Few are familiar with the prison industry and fewer know the extent of its greed. This invisibility has protected it and its exploitative practices. That ends now. A year delayed due to COVID-19, today my TED Talk is out! Thank you TED Talks TED Fellows go.ted.com/biancatylek

When we investigated Florida back in 2019 we found that legal appeals challenging this practice were denied because judges claimed FL pay to stay law is designed to charge money based on one’s original sentence despite early release given criminal contact inconveniences the state

THREAD. Last night, the White House quietly sent out a press release notifying reporters that Biden would be seeking $37 billion for, among other things, 100,000 new cops. This is one of the most dangerous developments imaginable.

As we approach the 70th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, check out our latest app that lets you explore 30 years' worth of data on segregation, courtesy of an academic supergroup of researchers from USC and Stanford 👇

Looking forward to heading to Detroit tomorrow and presenting the latest research from Captive Money Lab on prison pay to stay and our analysis of state efforts to repeal these harmful, extractive laws.

“We're building an economy where no one is going to be left behind. My economic plan is about investing in places, people that had been forgotten.” Meanwhile, food prices are 36.5% higher than they were 5 years ago. wsj.com/business/retai…

Today’s American Bar Foundation symposium was so rewarding. Caught up with my people Karin D. Martin robin bartram Sarah Esther Lageson and forged new community & practitioner connections to share our research with Captive Money Lab Thank you @mjburnett & Becky Sandefur for this community!

Inmates do billions of dollars of work for companies and governments each year. A landmark trafficking lawsuit alleges many are being kept in prison because the business is just too good. The suit says it seeks “to abolish a modern day form of slavery” bloomberg.com/news/features/…

The nexus of pay to stay and prison labor creates a cycle of extraction and forced indebtedness designed to enslave incarcerated people, their loved ones, and any communities they call home. #moderndayslavery

A reminder during National Police Week: Policing criminal law violations costs taxpayers more than $63 billion each year. Money that would be better spent on care – not cops. Learn more key facts about policing 👇 prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/06/0…

50% of Americans can’t afford their rent or mortgage payments. - 22% skip meals - 21% work more hours - 21% sell their stuff - 16% skip the doctor Meanwhile — to keep housing costs *high* — the Real Estate industry has donated $95+ million to federal candidates for 2024 alone.

Police broke his leg then offered him a SILLY plea deal. Thabo lost 6 figures fighting that shit on principle alone. Only reason he beat the charge was he had money, a witness AND videotape. Sorry to that golfer but that ain't even top 5 in athletes v. police.

Today, Congress held a hearing about prison labor’s legacy in chattel slavery. Witnesses gave well-researched testimony about the history and realities of prison slavery. But Sen. Kennedy wants us to stop the “emotion” when talking about the “complex” issue of ending slavery.

Lawsuit filed in Iowa by civil rights groups to block sheriff extracting money from people being released from jail publicjustice.net/lawsuit-filed-…

So far, 6 Clayton County Jail detainees have died this year, more than in all of 2023. One man, Eric Lee, was held on a $1500 bond on a shoplifting charge. He only had 25 cents for a $3.29 coffee. A report from the sheriff's office states he was homeless.

Children being in food debt to the school they’re legally required to be in is insane.

Holding a ceremony to congratulate a child for overcoming the violence they inflicted on him and his family is perverse. Debt is one of the leading causes of psychological distress in America.

In a world where funding tells you everything you need to know about priorities, Eric Adams defunded NYC public libraries by $26 million in 2023 as New York City spent $29 million a day on cops.

📢Our new article Captive Money Lab introduces the theoretical concept of "civil lawfare" based on our analysis of AG led pay-to-stay lawsuits against incarcerated people, particularly those with disabilities. *If need be, please reach out to us for a copy. academic.oup.com/socpro/advance…

We detail the challenges faced by incarcerated individuals with disabilities in navigating this system and how legal actors wage war to facilitate perpetual indebtedness to the state.