In this June 18, 2015, photo, a prisoner walks near his crowded living area in Elmore Correctional Facility in Elmore, Ala. Tuesday's ruling comes in a class action lawsuit brought by inmates who argued the conditions violated the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Brynn Anderson/AP hide caption
Artist and flipbooked.com founder Liza Tudor thumbs through "1st Steps," a flipbook of Nicole Garrens' son Zander's first steps. Tudor sent the flipbook to Garrens' husband, Roy, who's currently incarcerated in Texas. Noel Black for NPR hide caption
Inmates sit next to their bunks in the courtyard of the Tent City Jail in Arizona's Maricopa County. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption
This Jan. 28, 2016 file photo shows a solitary confinement cell at New York City's Riker's Island jail. On March 31, 2016, a federal judge approved a sweeping plan to reduce solitary confinement in New York state prisons. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption
In December 1951, Norfolk Prison hosted its first international debate, against Oxford University. The debater pictured, Dick Taverne, went on to be a member of Parliament. When the prison hosted debates, church groups, local business owners, even judges and politicians would come and sit in the audience alongside inmates. Yale Joel/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images hide caption
While incarcerated, Mark Baskerville says he suffered five diabetic comas. He says he's now doing a better job of managing his health. Rae Ellen Bichell/NPR hide caption
After he was sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm, Albert "Prodigy" Johnson, of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, discovered how hard it was to eat healthy behind bars. His new cookbook tells the story. Teddy Wolff/Infamous Books hide caption
Surveillance video released by The Associated Press show inmates breaking out of their cell to assist a guard in distress. AP Video/Screen shot by NPR hide caption
In this 2014 photo, prisoners are closely guarded at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare, Zimbabwe. According to state media, at least 200 male inmates were freed from this prison as a result of President Robert Mugabe's pardons. Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP hide caption