Dive Deeper: Not About Nightingales

Investigate the troubling true story that influenced 27-year-old Tennessee Williams to pen Not About Nightingales. Also, explore organizations that are fighting for the rights of incarcerated individuals, the livelihoods of the formerly incarcerated, and things that you can do to support, educate, and participate in such actions. 

Read More: Peruse the harrowing 1938 article “Parboiled Prisoners” from Time magazine about the true events that inspired Not About Nightingales.

Do More: Learn about two organizations on the frontlines of work around incarceration and incarcerated individuals:

2nd Street: Based in Pittsfield, this organization supports formerly incarcerated individuals to access the services they need quickly and effectively to become productive members of the Berkshire community.

The Brennan Center for Justice: A national organization that leads research on incarceration, helping transform policy and conversation around prisons and justice in the United States. Delve into some of the work of this organization:

Video: The Brennan Center for Justice created this video in conjunction with an essay series and book they published on the punitiveness of the American criminal justice system.

Expert Q&A: The Brennan Center for Justice experts on criminal justice answer questions about how to improve prisons in the U.S.

Policy Solution: This report catalogues how the President and Congress can take targeted measures to prevent crime, reduce incarceration and recidivism, and save money.

Explainer and Research Report: The best available data finds that changes in bail policy don’t affect crime rates.