April 26, 2017 Alabama inmates riot, damage jail over bad food News Material conditions Protest United States Seven Alabama jail inmates are facing additional charges after a riot to express their dissatisfaction with the food served at the lockup, according to AL.com.
April 25, 2017 United States: privately run federal prison poses safety risks for inmates, says DOJ inspector general News North America United States A new report by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General says a privately-run federal prison in Kansas put the safety of its inmates in jeopardy because of understaffing, overcrowding and poor training.
April 25, 2017 United States: policy shifts reduce federal prison population News North America United States A decline in the number of federal prosecutions and in the severity of sentences for drug-related crime in recent years has resulted in a significant drop in the federal prison population, according to statistics from the Judiciary, the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), and the Bureau of Prisons (…
April 25, 2017 United States: Arkansas puts two inmates to death in state's first double execution since 2000 News North America Death penalty United States Jack Jones and Marcel Williams administered lethal injections after death penalty carried out on fellow convict Ledell Lee last week
April 25, 2017 United States: bill to eliminate death penalty in Louisiana advances past committee News North America Justice United States Every day and night, former Louisiana prosecutor A.M. Stroud thinks about Glenn Ford, the man he wrongfully sent to prison for almost half of his life and who would have been executed by the state had he not been exonerated 30 years after his conviction.
April 24, 2017 United States: we’re jailing way more people who’ve been convicted of exactly nothing News North America United States New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s promise to close the notoriously overcrowded and brutal Riker’s Island jail made national news last month, but less famous policymakers all over the country struggle with jail overcrowding on a regular basis (see, for example, Kansas, Indiana and Upstate New Yor…
April 24, 2017 United States: fourth Arkansas execution in eight days prompts questions about inmate’s movements News North America Death penalty United States Arkansas executed a death-row inmate late Thursday in the state’s fourth lethal injection in eight days, concluding a frantic execution schedule officials said was necessary to carry out death sentences before one of their drugs expired.
April 24, 2017 United States: women inmates file second suit against state prison doctor News North America Women Health United States Three inmates who claim they were sexually abused by a physician at the state women’s prison have filed a federal lawsuit against the doctor and two other medical staffers.
April 23, 2017 USA: how "schools not prisons" became a favorite rallying cry for criminal justice reformers News United States A bill winding its way through the Legislature proposes a creative way to fund early childhood education: imposing a tax on companies that do business with California’s prison systems.
April 21, 2017 United States: the price of justice doesn't cover the bills News North America United States The money cities generate from bail bonds and conviction fines and fees is not enough to be relied upon.
April 20, 2017 United States: state prisons putting emphasis on rehabilitation and education News North America United States As California prison officials shift toward inmate programs centered on rehabilitation and education, they are evaluating new regulations for awarding time credits for good behavior and reaching milestones.
April 19, 2017 United States: prisons and jails are forcing inmates to pay a small fortune just to see a doctor News North America Health United States The fees are designed to discourage inmates from seeking care, which could have dangerous consequences.
April 18, 2017 United States: does solitary confinement make inmates more likely to reoffend? News North America Discipline United States As a teenager, Adam Brulotte relished the attention he received from getting into fights at parties. When he was 18 years old, he was arrested for burglary and aggravated assault after punching a man and breaking his jaw in seven places.
April 18, 2017 United States: after solitary News Discipline United States When Kenny Moore was convicted of aggravated assault, burglary and theft and sent to Maine State Prison at age 18, he expected to serve an 18-month sentence. But after a series of fights and disruptive behavior, he was sent to solitary confinement, where his disruptive behavior only worsened. All i…
April 17, 2017 United States: innovative prison programs boost opportunities for female inmates News North America Women United States For five years, inmates haven’t even had the opportunity to obtain high school equivalency diplomas at the Lackawanna County Prison in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The GED program was scrapped during a county budgeting crisis in 2012 and has yet to be reinstated.
April 13, 2017 United States : des prisonniers bidouillent des PC et piratent le réseau de la prison News United States This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
April 11, 2017 United States: official says hunger strike over at South Mississippi prison News North America United States The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced Tuesday that a hunger strike at the South Mississippi Correctional Institution at Leakesville has ended, as the prison system continues to push a crackdown on contraband there and elsewhere.
April 10, 2017 United States: New York raises age of criminal responsibility in 'lightning rod' reform News North America United States Polarizing bill approved in state budget to stop charging 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, sparing teens of criminal records: ‘I lost some years of my life back there’
April 6, 2017 United States: Moore v. Texas: US Supreme Court enforces constitutional prohibition against executing intellectually disabled defendants News North America Death penalty United States A recent Supreme Court judgment in the US is being hailed as a triumph by death penalty abolition advocates.
April 4, 2017 United States: LGBT youth are disproportionately in jail News North America United States A disproportionate number of queer youth, particular lesbians and bisexual girls, end up in jail or prison in the United States, according to a study released today by researchers at UCLA. Worse, those youth are considerably more likely to be raped during their time in custody.
April 2, 2017 USA: no license plates here, using art to transcend prison walls News Culture United States More than most artists, the men who gather twice a week for mural class in the B Facility are accustomed to darkness. But the scene they are creating — a tropical rain forest — requires color and light, elements in short supply at Salinas Valley State Prison. “I don’t have much of a legacy,” Jeffre…
March 31, 2017 USA: Rikers Island, la prison où fut détenu DSK, bientôt fermée News United States This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
March 28, 2017 United States : le Texas sous-évalue les handicaps mentaux pour condamner à mort News Violence United States This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
March 22, 2017 USA: how prison visitation cuts devastate families News Social ties United States Buried in the New York state budget is a proposal to cut weekday visits for over 20,000 inmates. For families of incarcerated people, this could mean barely having any real contact with their loved ones.
