News
Pregnant Woman Escapes Jail Twice in Two Weeks
Jun 12, 2014
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By Prison Legal News Prisoner Ashley Marler, four months pregnant, escaped jail twice in the same week. She failed to return to the Fayette County Detention Center from a medical pass on September 16, 2013 and was arrested the next day and charged with escape. On September 24, 2013, Marler was taken to the same
Brief Prison Stays
Jun 10, 2014
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A law that allows brief jail stays for parole violations is getting mixed reviews from corrections officials and law enforcement agencies in Reno County, which has used the provision more than any other Kansas county.
The law enacted last July lets offenders avoid having their parole revoked if they spend a few days in jail. Reno County has made more use of the law than any other county per capita, Secretary of Corrections Ray Roberts said.
Roberts and other corrections officials say the law has helped reduce jail overcrowding, while some Reno County critics contend it is difficult to enforce and ineffective, The Hutchinson News reported.
The legislation allows judges to impose two- or three-day jail stays if an offender violates parole. If violations continue, judges can order a 120-day prison stay, followed by 180-day sentences. If the violations continue after that, offenders must serve the rest of their underlying prison sentences.
Kansas Man Escapes Jail, Goes on Crime Spree
Jun 10, 2014
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By Prison Legal News Ness County Jail escapee Benito Cardenas, Jr., 38, apologized to his victims and law enforcement officials before being sentenced in back-to-back hearings for a two-day crime spree that occurred after he cut through four bars at the jail in August 2012. After escaping from the Ness County Jail, Cardenas stole a
How A New York Program is Reframing Prison Education
Jun 9, 2014
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By Courtney Subramanian About two hours miles north of Manhattan, a group of young men meets weekly to debate philosophy and discuss composition. The curriculum is like any other liberal arts course, but the classroom is quite different from what most people experience. These classes take place behind the confines of the Otisville Correctional Facility, a medium-security
33,000 Arizona Prisoners Now Can Sue State over Health Care, Solitary Confinement
Jun 9, 2014
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By ACLU Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously ruled that the American Civil Liberties Union and the Prison Law Office can move forward with a lawsuit against the state of Arizona on behalf of all 33,000 prisoners in the state’s 10 prisons and all future prisoners. The ruling is critical
Delaware County Jail Frosts Detainees’ Windows
Jun 9, 2014
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By Prison Legal News Prisoners at the Delaware County Jail are adjusting to frosted windows in their cells, which let sunlight in but prevent unauthorized communication with the outside world. The windows have been a source of concern in the decades since the jail was built because prisoners sometimes expose themselves or make obscene gestures
Three Inmates Mistakenly Released from Illinois Jails
Jun 6, 2014
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When Cook County Jail guards told prisoner Jeremiah Harris to pack up to go home on September 16, 2013, he told them to “quit playin’.” Harris, 25, who had been serving a 12-year sentence as a habitual criminal and was being held at the Cook County Jail for a court appearance, became the third inmate