Wrongful convictions are a well-known phenomenon in the United States; the administration of one of the world’s largest criminal justice systems virtually guarantees mistakes and failures. Famous cases such as that of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was framed for murder and spent 20 years in prison, and whose case was made into a movie, have
In a unanimous and lengthy opinion, the Vermont Supreme Court dismissed a charge of unauthorized practice of law brought against a jailhouse lawyer. Martin Serendipity Morales, a prisoner who identifies as female, was being held at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Center when she was charged with a felony by Bennington County prosecutors. Her crime?
As someone who regularly writes for publications from prison, I’m often asked what the legal parameters of such conduct are. Typically, this discussion starts with a prisoner’s family member contacting me and expressing that they have been told that their incarcerated loved one is not allowed to publish any articles, blog posts, or books because
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has gone on record as supporting efforts by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to block cell phones unlawfully in prisons, calling the devices a threat to public safety and prison security. The late August letter from Assistant Attorney General Beth Williams, head of DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy, also says
The regional jail system in West Virginia receives and screens about 300,000 pieces of mail per year. Some letters contain illegal substances being smuggled into facilities for prisoners, particularly suboxone; in response, the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety has implemented a new rule meant to foil such attempts.The rule, reported by
Inmate employment is a requirement within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Except for those inmates who have been designated medically unable to work by Health Services or Psychology Services, all federal prisoners must maintain some form of employment throughout their incarceration. While most inmates will work within the confines of a federal prison, some minimum
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has ordered a lower court to clarify several conditions imposed upon a sex offender as part of his supervised release following a term of imprisonment. Fernando DaSilva pleaded guilty to violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), 18 U.S.C. § 2250, by failing
By Kamea Zelisko How about these for credentials for an authority on prison issues: authoring a handbook on prison life, three books on subjects examining ways education can benefit inmates, plus a steady stream of articles in national magazines, newspapers and blogs on a wide range of legal and other incarceration-related topics. No less an
The Federal Bureau of Prisons employs a wide variety of methods to create and maintain personal files on an inmate population of approximately 187,000 individuals. Some of the data contained in each file is static and is gathered from sources such as an inmate’s Pre-Sentence Investigative Report (PSR), Judgment and Commitment (J&C) order, and other
The Federal Bureau of Prisons should improve its analysis of skyrocketing health care costs for federal prisons, the Government Accountability Organization (GAO) says in a recently released report. The report indicated costs rose about 36% on a per-capita basis between 2009 to 2016. GAO urged BOP to identify the main causes and to evaluate the
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Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C.
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