Great photos on a Siberian prison. Pretty bleak. Then again, it IS Siberia.
Check it out here.
The Prison Enquirer
Bringing you up to date on the latest in prison news around the world
ID: Idaho prison contract up for bid
This is kind of big.
From the article: “Idaho prison leaders are looking for a new company to run the state’s largest prison after Corrections Corporation of America admitted to understaffing and overbilling for its work operating the Idaho Correctional Center.”
I can’t repost the rest of the article due to copyright laws, but you should read it. Here.
UK: Teesside prison criticised for neglecting prisoner who killed himself
From the article: “Hall’s cell was fitted with CCTV, but his actions were not monitored by prison staff and he lay bleeding for 20 minutes after cutting his throat. The jury concluded the failure of staff to observe and interact contributed to his death.”
Read more here.
NZ: Prison postcard costs tutor job
From the article: “Ms Hill sent the card to a prisoner while on an overseas trip, to ”assist that student in the learning process,” Authority member Paul Stapp outlined in his decision.”
Hmm…truth or BS? You decide.
Read more here.
Vera Institute’s Sentencing & Corrections Headlines
CA – Judge Considers Barring 3,000 Inmates from Two California Prisons Because of Airborne Fungus
ID – Idaho Leaders: How Can We Reduce Crime, Spending?
OH – Task Force Offers Steps to Curtail Prison Sex Assaults
OK – New Department of Corrections Director Will Face the Same Tough Challenges (opinion)
OR – Advocating for “Earned Review” for Juvenile Offenders (opinion)
PA – Pennsylvania Bill Allows Victim’s Family to Address Parole Board
US – “Apostrophe Laws” Named for Kid Victims on the Wane
US – The Comeback States: Reducing Juvenile Incarceration in the United States (report)
Vera Institute’s Sentencing & Corrections Headlines
CA – California’s Prison Crowding is Growing, State Report Says
DE – Senate May Get Revised Bail Bill Allowing More Crimes for 90-Day Jail Hold
OK – Oklahoma Corrections Department Director to Resign
US – The Court: Right and Wrong on Criminal Justice (opinion)
US – Supreme Court: For Right to Remain Silent, Suspect Must Speak
US – Supreme Court of the United States: Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentences in Jury’s Hands
Private prison's shocking treatment of mentally ill inmates sparks class action lawsuit
WASHINGTON, DC, June 17, 2013 – The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the prisoners at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF), alleging shocking human rights violations against mentally ill and special needs prisoners by the private, for-profit facility.
Intended to provide safe and humane treatment for the state’s seriously mentally ill prisoners, EMCF is
Question from the internet: “Who do you report a Warden’s misconduct to?”
When you run a blog, you can see what people googled that led them to your blog. Sometimes the search terms are strange – frankly, you wonder not just how that term brought them to your blog, but also why the creeper wanted to know the answer in the first place.
Sometimes, though, I know the answer and wish that I could respond. So, to you, Mr. “Who do you report a Warden’s misconduct to?”, I have an answer.
First, it depends on what state you’re in. If you’re in Ohio, inmates can report a Warden’s misconduct through the inmate grievance procedure by filing an original grievance directly to the DRC Chief Inspector. An inmate, family member, or concerned citizen could also submit a complaint to the Ohio Inspector General. Last, an inmate, family member, or concerned citizen could contact the legislature’s Correctional Institution Inspection Committee.
If you’re not from Ohio, I am less help to you. There are a handful of inmate advocacy/oversight groups around the nation and you can check some of them out if you scroll down to the bottom of my blog to my “Links” section. I would definitely contact them for assistance. Finally, my guess is that every state has an inspector general and that would be who I would go to, as well.
Hope that helps!
NY: Sex abuse stats skewed by law
I had been seriously wondering about why NY had looked so good in the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ recent report on sexual victimization in juvenile facilities. And now, the truth comes out.
From the article: “It’s a meaningless statistic because state officials, citing privacy, hindered federal officials trying to survey youths raped in prisons here.”
Shame on you, NY.
Read more here.
KS: Even with some funds restored, Kansas correction officials worry about crime going up
From the article: “[T]he department still is losing millions, and state officials still worry that crime rates could go up as the dollars go down.”
Sometimes cutting the corrections department’s budget results in reduction in unnecessary and frivolous spending often found in big bureaucracies…and sometimes it’s a short-term solution with long-term greater costs to the community.
Read more on KS’ corrections budget here.
