In Test For Biden, Frustrated Cops Line Up Against Prison Reform
Obama’s push for sentencing reforms that would decrease the number of Americans imprisoned – a key focus of his remaining time in office – has won support from an unlikely coalition.
Endorse This: President Obama vs. The War On Drugs
“When they describe their youth and their childhood, these are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made.”
Looking To End Time In ‘The Box’ For Youthful Offenders
Juvenile and mental health advocates and officials nationwide have long debated whether placing young inmates like Davis in “the box,” or any form of solitary confinement, does more harm than good.
Retired Justice Stevens Says Some Guantanamo Captives May Deserve Reparations
Outspoken and strident, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens demands compensation for non-security threat Guantanamo detainees.
Aging Inmates Strain Federal Prisons, Report Says
Elderly inmates are the fastest growing segment of the prison population and causing a financial strain on the incarceration system.
Boston Defense Focuses On Tsarnaev’s Troubled Family
The troubled Tsarnaev family is the focus of the defense during the Boston Bombing trial.
Wrongfully Held, Floyd Brown Awarded Millions, But His Money Is Locked Up
After being wrongfully incarcerated, Floyd Brown, who is mentally ill, calls himself a millionaire although he is not allowed to use his earnings.
U.S. Sues New York City Over Treatment Of Young Rikers Island Inmates
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on abuse at the New York jail.
Senate Report Confirms CIA Had ‘Black Site’ At Guantanamo, Hid It From Congress
Inside one of the most shocking revelations from the CIA torture report.
U.S. Shuts Down Last Detention Center In Afghanistan
The Defense Department no longer operates any prisons in Afghanistan.
Texas Prepares To Execute Schizophrenic Inmate Despite Call For Clemency
A man with clear mental health problems is the 11th person to be executed in the state of Texas this year.
Detention At Guantanamo Grinds On: 13 years And Counting, 148 Captives Remain
American use of the world’s most expensive prison still has no end in sight.
Guantanamo Board Says Saudi Captive Can Go Home
Muhammed Zahrani was released back to his native Saudi Arabia, raising to 80 the number of men approved for transfer away from Guantanamo.
Foreigners ‘Face Tougher Sentences’ In U.S. Courts
A study has found that in 2008, 96 percent of convicted non-U.S. citizens received a prison sentence, compared to only 85 percent of convicted U.S. citizens.
Florida Man Admitted Slaughtering Family In Chilling 911 Call
In Bell, Florida a man kills his daughter and six grandchildren.
Bin Laden Son-In-Law Sentenced To Life In U.S. Prison
Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law received the maximum sentence from Judge Lewis Kaplan, who said that the defendant failed to show remorse for the September 11th attacks.
Al-Qaida Recruit Jose Padilla Resentenced To 21 Years In Prison
By Jay Weaver, The Miami Herald MIAMI — Convicted al-Qaida terrorist recruit Jose Padilla was resentenced to 21 years in prison in Miami federal court Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke issued Padilla’s new sentence in response to a federal appeals court ruling ordering her to give the 43-year-old U.S. citizen a longer prison term. […]
For Aging Inmates, Care Outside Prison Walls
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org WASHINGTON — Providing health care to an aging prison population is a large and growing cost for states. Not only do inmates develop debilitating conditions at a younger age than people who are not incarcerated, but caring for them in the harsh environment of prisons is far more expensive than it […]
Jail? I Go There To Study, Defendant Says
By Robert Nolin, Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — Jail has been a real education for habitual offender Todd Bontrager. “I went to jail on purpose, to study,” he told a judge Thursday. He was promptly given opportunity to further advance his curriculum. Bontrager, 47, was at a first appearance hearing to answer a charge of […]
Youths At New York Prison Subjected To Abuse: Officials
New York (AFP) — Young detainees are subject to systemic violence and violation of their constitutional rights at Rikers Island prison in New York City, a study released Monday found. “The investigation, which focused on use of force by staff, inmate-on-inmate violence, and use of punitive segregation during the period 2011-2013, concluded that there is […]
Weekend Reader: ‘Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison’
Today The Weekend Reader brings you Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison by Nell Bernstein. A former Soros Justice Media Fellow and also the author of All Alone in the World, Bernstein is well known for advocating on behalf of children who have been let down by the juvenile prison system. Burning Down the House […]
Egypt Sentences Three Al Jazeera Journalists To Seven To Ten Years In Prison
By Amro Hassan and Laura King, Los Angeles Times CAIRO — An Egyptian judge on Monday sentenced three journalists for the Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera to between seven and 10 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, stunning their supporters and raising an immediate outcry from human rights advocates. The harsh sentence came only a day after […]
Egyptian Activist, Icon Of Tahrir Square, Gets 15-Year Prison Term
By Laura King, Los Angeles Times CAIRO — In the first such verdict under Egypt’s new president, a criminal court on Wednesday handed down a 15-year prison sentence against one of the leading figures of the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak. The heavy jail term for activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who was arrested in November on […]
Republicans Criticize Prisoner Swap That Freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
By David S. Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Senior Republicans criticized President Barack Obama on Sunday for releasing five high-ranking Taliban prisoners to secure the return of an American prisoner of war, arguing that it breached longstanding U.S. policy against negotiating with terrorists. Administration officials strongly defended the swap, saying Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s health […]
Syrian Forces Break Rebels’ Long Siege Of Prison In Aleppo
By Patrick J. McDonnell and Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times BEIRUT — Syrian government forces have broken a long siege on the strategically situated prison in the northern city of Aleppo, government and pro-opposition groups said Thursday. The advance of tanks and troops into the sprawling prison complex on the northeastern edge of Aleppo is the […]