Imprisoned people are setting themselves on fire at a US jail. At Red Onion State Prison in Virginia, we examine the racism and abuse that leave them feeling they have no other way to protest. Are these issues isolated to Red Onion, or do they reflect a deeper, systemic problem within US prisons?

UPDATE: On Wednesday, November 27th, the Virginia Department of Corrections shared a statement with The Take outlining their account of what happened to the prisoners:
“In recent months, six inmates at Red Onion State Prison have burned themselves using improvised devices that were created by tampering with electrical outlets. To be clear, these inmates did not set themselves on fire or self-immolate, as some reports have ludicrously suggested. Some of the inmates were treated for burns at the Department’s secure medical facility at the VCU Medical Center and cleared to return to the facility, while others did not require outside medical treatment. All six inmates have been referred to mental health staff for treatment, and it should be noted that several of these inmates have a history of engaging in self-harm.” 

In this episode:
Noel Hanrahan (@PrisonRadio), legal director for Redwood Justice Fund and co-director of Prison Radio

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Ashish Malhotra with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Khaled Soltan, Hagir Saleh, Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Imprisoned people are setting themselves on fire at a US jail. At Red Onion State Prison in Virginia, we examine the racism and abuse that leave them feeling they have no other way to protest. Are these issues isolated to Red Onion, or do they reflect a deeper, systemic problem within US prisons?
UPDATE: On Wednesday, November 27th, the Virginia Department of Corrections shared a statement with The Take outlining their account of what happened to the prisoners: “In recent months, six inmates at Red Onion State Prison have burned themselves using improvised devices that were created by tampering with electrical outlets. To be clear, these inmates did not set themselves on fire or self-immolate, as some reports have ludicrously suggested. Some of the inmates were treated for burns at the Department’s secure medical facility at the VCU Medical Center and cleared to return to the facility, while others did not require outside medical treatment. All six inmates have been referred to mental health staff for treatment, and it should be noted that several of these inmates have a history of engaging in self-harm.” 
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>Noel Hanrahan (<a href="https://x.com/prisonradio?s=11">@PrisonRadio</a>), legal director for Redwood Justice Fund and co-director of Prison Radio</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, and Ashish Malhotra with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Khaled Soltan, Hagir Saleh, Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram, </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@ajepodcasts">Threads</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

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