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Larry Nassar: What Will His Life Be Like in Federal Prison?

Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team physician, is now serving an extended sentence in federal prison for criminal sexual conduct, child pornography, and sexual abuse charges. As part of his plea agreement, Lawrence Gerard Nassar will face a lifetime behind bars, locked away in a high-security federal prison. Here we delve into the details

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High Court Stays Execution Where Judge Overrode Jury Recommendation

A little over two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court in Hurst v. Florida ruled 8-1 it was unconstitutional for state judges to overrule jury sentencing recommendations in death penalty cases. The high court ruled a criminal defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury was violated if the jury was not permitted to

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Ohio Experiences Continued Problems with Aramark Over Alleged Food Fraud

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) over­paid food service giant Aramark $57,193 for food provided to nonexistent prisoners, investigators found. The overpayment was uncovered by the state Office of the Inspector General (OIG). According to a June 15, 2017 report, the OIG began investigating Aramark after learning of a dispute between the company

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BOP Relents on Forcing Chaplains to Carry Pepper Spray

In mid-October, we reported on a federal prison chaplain who was being denied direct contact with inmates because, for religious reasons, he refused to carry pepper spray when meeting them. For a decade, the Rev. Ronald Apollo had been employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and was head chaplain at a medium-security prison

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At-risk youth and "returning citizens" supported by MADE

A hand-up — not a handout. That’s the philosophy behind Leon EL-Alamin’s M.A.D.E. Institute. Launched in 2015, the nonprofit organization provides an alternative to prison, with several programs offering disenfranchised people the skills they need to help them succeed. M.A.D.E. stands for money, attitude, direction, and education – tools prisoners need upon release from their

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Co-pays Deter Prisoners from Accessing Medical Care

More than four decades have passed since Estelle v. Gamble, the 1976 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that held prisoners cannot be denied necessary medical care under the Eighth Amendment. But when cash-strapped state Departments of Corrections charge co-pays for healthcare provided to sick prisoners – who earn meager wages and are the least able to afford such

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Former Inmate Returns to Prison for Graduation

Russell Hawthorne, or Rusty to his inner circle, had been released from Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls, Georgia — but he returned— gladly. He didn’t go back to being behind bars. He went back to join his graduating class and receive his welding certificate. While incarcerated, the prison education program he went through did precisely

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Food-Related Outbreaks Sicken Prisoners Six Times More Often

Prison food usually makes news only when blamed for hunger strikes or riots or a supplier is found providing rancid or insect-infested food. Yet it also poses an important but little-studied public health issue, recently tackled by a research team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which published a study showing outbreaks

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Compensating the Exonerated: State Laws Are Arbitrary and Senseless

October 2nd of each year marks the Annual International Wrongful Conviction Day. As of October 2, 2017, the third anniversary of the commemorative event, 351 people have been exonerated based on DNA analysis alone. Those 351 served an aggregate of 4,788 years in prison prior to exoneration. DNA exonerations are just the tip of the

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