Timothy Williams

They were anchors of a faith community that had changed over the years but persisted as a source of devotion, camaraderie and memory.

Some deaths were not counted as part of prison virus tallies because hospitalized inmates were officially released from custody before they died.

Some deaths were not counted as part of prison virus tallies because hospitalized inmates were officially released from custody before they died.

Among the thousands who have died in prisons and jails from the coronavirus were dozens of people approved for parole or not convicted of a charge for which they were arrested.

The state prison system is the only one in the nation where no one has died of Covid-19. But the strict lockdowns and quarantines that slowed the virus created their own problems.

This was featured in live coverage.

Since March 2020, New York Times reporters have tracked every known coronavirus case in every correctional setting in the nation. More than 2,700 inmates have died.

Mississippi officials are proud their prisons have some of the country’s lowest infection rates, but they’re not testing inmates without coronavirus symptoms.

States and counties are finding it hard to keep jails and prisons open as the virus ravages both prisoners and staff members. But transferring inmates can spur new outbreaks.

By different metrics, all sorts of locations in the United States are deeply troubling, from Minot, N.D., to New York City.

This was featured in live coverage.

It wasn’t clear how many inmates might be released early or transferred to other facilities, given that San Quentin houses some of California’s most dangerous prisoners.

This was featured in live coverage.

In the Mountain West, an outbreak has revealed the danger that the virus poses to jails and rural communities.

Some workers and families say they fear that the coronavirus will spread after the nation’s largest prison system allows visitors beginning on Saturday.

Prisoners are more vulnerable than ever to the twin crises of the pandemic and a historic wildfire season.

The scandal has forced change to admissions rules, yet some observers say the shifts weren’t sweeping enough.

The virus arrived in San Quentin after busloads of prisoners were transferred from another facility where infections were rising. What happened is a warning for the nation’s prisons, experts say.

Prison officials have been reluctant to do widespread virus testing even as infection rates are escalating.

In at least 14 states, more than half of coronavirus deaths are tied to long-term care facilities for older adults, according to a New York Times database.

Even as some states move to restart their economies, coronavirus hot spots are emerging, including at a state prison in Ohio.

At least 1,324 confirmed coronavirus cases are tied to prisons and jails across the United States, according to data tracked by The Times, including at least 32 deaths.

Some jails are releasing people to stem outbreaks, but critics say it is not happening quickly enough to save lives and resources.

One Kentucky community has seen a wave of violence and homelessness as methamphetamine use returns.

Oregon is the last state in the nation where a jury can convict a defendant without a unanimous vote. The Supreme Court is weighing whether that is constitutional.

A Virginia State Senate committee rejected a proposal to ban assault-style rifles, showing the limits of Democratic efforts to impose restrictive gun-control laws.

Virginia, newly dominated by Democrats, may broaden parole for the first time in a generation. Others states are watching.

Attitudes about guns are shifting in the state amid demographic changes. In one State Senate district that flipped to Democratic control in November, guns were a key topic.

Some 22,000 people, many of them armed, flooded the streets around the State Capitol to protest gun control proposals from the new Democratic majority.

The president weighed in before thousands were expected to gather in Virginia’s capital for a gun rights rally.

The governor declared a state of emergency and the F.B.I. has made several arrests. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Monday’s rally.

Philip Van Cleave is a prominent voice for gun rights in the state and beyond.

The three men had obtained guns and discussed traveling to Virginia for protests against new gun control measures, officials said.

Gov. Ralph Northam said there had been credible threats of violence ahead of a rally that was expected to draw thousands of gun rights advocates to the State Capitol.

Virginia’s move is symbolic, and crosses the threshold of three-quarters of states needed for ratification. Yet the fate of the E.R.A. is far from decided.

Most state legislatures are dominated by Republicans, but Democrats have gained ground in several states since President Trump’s election.

Another surge of stringent abortion limits is expected in state legislatures next year, highlighting a rift among conservatives about political strategy.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were hundreds of the same kind of people sitting in prison,” said Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore’s prosecutor, who created a unit to review old cases.

Three men were imprisoned as teenagers for the shooting of a middle school student over his jacket. That was 1983. Now prosecutors say they didn’t do it.

Ms. Pugh, who was accused of federal crimes, resigned as mayor earlier this year. She could face decades in prison.

Ms. Pugh left office after an investigation raised questions over “Healthy Holly,” her children’s book series.

Jarrod Ramos, who is accused of killing five people in a Maryland newsroom last year, will pursue an insanity defense at trial.

Supporters say a bill being considered by the District of Columbia Council would protect prostitutes in the nation’s capital. Critics say it would be a boon to sex traffickers.

The families of women killed by a man the F.B.I. has described as America’s most prolific serial killer say their cases went unnoticed for years. “It just tears me up,” one relative said.

Mr. Little, 79, has confessed to 93 murders, and the agency believes “all of his confessions are credible.”

The decline in killings and property crimes in 2018 continues a decades-long trend, according to F.B.I. data.

A growing number of states are considering whether economic status should help determine which opponents schools play.

Without knowing what has caused a spate of vaping-related illnesses, experts said it was unclear whether new state and local regulations could have much immediate effect.

The man who sprayed gunfire across West Texas on Saturday lived a kind of drifter’s life, fighting to stay employed amid workplace disputes and clashes with the law.

Twenty-two others were wounded, including three law enforcement officers and a 17-month-old who remained in serious condition Sunday morning.

American cities have struggled over plans for light-rail systems in a debate that has pitted economic and environmental goals against worries over costs.

As hackers lock up networks that power police forces and utilities, municipalities must operate with hobbled computer systems, and decide whether to pay ransoms.

Democratic candidates are pushing ideas that were considered radical just a few years ago. But the American public has changed its views, too.

Demographics and redistricting are transforming Virginia, where November legislative elections are being closely watched for signs of where the nation is headed politically.

The death of Michael Brown Jr. set into motion profound changes in policing, race relations and society that continue to reverberate. “We’re not stopping until we get justice,” his father said.

The energy of the street protests has faded, but it carries on in national conversations about race, and in the lives of the people who were there.

Mayor Nan Whaley has guided Dayton through repeated trauma this year. Before the recent mass shooting, the city was rocked by a Ku Klux Klan rally and tornadoes.

State laws that let judges take guns away from troubled owners have been used thousands of times, though they work only when people report threatening behavior.

Ohio’s governor proposed a bill that would make it easier for the police to seize guns from people deemed dangerous. Its prognosis is uncertain.

Hoping to prevent more mass shootings, some states have tried empowering courts to take guns away from potentially dangerous people.