Pregnant women face heart-wrenching consequences when they are incarcerated: not only must they give birth under harsh conditions, but then, most likely, they will be forced to surrender their newborn into the hands of others. Prison nurseries offer some of these women a chance to keep their babies with them, but is that always in the child’s best interest? “Incarcerating babies may strike many as unconscionable,” child welfare advocate Naomi Schaefer Riley said recently in a National Affairs article. “We must grapple with the ethical … [Read more...] about Prison nurseries: incarcerating newborns with their mothers
Health and Wellness
Alabama prison failed to identify suicidal inmates
An investigation has been launched into suicides by Alabama prisoners, NPR reported. “The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has the highest suicide rate in the nation, with most such deaths occurring in solitary confinement and solitary-like units,” according to a case summary in the legal fight. The lawsuit was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program. There have been over 200 suicide attempts requiring hospitalization between the filling of the case and January 2019, NPR … [Read more...] about Alabama prison failed to identify suicidal inmates
Solitary: Book depicts one man’s journey through hell
Albert Woodfox spent almost 45-years in solitary confinement in Louisiana for a murder he insists he didn’t commit and has written a book detailing the horror of the isolation. He and one other prisoner were accused of murdering an Angola prison guard. Federal courts threw out two murder convictions, but he decided to plead no contest before a third trial. “By pleading nolo contendere I wouldn’t be innocent in the eyes of the law,” Woodfox told the Times-Picayune. “But I knew I was innocent.” The result: he spent 44 years and 10 … [Read more...] about Solitary: Book depicts one man’s journey through hell
Virginia believes women’s sanitary products pose a threat to prisons
Female visitors entering Virginia State Prison have been forced to remove certain feminine products to visit their family member or friend, according to the Capitol News Service. But under the new House Bill 1884, which is awaiting approval in the House of Delegates, the Virginia Department of Corrections would have to modify the policy for visitors using menstrual products. The current policy is in place to avoid the smuggling of contraband into Department of Corrections facilities. “If someone chooses to visit a Virginia Department of … [Read more...] about Virginia believes women’s sanitary products pose a threat to prisons
Bringing dance to the Big House: Gangnam Style
The No Limits Dance Crew pumped up the crowd with their Gangnam Style performance in San Quentin’s H-unit Chapel. Left to Right: Steven Minor, prisoner dancer, Jonathan Terry, Britton Schutte and Salvador Hernandez The seven-person dance crew garnered cheers from the crowd as they danced to the song “Gangnam Style.” “We’re so good its criminal!” one dancer yelled right before the first of four showings began. The No Limits Dance Crew with San Quentin staff performing a dance in front of an audience Ms. Bridges, a clinician … [Read more...] about Bringing dance to the Big House: Gangnam Style
Nevada man commits suicide after his pleas for execution are denied
A Nevada man who pleaded for his execution killed himself when his wish was denied. Scott Raymond Dozier, 48, was found hanged in his cell on Jan. 5 at Nevada’s maximum security prison in Ely, prison officials told the New York Times. “I’ve been very clear about my desire to be executed... even if suffering is inevitable,” Dozier said in a handwritten note to a state court judge. The judge postponed Dozier’s execution in 2017 over concerns that the “untried” combination of drugs could “leave him suffocating, conscious and able to move,” … [Read more...] about Nevada man commits suicide after his pleas for execution are denied
Founder of San Quentin’s Buddhadharma Sangha remembered
Seido Eishu Lee Seido and Norman Fischer at Green Gulch Responding to a call from inmates interested in starting a Zen group, Seido Eishu Lee founded the Buddhadharma Sangha inside San Quentin State Prison in 1999. He went on to serve as the Sangha’s Head Teacher until his retirement in 2015. Seido Eishu Lee Lüssen de Barros passed away peacefully on March 6 surrounded by family, friends and Sangha. He is survived by his wife, son, three stepchildren and six grandsons. Since the day Lee founded it, the San Quentin Sang- ha has … [Read more...] about Founder of San Quentin’s Buddhadharma Sangha remembered
Hygiene products more readily available for incarcerated woman
Department of Health seal Female hygiene products are becoming more avail- able to incarcerated women, thanks to what is called “the menstrual equality movement,” according to corrections.com. The new policy for federal prisons was adopted in 2017. It requires all federal prisons to provide free Tampons and other hygiene products to female prisoners. A bill in Congress to apply the change to all states failed, the story reported. “It’s all part of what is called the menstrual equity movement,” said Chris Tricozzi, vice president of … [Read more...] about Hygiene products more readily available for incarcerated woman
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 continues, the article said. “This is tragic,” said Judith Resnik, a professor of law at Yale University. She is the director of the Arthur Liman Center. “Solitary confinement is a disabling setting that is harmful for human health and safety. It can do harm for people who are mentally OK and inflict … [Read more...] about More than 4,000 mentally ill prisoners held in isolation
10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy arrested by ICE
After a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy left a Texas hospital for treatment in October 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested her, The Guardian reported. The arrest happened because five days after Donald J. Trump took office, he signed an executive order that changed the focus of ICE deportations from undocumented immigrants with criminal records to every undocumented immigrant. The result of the policy is that ICE is arresting more people with no criminal record than ever before, according to The Guardian. … [Read more...] about 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy arrested by ICE