Several Ohio state prison guards have been disciplined following at least 19 allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships with female prisoners between 2012 and 2013. Most of the allegations arose shortly after the Dayton Correctional Institution (DCI) switched from a male-only to an all-female prison in 2012, but ongoing problems were cited as of
Dozens of criminal justice reform activists have publicly told President Barack Obama his personal intervention is needed to keep the clemency initiative his administration announced in 2014 from falling victim to a “bureaucratic logjam” at the Department of Justice (DOJ). A joint letter went to the president on June 21 from more than 40 law
The Obama administration has announced plans to spend millions to address many of the facets of a life of incarceration, from mentoring at-risk youth and helping families with incarcerated parents to addressing employment and re-entry issues. Referencing several studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of education and re-entry programs at reducing recidivism, the President noted the
Sang Dao and Noah Schultz were both sentenced to years in prison at 17 years old under mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines. Fortunately for them, both had access to mentors, role models, and educational opportunities – and were inspired to turn their life around and make the most of the opportunities many others don’t have. Sentenced
Although challenges to the death penalty have not fared all that well at the Supreme Court in recent years, its new term starting in October will contain at least two more cases brought by Death Row inmates. On June 6, the high court agreed to take up two separate appeals brought by inmates who received
The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization that is fighting injustice such as compensation for exonerated prisoners. Imagine serving a decade or more for a crime you didn’t commit. Maybe even on death row. By what seems like a miracle, you find yourself exonerated on DNA evidence, and you are released.
Because he viewed what he called the “devastating” consequences of being convicted of a felony were sufficient punishment, a federal judge in Brooklyn has chosen to ignore federal sentencing guidelines and impose just a year of probation as the sentence for a woman convicted of smuggling cocaine in this country and possessing the drug with
More than 650,000 prisoners are released every year in the United States, and so it’s in everyone’s best interests that they are prepared as possible to reintegrate into society. Especially if they have been incarcerated for years, or even decades. Effective inmate re-entry programs go a long way to ease the transition. An example of
A recent report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) federal watchdog says mistakes resulted in incorrect amounts of prison time being served by more than 4,000 federal prisoners during the six years between 2009 and 2014. The 41-page report, “Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Untimely Releases of Inmates,” issued on May 24, examined
At the University of Washington in Seattle, the Quad recently featured its second annual art exhibition of prisoner’s artwork. Organized by Huskies for Opportunities in Prison Education (HOPE) in partnership with University Beyond Bars and the Monroe Correctional Complex, the exhibition featured visual arts and written pieces, as well as a 6 by 9 foot