THE BEST OF THE MARSHALL PROJECT

“I cannot eat because I have no teeth.” Incarcerated people, especially those who haven’t been in prison very long, are routinely denied basic dental care — including fillings for cavities, crowns, dentures and treatment of toothaches. The state of Michigan is especially stingy with care, and is the subject of a current lawsuit. In court filings and interviews, dozens of prisoners complained that their decaying teeth were left to rot and ache. Our Keri Blakinger has the story, describing how she was “blindsided by the lack of dental care behind bars,” in the latest installment of Inside Out.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Criminal justice stories from around the web as selected by our staff.

Florida is currently leading the country in arrests stemming from the January 6th Capitol insurrection. I’m sure many will explain that fact with lazy stereotypes. But for Brian Levin — a police officer turned academic who studies extremism — it indicates the rising power in a little-known arm of Trumpism: the “constitutional sheriffs” movement. These sheriffs argue that their own authority is higher than that of the federal government. At Florida Today, reporter Alexandra Sassoon profiles Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, showing how, although he is not an official member of the movement’s leading organization, he adopts its rhetoric. She quotes a variety of researchers on how this can inspire extremism. This is a good, careful model of how to hold local law enforcement officials accountable for what they say, even when the concrete effects can’t be measured directly. — Maurice Chammah, staff reporter

This week I’m loving a long-form piece by Piper Kerman, the woman who wrote Orange is the New Black. Writing now for Washington Post Magazine, Piper revisits the story of Johnniqua Charles, more commonly known as the “Lose Yo Job” lady. Johnniqua’s full story – and all the pieces that didn’t make the news last year – is heartbreaking, and would on its own be a worthy read about the failures of the criminal justice system. But Piper links the tale to this political moment, and points to some possible lessons the story could hold for President Biden and other Democratic politicians who seized on the viral video after their Election Day wins. On top of that, the piece is packed with shocking asides and anecdotes, data I either somehow never knew or managed to forget. Did you know the first Black, female astronaut was slammed to the ground by a cop during a routine traffic stop in 1996, then jailed for a speeding ticket? — Keri Blakinger, staff reporter