1. Colorado (Colorado News) — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston implemented substantial housing initiatives for the homeless, with the goal of making Denver the largest American city to curb homelessness for veterans. Johnston was inspired by an encounter with a homeless man that fueled his desire to address this issue. The mayor faced backlash from Denverites who disapproved of a new homeless housing unit, but he gained support from local business owners affected by homeless encampments. In the past year, Denver housed more people quicker per capita than any city in the U.S. “In finding them a home, we created a better home for all of us,” said Johnston.
2. Missouri (The New York Times) — Four Missouri prison guards were charged with murder and a fifth with involuntary manslaughter for the death of Othel Moore Jr. by positional asphyxiation. “This is not something that happens on a daily basis,” said Tim Cutt, the executive director of the Missouri Corrections Officers Association. Andrew Stroth, the family’s lawyer, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit because “they don’t want it to happen to anyone else, and they want to advance systemic change.”
3. Florida (Orlando Sentinel) — Governor Ron Desantis vetoed three criminal justice reform bills designed to assist formerly incarcerated individuals. These bills included subsidized college tuition and probation modification to prevent revocation over minor violations. “We should not reward criminal activity by providing inmates with the same benefits as law-abiding citizens,” Desantis said. Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, said that it is unjust to punish people for their past mistakes and prevent them from being successful in the future.
4. Georgia (Associated Press) — Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano’s family claimed he died from heat exposure due to the negligence of Telfair State Prison officers. The facility reported that the prisoner died from natural causes, which ignited a lawsuit from the Ramirez family. Georgia’s corrections system is under federal investigation for complaints of similar incidents and staff misconduct. “The number of deaths that are occurring in custody is galling, and the absolute lawlessness inside of prisons is a humanitarian crisis,” said Jeff Filipovits, the family’s attorney.
5. South Carolina (Associated Press) — A Richland County jail is under investigation for the death of two prisoners due to overdoses from smuggled drugs. The facility’s long history of issues led the U.S. Department of Justice to get involved. Custody is looking into how the contraband was brought inside in the first place, “There is no magician that pops them in there. Someone has to bring them physically in,” said Richard County Sheriff Leon Lott
6. Dist. of Columbia (Capital B News) — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is receiving mixed reactions to her potential future role as the country’s leader due to her history as California’s attorney general. Her “tough on crime” policies pitted her against progressives and prevented prisoners from early release due to the need for them to fight California wildfires. Others view Harris in a positive light as she moves to change prosecution for marijuana charges and co-authored the first draft of the George Floyd Justice in Policing.
7. Delaware (WDEL News) — Two new Senate bills eliminate an all-cash bail system and prevent pretrial releases for specific felonies. “These bills…will help rebalance the scales to make sure any determination about who gets held before trial and who doesn’t is based entirely on whether they pose a danger to their community,” said Senate Majority Leader Senator Bryan Townsend (D-Bear/ Glasgow). Opponents of the bill argue that it disproportionately affects low-income and minority defendants.
8. New York (Bloomberg) — New rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission would lower phone and video call rates in prisons across the country. Telecom providers would be prohibited from making commission payments to the jails and prisons in which they operate. President Joe Biden provided the FCC greater discretion over capping communication service costs affecting incarcerated individuals. Prison telecom providers Viapath Technologies and Aventiv Technologies would receive the financial brunt due to their current debts and refinancing their loan.
