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 confinement
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
Life of crime overturned by positive choices
A variety of rehabilitative programs, including dance, helped Anouthinh Pangthong turn his life around despite a rocky youth and 21 years in prison since the age of 15. “Life in prison can become tedious, doing the same thing over and over. Sparks of violence would break the monotony. When an opportunity came to do something different through dancing, I jumped at the chance. My life has since been anything but ordinary,” said Pangthong. “Dancing really saved my life.” Pangthong, known to his friends as Choy, is the latest Kid CAT member to be … [Read more...] about Life of crime overturned by positive choices
Nebraska inmate dies from double bunking in solitary
The death of a Nebraska inmate in solitary confinement prompted the state to take measures to end double-bunking in its isolation unit. Terry Berry Jr., 22, was murdered by his cellmate Patrick Schroeder, 40, who was already serving a life sentence for murder at Tecumseh State Prison. Berry was at the end of his sentence and ready to be paroled. He was described as a “very talkative and bothersome” inmate in an article by the World-Herald News Service. Berry was serving a sentence for check fraud and kneeing a guard. Nebraska Inspector … [Read more...] about Nebraska inmate dies from double bunking in solitary
Arizona inmates allowed more privileges
Many of Arizona’s death-row inmates are no longer spending their days in solitary confinement, reported The Associated Press (AP). The Arizona Department of Corrections moved 93 of its 120 death-row inmates to a Florence, Arizona, prison, where they can be outside and socialize with other death-row inmates in a common area, instead of being isolated in their 9½-by-10-foot cells. In addition, their cells open and are not sealed by a steel door. They can also shoot hoops, play volleyball, and go on the prison recreational fields for several … [Read more...] about Arizona inmates allowed more privileges