In a rare retreat from its aggressive collection of funds owed by federal prisoners, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has instructed staff at prisons located within the Ninth Circuit to cease demands for restitution payments from most prisoners owing such obligations. The order was issued in the wake of Ward v. Chavez, 678 F.3d 1042
By Dianne Frazee-Walker
Keith Humphreys, writer, researcher, and Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University nominates himself for reporting the most unreported public policy issue; the declining rate of Americans incarcerated or on probation.
Humphreys’ research theorizes that lead is a key factor associated with a decline in prison population over the past five years. His speculation is supported by a rise in lead emissions throughout the 60s and 70s resulting in a high crime rate during the 70s and 80s. Humphreys claims that even though crime rates went down in the early 90’s, incarceration rates were impacted by the remaining inmates serving long terms from the 60s and 70s while new inmates were being incarcerated. Image courtesy hayesvillelibrary.wordpress.org
Rick Nevin is a researcher who dug deeper into the lead theory. Nevin’s investigative studies reveal that young offender incarceration rates have decreased since the dawning of 2000. In the mean time older offenders were increasing and the incarceration rate remained high. The reasoning behind Nevin’s hypothesis is that the older offenders grew up during the time period when lead emissions were high and young offenders were not exposed to lead being raised in a more environmentally conscious era.
Until the economic downturn that started in 2008, few people outside of policy and media circles paid attention to the true costs of criminal justice. Overall, the country seemed to place more emphasis on lowering crime rates and fighting the “War on Drugs” rather than paying attention to the inflating costs of incarceration. To some
Dianne Frazee-Walker Past the stench, unopened food containers, and manila folders covering the window of the “medical bubble” laid William “Lefty” Gilday in his own urine and feces. William Gilday had been tagged “Lefty” not because of his politics but because he was a Southpaw during his stint in the minor leagues. Gilday went from
It is with great pride that we announce our entry into the realm of book publishing. Middle Street Publishing is now entering the publishing industry with a focus on providing much-needed texts. Middle Street Publishing, a South Carolina non-profit dedicated to social justice, is interested in publishing books that are needed, but might not be
By Dianne Frazee-Walker Everyone has said at least one time in their lives, “Wow, I wish I would have thought of that!’ Texas maximum security federal inmate Gary Cole claims he did think of that. Visualize inventing a snack that tastes “out of this world,” and it becomes the most popular food item of the
With fiscal uncertainty rampant and budget cuts looming, state lawmakers are finally seeing the light when it comes to correction’s budgets. This light comes in the numbers of 7% and $50 billion. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, states spend 7% of their discretionary budgets, $50 billion a year, on corrections. This
Prison disciplinary proceedings are a way of life for those incarcerated in America’s prisons. This is because the various departments of corrections have a smorgasbord of applicable infractions that, unfortunately, are often applied inconsistently. Thus, the majority of inmates will eventually find themselves the subject of a prison discipline proceeding. When this occurs, they need to know what to do and how to defend themselves. Locating witnesses and obtaining effective written witness statements are vital components of an effective defensive strategy.
By Christopher Zoukis For more than 20 years, Prison Legal News has been “dedicated to protecting human rights” in the form of an independent monthly magazine focusing on criminal justice-related issues. As criminal justice is a broad-ranging topic, most of the publication’s attention is given to prison and prisoner related issues. Published by the Human
Today has been a very long day. It started with someone in my prison’s housing unit — the F-North housing unit at FCI Petersburg — yelling about pedophiles hogging the TRULINCS computers (the people to which this comment was made were most certainly not hogging anything), continued with scoffs at a transgender prisoner in the