CORRECTIONS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE COALITION
Corrections News (updated 7/30/10)
07/29/10: Colorado: Jail inmates won't be sending personal letters anymore
From now
on, the only sealed envelopes coming out of the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center
will be addressed to lawyers. Inmates wanting to write family and friends will use
postcards issued by the jail, and marked with the sheriff's star. Sheriff Terry Maketa
says the new policy will save money and headaches, while increasing security at the
facility.
By J. Adrian Stanley, Colorado Springs Independent
07/29/10: Georgia: Deputy on mend after jail attack
A Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department
deputy is expected to recover following a violent attack by a jail inmate whose mental
health has recently been questioned, according to officials and court documents.
Deputy William Lamb, 47, was working a housing unit Wednesday evening when inmate
James Leon Washington, 18, suddenly attacked, striking the deputy in the face and
pounding his head into a concrete floor, said Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Stacey
Bourbonnais. Two other inmates rushed to Lamb’s aid, pulling Washington away and
restraining him until other staff members could respond, Bourbonnais said.
By Josh
Green, Daily Post
07/29/10: Illinois: Staffing shortages, inadequate treatment plague STC youth prison
The
youth prison in St. Charles suffers from acute staffing shortages and inadequate
treatment programs, according to a study released Thursday. And it’s not alone. Illinois
Models for Change, which is part of a multi-
By Ashley Rhodebeck, Kane County Chronicle
07/29/10: New Jersey: Probation officers honored in Toms River
Two senior probation
officers in Ocean County were honored for their work at an awards ceremony last week.
Dan Stiles and Kellie Duff received awards from the Chief Probation Officers of New
Jersey on July 21. The ceremony was held during National Probation, Parole and Community
Supervision Week to honor probation staff for outstanding leadership, achievements
and meritorious service in the supervision of adult and juvenile offenders and in
child-
Asbury Park Press
07/28/10: Florida: Hernando County gives jail firm a deadline to settle inventory
dispute
Corrections Corporation of America has until 5 p.m. today to reach an agreement
with the county over its jail furnishings inventory dispute or face immediate legal
action. County commissioners on Tuesday voiced concerns that CCA has said it will
begin removing from the jail items that it believes are owned by the firm in the
coming days. Commission Chairman John Druzbick asked about security at the jail if
CCA begins removing beds, mattresses, cameras and other safety equipment before their
contract ends and the sheriff takes over the facility late next month.
By Barbara
Behrendt, Times
07/28/10: Maryland: 14-
A
14-
By Emily
Babay, Examier
07/28/10: Maryland: Officials: Prison Cell Phone Crackdown Is Working
Fewer phones
are finding their way inside state prisons, and officials say that's leading to less
crime both in and outside prison walls. Cell phone sniffing dogs are one tool the
Division of Correction uses in confiscating cell phones in prison. "The proliferation
of cell phones increases chances for prison violence fueled by illegal activity,"
said Gary Maynard, Secretary, Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
By
Andrea Jujii, WJZ News
07/28/10: Pennsylvania: Other juvenile detention centers struggling; loss is Lancaster
County's gain
York County closed its juvenile detention center earlier this month.
On Wednesday, six York County youths were sitting in Lancaster County's Youth Intervention
Center. Also on Wednesday, Dauphin County commissioners heard a proposal to close
their juvenile detention facility. If that happens, Dauphin officials said, at least
some of their juvenile offenders would be sent to the Lancaster YIC as well.
By P
J Reilly, Intelligencer Journal
07/27/10: Arkansas: Prison guard killed in apparent accident
An Arkansas prison guard
was killed Sunday in an apparent accident on the grounds of the Tucker Maximum Security
Correctional Facility in Jefferson County, a prison spokeswoman said today. Capt.
Jackie Davis, 51, was killed about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when his girlfriend backed her
car into him outside the couple’s residence on prison grounds, said Dina Tyler, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Correction. State police are investigating the incident.
By
John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau
07/27/10: Illinois: Union opposes youth prison merger
The union representing workers
in the state’s youth prison system is panning a plan to restructure the agency for
the second time in four years. In a report released Tuesday, the American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 says merging the Department of
Juvenile Justice with the Department of Children and Family Services won’t solve
problems facing the youth. Rather, the union says the state could solve problems
within the agency by stepping up hiring for education and treatment of the youthful
offenders.
By Kurt Erickson, Springfield News Bureau
07/27/10: Oregon: Youth Authority staffer honored
Colynn Elder, a juvenile parole
and probation officer working with youth in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties, has
been honored for exemplary service to the Oregon Youth Authority and the youth the
agency serves. Elder received one of the state juvenile corrections agency’s “coin
awards,” a medal given to employees for excellence in reflecting agency values. Elder
also works as the OYA foster care certifier for Linn, Benton, Lincoln and part of
Marion counties.
Democrat-
07/27/10: Pennsylvania: Prison officials grapple with geese waste
Officials at a state
prison in northwestern Pennsylvania prison say they're having a harder time keeping
geese out of the facility than they are keeping prisoners inside. Officials at the
State Correctional Institution at Albion say an abundance of geese droppings are
creating a sanitary problem inside the prison and in the parking lot outside. The
inmates have been cleaning up the mess, but it's so big the U.S. Department of Agriculture
is being asked to help.
Associated Press
07/26/10: California: State agrees to discuss prison lockdowns with rights group
Facing
a threatened legal battle over alleged racial discrimination, California prison officials
have agreed to meet with the Prison Law Office over the department’s controversial
use of lockdowns on general population inmates. In a July 17 letter to the secretary
of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Matt Cate, the Prison
Law Office threatened to sue the department over lockdowns that singled out entire
races for punishment – sometimes for months. Now, the department has agreed to meetings
with the nonprofit law firm.
By Micahel Montgomery, California Watch
07/26/10: Kansas: Prison In Partial Lockdown
Officials placed a northeast Kansas
prison on partial lockdown following a food fight in the dining hall. Lansing Correctional
Facility spokesman Brett Peterson told KMBC-
Associated Press
07/26/10: Mississippi: Geo Group inks extension to run Mississippi prison
Private
prison operator Geo Group Inc. said Monday it signed a contract to keep managing
a Mississippi prison that is expected to generate about $21.7 million in annual revenue.
The Boca Raton, Fla., company said it will continue to manage the 1,500-
Associated Press
07/26/10: South Carolina: Prison farm expands
For three years, South Carolina's Department
of Corrections has run a deficit. Now the agency has an innovative idea to cut costs
and give inmates a chance to better themselves. Several hundred non-
ABC
News 15
07/25/10: California: Under the U.S. Supreme Court: Opening prison doors for healthcare
The
U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear argument next term on whether federal judges
can force California to release nearly 50,000 prison inmates, mainly because of problems
with providing healthcare. American families struggling with their own health insurance
might have trouble understanding how a convicted criminal can get a free pass from
prison because of inadequate healthcare. But the federal trial judges' panel in San
Francisco that ordered the release said there was absolutely no other practical way
to fix the constitutional problem.
By Michael Kirkland, UPI
07/25/10: Florida: Idea may ease jail overcrowding
With the inevitable problem of
overcrowding in the St. Johns County jail just a few years away, Sheriff David Shoar
said he has found a temporary solution that could add up to 10 more years of life
to the jail system. Shoar said the county will be taking over a building and parcel
of land from the St. Johns Juvenile Correctional Residential Facility, a state-
By Justine
Griffin, St. Augustine Record
07/25/10: Minnesota: Cost to jail illegal immigrants stirs debate in county
An attempt
in Scott County to tally up the price of illegal immigrants who break the law is
being both praised and panned. In response to inquiries from two county commissioners
who face reelection challenges this year, County Attorney Pat Ciliberto told the
County Board not long ago that it costs a fortune. University of Minnesota immigration
expert Katherine Fennelly said the county's top prosecutor is "creating lots of smoke
where there's no fire."
By David Peterson, Star Tribune
07/25/10: New York: Feds: Ease up on kids
Children at four of New York's juvenile
detention centers — including the Tryon Residential Center in Johnstown — have faced
excessive force and lack of proper mental health treatment in violation of their
constitutional rights, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice released
Monday. The report details how staff at the four facilities — Tryon's two facilities,
one for boys and one for girls, as well as the Lansing Residential Center and the
Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center in Lansing, Tompkins County — have routinely
used "uncontrolled, unsafe applications of force" to gain control in every type of
situation, departing from "generally accepted standards" as well as policies outlined
by the state Office of Children and Family Services. "Anything from sneaking an extra
cookie to initiating a fist fight may result in a full prone restraint with handcuffs,"
according to the report.
By Irene Jay Liu, Times Union
07/25/10: Ohio: Probation system fragmented
Ohio's probation system is a jumble of
overlapping and fragmented agencies without common rules for improving the way the
state treats offenders under supervision, according to a report to be released Monday.
The study also says offenders who commit minor drug and property crimes are often
supervised for years, while inmates who pose a high risk to public safety are released
from prison without supervision. The study by the Council of State Government Justice
Center also confirms something Ohio officials have known for years: A large number
of offenders cycle through prisons with sentences of just a few months, placing a
costly burden on an already-
By Andrew Welsh-
07/25/10: Texas: Teen opens fire at juvenile detention center
A 16-
Associated Press
07/24/10: Massachusetts: Man held in tire-
A Lowell man is
behind bars after he sought out a corrections officer living in Lowell, ambushed
and beat him with a tire iron outside the officer's home, according to police. Trevor
Derrick Washington, 25, of 228 Lawrence St., #2, Lowell, has been ordered held on
$4,000 cash bail or $40,000 surety after pleading innocent this week in Lowell District
Court to armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous
weapon. As a result of a search of Washington's car, he was also charged with possession
of a class D drug with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of a firearm
and ammunition.
By Lisa Redmond, Lowell Sun
07/22/10: Illinois: Law Makes Disabling Jail Cell Doors A Felony
Holding up a five-
Sun-
07/22/10: Oklahoma: Prisons to allow short-
A ban on smoking in prison
will be lifted for inmates at Oklahoma's minimum-
Reuters
07/22/10: Texas: Lamar County jail under budget
Jail operations account for a large
portion of nearly any county’s budget. For Lamar County, it comes to about $2.2 million
in the new budget — about $75,000 more than the current year. And it has been operating
very well, Sheriff B.J. McCoy said.
By Jeff Parish, Paris News
07/22/10: Texas: Private company wants to keep operating Fort Worth prison for parole
violators
A private prison for parole violators is bidding for a new contract to continue
operating at 4700 Blue Mound Road. The facility is run by The GEO Group, which has
had a spotty record with some of its other Texas prison facilities the past several
years. Before the contract is awarded, a public hearing will be held. "Their contract
is set to expire ... and GEO is in the process of bidding on those beds again," said
Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "The hearing
is a chance for the public [to] provide feedback."
By Darren Barbee, Star-
07/21/10: Colorado: Jail adds citizenship status to public census
The Boulder County
Jail has long maintained a daily online tally of the inmates under its supervision,
but a recent change to that document now notes additional details, including citizenship.
However, those who might be tempted to search the document for information about
crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Boulder County won’t get too far. The data
is reported by the inmates and unverified through federal channels. And, of course,
citizenship and immigration status are not the same thing.
By Pierrette J Shields,
Times Call
07/21/10: Georgia: Geo Group signs contract with Georgia
Private prison operator Geo
Group said Wednesday it signed a contract with Georgia's Department of Corrections
for the development and operation of a new 1,500-
Associated Press
07/21/10: Nevada: Gov, secretary of state, spar over prison
Gov. Jim Gibbons and Secretary
of State Ross Miller sparred Wednesday over the governor's push to close the aging
Nevada State Prison, with both claiming public safety is on their side. In an opinion
essay published Wednesday, Miller defended the state prison board's rejection earlier
this month to allow the transfer of inmates and staff from the 140-
By Sandra Cherab, Daily Sparks Tribune
07/21/10: Texas: Novel approach: reading courses as an alternative to prison
With
one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, and the death penalty, the US
state of Texas seems the last place to embrace a liberal-
By Anna Barker, Guardian (UK)
07/20/10: Alabama : Lawsuit over conditions at maximum security prison will be mediated
in Tuscaloosa
A federal judge has ordered lawyers in a lawsuit over conditions at
a maximum security state prison to try and settle parts of the case. Attorneys for
the Department of Corrections and the Atlanta-
By Bob Lowry. Huntsville Times
07/20/10: California: Two gang fights break out in Santa Cruz County Jail
One man
was stabbed and another beaten when two separate gang-
By
Jennifer Squires, Santa Cruz Sentinel
07/20/10: Massachusetts: Prison OKs shades, fans to help inmates keep their cool
Sweltering
cons at one Bay State prison are being allowed to break the rules behind bars and
string sheets over windows to block the blazing sun during a mid-
By Joe Dwinell, Boston
Herald
07/20/10: Congress moves to crack down on prison cell phones
Congress moved Tuesday
to make it tougher for federal prison inmates to use cell phones and wireless devices
to direct criminal activities within or outside prison walls. The House voted by
voice to close a loophole in federal law by banning the use or possession of cell
phones or wireless devices in federal prisons and classifying those devices as contraband.
Currently, cell phones and wireless devices are not specifically defined as contraband,
and inmates and guards caught smuggling the devices into prisons are rarely punished.
Associated
Press
07/19/10: California: San Luis Obispo County Jail staff halts suicide attempt
San
Luis Obispo County Jail personnel responded in time to save the life of an inmate
who was trying to hang himself with a towel in his jail cell, the Sheriff's Department
said. The incident involving a 44-
Santa
Maria Times
07/19/10: Illinois: Quinn signs law requiring more information on inmates released
early from prison
More information about Illinois inmates released from prison early
must now be posted on the Corrections Department's website. Gov. Pat Quinn signed
legislation Monday creating a "Community Notification of Inmate Early Release" hyperlink
on the prison site so that taxpayers can more readily know who's getting out early.
The legislation was prompted by The Associated Press report last winter that more
than 1,700 inmates — hundreds of them violent — had been secretly released early
from prison after spending just days or weeks behind bars.
Associated Press
07/19/10: Kentucky: Prison Restricts Pastoral Visits To Inmates
Gerald Otahal arrived
at death row early on a recent Thursday morning, ready for his regular visit to counsel
and pray with condemned inmate Gregory Wilson. What happened next left Otahal puzzled
-
Associated Press
07/19/10: Louisiana: Juvenile Detention Reform Helps Ease Overcrowding
Caddo Juvenile
Detention Center's small cell blocks are reserved mostly for teens charged with armed
robbery, sex crimes and other violent felony offenses. Despite a reported increase
in younger, more violent criminals on the streets of Shreveport -
Associated Press
07/18/10: Florida: Slain officer's family sues prison system
The family of slain corrections
officer Donna Fitzgerald has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state Department
of Corrections and others. The lawsuit claims lapses in security at Tomoka Correctional
Institution were the cause of the officer's death. Fitzgerald, 50, of Port Orange
was fatally stabbed 25 times with a prison made knife as she worked an overtime shift
at a prison work program. Her killer, Enoch Hall, 41, was later sentenced to die
for the June 25, 2008 slaying by lethal injection.
By Jay Stapelton, News Journal
07/18/10: Indiana: Prison facility installs stun fence, doesn’t reduce tower staff
The
medium-
By Christina M. Wright
The Herald Bulletin
07/18/10: Michigan: Near escape at prison raises security questions
The attempted
prison break of three men responsible for killing nine people shows Michigan has
dangerously downgraded inmates' security classifications, prosecutors said. The three
inmates stole a tractor-
Associated Press
07/18/10: New Jersey: N.J.'s inmate population declines, officials credit less crime,
prisoner re-
In Kentucky, authorities started a controversial program
to release inmates early to alleviate prison overcrowding. In California, federal
judges ordered prisons to shed 46,000 inmates in a case heading to the U.S. Supreme
Court. But in New Jersey, the prison population fell 14.8 percent from 2000 to 2009
without any need for such drastic actions, according to new federal statistics. New
Jersey is one of only six states to reduce the number of prisoners over the decade.
By
Chris Megerian, Star-
07/17/10: California: 100 Adelanto prison employees laid off for several months
Some
100 city prison employees will be out of a job for at least the next several months,
since the private operator that bought the city-
By Natasha Lindstrom, Daily Press
07/17/10: New Jersey: Prison officials trying to put end to cell phone use in cells
New
Jersey prisons seized an average of 42 cellular telephones a month from inmates through
May of this year. That pace is slightly behind 2009, when a total of 575 were confiscated
at an average of 48 per month, but it's still enough to be a major concern for the
new head of the state Department of Corrections. "It's an industry-
By Joseph P Smith,
Park Press
07/16/10: Florida: Geo Group sets vote date for Cornell acquisition
Private prison
operator Geo Group Inc. said Friday that shareholders will vote next month on its
$385 million purchase of Cornell Cos. The vote is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 12
in a resort in Boca Raton, Fla. Cornell's shareholders are also scheduled to vote
at the same time at Cornell's headquarters in Houston. Shareholders of record at
the close of business on July 2 are entitled to vote.
Associated Press
07/16/10: New York: Commission faults youth prison for party
The New York State Commission
of Correction said Friday that top officials and staff were irresponsible when they
authorized and failed to supervise a party at a youth prison where some violent offenders
had sex with their dates. The commission faulted the Office of Children and Family
Services for authorizing the Goshen Secure Center in the Hudson Valley to hold the
December party for four offenders as a reward for good behavior. They ranged in age
from 17 to 20, three doing time for murder and one for armed robbery. Sex caught
on video cameras appeared to include a lap dance between one couple and oral sex
between another.
By Michael Vertanin, Associated Press
07/16/10: Ohio: Federal lawsuit: Jail guards using Tasers way too often
Guards at
the Franklin County jail are using Tasers "in a callous and sadistic manner," posing
substantial risk to the health and safety of inmates, a state agency that advocates
for the disabled charged in a federal lawsuit filed today. The Ohio Legal Rights
Service charged that correction officers use Tasers in a "gratuitous and torturous"
way against inmates, many with disabilities. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District
Court in Columbus, said the actions are in violation of a Franklin County Sheriff's
office policy and the inmates' constitutional rights.
By Bill Blush, Dispatch
07/16/10: Washington DC: Union for Federal Prison Officers Opposes Reduction of Prison
Inmate Work Program
The Council of Prison Locals (CPL) of the American Federation
of Government Employees (AFGE) today denounced a decision by the Federal Bureau of
Prisons (BOP) to eliminate Federal Prison Industries (FPI) services at nine BOP facilities.
The plan also calls for downsizing operations at three additional facilities and
personnel reductions at eight more locations. In the end, 140 staff positions will
be eliminated, in addition to the 105 eliminated in 2009, from a work force that
has seen its staffing levels decrease for years.
PR Newswire