In a notable shift reflecting evolving perspectives on incarceration, the New York City Board of Correction is set to eliminate the term “inmate” from its jail regulations. The move involves substituting it with “person in custody” as part of a long-standing initiative aimed at emphasizing that being imprisoned should not become a person’s sole identity.

This latest measure takes inspiration from a 2021 effort which originally started phasing out the use of “inmate” from the Board’s Minimum Standards. Officials back then determined that individuals should not be solely characterized by their time in custody.

“Individuals held by the Department of Correction are first and foremost human beings, and their incarceration does not solely define them,” stated the Board in 2021. “Thus, we are committed to using person-first language consistently in our Standards and communications moving forward.”

Continuing with this initiative, the Board has methodically begun replacing “inmates” with more inclusive terms such as “people,” “persons,” and “individuals in custody.” The newest proposal seeks to expand these revisions to additional segments of the regulations.

The changes are reflected throughout the rulebook.

A section formerly titled “Classification of Prisoners,” for example, was renamed “Classification of People in Custody,” while numerous references to “prisoners” and “inmates” were rewritten. The regulations also define a “person in custody” as “any person confined in a facility.”

The proposal says the amendments are intended to continue the Board’s earlier work.

“In 2021, the Board made a commitment to employ person-first language in its Minimum Standards and communications by deleting references to ‘inmates’ in favor of person-first terms such as ‘people in custody,'” the proposal states. “The Board proposes continuing this vital effort in Chapters 2 and 3.”

The city is not alone in moving away from the word “inmate.”

In 2022, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation replacing references to “inmate” throughout state law with “incarcerated individual.”

The measure amended dozens of provisions across New York law to adopt the new terminology, though New York City instead chose the phrase “person in custody.”

The terminology debate has resurfaced as New York City’s correction system has drawn renewed public attention following a FIFA World Cup semifinal watch party at Rikers Island attended by Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

During the event, Mamdani told attendees, “These are New Yorkers, and they will be New Yorkers when they get out of Rikers.”

The city’s terminology changes do not alter jail operations, housing policies or disciplinary procedures.

Instead, the Board has characterized the revisions as an effort to modernize its regulations and ensure the language reflects its longstanding philosophy that people should not be defined solely by their incarceration.

News Media reached out to the New York City Board of Correction asking why it chose “person in custody” instead of “incarcerated individual,” the term adopted by New York state, and whether the Board received public feedback on the proposal.

Requests for comment were also sent to the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, which represents New York City’s correction officers, and the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit criminal justice reform organization.

Following a lukewarm performance at the box office, the latest Star Wars installment, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set to make its digital debut. Starting tomorrow, fans can purchase or rent this film on various platforms.

Directed by Jon Favreau, who gained fame with his work on the Iron Man series, this film continues the saga initiated by the hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Running for three successful seasons from 2019 to 2023, the series followed the adventures of a lone bounty hunter, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, as he safeguards a Force-sensitive creature named Grogu—endearingly known as Baby Yoda—against the lingering threat of Imperial forces. The movie picks up where the series concluded, charting the continued adventures of Din Djarin (Pascal) and his young protégé Grogu. Together, they team up with the New Republic to undertake a daring mission to rescue Rotta the Hutt, played by Jeremy Allen White of The Bear.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, and Sigourney Weaver, The Mandalorian and Grogu—retitled to Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu post-release—amassed around $342 million globally. Despite turning a profit against its estimated $165 million production budget, it stands as the lowest-grossing live-action Star Wars film to date. However, there is hope that its availability for home viewing will entice more fans to experience the film.

Before deciding on the $30 rental fee for the digital release of Mando and Grogu’s escapades, it’s worth noting that The Mandalorian and Grogu is expected to stream for free on Disney+ before the year concludes.

Where to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu movie on streaming:

Starting at 12 a.m. Eastern Time (or 9 p.m. Pacific Time on July 20), viewers can buy The Mandalorian and Grogu digitally on platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home. Pricing might differ across services—on Amazon Prime, the purchase is set at $29.99, while renting costs $24.99.

The Mandalorian and Grogu will also be released on DVD, 4K UHD, and Blu-ray on August 26, 2026. The physical and digital release will come with bonus features including behind-the-scenes featurettes and an audio commentary with director Jon Favreau.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is not yet streaming on any subscription streaming services, but because it is a Disney movie, we do expect to see The Mandalorian and Grogu streaming on Disney+ before the end of the year.

Disney+ offers a number of subscription options, so you can find the one that works for you. With ads, a subscription costs $11.99/month; without ads, it’s $18.99/month or $189.99/year.

There are also Disney+ bundles with Hulu, HBO Max, and ESPN+, so you can subscribe to up to three services at once and save over 40% every month. The bundles are available in a few different configurations, starting at $11.99/month for Disney+ and Hulu with ads, and going up to $32.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max ad-free.

When will The Mandalorian and Grogu be streaming free on Disney Plus?

The Mandalorian and Grogu will likely stream on Disney+ in the next two-to-four months, because it is a Disney movie. All the new Disney theatrical movies end up streaming on Disney+, often about three to six months after opening in theaters.

While The Mandalorian and Grogu Disney+ release date has not yet been announced, we can make an educated guess as to when the movie will be streaming based on previous Disney releases.

Another recent big Disney movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash was released on premium video-on-demand about three months after opening in theaters, and began streaming on Disney+ a little over six months after opening in theaters. If The Mandalorian and Grogu follows a similar release strategy, you may see The Mandalorian and Grogu streaming on Disney+ around November 2026. That said, The Mandalorian and Grogu came to digital a full month faster than the last Avatar film did, so maybe you’ll see The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+ sooner, too, around October 2026.

That said, The Mandalorian and Grogu movie Disney+ release date has not yet officially been announced. This is all guesswork, so take it with a grain of salt. For now, if you want to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu at home, you can buy or rent a digital copy of the movie.

In a series of attacks last week, dozens of U.S. military personnel sustained injuries following three Iranian strikes on Jordan. This preceded a separate incident on Friday, which tragically resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and the disappearance of another.

Though these strikes also resulted in damage to several U.S. helicopters, the Pentagon chose not to disclose the incidents publicly. However, multiple officials later confirmed the attacks to the New York Times on Monday.

Last week, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it was responding to Iranian aggression targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Notably, this announcement omitted any reference to the strikes against American forces stationed in Jordan.

This situation highlights a delicate balance for the Pentagon between maintaining the secrecy required for operational security and fulfilling its duty to keep the public informed about military engagements.

It should be noted that CENTCOM is under no obligation to release details about injuries sustained by U.S. troops.

Pentagon officials told the Times that many of the injuries were not severe and that revealing details about the wounded could help to serve Iran as it carries out other attacks on bases which house thousands of US troops.

More than 400 troops have been injured in the conflict since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. The Pentagon has not updated the total wounded in several weeks.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected the suggestion it was covering up injuries as ‘baseless and malicious accusations’ and slammed the ‘partisan hacks at the New York Times who are desperate to smear America’s military.’

‘Claims of concealment are fabrications meant to further distress the American people in the wake of three service members killed in action. Disgusting behavior, even for the New York Times,’ said Parnell.

‘In fact, US military casualty information is publicly available and regularly updated online on the Defense Casualty Analysis System for everyone, including the media, to review.

‘Injuries in the military encompass everything from minor sprained ankles during routine training to incidents entirely unrelated to combat operations. Cherry-picking raw numbers without context paints a deliberately misleading and incomplete picture.’

First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed after an attack on an American air base in Jordan on Friday – the first US troops killed in the conflict with Iran since March, bringing the death toll to 17.

Central Command is also working to establish whether remains found close to the devastated Jordan base belong to a fourth service member who had been listed as missing. 

A third US soldier was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during the controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone. The Pentagon has not released the soldier’s identity.

As American deaths continue climbing, Trump’s confrontation with Iran is spiraling toward a far wider conflict, with the US unleashing its ninth consecutive wave of strikes.

The President, speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night after attending the World Cup final, said the US had ‘hit them very hard again’ in a fresh barrage launched to avenge the fallen soldiers.

Iran hit back on Monday morning, launching explosive-laden suicide drones at critical infrastructure in Kuwait, according to the Kuwaiti military. 

Previously, Trump said the deaths of the two troops are ‘a very sad thing.’

The President also told NewsNation on Sunday that he ‘couldn’t care less’ if Iran no longer abides by the peace agreement signed last month.

The overnight bombardment pounded Iranian command centers, air defenses, naval assets, coastal surveillance posts and missile, drone and communications sites. 

The US is trying to cripple Tehran’s ability to menace commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway responsible for carrying one-fifth of all global oil.

Fighting resumed last week after America accused Iran of violating the Memorandum of Understanding by attacking oil tankers passing through the Persian Gulf.

The US Navy has also hit back at Iranian aggression, reimposing a blockade on all of the regime’s ports and seizing several of its ships.

‘The US is planning for a wider war,’ said one American official familiar to the Washington Post. The source noted that the Pentagon was boosting the number of aircraft in the region.

The official cautioned that the expanded operation would be limited because US stocks of air-defense and long-range weapons are running low, and battle damage was restricting how many extra troops and warplanes can be funneled into the region.