Tag: Prisons
Correctional officers are driving the pandemic in prisons
New research shows correctional officers are vectors of infection, driving COVID-19 rates both inside prisons and in their communities. While prison may isolate people from the larger community, it does not isolate them from COVID-19. Scott…
A Las Vegas Judge approves $1.4 million payment to wrongfully convicted man who served more than two decades
The Wrongfully Convicted Forced Into Plea Deals Fred Steese, who spent decades behind bars for murder — despite the fact that Nevada state prosecutors had documents showing he was in another state at the time of…
Biden ban on new private prison contracts will not reach ICE detainees
by Ryan Knappenberger, Cronkite News Tuesday, February 2, 2021 Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden’s order that the Justice Department stop contracting with private prisons could eventually affect thousands of inmates – but not the roughly…
As pandemic rages on, analysis finds 1 in 5 people in US prisons infected with Covid-19
Over 1,700 inmates have died in US prisons from Covid-19 The new data follow the ACLU’s warning that America’s “unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of…
On first day in Office, LA County District Attorney George Gascón announces move to end cash bail
“I recognize for many this is a new path… Whether you are a protester, a police officer, or a prosecutor, I ask you to walk with me.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Monday, December 7 On…
Neko Wilson released in landmark Arizona case
Despite a unanimous ruling by the Arizona Court of Appeals that Wilson has been held illegally since July 2019, it has taken months to reach Tuesday’s final decision allowing him to walk free yesterday. by Levi…
ACLU sues Trump Admin. to obtain key records on federal handling of Coronavirus pandemic in prisons
The suit seeks “the immediate release of improperly withheld agency records related to federal government’s failed response to the spread of Covid-19 in prisons in jails.” by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Wednesday, October 21 The American…
When “usual residence” is a prison
Census method of counting prisoners distorts demographics. by Jonathan Thompson, High Country News If a demographer were to draw up a profile of eastern Colorado’s Crowley County using the most recent census data, it would appear…
Prison everywhere around you
by Wade Rathke October 10, 2020 Pearl River Talking to Victoria Law on Wade’s World about the book, Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, that she co-authored with Maya Schenwar,…
Cruel and usual punishment for prisoners
by Wade Rathke September 26, 2020 Pearl River Just when you might think things can’t get any worse, it turns out you don’t know half of it. At least, that’s how I felt visiting with Professor…
Lawmakers demand probe into ‘horrifying’ allegations of neglect, mass hysterectomies at ICE Detention Center
“These allegations are part of a larger pattern of reproductive injustices conducted by ICE officials.” by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer Wednesday, September 16 Democratic lawmakers Wednesday called for an “emergency investigation” into allegations of medical neglect…
Disaster work is often carried out by prisoners – who get paid as little as 14 cents an hour despite dangers
Prison systems have long championed the work of incarcerated persons in emergencies and disasters as a demonstration of the value of prisons to local communities and the state. Prisoners clearing vegetation to prevent the spread of…
108,000 US inmates infected with Covid-19
Among prisoners, the death rate from the potentially fatal virus is three times higher than average. Report: Only 7% of Inmates’ Loved Ones Say Prisoners Have Soap and Other Basic Necessities to Stop the Spread of…
California bill to help prisoner firefighters find work after release awaits Governor’s signature
As the Golden State burns amid a firefighter shortage, AB 2147 would expedite criminal record expungements so ex-inmates can apply for EMT licenses. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Monday, August 31 As dozens of major…
Tens of thousands attend march in Washington on 57th anniversary of historic Civil Rights rally, today
‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ “We’ve been here before, but this time we know that it is necessary to redefine public safety in order to save black lives.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Friday, August…
The founder of New Mexico’s new militia was a neo-Nazi skinhead
By Stan Alcorn August 21, 2020 This story was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at revealnews.org and…
Inmate families, advocates push for prisoner release as California wildfires engulf state
‘They Have Nowhere To Run’ “I’m furious at the incompetence and severe inhumanity of this,” one advocate said. by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer Friday, August 21 As wildfires rage in California, advocates are pushing for Gov….
ICE guards “systematically” sexually assault detainees in an El Paso detention center, lawyers say
Allegations include guards attacking victims in camera “blind spots” and telling them that “no one would believe” them in ICE detention centers, which imprison about 50,000 immigrants each year at a taxpayer expense of $2.7 billion….
Saying ICE has ‘Lost the right to be trusted,’ Federal Judge orders mandatory testing at detention center hit by Covid-19
Court order follows an outbreak at the Mesa Verde Detention Center and evidence that officials opted not to test detainees for fear of positive test results. by Lisa Newcomb, staff writer Thursday, August 6 A federal…
As the coronavirus rages in prisons, ethical issues of crime and punishment become more compelling
A 1970 image of prisoners in cell blocks at Rikers Island Prison. Bettmann / Contributor/Bettmann via Getty Images by Austin Sarat, Amherst College Thursday, August 6 Across the United States, prisons and jails have become hot…
Supreme Court rules jail does not have to provide basic protections to inmates
As Prisons Across US Report Surge in Covid-19 Cases “There is no legal principle justifying this stay. The only ‘principle’ animating it is the belief of the Republican appointees to the Court that prisoners are subhuman.”…
New ACLU analysis of crime data shreds GOP’s argument against decarceration during pandemic
“With additional decarceral efforts, many further infections can be prevented in the… cities analyzed and many others.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Monday, July 27 An ACLU report released Monday uses data from 29 locations across…
Coerced work
by Wade Rathke Dallas As Covid-19 sweeps through prisons creating hot spots all over the country because of the close and abysmal conditions, it’s a reminder of how many people are still incarcerated despite widespread claims…
People are dying in US prisons, and not just from COVID-19
According to investigations by the Miami Herald, corrections officers gassed Randall Jordan-Aparo as he begged for help, likely killed Latandra Ellington for speaking out about sexual abuse and scalded Darren Rainey to death in the shower….
