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IL Prison Boss Quits; Was Criticized For Early-Release Program
The Illinois prisons chief who took the blame for a botched prisoner early release program under Gov. Pat Quinn is resigning as the Democratic governor seeks to stem the political damage from an election-year controversy, reports the Chicago Tribune. Michael Randle is leaving Sept. 17 to “pursue a new opportunity” out of state. Acting on Quinn’s general instructions to cut costs, Randle started a program last September that sped up the rate prisoners could earn good time credit. That lead to 1,745 inmates being let out an average of 36 days before the end of their sentence. Some convicts were released almost immediately, before corrections officials could assess their rehabilitation needs. And some of those released early went on to commit additional crimes.
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Author Baffled That Books Inspired Discovery Channel Gunman
The author of a series of books that apparently inspired a gunman to take hostages Wednesday at Discovery Channel’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., said he was baffled by the incident. Daniel Quinn, 75, wrote a four-book series including “My Ishmael,” the 1997 novel gunman James Lee mentioned as the first in his list of 11 demands. In an online manifesto, Lee said the Discovery Channel “must” run daily, prime-time shows “based on” a six-page passage of the novel in which Ishmael and his 12-year-old apprentice discuss the Industrial Revolution and why humans were so creative and resourceful during that period. Lee was shot and killed by a police sharpshooter, and his three hostages were not hurt.
[Read More | Comments (0)]Illinois Teen Prosecutions: ‘Like Killing Flies With Sledgehammers’
Illinois routinely prosecutes teenage nonviolent offenders in adult court, says the Chicago Reporter. The paper’s analysis of court data found that 17-year-olds convicted of felonies in the state defy the perception that they are violent criminals who deserve to be punished alongside adults. More than half of 17-year-olds prosecuted in Cook County’s adult courts were convicted for drug deals and property theft. Include robbery without a gun, and nonviolent offenses amount to 71 percent of all convictions. The single largest number of convictions was based on low-level drug offenses.
[Read More | Comments (0)]NY Prison Director Got Free Meals, Fridays Off For 17 Years
The former New York state prison director who took every Friday off for 17 years also wrongfully traded gifts and food for millions of dollars in state purchases, reports the Albany Times-Union. For 13 years until 2008, Howard Dean and prison staff received free meals from at least two food vendors that had $2.5 million in purchases with the Food Production Center, which Dean directed, said state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Inspector General Joseph Fisch. Fisch likened the actions of Dean to extortion, while the comptroller cited a “culture of acceptance” of corruption.
[Read More | Comments (0)]Colorado Candidate’s Law Enforcement Work Draws Scrutiny
Even Before Tough Law, AZ Illegal Immigrant Population Dropped
Milwaukee’s Ex-Cops May Get OK To Carry Concealed Guns
English Ex-Con’s Book Offers View Of American ‘Hard Time’
Kansas Cuts DNA-Testing Backlog; Could Be Caught Up By February
Cornhusker Football Comfort Starts With NE State Prisoners
Columbus Police: Truancy Enforcement Helps Reduce Crime
Colorful Venice, Calif., Citizen-Crime Fighter To Leave Post
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Reforming New Orleans’ Notorious Criminal Justice System
The Crime Report talks funding, inertia and over-incarceration with the man who heads Vera Institute of Justice’s NOLA office.
It’s rare for an entire city to get a do-over, but after Hurricane Katrina roared through New Orleans and the levees gave way, the Crescent City became ground zero for policy makers and visionaries wanting to transform the city’s agencies and social structures.
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You Say Loitering for Sex – I Say Just Hanging Out
Are “prostitution free zones” and other new law enforcement tactics for snaring sex workers unconstitutional?
In late June I witnessed something unusual in New York City’s Midtown Community Court: a trial on a prostitution charge. Hundreds of people are arrested for a prostitution-related offense in Manhattan each year, but only a fraction challenge the arrest at [...]
Sexual Violence Behind Bars
While the Justice Department waits to impose new correction standards on sexual violence, a new national survey shows that rape in prison is a growing problem.
The numbers are in: Since 2007, the number of reported prison rapes has increased by 4,000. Female offenders are twice as likely to be sexually victimized as males and [...]
