The Justice Department and Attorney General William Barr are working together to release non-violent criminals following decades in prison, according to Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press. The Trump administration signed a new bi-partisan … [Read more...]
Maine and Vermont encourage the incarcerated to cast their vote even while in prison
When most felons go to prison they lose their right to vote in most of the 50 states, the strongest exceptions being Maine and Vermont, reported Mother Jones. Depending on what you were convicted for, states like Mississippi, Alaska and Alabama … [Read more...]
Allegations of slave labor tarnish drug rehabilitation program’s record
A well-known drug rehabilitation foundation is using its patients in Texas and Louisiana for what critics call “slave labor.” The Cenikor Foundation said the workers’ pay goes to offset the cost of their participation in a two-year … [Read more...]
Florida county jail injury
Florida A mentally ill prisoner at the Broward County Jail in Florida used a razor to commit an act of self-mutilation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “I have a real medical emergency,” the prisoner, who goes by the … [Read more...]
USSC denies stay of execution because of constitutional issues
Over the last three months, six executions in the United States have been stayed or rescheduled because of constitutional issues regarding the method of execution or who can be present in the death chamber, according to Reuters. At the helm of … [Read more...]
Study: mental health diagnoses result in high rates of prisoner isolation
New Mexico has one of the smallest prison populations in the country at 7,300 but is fourth in the nation when it comes to confining prisoners to solitary, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. On any given day one out of 10 prisoners is being … [Read more...]
More than 4,000 mentally ill prisoners held in isolation
More than 4,000 prisoners diagnosed with mental illness throughout the country are being held in solitary lock-up, according to The Guardian. Confinement intensifies their illness. Despite U.S. prisons having this knowledge, this practice … [Read more...]
Collateral consequences of incarceration still linger
Jay Jordan’s story is an example of the barriers the formerly incarcerated face when trying to make a new life outside of prison. He was paroled in 2011 following seven years in prison. He filled out 30 applications as a barber, a skill he learned … [Read more...]
Subtle tactics to dismiss Black jurors in CA trials
Some prosecutors may be using subtle tactics to dismiss Black jurors, despite laws against such racial bias in jury selection, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. You could call it the “O.J. Strategy.” Rather than addressing race overtly, … [Read more...]
More job opportunities opening up for formerly incarcerated
More job opportunities are opening up for parolees and others with criminal records, according to CNBC.com. The Prison Policy Initiative estimates unemployment among ex-felons at 27 percent, but some corporations and human resource executives show … [Read more...]