California (CalMatters) – California prisons will return to the long standing practice of giving an allowance to people being released from prison. “cost for clothing and transportation vouchers provided at the time of release will no longer be deducted from the release allowance,” read the memo sent to top prison officials the day Newsom signed the bill. Removing the $200 “gate money” allowance came as the department changed its policy to accommodate the new budget appropriation.
Nevada (The New York Times) – A woman wrongfully convicted was awarded $34 million dollars after spending 16 years in prison for a murder she did not commit. The lawsuit was against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and retired detectives Thomas Thowsen and James LaRochelle claimed the detectives found no evidence connecting Kirstin Blaise Lobato to the murder. “I have no idea what the rest of my life is going to look like, said Ms. Lobato. “All I know is what the past has looked like, and it was pretty bad.” Each detective was charged $10,000 in punitive damages.
Idaho (Associated Press) – Three news organizations sue Idaho’s Department of corrections Director Josh Tewalt. The lawsuit claims the department is unconstitutional blocking individuals from witnessing the full process of administration the lethal injection during executions. According to attorney Wendy Olson, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the public has the right to witness the entire process from start to finish. “Our execution practices have been repeatedly upheld , including meeting or exceeding the requirements under the First Amendment,” said Sandra Kuzeta-Cerimagic, a spokeswoman for the DOC.
Oklahoma (Associated Press) – Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board voted to reject a man’s petition for clemency. Kevin Ray Underwood’s attorney said his life should be spared due to the abuse and mental health issues like autism, bipolar and panic disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder. Underwood is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on December 20, 2024. His mother asked the board for mercy for her son. However, the Assistant Attorney General Aspen Layman claims Underwood’s crime is one of the most deprave in Oklahoma history. “Mr. Underwood chose Jamie because he thought that she was small and defenseless and easy prey,” said Layman.
Missouri (Associated Press) – The number of people on Death Row in Missouri has dropped from 100 in the 1990s to only eight people after the recent lethal injection of Christopher Collings. Eight people remain on Death Row; three of them were declared mentally incompetent and will possibly serve out their lives in prison. “We are in a very, very different place than we were 25 years ago and that’s for very good reasons,” said Executive Director Robin Maher of the Death Penalty Information Center.
Kentucky (The Hill) –
South Carolina (Bloomberg Law) – The ACLU was denied access to interview Death Row resident Marion Bowman, Jr. declaring that denying the interview is a violation of the man’s First Amendment constitutional right. US Court of Appeals Judge Allison Jones Rushing affirmed the lower court’s decision noting that the First Amendment does not require access to prisons or inmates beyond what is available to the public. The ACLU claims Marion Bowman’s interview would “increase political pressure in favor of clemency,” and bring to light “the impropriety of capital punishment,” by sharing the inhumane treatment of people on Death Row. “The general public lacks access to Bowman, and South Carolina isn’t required to make an exception for journalists,” said the court.
Maryland (Associated Press) – Poor oversight compromised the health of people incarcerated in Maryland. A new audit conducted over a five-year span discovered that hundreds issues from mental health exams to providing sexually transmitted disease testing for patients experiencing symptoms. The cost of health care increased $40 million dollars between 2018 and 2023 as the population of incarcerated people declined steadily. The auditors found that the corrections department was unable to explain fixed fee guarantees for private companies “regardless of the level of staffing provided and the actual costs incurred for equipment, supplies, and hospital visits,” the report said.
Washington D.C. (Associated Press) – President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of 1,500 people on home confinement and pardoned 39 Americans with nonviolent convictions. This is the largest single-day clemency act in modern history. “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement. “As the president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation.” Under pressure from advocacy groups and before the transition of power to the Trump administration, Biden said he would continue reviewing clemency petitions in the weeks ahead.
New Jersey (Politico) – Just weeks after President Biden’s clemency act, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy pardoned 33 people and commuted the sentences of three women convicted of murder in his first clemency act since taking office seven years ago. “Over the course of their lives, each one of these women has suffered immense hardship,” said Murphy. The governor has enacted several criminal justice initiatives during his tenure like expanding expungment and restoring voting rights to people on parole and probation.
