The death penalty's application in America violates the Constitution — and basic human rights.
If we're going to use prison as a source of reform, who should eat the costs?
(Forbes) — “Texas uses fourth grade reading scores to project the number of prison cells they’re going need 10 years later.” I first heard that astounding pronouncement in 1995 while co-chairing a White House task force on literacy. And though I later learned that the formula for projecting the number of jail cells was more […]
(Corrections) — Pretty bad. From 1987 to 2007, the U.S. prison population nearly tripled.[1] The American prison population in 2004 was eight times larger than it was in 1954.[2] In 2008, it was 40 times greater than it was in 1904.[3] On a per capita basis, there were 15 times more sentenced prisoners in 2008 […]
(AJC) — The prison system began lifting lock downs at four institutions and returning the facilities to normal operations Wednesday and inmate said they were ending their protest for now and reporting to work assignments. One of the organizers of the protest said prisoners are still going to pursue their concerns. If the Department of […]
(New York Times) — The prison protest has entered the wireless age. Inmates in at least seven Georgia prisons have used contraband cellphones to coordinate a nonviolent strike this weekend, saying they want better living conditions and to be paid for work they do in the prisons. Inmates said they would not perform chores, work for […]
(New York Times) — Taking a contentious step intended to shake up the state’s troubled juvenile prison system, New York City is suing the state, claiming it overcharged tens of millions of dollars a year for housing many of the city’s young offenders in upstate jails. The suit, which was filed last month in State […]
(AJC) — At least four Georgia prisons were locked down Thursday in an effort to head off an expected inmate protest demanding pay for the work they do, more education opportunities and better living conditions. “We have a non-negotiable mission to protect and serve the public, as well as the offenders in our custody,” said […]
Is there a need to reform our current criminal justice system or should it be left alone? Should the prison population in federal, state and local jails be reduced to remedy unconstitutional conditions that may exist in these correctional facilities? These are two questions that are currently being considered within the context of the current […]
Most of us are not aware that the prison system, as we know it, did not develop until black slaves were manumitted.
(Crain’s) — New York City could save tens of millions of dollars a year if it did not incarcerate thousands of defendants charged with minor crimes — like hopping a turnstile, smoking marijuana in public or trespassing — before their trials, according to a new report by advocacy group Human Rights Watch. In 2008 alone, […]
(Chicago Tribune) — Hard time has gotten even harder in Illinois prisons. The state’s prison system is bursting at the seams with a record high of nearly 49,000 inmates, some 3,000 more than just a year ago. The surge, combined with the state’s multibillion-dollar budget crisis, has led to conditions that watchdog groups and veteran […]