Efforts to restore voting rights for people with felony convictions lag in the Gulf South
A new report shows that more people with past felony convictions can vote in this election cycle than previous ones, but millions remain disenfranchised.
‘Mississippi Five’ parole issues highlight the toll of ‘graying’ in Gulf South prisons
A campaign to free five women, known as the "Mississippi Five," shows how prison populations throughout the region are aging.
Q&A: Is an innocent man on Alabama death row? Here’s the latest on Toforest Johnson’s case
Reporter Beth Shelburne talks with the Gulf States Newsroom about how Johnson's case has progressed a year after the release of her podcast, "Earwitness."
An art exhibit reckons with Alabama’s death penalty toll
The traveling exhibit includes artwork, letters and audio from people incarcerated on Alabama’s death row.
Meet the people working to protect Southern protesters’ civil rights
Legal observers are trained to painstakingly document everything that happens at a protest. They've become more crucial as demonstrations have ramped up.
Q&A: Prison reform advocate Terrance Winn on gun violence in Shreveport, Louisiana
Winn sat down with the Gulf States Newsroom's Kat Stromquist to discuss what causes Shreveport to struggle with shootings, and what could help.
Gun violence and incarceration issues go ‘hand in hand’ in this Louisiana city, residents say
Some residents say Shreveport’s history of mass incarceration has changed their community — and their families.
In the fight against gun violence, this Gulf South city is searching for ways to save lives
As violent crime slows down across the South, Shreveport, Louisiana, is reckoning with the aftermath of an unusually deadly 2023.
After their son died in a Louisiana jail, a family struggles for answers
The case surrounding Jerome Stevenson's death highlights the barriers to information that families face when someone is hurt or dies while in custody.
Gulf South states among U.S. leaders for juvenile life without parole sentences, study shows
A youth sentencing study shows Alabama and Mississippi are among just four states that top the nation in new juvenile life without parole sentences since 2012.
Q&A: A former New Orleans police chief says it’s time the U.S. changes its marijuana policy
Ronal Serpas is one of 32 law enforcement leaders who signed a letter sent to President Biden in support of moving marijuana to a Schedule III drug.
‘Anybody can be a lobbyist’: In Mississippi, incarceration fuels legislative advocacy training
The program aims to teach the art of political influence and policymaking to formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones.
‘Living in fear’: Small-town Mississippi residents are skeptical of DOJ’s police investigation
The "pattern or practice" investigation into the Lexington Police Department stems from allegations of excessive force, racist roadblocks and more.
New Alabama law aims to improve police interactions with people with disabilities
Some advocates said the law’s requirement of an hour-long training on working with people with “invisible” disabilities and sensory needs is a good start.
New Orleans residents are uneasy about the NOPD’s planned drone program, documents show
The Gulf States Newsroom obtained more than 350 pages of public comments concerning the NOPD’s planned drone program. Here’s what they said.
Alabama’s prison population sees troubling growth in latest DOJ report
For the first time in nearly a decade, U.S. prison populations are trending up. Alabama's numbers are a part of troubling gains across the Gulf South.
