Prisons

WASHINGTON -- August 12, 2008 – A bill introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to extend the United States Parole Commission for three years was signed into law by the President today.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today commended Florida Department of Corrections and Florida Parole Commission employees for completing the review of all pre-2008 cases of ex-offenders eligible for automatic restoration of civil rights.

At the first statewide Florida Restoration of Rights Summit at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Governor Crist announced that since the Florida Board of Executive Clemency approved a rule change providing for the restoration of the civil rights for certain ex-offenders, 115,232 individuals have had their civil rights restored.    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- The United States has defended its policy of detaining juveniles in prisons in Iraq, and Afghanistan. The issue is expected to be high on the agenda Thursday when the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child examines U.S. compliance with U.N. rules on dealing with children in armed conflict.

In a report submitted to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, the United States acknowledges it has detained almost 2,500 youths under the age of 18 since 2002. Almost all have been detained in Iraq under President Bush's anti-terrorism campaign.

Washington says it is holding more than 500 juveniles suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants" in detention centers in Iraq. Another 10 are being held at the U.S. base at Bagram, Afghanistan.    » read more »

April 17, 2008 -- Des Moines – Today, at the John R. Grubb YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed into law HF 2393, a bill requiring a “Minority Impact Statement” for any legislation related to a public offense, sentencing, or parole and probation procedures. The legislation also requires that any application for a grant from a state agency must also include a minority impact statement.    » read more »

"Second Chance Act" Increases Funding for Ex-Offender Re-Entry Programs

April 10, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today expressed his strong support for the enactment into law of the “Second Chance Act,” bi-partisan legislation that seeks to make communities safer by providing the resources necessary to reduce recidivism rates. Webb, a cosponsor of the measure, has made the nation’s growing prison population one of his top legislative priorities.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster announced today that the House Judiciary Criminal Laws Subcommittee unanimously passed H. 4309, the bill that would abolish parole for all crimes in South Carolina.

“Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Murrell Smith and the subcommittee, we have taken the first step toward restoring the public’s confidence in the criminal sentencing process,” said McMaster.

The bill now moves to the full House Judiciary Committee. A companion bill, S. 894, is currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Source: South Carolina Attorney General

April 9, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama released the following statement today on President Bush signing the Second Chance Act (H.R. 1593) into law. Obama is a cosponsor of this legislation.

"Every year, too many American lives are permanently disrupted when they enter the criminal justice system. In many cases, the lack of job training and support programs in prison means that those who are released fail to become fully rehabilitated.

Barack Obama Hope poster: Photo by Steve Rhodes (CC)    » read more »

20-03-2008 -- Geneva (ICRC) – Despite international efforts to curb tuberculosis, this infectious disease is on the rise.

Prisons have to be at the centre of national TB control programmes, as they are a breeding ground for tuberculosis, and particularly for drug-resistant forms of the disease, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB infection, as seen through electron microscope    » read more »

March 17, 2008 -- MONTGOMERY -- Alabama Governor Bob Riley wants the state to involve faith- and community-based organizations in helping prisoners who are returning to society so the ex-convicts avoid a relapse into a life of crime.

The Governor is launching a program called the Community Partnership for Recovery and Reentry, which will actively engage faith-based organizations and community groups to provide pre-release and post-release support for the ex-prisoners and the communities they are returning to as they complete their prison sentences.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/28/2008 - For the first time in history more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison—a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety. According to a new report released today by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, at the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails, or one in every 99.1 men and women, according to the study.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, February 28 – More than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to new research on the nation’s surging inmate population. The same study also found that Vermont is one of only five states that spends more money on prisons than on higher education.

“Incredibly, with over 2.3 million Americans behind bars, we now have more people in jail than any other country on Earth,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said. “In my view, these sad facts reflect a very distorted set of national priorities.    » read more »

January 29, 2008 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced the signing of legislation that will enhance the care and treatment of prisoners with serious mental illness by limiting the instances in which these inmates can be placed in segregated confinement.    » read more »

Compromise Would Create State Board of Corrections, Save Taxpayers Money

January 28, 2008 -- AUGUSTA – In negotiations over the weekend, an agreement in principle was reached between Maine Governor John E. Baldacci and representatives of Maine’s counties and sheriffs’ departments over a plan to create a new structure for the State’s Department of Corrections and county jails.    » read more »

Criminal Justice Reforms, New Policies and Procedures Now in Place to Safeguard Public Safety

January 27, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she has directed the Board of Pardons and Paroles to begin processing appropriate violent offenders’ applications for parole, now that reforms of the criminal justice system have been put in place as well as new procedures for the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) regarding reviews of parole applicants’ files and new Department of Correction (DOC) policies regarding community supervision of parolees.    » read more »

Senate Should End ‘Life Without Parole’ for Juvenile Offenders

Sacramento, January 14, 2008 – California’s State Senate should pass a law this month to end the sentencing of children to prison for life with no possibility of parole, Human Rights Watch said today in a report on a practice outlawed in most of the world.    » read more »