02/05/12: South Carolina: Future Lieber uprisings foreseen
Solitary guards supervising hundreds of inmates. Prisoners armed with homemade weapons and contraband cellphones. Inmates driven to rage by extended lockdowns. This is the world Scott Jones confronted daily as a correctional officer at Lieber state prison in Ridgeville. Over a dozen years, Jones said, he watched as budget cuts ate away at manpower and equipment, compromising safety in the maximum-security prison. And he saw how decisions made by folks far away from this rural outpost made life more difficult for those who live and work behind its razor-wired fences.
By Glenn Smith, Post & Courier
02/05/12: Washington: Fight prompts lockdown of Walla Walla prison's gang
Four units that house gang members at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla are in lockdown after a fight involving four inmates Saturday evening. The assault occurred at 7:40 p.m. in the common area of one of the four living units in the West Complex. The West Complex is the prison’s gang unit and the four close-custody living units have the second-highest custody level at the prison. Each West Complex unit has 187 inmates.
Tri-City Herald
02/04/12: Florida: Bay County Jail shows privatization isn't always best
Bay County kicked the private sector out of the local corrections business about three years ago, but now Florida lawmakers are considering expanding its role in the state corrections business. Prison consolidation and privatization has become a contentious issue for the Legislature this year, as lawmakers and state employees wrangle with a budget deficit of about $1.5 billion, not including the $1 billion in additional education funds Gov. Rick Scott has requested. Bills that would privatize state prisons in 18 South Florida counties stalled in both houses last week. The measures have been reported to carry a potential savings of $16 million to $30 million, but local legislators have said it is a complex issue that requires further study.
By Felicia Kitzmiller, News Herald
02/04/12: Illinois: Jail "rips" coupons to save on inmate meals
Times have been tough for the Massac County Sheriff's Department. Two rounds of layoffs have thinned the staff, but the needs of the jail remain. That's why the department is trying out a method many families use to save some cash while still putting food on the table. Three times a day, the 45 inmates in the jail need to eat. That's 135 meals a day, more than 4-thousand a month. That adds up to a pretty hefty grocery bill.
By Cathy IO’Keefe, KFVS News 12
02/04/12: New York: Nassau Jail Guard Union Sues Over Appointments
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Sheriff Michael Sposato appointed three members of the department to illegal titles in top positions, violating civil service law and the county charter, according to a lawsuit filed by the union that represents Nassau County’s corrections officers. Nassau County Sheriff Officers Association President John Jaronczyk said Friday that those appointed are unqualified and their new titles are not recognized by the Civil Service Department. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the decision.
By Timothy Bolger, Long Island Press
02/03/12: New York: As Neighborhood Thrives, No Warm Welcome for a Reopened Jail
When the Brooklyn House of Detention reopens next week after being closed since 2003, it may be the only city jail in America located down the block from a Barneys Co-op and a Trader Joe’s. The building, a 1950s gray behemoth with screens covering its metal-framed windows, looms incongruously over one full block of Atlantic Avenue and rejoins a greatly changed neighborhood. During the jail’s vacant period, six high-rise apartment buildings were constructed nearby.
By Liz Robbins, Times
02/04/12: Ohio: Most prison wardens in Ohio got a raise on Jan. 1
Wardens in most of Ohio’s 26 prisons received raises of up to 23 percent on Jan. 1 under a reorganization plan that raised the bar on their duties. The pay hikes will cost taxpayers an extra $248,000 a year. Wardens will be paid $42.40 an hour, or $88,192 a year, under prisons Director Gary C. Mohr’s plan. Wardens now earn various rates, from less than $35 an hour to more than $44 an hour. Those who are already paid more than the new hourly rate will not receive raises.
By Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch
02/03/12: Florida: Dockery to Senate bosses: Just the prison privatization facts, please
Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland is asking Senate leaders pushing a prison privatization plan to cough up the per-prisoner costs for the private prisons already operating in the state. In a letter to Sens. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, and Budget Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, she says her requests for such information have been unfruitful. The chamber gridlocked earlier this week over the South Florida privatization bill, without the votes to pass the sweeping proposal.
Orlando Sentinel
02/03/12: Utah: Budget cuts would lead to closure of several juvenile justice facilities
Budget cuts could lead to the closure of several juvenile justice centers across the state, making it harder for youth offenders to be treated in their own communities or earn back the money they need to pay restitution to their victims. At a legislative committee meeting Friday morning, representatives from the Division of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) told legislators of the negative impacts of closing the Genesis Work Camp, two rural youth receiving centers and the Weber Valley Detention Center would have on the state. "If we close all these facilities, it will certainly hamper our ability to intervene early with these kids," Susan Burke, director of JJS, told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Those closures will decrease public safety and our ability to work with these kids."
By Sheena McFarland, Tribune
02/02/12: Florida: Sen. Fasano Stripped of Chairmanship after Speaking Against Prison Plan
Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos is getting some withering criticism from opponents of prison privatization for his decision to remove Sen. Mike Fasano as the chairman of a powerful Senate appropriations committee. Sen. Fasano was stripped of the chairmanship after speaking out against the privatization of prison facilities in South Florida. Fasano argued the plan had too many unanswered questions and looked like a bad deal for taxpayers.
By Dave Heller, First Coast News
02/02/12: Georgia: 11 Employees Fired From Augusta YDC Since November; More Firings Expected
The investigation at the Augusta Youth Development Campus continues with 11 people off the job, the most recent firing Tuesday. The GBI and the Department of Juvenile Justice are still investigating the Augusta YDC, after 19-year-old Jade Holder died back in November. The fate is set for the man accused of killing Holder.
By Archith Seshadri, WJBF News 6
02/02/12: Virginia: Bay State prison closing in Norfolk opposed
Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to close the Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk is being met with strong opposition and concern from town officials and local lawmakers. Saying it will save about $8 million, Patrick included the closure of the medium security prison in his FY2013 budget proposal released last week. State Rep. Dan Winslow, R-Norfolk, is dead-set against the idea and said he vows to fight the closure.
By Heather McCarron, Country Gazette
02/02/12: West Virginia: State Regional Jail Authority under new leadership again
The executive director of the regional jail authority resigned last Friday after less than a year in office, his temporary replacement said Thursday. Larry Parsons had been the head of the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority since April. Parsons submitted his letter of resignation last week, said Joe Delong, deputy secretary for the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. Delong is now the acting executive director of the jail authority.
By Ry Rivard, Daily Mail
02/02/12: Illegal Immigrants Detained and Abused
The Government Accountability Office has agreed to launch an investigation into sexual abuse at U.S. immigration detention centers, following recent reports of abuse and a request from 30 members of Congress that GAO conduct an inquiry. The announcement comes as the Obama administration decides whether it will include immigrant detainees, the fastest-growing incarcerated population in the country, in pending regulations on prison rape prevention due out early this year. Officials in the Justice and Homeland Security departments have been debating whether the new regulations, which will be enforced by DOJ, should cover immigration detention centers, which are under DHS jurisdiction.
By Catherine Rentz, National Journal
02/01/12: Florida: Effort to save Panhandle prison fails in House vote
A plan by Gov. Rick Scott's administration to close seven prisons survived an attack Wednesday as members of the House Appropriations Committee voted down an attempt to keep open Jefferson Correctional Institution in Monticello near Tallahassee. Jefferson is one of seven state prisons marked for elimination in a consolidation plan the state says is needed because of a declining inmate population. Nearly 100 residents of the close-knit county packed a Capitol hearing room to show support for the 23-year-old prison. Lawmakers heard one plea after another, including from a county commissioner, clerk of court and school superintendent. All said the closing of JCI and the loss of nearly 200 prison jobs would devastate the economy of the sixth smallest county in the state.
Tampa Bay Times
02/01/12: Oregon: Prison in Salem proposed for closure because of budget cuts
Oregon's budget crisis is taking a toll once again on the state prison system, with legislators planning to close a 440-bed prison in Salem to save money. Santiam Correctional Institution, a minimum-security prison operating in what was once a mental hospital annex, is set to close this July, eliminating up to 100 jobs. No inmates would be freed, state Corrections Department officials said.
By Les Zaitz, The Oregonian
01/31/12: California: State wavers on future of closed Paso Robles correctional facility
The governor’s decision to withhold more than $100 million to revamp the closed El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility into a re-entry facility for state prisoners is not necessarily permanent, a state spokesman said Monday, but local officials want more clarity about what the state intends to do with the place long-term. “I’m a little confused” about the state’s intentions, said Frank Mecham, county supervisor and former Paso Robles mayor. He said he hopes the governor doesn’t plan to “leave it as a big white elephant, gathering weeds and dust.”
By Bob Cuddy, Tribune
01/31/12: Florida: Prison privatization bill hits a snag
A fast-track plan to revive the privatization of prisons in 18 South Florida counties was derailed in the Senate as conservative Republicans sharply challenged the GOP leadership Tuesday over projected cost savings and job losses for state employees. The overnight delay of the bill was at least a temporary victory for organized labor forces that rallied in front of the Senate chamber an hour before debate began. With several law-and-order Republicans sharply questioning whether the promised 7 percent savings in operation costs — anywhere from $16.5 million to twice that much — would ever materialize, a leading opponent put up an amendment to spike the proposal for a year while a financial examination is done.
By Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat
01/31/12: Iowa: State paying out for improper layoffs
Iowa prison and parole supervisors who were laid off under former Gov. Chet Culver's administration have been paid nearly $500,000 in back pay and counting after a state panel ruled their firings were improper, records show. The largest payout was to James Twedt, a senior parole judge who was paid $205,000 in back salary and benefits and reinstated to his job Dec. 5, according to data obtained by The Associated Press under the open records law. After Twedt was laid off in March 2010, he practiced law in his hometown of Roland, north of Des Moines. The 25-year state employee said Tuesday he made no apologies for accepting the taxpayer-funded back pay and that he was glad to be back overseeing parole revocation hearings for the state.
By Ryan J Foley, Associated Press
01/31/12: Kansas: Overcrowding of sexual predator program expected to continue
Sexually violent predators who are ordered to a state hospital for treatment after serving prison sentences are almost never released, and Kansas officials say they expect the overcrowded program to continue expanding. The Sexual Predator Treatment Program, which began in 1994, gave prosecutors a place to indefinitely hold convicted sex offenders who are considered too dangerous to release from prison. Instead, prisoners are sent to Larned State Hospital for treatment with the goal of being released back into society.
Associated Press
01/31/12: New Mexico: New Prison Gang Spawns In NM Jails
Prison officials warned residents about the new prison gang that's threatening to spill over into the community. Officials said "The Burquenos" is the most dominant gang behind bars. The group is made up of different members of street gangs who are incarcerated. The Burquenos is not officially recognized as a prison gang, but with what's been happening lately, officials said they will be, very soon.
KOAT News 7
01/31/12: New Mexico: State to hold tours of 1980 prison riot site
The site of a violent 1980 riot at the state's maximum-security penitentiary near Santa Fe will be opened to the public by the New Mexico Corrections Department. The state will begin offering public tours Thursday of the infamous "Old Main" prison building, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Thursday is the anniversary of one of the nation's worst prison riots that claimed the lives of 33 people before National Guard troops were called. Most of the prison was scorched by fire.
Associated Press
01/31/12: Texas: Bexar Co. Sheriff: Jail officers over-worked and burnt-out
The Bexar County Sheriff said his jail officers are so over-worked, he fears one of them might get hurt or worse. That's why Tuesday at a news conference; Sheriff Amedeo Ortiz announced he needs a larger jail staff. In the fiscal year 2011 county budget, a hundred sheriff office positions were cut – saving taxpayers more than $4-million.
KENS News 5
01/30/12: Texas: Discipline problems persist at Harris County Jail
A female jailer ordered, without authorization, an entire cellblock of women prisoners to strip naked during a July 2010 search. She's still on the job. Another jailer punched a seriously ill inmate as he lay in the infirmary in May 2010. The inmate died the next day, and the jailer's punishment: one day in jail.
By James Pinkerton, Chronicle
01/29/12: Florida: Prison closings are legacy of wrong guess
When Florida's prison system announced it was closing 11 facilities, it flew in the face of conventional wisdom that the state's prison population was high and rising. If there's room to spare, where have all the prisoners gone? The short answer is that they never arrived, at least not in the numbers expected.
By James L Rosica, Associated Press
01/29/12: Illinois: State trying to hire more female prison guards
Against the backdrop of a rise in inmate grievances at the state's lone maximum-security prison for women, Illinois officials say they are investigating ways to boost the number of female prison guards. Although a spokeswoman for the agency offered no details for how top prison brass may approach the situation, officials said they are exploring ways to increase gender-specific hiring. "The Illinois Department of Corrections is committed to finding ways to increase female and minority recruitment within the department," spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.
By Kurt Erickson, Herald & Review
01/29/12: New Hampshire: Private prison interest strong for New Hampshire
Representatives from more than 20 national and international companies have converged on the Granite State to assess the state’s Request for Proposals for a private prison, even as local residents and some officials have voiced opposition to the idea. The strong response reflects the unusual opportunity presented by the RFP, which places no limits on the size and makes no specification about the location of a facility. The main requirement is that the facility be capable of accommodating, at minimum, the approximately 1,500 inmates at the state’s largest and oldest penitentiary, the State Prison for Men in Concord.
By TED SIEFER, New Hampshire Union Leader
01/28/12: Virginia: Town struggles to survive close of prison
When things got tough, the people of this Southside hamlet made a hard decision. They welcomed into their midst the Mecklenburg Correctional Center, a sallow-trimmed building filled with murderers and rapists that promised to pump jobs and revenue back into the ailing economy. For three decades, that decision buoyed Boydton, a blue-collar community so proud of its scrappiness that U.S. News and World Report once called it: “A Small Town That Refuses to Die.”
By Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post
01/27/12: California: Hundreds of prison employees get layoff notices
California prison officials have sent layoff notices to 545 employees, including 140 guards, as the inmate population declines to comply with a federal court order. Corrections officials said Friday there are 14,000 fewer inmates than four months ago, when a new law began sending those convicted of lower-level offenses to county jails instead of state prisons. Federal judges, in an order backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, gave the state two years to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates to improve medical care.
Associated Press
01/27/12: California: End of prison oversight not certain
The court-appointed receiver overseeing California's prison health care system said Friday the state must keep its promise to spend more than $2 billion for new medical facilities before the federal courts can end an oversight role that has lasted six years. California committed to spending $750 million to upgrade existing medical facilities, building a new $906 million medical center and converting juvenile lockups at a cost of $817 million. So far, only the new medical center in Stockton is being built.
By Don Thompson, Associated Press
01/27/12: Montana: Lawsuit prompts Deer Lodge prison to seek translator
Montana State Prison officials are in contract negotiations to provide translation services to inmates who receive correspondence in languages other than English, a response to a convicted killer's lawsuit challenging the prison's letter policy. The state Department of Corrections also is reviewing and revising its operational procedures further, after changing them once already in December. The changes come as settlement talks are under way in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana on behalf of William Diaz-Wassmer, who says the prison unconstitutionally withheld Spanish-language letters to him from family and friends.
By Matt Volz, Great Falls Tribune
01/27/12: Nebraska: Lawmakers hear plan on YRTC violence
Teens at Kearney’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center don’t have enough structure and discipline, a longtime employee said to Nebraska legislators Thursday. “In my experience, kids need structure and kids need discipline, and we are not structured and disciplined enough,” Sue Bokenkamp, a teacher at YRTC-Kearney for 27 years, told the Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee in Lincoln. Bokenkamp was one of nine people who testified for more than two hours in support of LB972, which would move the management of the YRTCs in Kearney and Geneva from the state Department of Health and Human Services to the state Department of Corrections.
BY Kim Schmidt, Kearney Hub
As of Jan. 1, Cleveland County jail cells are up for rent. Sheriff Alan Norman said the county chose to participate in a program which would allow the county to rent out jail space to the state. When state lawmakers signed the Justice Reinvestment Act of 2011 into law last year, sentencing guidelines changed.
By Rebecca Clark, Freedom News
01/26/12: California: State settles up -- interest free -- with prison guards union
California's prison officers union is getting a loan from taxpayers – interest-free – to settle a multimillion-dollar debt it owes the state. The deal sealed on Wednesday closes the books on what the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said was at least $4.5 million the California Correctional Peace Officers Association owed for wages and benefits paid to CCPOA leaders while they were away from their state jobs tending to union business. CCPOA, which represents about 30,000 correctional and parole officers, refused to settle the so-called "union paid leave" tab that has been running since 2005, saying it was being overcharged.
By Jon Ortiz, Sac Bee
01/26/12: Colorado: Prison lights kept on — for now
Nobody will be home, but the lights would stay on at Fort Lyon Correctional Facility through the end of this year under a proposal approved this week by the Joint Budget Committee. The committee approved $400,000 to keep utilities on and pay about 10 maintenance workers through the end of 2012 as recommended by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s budget office after December’s favorable revenue forecast. Hickenlooper has said upkeep of the prison will be important for the ongoing effort to find a new tenant.
By Patrick Malone, Chieftain
01/26/12: Florida: Nurses follow suit over prison privatization suit
The Florida Nurses Association has filed a lawsuit against the state corrections department over a prison health care privatization effort ordered by lawmakers in the budget last year. The nurses are using the same argument that the Florida Police Benevolent Association successfully used to kill a prison privatization plan also included in the budget. A Tallahassee judge ruled that the way lawmakers went about the outsourcing was unconstitutional and needed instead to be the subject of a stand-alone bill.
By Dara Kam, Palm Beach Post
01/26/12: Pennsylvania: Gov. Tom Corbett quietly launches effort to reduce prison costs
In an unannounced, closed-door meeting Thursday morning, Gov. Tom Corbett launched an initiative to reduce prison costs in Pennsylvania. An afternoon press release announced the creation of a “justice reinvestment working group” led by Corrections Secretary John Wetzel and Mark Zimmer, chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Names of other members of the group were not released.
By Donald Gilliland, Patriot-News
01/26/12: Tennessee: Shelby County juvenile programs earn honors
Shelby County Juvenile Court is the first in the state to earn a rare "Triple Crown" of national honors. The court has been inspected and detention center officials examined about who is detained and how they are fed, educated and disciplined, as well as what steps judges take to reform troubled youths. The result: Shelby County is the only Juvenile Court in the Southeast, and one of only a handful nationwide, to win three top designations.
By Beth Warren, Commercial Appeal
01/26/12: Texas: Bexar County jail overstaffed - Says state report
The results are in. State inspectors take a close look at the Bexar County jail and concerns that it's understaffed. This all goes back to the county's budget and tax payer dollars. A few months ago the Sheriff's Department was forced to cut 100 positions. It was a budget cut that saved nearly $4 million. But Sheriff Ortiz still believed his jail was understaffed and asked the State Commission on Jail Standards to come in and check things out.
By Mireya Villarreal, WOIA News 4
01/26/12: Prison dilemma: Surging number of older inmates
In corrections systems nationwide, officials are grappling with decisions about geriatric units, hospices and medical parole as elderly inmates -- with their high rates of illness and infirmity -- make up an ever increasing share of the prison population. At a time of tight state budgets, it's a trend posing difficult dilemmas for policymakers. They must address soaring medical costs for these older inmates and ponder whether some can be safely released before their sentences expire.
Associated Press
01/26/12: MacArthur Foundation Provide $2 Million To Support Juvenile Justice Reform
In a new private-public partnership, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation are jointly providing $2 million to support innovative and effective reforms in treatment and services for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. "We need to do what's right for America's children," said Melodee Hanes, Acting Administrator of OJJDP. "This partnership supports state and community efforts to protect youth from harm, hold them accountable for their actions, provide for rehabilitation and improve public safety. In this tight economy, creatively partnering with a private organization such as MacArthur maximizes reform, while stretching limited public dollars."
PR Newswire
01/25/12: California: Chowchilla women's prison halts switch to men's facility
California corrections officials have agreed to temporarily halt a conversion of Chowchilla's Valley State Prison for Women into a men's facility. It was welcome news in the city, which is waging a legal battle over the project in Madera County Superior Court. "This is the first step at attempting to have the state keep its promise to Madera County and our community," said Mark Lewis, city manager.
By Joshua Emmerson Smith, Modesto Bee
01/25/12: Florida: Prison privatization plan now goes to Senate floor
The Senate budget committee on Wednesday approved a version of a South Florida prison privatization plan, but the measure is now breaking allegiances on both sides of the aisle. Budget chair JD Alexander also upset many in the audience by calling a vote before any public comment, causing a chorus of people to start yelling, "Shame!" The Lake Wales Republican did, however, meet with the measure's opponents afterward.
By James L Rosica, Associated Press
01/24/12: Colorado: Funding panel OKs more DOC funds
The Joint Budget Committee approved $11.3 million in additional funding to the Colorado prison system, even though the prison population continues to decline. The Department of Corrections sought $15 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year because it had overestimated the rate of decline in prison population, but the budget committee went with the lower recommendation of the governor’s budget office. “For the first time in the department’s history, offender populations have declined in two consecutive years,” said Henry Sobanet, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s budget director.
By Patrick Malone, Pueblo Chieftain
01/24/12: Florida: Prison privatization bills move forward
With its main sponsor saying he's confident of millions of dollars in savings every year, a Florida Senate committee Monday cleared two bills allowing for the privatization of prisons in South Florida. The rules committee approved the bills (SB 2036 and SB 2038) on party-line votes after more than three hours of debate and public comment. Dozens of people spoke against the bills, telling senators privatization would put state employees out of work and will reduce public safety.
By James l. Rosica, Associated Press
01/24/12: Illinois: Layoffs threatened in Sangamon County probation department
Union employees in Sangamon County's adult probation department could face layoffs if they don’t accept a lower raise than promised in their union contract. County officials say the concessions are needed to balance the budget, but employees say the cuts are unfair and would result in cuts in service. The proposed cuts include the layoffs of two union employees in the adult probation department and three positions remaining unfilled in the juvenile detention center. One additional layoff of a non-union, supervisory employee in the juvenile detention center is also on the table.
By John Reynolds, State Journal-Resister
01/24/12: Montana: State seeking bids on new 120-bed medium security prison
The Montana Department of Corrections is seeking bids for a new 120-bed medium security prison to help deal with expected growth in the system. The agency issued the request Tuesday in hopes of finding a contractor to house the inmates at either a new or existing facility. Officials from the Butte-Anaconda area have in the past indicated interest in bidding on the project.
Associated Press
01/24/12: Nevada: Now hiring: State Corrections Department has 200 openings
Despite Nevada's highest-in-the-nation 12.6 percent unemployment rate, the state Department of Corrections has 200 correctional officer vacancies. Deputy Director Sheryl Foster told the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice on Tuesday that recruiting people to fill those jobs is difficult because in rural areas, guards often quit when better-paying jobs open in mines. In urban areas, they leave to take better-paying jobs with city and county governments.
By Ed Vogel, Las Vegas Review-Journal
01/24/12: Texas: Long-closed Presidio County Jail to re-open
The Presidio County Jail is opening for the first time in two-and-a-half years today Wednesday after it passed inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Jail Administrator Mary Byrne said in the eight months she has been with the county, she and Sheriff Danny Dominguez have worked hard to prepare for the jail opening. The county was facing financial problems if the jail did not pass the TCJS inspection and open by the end of January, but with the first federal prisoners expected to arrive Friday, they will begin to be reimbursed for some of their expenses.
By Jon Vanderlaan, Odessa American
01/23/12: Arizona: 'Suicide by cop' attempt at prison ends safely
An inmate at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Douglas is in detention after holding a correctional officer hostage for about 30 minutes Monday morning, prison officials said. Authorities described it as a "suicide by cop" situation. At about 9:50 a.m., inmate Marcus Davis grabbed his assigned correctional officer and placed an object which he claimed to be a knife on the back of her head, officials said.
By Phil Benson, KPHO News 5
01/23/12: Arkansas: Funeral set for slain prison guard
Funeral arrangements have been set for a correctional officer who was stabbed to death at an eastern Arkansas prison last week. Cpl. Barbara Ester’s funeral will be held Saturday at Lee High School in Marianna. The Arkansas Department of Correction says the employee trust will cover the funeral expenses and provide $3,000 to her family for miscellaneous expenses.
Associated Press
01/23/12: Texas: Jones County Purchases Jail, Charges Tax Payers
Jones County Commissioners approved plans Monday to buy a jail facility that has been empty for nearly two years. The motion did not pass unanimously, and those not in favor say the county is placing unfair obligations on the tax payers. Those against Monday's purchase said when they originally agreed to just build the jail, they were under the impression that tax payers would have no obligation.
By Josh Berry Big Country
01/22/12: Pennsylvania: Former inmate shoots correctional officer outside bar
A former inmate shot a correctional officer who guarded him at York County Prison when the two happened to meet at a Manchester Township club Saturday morning, according to court documents. A fight between David Whitcomb, the correctional officer, and Craig A. Lewis Jr., the former inmate, began at 1:48 a.m. inside Piazza Romana, 2350 N. George St. in Manchester Township, police said. When bouncers pushed the fight outside, Lewis, 21, of the 200 block of Chestnut Street, York, shot Whitcomb, 26, in the abdomen, according to charging documents.
By Ted Czech, Daily Record
01/22/12: Pennsylvania: Lackawanna County Prison in hiring mode
The Lackawanna County Prison is preparing for a new round of hiring. The county will accept applications through Feb. 7 in anticipation of hiring up to nine corrections officers by early spring, with perhaps more later in the year, Warden Robert McMillan said Wednesday. Applicants will be required to take a written examination, which will be administered by an outside testing agency and is scheduled for Feb. 13.
By David Singleton, Times-Tribune
01/22/12: South Carolina: No added staffing planned for Lieber prison
State correctional officials have no plans to seek funding for additional manpower despite a riot at Lieber prison Wednesday in which disgruntled inmates overpowered their greatly outnumbered guards. Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the five-hour riot at the Ridgeville prison. They also want to know how inmates got hold of a pipe used to beat the two correctional officers keeping watch over a dorm with 229 hard-core offenders, department spokesman Clark Newsom said.
By Glenn Smith, Post & Courier
01/21/12: Arkansas: Female prison guard killed checking on inmate
A convicted murderer stabbed a female guard to death at an east Arkansas prison Friday while she was investigating whether he had an unauthorized pair of shoes, a prison spokeswoman said. Sgt. Barbara Ester, 47, was stabbed in the side, abdomen and chest at about 12:30 p.m., said Shea Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Correction. Ester died about 3 p.m. at a hospital in Memphis, Tenn., about 40 miles away.
By Jill Bleed, Associated Press
01/21/12: Pennsylvania: Inmate denies mistreatment at hands of state prison guard
The case against one of the state prison guards charged with abusing inmates unraveled on Friday when the alleged victim testified the abuse never happened. Investigators for the Department of Corrections charged guard Brian Olinger, 32, of Washington with urinating on Kenneth Vanwy's bed the day he was moved to the Woods Run prison, pushing him down into the urine-soaked bedding after Vanwy returned to the cell and, in later incidents, spitting on Vanwy. Another inmate, Casey Oliver, 32, testified that he witnessed the incidents, but Vanwy, 58, said his sheets were dry the day he arrived at the prison. Though someone did throw a liquid on his sheets several days later, it wasn't urine, Vanwy said.
By Brian Bowling, Tribune-Review
Liberty County is already seeing a reduction in costs for the operation of the county jail thanks to a plan initiated by 253rd District Court Judge Chap B. Cain and supported by County Judge Craig McNair, County Court-at-Law Judge Tommy Chambers and 75th District Court Judge Mark Morefield to reduce the inmate population. Morefield discussed the plan as guest speaker of the Cleveland Rotary Club luncheon on Jan. 18. According to Morefield, at the time the plan was put into place, the county was spending 11 percent of its total budget, around $3.85 million, to fund the county jail. Much of the burden had to do with the fact that non-violent offenders were not being released because they were unable to pay their bond.
By Vanesa Brashier, Cleveland Advocate
01/20/12: Florida: Senate prez Haridopolos gives prison privatization bill another committee stop
Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ spokeswoman Lyndsey Cruley issued a correction to the privatization bill committee stops. Haridopolos is giving the bill (SB 2038) reviving last year’s privatization of more than two dozen prisons another hearing in the budget committee – NOT the bill that would allow lawmakers to privatize state functions without public input until after contracts are signed. Bowing to pressure from prison privatization critics including Sen. Mike Fasano, Senate President Mike Haridopolos has put the brakes – sort of – on a fast-tracked bill that would outsource all prison operations in an 18-county region south of Polk County to the Florida Keys.
By Dara Kam, Palm Beach Post
01/20/12: Illinois: Lawmakers seek prison crowding fix
Lawmakers from both parties are seeking ways to reduce Illinois' growing prison population, and one has introduced legislation to restart a contentious program that let well-behaved prisoners out early. Gov. Pat Quinn shut down the 30-year-old early release program after The Associated Press reported in 2009 that prison officials had implemented an unpublicized, accelerated version that was springing criminals in as little as eight days. He has shown no interest in reviving it, but least one legislator is looking at it again as the prison population has grown by 3,000 inmates in two years.
By John O’Connor, Associated Press
01/20/12: New Mexico: Female Prison Population Rising
Corrections officials are concerned about a spike in the number of New Mexico’s female prisoners that has required them to house some women in a separate unit at the men’s prison in Grants. Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel told the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday that a study is planned to figure out what’s causing the uptick. “We’ve got to find out about it,” Marcantel said in an interview after the meeting. “We don’t want to be buying a firetruck once the fire starts.”
By Deborah Baker, Journal
01/20/12: West Virginia: Prison Overcrowding Dangerous for Correctional Officers
The State legislature drafted the Public Safety and Offender Accountability Act last week, which proposes reforms to the criminal justice system, to ease the growing problem of prison overcrowding. State prison overcrowding has been a major concern for state correctional employees, whose safety is compromised by working in dangerously overcrowded conditions. Last year, the State held 6,700 inmates in facilities that were built to only hold 5,100. Officials say these numbers are alarming since the Mountain State has the second fastest growing inmate population in the country.
By Whitney Wetzel, WDTV News 5
01/19/12: California: Fresno Co. braces for next week's labor strike
Fresno County officials said Thursday that next week's planned labor strike won't affect public safety, even with hundreds of jail guards poised to walk off the job. In light of the three-day strike, county leaders have warned that libraries, health clinics and service counters could close, and welfare programs may be suspended. It might be impossible next week to get a marriage license or register to vote, for instance. County leaders just weren't sure Thursday how deeply services will be affected.
By Kurtis Alexander, Fresno Bee
01/19/12: Florida: Major proposed changes to Florida prison system alarm workers, advocates
Determined to cut the size of the $2 billion prison budget, legislators and Gov. Rick Scott are focused on consolidation and privatization. But as the potential disruption to state employees becomes clear, prison advocates and some lawmakers are scrambling to put the brakes on plans they say could devastate small towns that are highly dependent on prison jobs. Some of the biggest changes in the agency’s history are moving ahead all at once. They include closing seven prisons due to a surplus of vacant prison beds; outsourcing 32 prisons and work camps in South Florida to private vendors; and the privatization of health care for all 100,000 inmates statewide.
By Steve Bousquet, Miami Herald
01/19/12: Florida: Lawmaker: Inmates moved before privatization
A Florida lawmaker says prison employees in his district told him the Department of Corrections last year had moved sicker, more-expensive inmates out of facilities the state was trying to privatize. Rep. Paige Kreegel's comment came Thursday at a House appropriations committee workshop on prison privatization. He was responding to a presentation by Corrections deputy secretary Mike Crews. Private prisons in other states have negotiated deals that limit which kind of inmates they will take. Those who are older or have AIDS, diabetes or other illnesses usually cost more to care for than younger and healthier inmates.
By James L Rosica, Associated Press
01/19/12: Florida: Osceola looks at alternative to jail for those with drug, mental-health problems
Osceola County is looking into establishing a treatment center to keep people with mental illness or drug problems from cycling through the county jail. Corrections Chief Sherry Johnson presented the idea to the County Commission last week, though the plan has been in the works for a few years. The program would allow law-enforcement or emergency-room personnel to send willing participants, some of them homeless, to get treatment. Neighboring Central Florida counties have similar jail-diversion programs already in place.
By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel
01/19/12: Georgia: Behind the scenes of the Wilcox State Prison shakedown
Nearly 200 Department of Corrections officers flooded the gates of Wilcox State Prison Wednesday morning, marking the beginning of an unannounced raid. The DOC's special operations team performs shakedowns at each of the state's 31 prison facilities, searching each cell for weapons and other contraband, including cell phones. Even prison warden Robert Toole was caught off guard, notified only ten minutes before the group's arrival.
By Blayne Alexander, News 11
01/19/12: Massachusetts: Prison Plan Outlines Inmate Needs
The Patrick administration is predicting that Massachusetts will need space for an additional 10,000 inmates by the end of the decade. A prison master plan released by the administration Thursday calls for construction of new jails and prisons — but also for reductions in sentences. The state Public Safety secretary, Mary Beth Heffernan, says both approaches are essential.
WBUR News
01/19/12: New Mexico: Reform Plan For Jail Addresses Overcrowding
Bernalillo County has come up with an unusual idea for addressing crowded conditions at its massive West Side jail: Shut down part of the place. The county plans to ask state lawmakers this session to authorize a two-year pilot project that could involve closing a unit at the West Side jail, which now houses 2,630 inmates, well above its 2,236-bed capacity. Deputy County Manager Tom Swisstack said he envisions taking hundreds of those inmates — perhaps 650 to 750 — and moving them instead into alternative programs based out of the old, vacant Downtown jail.
By Dan McKay, Journal
01/19/12: South Carolina: At least 2 officers injured in prison riot
The only two correctional officers standing watch at a Ridgeville prison dormitory that houses 229 of the state's most egregious offenders were injured Wednesday night after inmates lashed out and set off a five-hour riot. Current and former S.C. Department of Corrections officials said violence is commonplace at Lieber Correctional Institution's Ashley dorm, which contains criminals facing lengthy sentences. The dorm had been on lockdown Wednesday night after "several incidents of violence" in recent weeks, department spokesman Clark Newsom said.
By Andrew Knapp and Glenn Smith, Post & Courier
01/19/12: West Virginia: Corrections says more money needed for crowded prisons
In his 2013-14 budget, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin not only wants a $166 million base budget for the Division of Corrections -- up $14.4 million from its current budget -- but an extra $26.5 million of supplemental appropriations, much of which would go to pay higher costs caused by overcrowded state prisons. That includes a supplemental $9 million to help pay costs for inmates who are housed in state regional jails or in federal facilities because the state's prison beds are full. "We're running out of one-time money," Senate Finance Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, complained Thursday. "We can't continue doing this."
By Phil Kabler, Gazette
01/19/12: Cost of prison prompts change in US states
After a few minutes in Baton Rouge Parish prison you forget what the sky looks like. Men lie on bunks, wait to make a call, watch daytime TV. Guantanamo-orange jumpsuits are everywhere. You don't have to spend much time in the American criminal justice system to become overwhelmed by the waste, the futility and the failure.
By Jonny Dymond, BBC
01/18/12: Florida: Correctional Officers Say Prison Proposals Will Devastate Their Communities
Correctional officers and other prison workers today said proposals to privatize and close Florida corrections facilities will throw thousands of people out of work and endanger local communities. A dozen correctional officers converged on the Statehouse today to urge lawmakers to reject the plan. Bill Curtis, a correctional officer with Charlotte C.I., said privatization of his facility would cost him his job, his insurance and possibly his wife's life. "It's going to throw everyone out of work," said Curtis. "I'm going to lose my insurance, and that's important to me because my wife had a stroke. It's a matter of life and death."
PR Newswire
01/17/12: California: Judge to end prison receiver
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered California officials to prepare for the end of a six-year, court-ordered oversight of the prison system that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars and helped force a shift of lower-level criminals from state prisons to county jails. U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson cited improving conditions in the prison system in a three-page order that says "the end of the Receivership appears to be in sight." The ruling marks an important milestone in a process that began nearly six years ago when the judge appointed a receiver to run California's prison medical system after finding that an average of one inmate a week was dying of neglect or malpractice.
By Don Thompson, Associated Press
01/17/12: Florida: Budget panel told that closing prison a "death sentence" for Jefferson County
Jefferson County officials told a House budget panel Tuesday closing their state prison will be an economic death sentence for the small, struggling rural community. But the head of Florida’s prison system said there can’t be any reprieves for the seven prisons and four work camps he announced last week will be closing before June 30. Department of Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker said a detailed business analysis was used to evaluate each institution and that his agency will do all it can to transfer some employees and help find jobs in other state or local agencies for others. “We are a community on life support and this decision will equate to pulling the plug on us,” Kirk Reams, the clerk of court and chief financial officer for the county, told the House Justice Appropriaitons Subcommittee.
By Bill Cotterell, Florida Capital Bureau
01/17/12: Minnesota: 6 LSD-taking inmates hospitalized
An incident of LSD use by inmates at a prison in Faribault, Minn., resulted in violent reactions that hospitalized the prisoners, corrections reports indicated. Correction reports and interviews with prison officials indicated the six inmates attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting at the state prison on Christmas Eve and later ingested the hallucinogen, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Tuesday. Corrections officials declined to offer a characterization of the incident, but acknowledged guards were exposed to a sequence of medical emergencies and physical confrontations with violent, hallucinating prisoners.
UPI
01/17/12: New Hampshire: 155 residents sign petition opposing prison
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will soon take up a proposal to limit where prisons and half-way houses can be built after more than two dozen residents of Hackett Hill came to City Hall to oppose a proposed private prison in their neighborhood. The zoning changes were suggested by the city not because of the prison plan, but in response to a New Hampshire Supreme Court ruling on the city's rejection of a proposed half-way house. It identified holes in Manchester's zoning on this issue and the Planning Department suggested naming an area where these buildings could go and setting up a vetting process for the planning board.
Union Leader
01/16/12: Ohio: County hires attorney to review jail contract options
The Liberty County Commissioners Court hired a private attorney to review the county’s jail contracts for negotiations and consider other options such as the sheriff’s department taking over the facility. The commissioners held a specially-called meeting on Jan. 17 and hired Jay Arnold, an attorney from Liberty to review contracts with the current jail operating company, Community Education Centers, and LaSalle Corrections. Both companies have submitted bids to operate the county jail. Arnold will also consider the option and financial benefits or cost of having the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office operate the jail.
By Melecio Franco, Advocate
01/16/12: Ohio: Prison warden says CCA will be good partner, neighbor
A good group of experienced employees is helping Lake Erie Correctional Institution make the transition from state prison to private business, Warden Barry Goodrich said Friday. Goodrich, who sat down to discuss the prison and its tenure under owner Corrections Corporation of America, said the staff who stuck with CCA when the facility changed hands has been a huge asset. “I’m really impressed with the people,” Goodrich said. “Ninety-five percent of the staff stayed, and they are really good, hard-working, smart people.”
By Mark Todd, Star Beacon
01/16/12: Washington: State lawmaker targets uniforms made by prisoners
State prison officers should not have to wear uniforms made by the inmates they guard. State Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, along with 10 other Republicans and 19 Democrats, is sponsoring a bill to allow private companies to sell uniforms to correctional officers. Washington law currently requires the Department of Corrections to buy uniforms from Correctional Industries, a program which employs 1,600 offender-workers at 16 state prison facilities.
By Eric Francavilla, Murron News Service
01/12/12: Florida: Rick Scott's budget axe targets Hillsborough women's prison
The
real-life impact of Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget cuts is hitting home as the
state targets seven prisons for extinction, including all-women lockups in Hillsborough
and Broward counties. The prison closings threaten to put up to 1,300 state employees
out of work, wreak havoc on rural areas where prisons are economic powerhouses, and
force inmates' families to drive greater distances to visit loved ones at a time
when gas prices are again climbing. Also targeted for elimination are prison work
camps in Gadsden, Hendry, Levy and Washington counties in addition to prisons in
Alachua, Bradford, Indian River, Jefferson and Polk counties.
By Steve Bousquet, Times/Herald
01/12/12: Kansas: SE Kansas Prison Camp Could Re-Open
Kansas would renovate and reopen a corrections camp in the southeastern part of the state to help ease prison crowding under Gov. Sam Brownback's proposed budget. Brownback proposed Thursday that the state spend $1.7 million in revenues generated from state-owned casinos to renovate the former Labette Correctional Conservation Camp in Oswego. The Department of Corrections closed its minimum-security camp in 2009 because of budget constraints.
Associated Press
01/12/12: Oklahoma: Report suggests ways to reduce recidivism, prison costs
Unless lawmakers take action, thousands of people will continue being released from prison with no form of supervision, the state's high violent crime rate will remain unchanged and state spending on prisons will increase by more than $250 million over the next 10 years, according to a report released Wednesday. The report by a 20-member group of Oklahoma officials recommends proposals that would reduce violent crime statewide by 10 percent by 2016 and would provide post-prison supervision for all felons while containing growth in prison costs. “By doing nothing, our current path is unsustainable,” said House Speaker Kris Steele, co-chairman of Oklahoma's Justice Reinvestment Working Group.
By Michael McNutt, Oklahoman
01/11/12: Arizona: Previous Globe prison bids still confidential
Bids submitted by companies to build and operate private prisons in our state during the past two years have been canceled twice by the Arizona Department of Corrections. However, the state agency continues to deny requests by the Arizona Silver Belt newspaper to see details in the previous bid packages submitted by the Emerald Corrections Management Corporation to build a reported 1,000 inmate correctional facility in northeast Globe. DOC refuses to release any details from Emerald’s earlier proposals to build its huge complex near the Gila County Fairgrounds, including total construction/operating costs, conceptual drawings/building plans, property site plans or anticipated infrastructure costs to bring Globe sewer and water services to the corrections facility.
By Ted Lake, Arizona Silver Belt
01/11/12: California: Inmates riot at Delano prison, 1 day after Corcoran riot
About 300 inmates rioted Wednesday afternoon at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, prompting correctional officers to fire two warning shots to help quell the disturbance, prison officials said. Several inmates suffered stab, puncture and slash wounds, though none were life-threatening, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. No staff members were injured. The riot began about 1:45 p.m. in a recreation yard.
By Eddie Jimenez, The Fresno Bee
01/11/12: Ohio: City officials confident prison drama finished
Local leaders are confident they have seen the end of the bureaucratic tug-of-war that accompanied the recent sale of Lake Erie Correctional Institution to a private security company. City administrators, at Monday’s City Council meeting, said a legal ruling issued last week by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine provided the definitive opinion on the sticky issue of who handles criminal investigations inside the prison. “This matter has been put to rest,” said Law Director David Schroeder.
By Mark Todd, Star Beacon
01/11/12: New York: Juveniles injure Taberg detention center staff
A union representing workers at state juvenile detention centers says they are taking a beating from youths in their care. The Civil Service Employees Association cites Taberg Residental Center, where 18 staff injuries included three broken bones, a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. CSEA said Taberg is symptomatic of increasing attacks under a policy shift from a correctional model to a so-called “sanctuary model” in disregard for staff welfare.
Observer Dispatch
01/10/12: Alabama: Prison overcrowding a problem in the state
As the Alabama Legislature prepares to convene for regular session next month, the state's prison overcrowding is surely to be on the agenda. According to statistics, the Alabama prison system is 195 percent over capacity. In 2011, the state housed nearly 31,000 inmates in 29 facilities.
By DeWayne Patterson, Daily Sentinel
01/10/12: California: Guards quash inmate riot at Corcoran State Prison
Guards at Corcoran State Prison used pepper spray and other less-than-lethal weapons Tuesday afternoon to break up a riot by inmates, authorities said. The riot broke about noon on a maximum-security yard and involved about 60 inmates, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. A number of inmates had cuts and scrapes and were treated at the prison.
LA Times
01/10/12: Indiana: Prison job recruiting bets on vets
It’s been almost a year since Luke Faulkner returned from military service in Iraq. He’s been unemployed since then, looking for a job without success. But on Monday, Faulkner and more than 60 other veterans in the Wabash Valley took advantage of a career fair hosted by the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute as a way of welcoming America’s veterans back to civilian life. “I thought this was an outstanding chance to see what they are offering,” Faulkner said during the career fair, after speaking to federal prison employees.
By Lisa Trigg, The Tribune-Star
01/10/12: Maine: Private prison bill heads to dead files
A bill to allow a privately run prison in Maine, carried over from last year's session in hopes of addressing the needs of aging inmates with more medical concerns, was killed Monday after lawmakers were told no one is interested in running such a facility. The bill appeared last year amid a flurry of interest in bolstering the anemic economy of the Milo area. The bill won support from some lawmakers in the rural northern Maine area, but lacked enough support to pass and was on the verge of being voted dead by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
By Glenn Adams, Associated Press
01/10/12: South Carolina: Jail settles dispute over inmate mail
A South Carolina jail has agreed to allow its inmates to receive more reading materials, including a legal publication for prisoners, according to a settlement signed Tuesday. Under the agreement obtained by The Associated Press, officials with the Berkeley County jail will allow inmates to receive Prison Legal News, as well as other books and magazines with soft covers. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the jail in Moncks Corner, saying officials there were violating the civil rights of both the magazine and the inmates by refusing to deliver copies.
By Meg Kinnard, Associated Press
01/10/12: Virginia: Richmond Juvenile Detention Center has been placed on state probation
For the second time in three years, the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center has been placed on state probation because of ongoing safety concerns. The Virginia State Board of Juvenile Justice took the action Tuesday despite a request by Mayor Dwight C. Jones' administration to allow the center to retain normal status while officials correct problems with various systems as well as staff training and record-keeping. "We don't minimize any of the findings," said Carolyn Graham, the city's deputy chief administrative officer for human services. "We are on this 24/7."
BY Will Jones, Times-Dispatch
01/10/12: Wisconsin: State employee sent home for wearing union shirt
Demonstrators rallied outside a juvenile corrections facility in north central Wisconsin in a dispute over wearing union T-shirts at work. About 75 people marched outside Lincoln Hills School in Irma on Monday because a youth counselor was sent home without pay last week for wearing a shirt with a union logo. Linda Eggert, State Department of Corrections spokeswoman, says the agency will investigate the matter.
Associated Press
01/10/12: Court won't allow private prison employees lawsuit
The Supreme Court won't allow employees at a privately run federal prison to be sued by an inmate in federal court despite his complaint that their neglect left him with two permanently damaged arms. The high court ruled 8-1 Tuesday to throw out the federal lawsuit by inmate Richard Lee Pollard against employees of the GEO Group Inc., formerly known as Wackenhut Corrections Corp. Pollard wanted to sue for his treatment after he fell and fractured both of his elbows at the privately run Taft Correctional Institution in Taft, Calif. Pollard said GEO officials put him in a metal restraint that caused him pain, and refused to provide him with a splint, making his injuries worse and causing permanent impairment
By Jesse J Holland, Associated Press
01/09/12: Nevada: Last inmates leave aging State Prison
The last inmates packed up their duffel bags Monday and were transferred from Nevada State Prison in Carson City, a 150-year-old penitentiary that houses Nevada's execution chamber, license plate factory and once boasted its own gambling joint. Most of the inmates that once numbered around 800 have already been moved to other prisons. A handful of minimum-security prisoners were the last ones to leave Monday, when they were shuttled into a van at a back door, then driven to the main gates where their belongings, packed in a few boxes and duffel bags, awaited them.
By Sandra Chereb, Associated Press
01/09/12: Ohio: Move mentally ill youth from Ohio lockups
The state should transfer mentally ill juvenile inmates to psychiatric facilities as soon as possible and find money for their treatment, according to a new report on the status of Ohio's youth prison system. The Department of Youth Services holds some of the most acutely mentally ill youth in the state, who would be transferred to more appropriate psychiatric treatment facilities if they were hospitalized or in other settings outside detention, the report said. The report filed in federal court Thursday also said repeatedly placing mentally ill youth in seclusion affects decisions about whether they should be held beyond the end of their sentences.
Associated Press
Following years of failed attempts to rehabilitate juvenile offenders and improve public safety, California's once-sprawling youth prison system may soon shut its gates for good. If the Legislature approves the plan Gov. Jerry Brown released Thursday as part of his budget blueprint, California could become the first state to entirely eliminate its prisons for youthful offenders, juvenile crime experts say. The responsibility for jailing all youths would shift to local governments.
By Karen de Sá kdesa, Mercury News
01/8/12: Washington: Prison officials believe dereliction of duty set stage for Biendl's death
As the somber anniversary of the slaying of Monroe corrections officer Jayme Biendl nears, newly released documents show that state prison officials believe dereliction of duty by some of her co-workers helped set the stage for the killing. The evidence is found in blistering letters sent to three officers who were fired last October. The letters, obtained through the state's open records law, detail alleged misconduct that night and describe officers apparently trying to misdirect investigators afterwards.
By Eric Stevick, Herald
01/07/12: California: Governor's Proposed Budget Concerns Prison Guard Union
The union representing state prison guards and parole officers says it's very concerned about the Governor's proposed budget. Governor Brown's proposed budget unveiled Thursday would cut about 3,000 state jobs while avoiding any furloughs. Brown's plan to reduce the state workforce would come mostly from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the prison system.
KCOY News 12
01/07/12: Indiana: Retired guard leads petition against prison land sale
It’s been more than 10 years since an inmate has escaped the Pendleton Correctional Facility. As retired prison guard Joe Riley says, it’s a pretty picture until you consider an escape is still possible. Riley, and other Pendleton residents, including Rep. Scott Reske, D-Pendleton, oppose an upcoming land sale of property north and southeast of the prison by the state. The auction is set for 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 at the Garden Hotel in Anderson and will include nine tracts of land totaling 658 acres.
By Sam Brattain, The Herald Bulletin
01/07/12: Utah: State putting more sex offenders in prison
Utah has 10 times more sex offenders locked up than it did 30 years ago. Since 1980, the rate of felony sex offenders has risen steadily, now making up nearly one-third of the prison population. While Utah’s rate of incarcerated sex offenders is far above the national average — 76 sex offenders for every 100,000 residents compared with the national rate of nearly 52 — it is on par with surrounding states such as Idaho and Wyoming.
By Sheena McFarland, The Salt Lake Tribune
01/07/12: Virginia: Prisons’ use of solitary confinement is scrutinized
At Red Onion State Prison, built on a mountaintop in a remote pocket of southwest Virginia, more than two-thirds of the inmates live in solitary confinement. In a state where about 1 in 20 prisoners are held in solitary, Red Onion, a so-called supermax prison, isolates more inmates than any other facility, keeping more than 500 of its nearly 750 charges alone for 23 hours a day in cells the size of a doctor’s exam room. Virginia, one of 44 states that use solitary confinement, has 1,800 people in isolation, a sizable share of the estimated 25,000 people in solitary in the nation’s state and federal prisons.
By Anita Kumar, Washington Post
01/06/12: Ohio: DeWine says OHP to probe cases in Conneaut prison
There’s another new development in the Conneaut prison policing saga, a tale already filled with more twists than an Agatha Christie mystery. Attorney General Mike DeWine, in a Wednesday letter, has ruled the Lake Erie Correctional Institution — even though sold to a private security company at the end of 2011 — remains a state institution and therefore can be served by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The news appears to relieve the Conneaut Police Department of investigatory duties inside the prison, which had been a big concern to city officials.
By Mark Todd, Star Beacon
01/06/12: West Virginia: State weighs prison problem
Building a new state prison is not a "realistic" option for addressing the state's prison overcrowding problem at this time, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's top aide said Thursday. Rob Alsop, Tomblin administration chief of staff, told reporters at the annual Associated Press Legislative Lookahead the governor is looking toward a broad range of alternatives instead of spending about $200 million to build a new prison. "The budget's tight," Alsop said. "I don't think it's realistic right now."
by Jared Hunt, Daily Mail
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