Due to a lawsuit filed last fall by the ACLU on behalf of Jayne Fuentes, the Benton County Commissioners of Richland, Wash., decided to end their “debtors’ prison” policy, reports Rick Anderson for the Los Angeles Times. The lawsuit was based on a U.S. Supreme Court precedent that bans the jailing of defendants for being […]
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By Noel Scott At High Desert State Prison (HDSP) the correctional officers see the inmates as “little more than wild animals” reports Don Thompson for The Associated Press. “Black inmates were disproportionately likely to face discipline and use of force,” according to the AP. In 2015, the Inspectors General’s Office found there was a “culture […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott Two hundred and seventy-two Cellsense Plus detection systems will be provided to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by Metrasens and Global Tel*Link in an effort to rid state prisons of inmate-owned cell phones. The Cellsense Plus by Metrasens claims to be the most durable and effective tool in locating cell-phones, […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott Valley State Prison in Chowchilla is the only prison in California that offers a cosmetology program for men. It has a 100 percent graduation rate, which is one of the highest rates of any prison education programs in the nation, according to Wash, Rinse, Redeem: A look inside a beauty school — […]
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By Noel Scott Solitary confinement can now be experienced by non-prisoners in a “virtual reality (VR)” setting, reports Chloe Veltman of KQED. 6X9: A Virtual Reality Experience of Solitary Confinement was spearheaded by the U.K.’s Guardian Media Group. “You can be mentally damaged by being placed in isolation,” says Francesca Panetta, the project’s executive producer. […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) announced they were contracted by the CDCR to provide re-entry services for 120 men at the Boston Avenue facility in San Diego, reports Globe Newswire. The Male Community Re-entry Programs are designed to provide a wide range of services, including substance abuse, medical and mental health […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott Four people have died during extradition by the company Prisoner Transportation Services (PTS) since 2012, The Marshall Project reports in collaboration with The New York Times. In 2012, Steven Galack was beaten to death in a transport van by other inmates. Galack had been arrested for failing to pay child support. Two […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott Gov. Jerry Brown has reversed the parole board’s decision to grant parole to former Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, according to a National Public Radio report. “She remains an unacceptable risk to society if released,” Brown said. The governor added that Van Houten’s statements to the board implied that she was […]
Read MoreBy Noel Scott Scotland is considering scrapping jail sentences of one year or less to reduce its prison population. The number of people in Scotland’s jails is “unhelpful and unnecessary,” said David Strang, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland. Scotland has one of the largest prison populations in Western Europe. It houses 142 […]
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By Noel Scott Journalism Guild Writer Leslie Van Houten, one of the Manson family members, was finally found suitable for parole after having been denied 19 times, reports Amy Taxin of The Associated Press. The hearing took place at the California Institution for Women at Frontera on April 14, 2016. Van Houten, 66, had been […]
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