah George
Host: Deborah Amos
Coordinating Producer: Sasha Aslanian
Photography: Steve Schapiro
Managing Editor: Stephen Smith
 
Executive Producer: Bill Buzenberg
Research Assisants: Seth Lind, Rachel Miller, Curtis Gilbert, Nichole Alwell
Web Manager: John Pearson
Web Art Director: Darby Laing
Online Producer: Emily Thompson

Major Funding for American RadioWorks is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and members of Minnesota Public Radio. The Lock-Up Society is supported in part by a grant from the Open Society Institute.

©2018 American Public Media