Prisons
Study: Shorter Sentences Key to Shrinking Federal Prisons
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A new federally funded study shows how much the federal prison system would shrink without affecting recidivism by levying shorter prison sentences.
Prisons
Fraternal Order of Police Backs Prison Reform Bill
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FOP’s endorsement clears a significant hurdle, as does Jeff Sessions’ departure from the Justice Department. The measure is likely to be acted on during the lame-duck session of Congress that starts this week.
Prisons
Board Says NY Could Have Prevented 50 Prisoner Deaths
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A New York state medical review board concluded that the deaths of about 50 prisoners statewide over the past five years could have been prevented with simple medical treatment. Reviewers found that medical staff failed to conduct basic checkups and mental health screenings.
A Prisoners’ Pen Pal Finds Making Connections is a ‘Beautiful Thing’
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For four decades, a Syracuse, N.Y. woman has been writing letters to death row inmates and other prisoners, enriching their lives and hers. But things got a little more personal when she began writing to someone who was a student at an elementary school where she once worked.
Prisons
Arkansas Prison Population Continues to Rise
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The increase is not large — 0.9 percent annually — and it is being held down by a 41 percent drop last year in the number of people sent back to prison for violating terms of probation and parole.
Prisons
Senate May OK Sentencing Reform in Lame-Duck Session
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A bipartisan group of senators will attach a set of sentencing reforms to the “First Step Act” already approved by the House. The additions include shortening three-strike drug penalties from life in prison to 25 years.
Prisons
MD Warden Hopes Better Inmate Diet Will Cut Health Costs
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After becoming warden of the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, Margaret Chippendale noticed that women were leaving the system a lot heavier than when they arrived. She has cut about 1,000 calories a day from a 3,200-calorie menu filled with carbs.
Reforming the System
LGBTQ Community Over-Represented in Justice System: Report
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One-size-fits-all justice systems fail lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, who experience worse outcomes and are over-represented in every part of the justice system, according to a new study released by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC).
Prisons
U.S. Should Have Prevented Bulger Death: Prosecutor
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Carmen Ortiz, the former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts who oversaw the prosecution of James “Whitey” Bulger, said, “Incidents like this should not be happening at a federal prison. I knew he would die in jail…but I had not envisioned this kind of an end.” Bulger, 89, was beaten to death in a West Virginia lockup.
Prisons
FL Inmate’s Book Tells of Prison System’s Horrors
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Harold Hempstead is publishing a 400-page book about major problems in Florida prisons. He describes guards starving inmates and a system overrun with gang members who routinely slash other inmates from mouth to ear.