Prison therapy session leads to man's confession

Prison therapy session leads to man's confession
EL DORADO, Ark. — An Arkansas man who confessed in a prison counseling session that he killed his grandmother has pleaded guilty and is to serve 25 ...
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State prison industries losing money

State prison industries losing money
At one prison factory, staff costs reached 355% of the level of sales, while nearly a third of prisoner labor costs ($1051000) over three years were for ...
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Michael Vick returns to Va. home from prison

Michael Vick returns to Va. home from prison
Suspended NFL player Michael Vick arrived at his Virginia home by car a day after being released from a federal prison in Kansas to start home ...
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Warden, jailers held in Mexico prison escape

Warden, jailers held in Mexico prison escape
The 53 prisoners, including at least 11 gunmen from the Gulf Cartel drug smuggling organization, escaped early Saturday from the prison in the city of ...
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Arnold wants to sell famed prison, stadium

Arnold wants to sell famed prison, stadium
He proposed the state sell some of California's landmark buildings, including San Quentin State Prison. The 157-year-old prison occupies prime property on ...
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Inmate dies after attack at Calif. federal prison

Inmate dies after attack at Calif. federal prison
Ritter was attacked Monday in a housing unit at the high-security United States Penitentiary Victorville, prison spokesman Chuck Ringwood said. ...
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Fugitive caught in N. Georgia — 27 years after escape

Fugitive caught in N. Georgia — 27 years after escape
By MIKE MORRIS A fugitive who escaped from a Virginia prison in 1982 was captured Wednesday in North Georgia, the FBI said. Ronald Reagan was in the second ...
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Disgraced Judge Gets Nearly Three Years in Prison

Disgraced Judge Gets Nearly Three Years in Prison
AP HOUSTON -- A disgraced federal judge was sentenced Monday to nearly three years in prison for lying about groping two female employees, who described in ...
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Prison budget finalized

Prison budget finalized
A key legislative budget panel voted Wednesday on final details of a $515.1 million, two-year spending plan for Nevada's prison system that's about $30 ...
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Prison systems halt visits as precaution against flu

Some of the nation's largest prison systems have ended visitation and quarantined at-risk inmates to block the spread of swine flu, state and federal officials said Monday.
California operates the largest state system, which holds about 170,000 inmates. It canceled all visitation and barred all non-essential personnel from the facilities after prison officials diagnosed the first "probable" case of the H1N1 virus Sunday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Supreme Court to consider life in prison for juveniles

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday that it would decide the constitutionality of giving juveniles who commit crimes other than murder a sentence of life in prison without the chance of release.
The nation's high court agreed to hear two Florida cases, one involving a 13-year-old convicted of raping an elderly woman and the other involving a 17-year-old who took part in an armed home-invasion robbery while on probation for an earlier violent crime. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Oregon lawmakers might curb prison spending

SALEM, Ore. - A business group floated a plan this week aimed at protecting school funding by suspending implementation of a get-tough-on-crime measure endorsed by Oregon voters last fall.
It's a politically charged proposal, though. Opponents say it would thwart the will of voters who approved Measure 57 to lengthen prison sentences for repeat property and drug crimes and mandate drug and alcohol treatment for certain offenders. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Man gunned down in prison parking lot

Man gunned down in prison parking lot
LONDON, May 2 (UPI) -- A man visiting an inmate in London's Wandsworth Prison was killed Friday in the parking lot in a shooting police called a ...
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Court rejects appeal in pedophile priest killing

Court rejects appeal in pedophile priest killing
Joseph Druce strangled John Geoghan (GAY'-gan) in his prison cell in August 2003. Geoghan was in prison for fondling a 10-year-old boy, and was accused of ...
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Tuberculosis case is confirmed at state prison in Lancaster

Tuberculosis case is confirmed at state prison in Lancaster
Los Angeles Times
By Ann Simmons Inmates and staff at the state prison in Lancaster will be tested and evaluated for tuberculosis after a case of the disease was confirmed at ...
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Florida Prison Inmate Says He Escaped to Plan Romantic 'Rendezvous'

Florida Prison Inmate Says He Escaped to Plan Romantic 'Rendezvous'
FOXNews
A Florida prison inmate says his escape this week was part of a plan to meet up with a woman for a roadside tryst, according to a jailhouse interview with ...
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Draper prison to drop diagnostic center

Utah prison officials narrowly avoided handing hundreds of inmates a fast route to freedom amid this year's massive budget cuts. Instead, they're saving $420,000 by dumping a long-time Diagnostic Center.
Judges traditionally have sent defendants to the facility so experts could determine whether they pose a threat and should be kept in prison, instead of a jail or probation term.
The center, based at the Draper prison, held between 40 and 70 defendants for one to two months, said Corrections spokeswoman Angie Welling. Seventy percent eventually were placed on probation, she said.
Now, judges likely will rely more heavily on pre-sentencing reports written by probation and parole officers, who review alternatives to prison and make recommendations. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Budget deal calls for closing 3 prison camps

ALBANY, N.Y. - The state budget negotiated by New York's Democratic leaders would close three minimum-security prison camps upstate and shutter a once prominent investigative agency established in the 1950s. Paterson administration officials say Camp Pharsalia in Chenango County, Camp McGregor in Saratoga County and Camp Gabriels in Franklin County would close on or after July 1, saving an estimated $12 million in the budget year that starts Wednesday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Mean dogs stand guard at Idaho prison

BOISE, Idaho — Nobody has broken out of the Idaho State Correctional Institution in more than 20 years. Prison officials like to think a hard-bitten corps of sentries with names like Cookie, Bongo and Chi Chi has had something to do with that.
The institution is the only state prison in the U.S. to use snarling, snapping sentry dogs to patrol its perimeter.
In a program begun in 1986, 24 mean dogs — mostly German shepherds, rottweilers and Belgian malinois, with a few boxers and pit bulls — roam the space between the inner and outer chain-link fences 24 hours a day, ferociously defending their territory. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

California prison releases Charles Manson picture

LOS ANGELES - California corrections officials released a new photograph of imprisoned mass murderer Charles Manson on Thursday, showing the balding, gray-bearded killer at the age of 74.
The picture, which was taken at Corcoran State Prison in Central California, also reveals a glum Manson still bearing the swastika he carved into his forehead during his sensational 1970 murder trial. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Greening the Prison-Industrial Complex

Instead of reporting to the laundry or the kitchen or the boiler room, a Washington state prison inmate, Robert Knowles, reports to the compost heap. Mr. Knowles is taking part in a “green work” program at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center. Inmates grow organic produce, compost the prison’s food waste, take part in ecological research projects with a nearby university, and even produce honey from the prison’s own hives.
The Washington State Department of Corrections boasts 34 LEED-certified facilities, with 923,789 square feet of LEED-certified space added in fiscal year 2008 alone. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison Quarantined After Flu Outbreak

SOLEDAD, Calif. - A California prison was quarantined during the weekend after 134 inmates came down with the flu, prison officials said.
Lt. Gary Gilman told KSBW Action News 8 that visitation at Soledad's Correctional Training Facility was suspended because of the quarantine, which is standard practice when an illness breaks out. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Researcher looks at gangs in Washington prisons

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A study of gangs in Washington state prisons recommends that convicts be offered tattoo removal during the intake process.
That way new prisoners would not be placed in the position of having to link up with gang members or become instant enemies of rival gang members in prison.
The recommendation is part of the study conducted for the state by Gonzaga sociology professor Douglas Orr. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

A list of major helicopter prison escapes

_ Dec 30, 1996, Santiago, Chile: Four leftist guerrillas escape from a high-security prison by jumping into a large basket dangling from a helicopter and flying away amid gunfire.
_ March 25, 1999, Sydney, Australia: Russian-born Lucy Dudko rents a helicopter for an alleged sightseeing trip then forces the pilot at gunpoint to land at Australia's largest maximum security prison to pick up her lover, convicted armed robber John Reginald Killick. The pair are later recaptured. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Michigan chooses new prison health care company

LANSING, Mich. - Fighting to curb rising prison health costs and stem criticism over inadequate care, Michigan on Tuesday chose a new company to help treat state prisoners with medical problems.
Brentwood, Tenn.-based Prison Health Services won a three-year, $326 million contract and will take over for St. Louis-based Correctional Medical Services starting April 1. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmates to lose access to college degrees?

Corrections officials want to overhaul prison education in a plan that would downplay traditional college degrees and ramp up trade skills.
A panel of lawmakers will discuss on Wednesday morning whether they should strip $900,000 of prison-generated cash from higher education's budget and move it back to Corrections. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Court Orders California to Cut Prison Population

The California prison system must reduce overcrowding by as many as 55,000 inmates within three years to provide a constitutional level of medical and mental health care, a federal three-judge panel tentatively ruled Monday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison preps inmates for life on the outside

Nearly 45% of inmates admitted into a Florida Department of Corrections facility in fiscal year 2006-2007 had been there at least once before. To try and combat this recidivism, the department is trying something else besides regular incarceration. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

New prison gang unit touted

WALLA WALLA, Washington - Robert Walker is a recent arrival to the new gang unit at the Washington State Penitentiary. He likes his new home, as far as anyone can like prison.
"It's cleaner and there's less people," said the 21-year-old former gang member from Seattle who is serving 18 years for assault. "The room is bigger, but you know..."
Walker's voice trailed off and he shrugged his shoulders at his surroundings — an open cell block offering officers an easy view of rooms from a central command post. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Skirmish over state prison yoga rooms intensifies

Sacramento - The battle over California prison inmates' constitutional rights has come down to this: finger-pointing over who dreamed up the idea of giving convicted criminals taxpayer-funded bingo and yoga rooms. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown have lambasted effortsby J. Clark Kelso, the court-appointed overseer of prison healthcare, to spend $8 billion on a "gold-plated utopian hospital plan" for 10,000 inmates. It features a "holistic" environment with natural light and space for yoga, music, horticulture and art therapy. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Company says Texas prison's damage 'significant'

PECOS, Texas — The company that runs a federal prison in West Texas says "significant" damage from the second riot in less than two months has left the facility unable to resume normal operations.
The GEO Group Inc. said in a statement Tuesday that inmates in two of the Reeves County Detention Center's three units remain under staff view in a central area of the complex. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Women abused in prison to keep award

Michigan - The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of 10 women who were awarded $15.5 million in damages last year for sexual abuse by guards while they were prisoners in the 1990s at Scott Correctional Facility.
The Michigan Department of Corrections had appealed the 2008 verdict, but the three-member appeals court panel said that various issues and arguments raised on appeal were "disingenuous," "fundamentally flawed" and "muddled." More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guard accused of sexual assault

MILWAUKEE - A prison guard in Milwaukee is accused of sexually assaulting one female inmate and possibly more. The sergeant worked at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility until he was suspended in August while an internal investigation was conducted. Warden John Husz says called police, who now have arrested the guard. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

FBI joins investigation after prison brawl

COLEMAN -- Gerald Potter thought he heard explosions coming from the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex Sunday afternoon.
Not sure what to think, he looked outside his home of five years located on County Road 470 trying to figure out what might have happened. As he saw helicopters and ambulances arrive at the prison, Potter, 65, wanted some information. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Sick inmates ordered moved for better care

SACRAMENTO — Up to 7,000 sick California inmates must be transferred to prisons with access to better medical care, a court-appointed receiver said in a court filing yesterday.
Receiver Clark Kelso is in charge of improving inmate medical care, but has become frustrated with the pace of reform. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers have refused to provide the $8 billion he seeks to build medical facilities. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate Escapes From State Prison in Hagerstown

A convict serving a 40-year sentence for killing a store employee during a robbery in Prince George's County escaped yesterday from a Maryland prison, officials said.
Kandelario Garcia-Ramos, 24, apparently climbed a fence to flee from the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, a state corrections spokesman said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

State to close Camden's Riverfront State Prison

CAMDEN, N.J. - Inmates won't be going up the river in Camden. The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill says it obtained a memo from director of custody operations Dean Yatauro that says Riverfront State Prison will close this summer. The Corrections Department says the roughly 780 remaining inmates and 400 employees will be gradually transferred to other state prisons. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Former New York Jail Guard Sentenced to 203 Years in Prison

NEW YORK — A former correction officer has been sentenced to 203 years in prison for a string of Long Island kidnappings, robberies and rapes.
A Nassau County jury in November found 43-year-old Ricardo Walters guilty of rape, robbery, criminal sexual act, sexual abuse, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Gangs clash in Manitoba prison riot

WINNIPEG – Long-simmering tensions between two criminal gangs were behind a riot at a federal medium-security prison in Manitoba, says the Winnipeg Free Press.
The melee Saturday night seriously injured four inmates and damaged a living unit that houses 100 prisoners at Stony Mountain Institute.
The Free Press reports that inmates – some wearing masks – set fires, stabbed their fellows and threw garbage cans at corrections officers, who battled back with pepper spray and displayed their shotguns. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Budget woes prompt states to rethink prison policy

NEW YORK — Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision.
Collectively, the pending and proposed initiatives could add up to one of biggest shifts ever in corrections policy, putting into place cost-saving reforms that have struggled to win political support in the tough-on-crime climate of recent decades. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Ex-'Sopranos' actor gets 10 years in prison

NEW YORK — A former actor on "The Sopranos" was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for a botched burglary in the Bronx in which an accomplice shot and killed an off-duty police officer.
A jury acquitted Lillo Brancato Jr. in the death of the police officer, but convicted him of attempted burglary. He faced up to 15 years in prison. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Family members still in the dark about prison disturbance

BOISE -- On Saturday, we told you about a prison riot at the Idaho State Correctional Institution in south Boise. Since that time, we have reported that the inmates are under modified lockdown, according to prison officials.
The details about the riot are still vague at this point.
In the meantime, family members of prison inmates have called saying what prison officials are reporting is not completely accurate. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

O.J. Simpson Living the Good Life in Prison?

We hear that O.J. Simpson is a much happier guy these days.
Well, as happy as a guy can be when you’re in prison for felony kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges that could spell 33 years behind bars.
Still, according to Page Six, Simpson, 67, is much more content since he was transferred to the Lovelock Correction Center near Reno last month. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Mother wins suit over son's prison killing

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A judge has ordered an Illinois prison inmate who killed his cellmate — after allegedly warning guards he would harm the man — to pay $13 million to the dead inmate's estate and his mother.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore issued the default judgment in favor of Sherree Daczewitz in her 2006 lawsuit against Corey Fox and prison officials over the 2004 strangling of her son, Joshua Daczewitz. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

California's broken prisons

In the middle ages, captives were often tossed into dark holes called “oubliettes,” a term derived from the French word for "forget": Once you were sent to an oubliette, you were out of sight and quickly forgotten. We have the same thing today in California, only we call them "prisons." More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Cash-strapped states cut juvenile justice programs

COLUMBIA, S.C. — State budget cuts are forcing some of the nation's youngest criminals out of counseling programs and group homes and into juvenile prisons in what critics contend is a shortsighted move that will eventually lead to more crime and higher costs.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia are among states that have slashed juvenile justice spending — in some cases more than 20 percent — because of slumping tax collections. Youth advocates say they expect the recession will bring more cuts next year in other states, hitting programs that try to rehabilitate children rather than simply locking them up. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Program aims to help inmates adjust after prison

Elizabeth City, N.C. — Toby Love makes sure the bright orange safety vests are made properly. If there's anything wrong, the vest goes back to his North Carolina sewing plant.
Love serves as quality assurance for the sewing plant inside the Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City, part of a program that aims to teach prisoners work skills and help prepare them for life after incarceration. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Indiana prison escapee arrested in Chicago

CHICAGO - A convicted murderer who escaped from an Indiana prison has been captured in Chicago after her story was featured on "America's Most Wanted," authorities said Sunday. Police captured Sarah Jo Pender, 29, on Saturday after getting an anonymous tip, the Chicago Police Department said in a statement. She was being held Sunday at the Cook County Jail. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Crime Stoppers looking for tips from prisoners

PENDLETON, Ind. - A Crime Stoppers group hopes to generate tips for police by broadcasting features about unsolved crimes to state prison inmates. Short segments about unsolved felonies are being broadcast to inmates on closed-circuit televisions at the medium-security Correctional Industrial Facility in Pendleton, officials said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Cell Phones In Prison Becoming A Concern in Washington

CONNELL, Wash.-- Staff at Coyote Ridge say inmates are not allowed to have cell phones at any time.
But in Texas an inmate was recently found in possession of one. Jail staff say it could happen anytime, and could be a big threat to the community. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Washington prison doctor quits over death penalty

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The top doctor in the Washington Department of Corrections has resigned, saying the use of medical staff to prepare for an execution is unethical.
Dr. Marc Stern of Olympia says physicians should not supervise the death penalty. He told The Olympian his only choice was to resign. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Smoking ban working well in Illinois prisons

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The state's year-old indoor smoking ban is working well in Illinois prisons where inmates, who once had been allowed to smoke in their cells, have been forced to quit, officials say. Starting last Jan. 1, Illinois joined 18 other states and made it illegal to smoke in virtually every public place. That included the state's 28 prisons, meaning 45,000 inmates couldn't even light up in outdoor prison yards. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Gov. Dave Paterson's plan would spring chronically ill violent inmates

ALBANY - In his bid to cut state spending, Gov. Paterson would spring hundreds of prison inmates - a plan that has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans.
Paterson would make it easier to release terminally and chronically ill violent inmates - except murderers.
Other inmates who behave for a "consistent amount of time" and complete prison programs also would be eligible for early release. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Condemning a new 'Cadillac' Death Row

The expansion of Death Row at San Quentin State Prison is a bottomless money pit that must be stopped. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is moving forward with building a $395.5 million Condemned Inmate Complex at San Quentin - a Cadillac death row designed to house 768 inmates. Groundbreaking is scheduled for as early as spring 2009, and its capital and operational costs over 20 years will be at least $1.2 billion. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Parole official to consider taking on LeFevre case

SAGINAW — A judge has asked the Michigan Parole Board to take the case of a California woman who wants her drug sentence thrown out, 32 years after she escaped from prison. Susan LeFevre testified last week in Saginaw County court, hoping Judge William Crane would scratch her sentence. But the judge suddenly has kicked it to the parole board, which could release her, the Saginaw News reported today. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison System Takes Issue With Assault Study

CHESHIRE - Connecticut prison officials are taking issue with a study involving assaults that shows an increase of inmates attacking staffers. The Department of Correction contends a study that found an average increase of inmate-on-staff assaults in state prisons does not apply to Manson Youth Institution in the Cheshire prison complex. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Two more ex-Peregrine officials handed prison sentences

SAN DIEGO — Two more former officers of the fallen software firm Peregrine Systems have been given federal prison sentences and still await potentially massive orders of restitution, the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday.
Matthew C. Gless was sentenced Wednesday to five years and three months in federal prison, while Douglas S. Powanda was given 6-½ years behind bars, U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt said. Both had been convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

South Texas DA looks at West Texas prison riot

PECOS, Texas — A South Texas district attorney who tried to prosecute Vice President Dick Cheney for his investments in private prison companies is now trying to probe an inmate death and prison riot hundreds of miles outside his jurisdiction.
Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra said Tuesday he suspected a cover-up at a privately run prison in Pecos, some 600 miles northwest of his Raymondville office. Inmates at the prison rioted and held two prison employees hostage last week after the death of another inmate. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Vick could be out of prison next month

NORFOLK - Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick could be released from federal prison to a Virginia halfway house as early as late January, Vick's bankruptcy attorneys and fiancee said Tuesday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Texas prison officials cancel test to jam cellphone signals

AUSTIN – A scheduled demonstration of an electronic device that jams cellphone signals, rendering a phone inside a prison useless, has been canceled four days before it was to have been held, according to Texas prison officials. AG'S ADVICE
Prison officials said they determined after consulting with the state attorney general that the test by Florida-based vendor CellAntenna would violate federal law against jamming radio transmissions. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmates sue over post-Ike conditions at Beaumont unit

BEAUMONT — More than 130 federal lawsuits have been filed by state inmates who claim that living conditions after Hurricane Ike violated their civil rights.
The suits have been filed by prisoners living in the LeBlanc Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Beaumont, the Beaumont Enterprise reported.
The cases originally were joined together as a single lawsuit, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin in Beaumont ruled they should be handled individually, in part because of the security quandary that might arise if all plaintiffs appeared in court at the same time. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Hostages Return Home After Reeves County Prison Riot

After a riot at the Reeves County Detention Center, very few details are pouring out, but two hostages taken during the standoff are back home and we're told things are returning to normal at the prison. On Friday, inmates torched a building and took two hostages. After hours of negotiating, authorities reached a peaceful resolution. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Federal suit to take aim at prison hospital plan

A lawsuit challenging a federally appointed receiver’s plans to build a prison hospital near Camarillo will be filed in federal court in the coming weeks, a nonprofit group announced Thursday.
Taxpayers for a Safe Ventura County intends to use a 1995 federal law targeting prison reform to argue against the legal authority of receiver J. Clark Kelso, who was appointed by a federal judge to overhaul the healthcare system in California prisons to bring it up to constitutional standards. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison Ministry Goes High-Tech

ORLANDO, Florida - Since Northland began webcasting its services in 2006, online worshippers have reported bringing the church into some very unusual places: offices, coffee shops, military bases ... even a Burger King restaurant.
This month, Northland brought webstream worship to a place that is literally cut off from the rest of the world: John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

O.J. Simpson begins transition from county jail to state prison

Reuters sent along this photo of O.J. Simpson from photo session at the High Desert State Prison in Nevada.
The former NFL star was convicted of armed robbery and other felonies following a botched attempt to recover memorabilia last year in Las Vegas. He will spend at least nine years in prison before he's eligible for parole. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison officials looking to hang up on inmates

A persistent death row inmate in Texas could trigger a change in federal law allowing state and local governments to jam cell phone calls.
After an allegedly threatening call to a state senator led to the discovery that inmates had made thousands of calls on cell phones, which are banned in nearly all prisons nationwide, Texas officials have scheduled a test Dec. 18 of a system to jam such transmissions. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Federal judges weighing solutions to California's prison overcrowding crisis

San Francisco -- After years of failed attempts by California officials to rein in their overburdened prison system, three white-haired federal judges appear determined to find the solution themselves in a lofty courtroom here. The judges are presiding over a trial in two long-running lawsuits intended to discover whether an overcrowding crisis is the prime cause of medical and mental healthcare so poor that it violates inmates' constitutional rights; if it is, they will decide how to fix the problems. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

OJ Simpson faces spartan prison as lawyers appeal

LAS VEGAS — In the harsh light of the morning after his sentencing, O.J. Simpson's future was clear Saturday. His new home will be a prison cell in the Nevada desert with his door to freedom hinging on an appeal of a trial that his lawyers say was filled with errors.
"This is not a frivolous appeal," Yale Galanter, Simpson's lawyer, said. "There were some grave errors made by Judge (Jackie) Glass, and we think they are strong enough to overturn the conviction. We also think we have a shot at bail." More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Officers capture escaped prisoner

Area officers foiled an escape attempt by a man, wanted in Lee County, who got away from a guard by claiming he needed to use the restroom at an Alachua County gas station late Thursday. Officers used police dogs and a helicopter to locate Christopher P. Beckner, 37, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office reported. He was being held at the local jail Friday morning on an escape charge. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prisons seek $66 million to get rid of phones, contraband

AUSTIN — Texas prison officials are seeking nearly $66 million in public money — some of it right away — for new security equipment to rid lockups of cell phones and other contraband.
The request, which is more than double the amount officials proposed several months ago, comes just weeks after a systemwide sweep uncovered hundreds of smuggled cell phones, including 18 on death row.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston said Wednesday that given the seriousness of the contraband problem, he would seek $30 million in immediate funding. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prisons want more to fight illegal cell phones

AUSTIN — Texas prison administrators are more than doubling to almost $66 million their legislative request to beef up security measures to keep illegal cell phones and other contraband out of state prisons.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston told the prison board meeting in Austin Wednesday that officials want $30 million immediately to buy equipment to detect and keep out the contraband. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Three prison guards injured by inmates

CUMBERLAND - Three state correctional officers were injured in a brawl with maximum-security inmates at the North Branch Correctional Institution, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services said today.One of the officers suffered facial injuries, a second injured his elbow and the third had a facial abrasion, the agency said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Federal jury awards prison inmate $185,000

PITTSBURGH - A state prison inmate has been awarded $185,000 by a federal jury in a lawsuit in which he claimed officials at Pittsburgh's prison improperly took and destroyed his legal papers. Twenty-six-year-old Andre Jacobs represented himself in the trial that ended Monday. He named a dozen defendants and the jury found in his favor against two guards and a spokeswoman who work or had worked at State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison wants to jam cell signals

CHARLESTON SC - More than 1600 inmates are locked up at the Lieber Correctional Facility in Dorchester County. But director Jon Ozmint says illegal items like dvd's, and tobacco still get through. And the most dangerous contraband can be cell phones.
"They've coordinated escapes using cell phones, committed credit card fraud", Ozmint said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guard acquitted in inmate shooting

LAS VEGAS—A former Nevada prison guard says he wants his job back after he was acquitted of battery with a deadly weapon in the shooting of a prison inmate.
A jury on Thursday cleared 33-year-old Paul Chaffee in the December 2006 shooting of Donald Hixon after authorities say Hixon fought with a cellmate at High Desert State Prison.
The 38-year-old Hixon was serving a 12- to 48-month sentence at the time for possessing a stolen vehicle. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmates vs. Princeton students: Prison chess

TRENTON, N.J. - David Wang is a young man who's clearly going places. The Princeton University sophomore is gifted with a brilliant mind, a movie-star smile and an understated self-confidence.
Kelvin Washington is a middle-aged man who's not going anywhere for the next 44 years. He's a career criminal who has spent 29 years behind bars for a string of robberies and burglaries.
An unlikely pairing, the two men went head to head Wednesday at the New Jersey State Prison, a maximum-security lockup. Their battlefield: a chess board. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Innocent man freed after 23 years files suit

ST. LOUIS — A man who spent 23 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit sued St. Louis County and the officers who arrested him, saying investigators ignored inconsistencies in the victim's description.
Johnny Briscoe, now 54, was freed in 2006 after DNA evidence exonerated him. He filed suit earlier this month in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. The suit claims his constitutional rights were violated and seeks unspecified damages. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Investigation shows gang leaders continue activity in prison

Imprisoned leaders of the Bloods street gang - with the help of corrupt corrections officers and staff as well as visitors - are remaining in control of the criminal organization through the use of cell phones smuggled into New Jersey's state prisons and county jails and by manipulating prison phones, State Commission of Investigation agents said today. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison transfers ordered halted

A judge in Johnson County on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order against the Illinois Department of Corrections, preventing it from transferring more inmates out of the Pontiac Correctional Center until it resolves a grievance with the prison's employee union.The lawsuit, filed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, is one of three against the state to block the closing of Pontiac in rural Livingston County. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Larger Inmate Population Is Boon to Private Prisons

Prison companies are preparing for a wave of new business as the economic downturn makes it increasingly difficult for federal and state government officials to build and operate their own jails.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and several state governments have sent thousands of inmates in recent months to prisons and detention centers run by Corrections Corp. of America, Geo Group Inc. and other private operators, as a crackdown on illegal immigration, a lengthening of mandatory sentences for certain crimes and other factors have overcrowded many government facilities. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison overcrowding blamed for health woes

A federal trial that could lead to the court-ordered release of thousands of California prisoners opened Tuesday with the inmates' lawyers citing statements by top state officials - including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - that overcrowded prisons are a menace. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Washington pays $300K to man disfigured after prison misdiagnosis

Taxpayers will pay $300,000 to a man who lost his penis and a testicle after doctors misdiagnosed a case of flesh-eating bacteria while he was being held in a Washington state prison, local news organizations report.
The Seattle Times says Charlie Manning, 61, reached a settlement with the state four years after he fell ill while serving a 13-month sentence for stealing a neighbor's gun and threatening him. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

CA Prison Crisis Must Be Solved Rally Friday

After ten long years of the UNON families fighting to end murder by medical neglect in California's prisons, as well as constant abuse of the mentally ill, this Friday is the day the UNION families are calling everyone with a loved one in prison to rally in support of Judges Thelton Henderson, Lawrence Karlton and Rhinehardt. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Escapee From Georgia Prison Captured

LAVONIA, Georgia - One of two men who escaped from Fort Hays State Prison on Oct. 13 has been captured in Lavonia, Ga.
Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said 52-year-old Johnny Mack Brown was captured about 1 a.m. Saturday after scuffling with three officers and trying to get the gun of one who tackled him. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guards attacked by convicted murderer

FOX LAKE — A correctional officer remained hospitalized Monday afternoon and a Dodge County prison was placed in lockdown after an inmate attacked two correctional officers. Wisconsin Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko said Fox Lake Correctional Institution inmate Terrance B. Davis attacked a corrections officer with a claw hammer in the prison's furniture shop about 8:15 a.m. Monday. As a second officer came to the rescue, the 50-year-old Davis turned the hammer on him. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison inmate accused of attacking woman

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - An inmate at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Institution in Uncasville has been charged with attacking a woman at the prison.Twenty-three-year-old Robert Dixon has been charged with kidnapping and attempted sexual assault. State police say he forced a woman into a room inside the prison, locked the door and attacked her.Dixon is charged with attempted first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping, assaulting a public safety person, assault on a victim over 60, third-degree assault and threatening. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

2 inmates attack guards at Anamosa prison

ANAMOSA, Iowa - State prison officials say three staff members at the prison in Anamosa were injured after they were attacked by two inmates. Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says the injuries were not life-threatening, and the employees were treated at a hospital and released. Their names were not released. The incident happened Tuesday afternoon. Scaletta says the two inmates were quickly restrained, and the prison was placed on temporary lockdown. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmates Sick After Eating Flower for 'Recreational High'

Five Manatee County Jail inmates were hospitalized after ingesting a poisonous flower that can cause a "recreational high," authorities said.
The low-security inmates were clearing overgrowth in Palmetto Wednesday afternoon when they ate a plant called angel's trumpet, officials said. The plant can cause elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation and violent behavior. In some cases, people who ingest the plant can slip into a coma or die. Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Texas prison officials blame influx of cellphones on poor staffing, surveillance

AUSTIN – Poor surveillance, inadequate staffing and underpaid, easily corrupted corrections guards have allowed Texas prison inmates to easily obtain phones and other contraband, criminal justice officials acknowledged Tuesday, the day after three cellphones were recovered from death row.
A convicted murderer had been using a cellphone to make threatening calls to state Sen. John Whitmire.
One of these phones logged 2,800 calls over the last month and was used by a convicted murderer to make threatening calls to state Sen. John Whitmire, who said at an emergency hearing Tuesday that he was "disgusted" with top prison officials. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

2 new cell phones found on Texas' death row

AUSTIN - Poor surveillance, inadequate staffing and under-paid, easily-corrupted corrections guards have allowed Texas prison inmates to easily obtain phones and other contraband, criminal justice officials acknowledged Tuesday, the day after three cell phones were recovered from death row. One of these phones logged 2,800 calls over the last month, and was used by a convicted murderer to make threatening calls to Sen. John Whitmire, who said he was “disgusted” with top prison officials at an emergency hearing on Tuesday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guards union drops Schwarzenegger recall bid

A bare-knuckles campaign to kick Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger out of office was abandoned Thursday by the state's powerful prison guards union.
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association dropped its recall bid but continued to throw verbal jabs.
"We continue to believe that Governor Schwarzenegger needs to return to what he's good at, making movies," spokesman Lance Corcoran said.
Schwarzenegger's predecessor, Democrat Gray Davis, is the only California governor ever to be recalled, but the threat against the Republican governor sparked shock waves because CCPOA is one of the state's most powerful unions, spending $17 million on political campaigns since 2005. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Escaped prisoner may have walked away because of medication

PLEASANT PRAIRIE — The father of escaped prisoner Nicholas A. Sabala III is worried that a medication his son had been taking might have been the reason he walked away from his work release program site Tuesday.“People might think I’m just sticking up for him because he’s my son,” Nick Sabala Jr. said. “I know he was wrong. The law is the law. But nobody in their right mind who’s been (incarcerated) for almost nine years and only has months to go would want to get in trouble again.”Sabala III, who is from Racine, was imprisoned at Kenosha Correctional Center, a minimum security institution with a work release program. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

DNA evidence exonerates man after 20 years in prison

Twenty years after being convicted of a rape and murder he said he did not commit, Baltimore prosecutors today dropped new charges against James L. Owens, making him the seventh person in Maryland to have been exonerated by new testing of old DNA evidence. Standing in handcuffs, blue jeans and a blue corrections shirt with B.C.D.C. printed on the back, Owens showed no emotions as prosecutor Mark Cohen explained why he was dropping the charges. Five witnesses were dead; the man who fingered him, whose conviction in this case is on appeal, recanted almost immediately after the trial; and police had destroyed the physical evidence in the case, including the alleged murder weapon and pubic hair found on the victim. "Look at the costs to the system when it's revealed that the wrong person was convicted," Owens attorney Stephen B. Mercer said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison health care ruling likely against state

SAN FRANCISCO - The federal judge who took control of California's decrepit prison health care system in 2006 made it clear Monday that he intends to order the state to pay the first installment of an $8 billion plan to bring the system up to constitutional standards.
At the close of a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson promised a ruling later this week and left little doubt about its contents: an order requiring state prison officials to turn over $250 million to a court-appointed overseer to begin construction in February on the first of eight planned new medical facilities for about 10,000 prisoners. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison van, truck crash; several killed

MONTGOMERY - A prison van carrying job applicants and a tractor-trailer crashed Friday on a rural highway, and authorities were frantically trying to sort out how many people died in the fiery wreckage.
The blaze made it difficult to sort out how many were killed, and reports from first responders and other officials varied. State trooper spokesman John Reese said "more than four" were dead, but Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, who went to the scene, said he was told six had died. A prison spokesman said seven died. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Incident leads to changes at prison

HILO, Hawaii— A male corrections officer has been fired and a privately run Kentucky prison has changed some of its housing unit procedures after a Hawai'i female prison inmate accused the officer of sexually assaulting her in her cell last fall.
According to a written statement by the 34-year-old inmate that was provided by a family member, the inmate alleges the corrections officer came to her room in the Otter Creek Correctional Center in Wheelwright, Ky., between 4:15 and 4:45 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2007, and demanded that she perform sex acts.
The inmate alleged she saved evidence from the encounter and turned it over to prison officials the same day. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Four inmates injured in fight at Folsom Prison

FOLSOM, California—Four inmates at Folsom State Prison are being treated for injuries after an outdoor melee.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Oscar Hidalgo says the fight started about 1 p.m. Tuesday between a white and a black inmate in the main exercise yard. It grew to involve about 200 of the 500 inmates who were outside.
Guards using pepper spray stopped the free-for-all after about 45 minutes. No employees were injured. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmates sue over prison shakedown

Six inmates at the Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center in East St. Louis filed suit against five Illinois Department of Corrections employees in federal court alleging their Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated.Larry E. Starks, Jr., James Brown, Craig L. Spencer, David Coleman, Kevin D. Drysdale and Anwar S. Randle are each seeking at least $500,000 in damages, alleging they were denied due process, subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and for violations of the equal protection clause.The inmates allege on May 13, prison officials authorized a "shakedown" of housing unit one which consists of 24 male dorms even though at the time there was no disorderly conduct or need to restore order. The prison's tactical unit conducted the operation. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Execution delayed 2 hours

STARKE — For more than two hours after he was scheduled to die, Richard Heynard waited before the courts rejected his last-ditch appeal.
Supporters of the death penalty cheer outside of the Florida State Prison near Starke on Tuesday evening. Richard Henyard’s death sentence was carried out Tuesday evening for the double murder of a 7-year-old and 3-year-old in 1993.
In the end, he was executed late Tuesday at Florida State Prison for raping and shooting Dorothy Lewis and murdering her two young daughters. It was the longest that execution observers can recall an execution being delayed without being postponed to another day. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guard accused of taking drugs to work

Walla Walla A Washington State Penitentiary corrections officer was arrested Monday for bringing drugs into the Walla Walla prison, officials said.
Camren James Jones, 20, of Kennewick, is suspected of taking cocaine, heroine, methadone and marijuana into the prison, with plans to deliver drugs to inmates, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported.
Walla Walla police Sgt. Matt Wood described the heroin found on Jones as being about the size of two golf balls, the newspaper said.
Jones resigned shortly after his arrest. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Judge rips Knoller as she sends her to prison for dog-mauling death

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge denounced Marjorie Knoller today for indifference to the fate of a neighbor who was mauled to death by Knoller's dogs in a San Francisco apartment hallway and sentenced the former attorney to 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder.
Superior Court Judge Charlotte Woolard, who had reinstated a jury's murder verdict for the January 2001 attack at a hearing last month, rejected a defense lawyer's request for probation today and said the horrific circumstances of the crime far outweighed Knoller's previous crime-free record. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

California panel gives OK to new Yolo County prison

WOODLAND, California - A state prison panel says Yolo County can pursue its bid for a small prison near the rural town of Madison.
Thursday's vote by the Corrections Standards Authority is a setback for Madison residents who say the flood-prone area is no place to build a prison.
Yolo County is seeking $30 million in jail construction funds from the state to build a re-entry prison intended to rehabilitate inmates. The 500-bed prison would hold prisoners who are nearing their parole back into communities. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Continental Prison Systems Successfully Installs Kiosks in Colorado

FRESNO - Continental Prison Systems, Inc. (Pink Sheets:CPSZ), a leader in Prison kiosk technology that streamlines the inmate release process and a growing provider of the cost reducing process for loading funds onto an inmate's account over the internet or through a kiosk announced today that the EZ kiosk division of Continental Prison Systems, Inc. has successfully completed the installation of two kiosks, the debit card program and both online money services systems as of Aug 28th.
Ron Hodge, President and CEO of Continental Prison Systems, Inc. stated, "Our first installations are complete and kiosk transactions have exceeded our expectations and are functioning extremely well. The booking room and visiting room kiosks have been warmly received by both staff and consumers. The simplicity and ease of loading funds through the kiosk has been a welcome addition to the facility. The facility has been issuing debit cards with the inmates' remaining trust funds for about two weeks and the inmates have welcomed the change to a debit card system versus a check with its related high check cashing fees. Furthermore, the elimination of check writing has been a needed change for the facility, allowing for less overhead and more efficient processing of inmates." More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Newark gets $2M federal grant for prisoner re-entry programs

With the help of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Newark will serve as a laboratory to help reintegrate people released from prison into society, officials said at a news conference in the city Tuesday.
The money, which comes as part of President George W. Bush's prisoner re-entry initiative, will be used to help up to 1,200 ex-offenders with basic job skills. The grant will be combined with $3 million in private donations -- $1.7 million of it from the Nicholson Foundation -- to provide transitional jobs and funding for community and faith-based programs to render services to ex-offenders, officials said.
The Department of Labor is "seeking to establish Newark as a learning platform for communities across the country that are grappling with the re-entry crisis," said Brent Orrell, deputy assistant secretary for employment and training with the U.S. Department of Labor. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison guards move to recall Schwarzenegger

California - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, swept into office five years ago when then-Gov. Gray Davis was recalled during another state fiscal crisis, became the target Monday of a recall effort by the state's powerful prison guards' union.
The well-funded California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which has clashed with the actor-turned-governor in the past, completed a "petition of intent" to recall Schwarzenegger, charging that his "catastrophic leadership failings" have left the state in far worse shape than before his election.
The union's petition drive is the latest political challenge for Schwarzenegger, who faces political, legal and administrative battles over his efforts to close a $17.2 billion budget gap and enact a budget that is now 71 days late, a state record. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prisons scramble to make digital TV switch

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The big switch to digital TV has prison officials scrambling to keep one of the most important peacekeeping tools in prisons across the nation — broadcast television. When the nation's broadcasters make the switch from analog to digital signals next Feb. 17, televisions that aren't hooked up to cable, satellite or a converter box will be reduced to static. While TV might seem like an undeserved luxury for inmates, prison officials and inmates say the tube does more than fill year after year of idle hours — it provides a sense of normalcy and is a bargaining chip that encourages good behavior. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Man cleared after 26 years in prison

Alton Logan was released earlier this year after spending 26 years in prison for a killing another man confessed to. He had been waiting since then to see whether prosecutors would retry him. Thursday morning, charges were formally dropped and Judge James Schreier vacated Logan’s conviction for killing security guard Lloyd Wickliffe while robbing a McDonald’s in 1982.
“I’ve been telling everyone for the last 26 years I didn’t do it and finally they did the right thing,” Logan said afterward, tears welling in his eyes.
Logan said he wanted an apology from Mayor Daley, who was state’s attorney when he was convicted in the early 1980s. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Search for Missing Prisoner Ends in West Virginia

The search for a prisoner missing from a work detail in Chautauqua County has ended in West Virginia.
24-year-old Lucas Hull was working at a landfill in the Town of Ellery when investigators say he jumped into a county vehicle that had the keys still inside, and drove away. Police say Hull was in prison for stealing property and was due to be released in November or December. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Former Talk Radio Host Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

WASHINGTON - Bernard V. Ward, 57, a San Francisco resident who previously worked as a radio station talk show host, was sentenced today to serve 87 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. On May 8, 2008, Ward pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography through the Internet. According to the plea documents, Ward admitted that in December 2004, he used an online screen name to engage in an Internet chat conversation with an unknown individual also using a screen name. During that conversation, Ward admitted that he sent an image of child pornography depicting nude children engaged in sexually explicit conduct via his e-mail account. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Continental Prison Systems Signs New Colorado Contract

FRESNO, California - Continental Prison Systems, Inc., a leader in prison kiosk technology that streamlines the inmate release process and a growing provider of the cost-reducing process for loading funds onto an inmate's account over the internet or through a kiosk, announced today that the EZ Kiosk and EZ Card divisions of Continental Prison Systems, Inc. have successfully completed and signed a service agreement with a 550-bed Colorado prison facility. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

California Supreme Court ruling makes it easier for prisoners to win parole

The ruling limits governor's ability to deny parole based solely on the inmate's crime -- there must also be evidence that the inmate continues to pose a threat to the public. The California Supreme Court made it easier Thursday for prison inmates to win parole despite a governor's objections, ruling that a woman who fatally shot and stabbed another woman with a potato peeler should remain free. The 4 to 3 ruling, written by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, could affect nearly 1,000 parole cases now on appeal. Lawyers on both sides said it was the first time in recent history that the state high court ruled in favor of a prisoner in a parole case. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

While he sits in prison, Michael Vick is losing $12,000 a month.

While he sits in prison, Michael Vick is losing $12,000 a month. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that according to court documents, Vick has monthly expenses of $12,225 and income of $277.69. That does not include the 12 cents an hour he makes working in prison.Vick has assets of $10 million and liabilities of $19 million. He is listed as owning four homes, three in Virginia and one in Georgia. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Letters from federal prisoners in U.S. going electronic

MIAMI — When Melvin Garcia was sent to prison almost a decade ago for racketeering, he had never used a computer. Now he sends 50 emails a month from a federal prison in West Virginia, punctuating notes with emoticons. Garcia, 38, is among thousands of prisoners at more than 20 federal facilities where inmates now have inboxes. By the spring of 2011, all 114 U.S. prisons are expected to have email available for inmates. The program, started several years ago, has reduced the amount of old-fashioned paper mail that can sometimes hide drugs and other contraband. Just as important, officials say, email helps prisoners connect regularly with their families and build skills they can use when they return to the community. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prosecutors get reports on prison brutality claims

HAGERSTOWN - Maryland State Police investigators have given prosecutors in Allegany and Washington counties their reports on prison brutality claims that led to the firing of 23 correctional officers in April, authorities said today. Washington County State's Attorney Charles P. Strong and Allegany County State's Attorney Michael O. Twigg said they will review the reports before deciding how to proceed. Their options: Take no action, file criminal charges, present evidence to their counties' respective grand juries or name a special prosecutor from another jurisdiction for cases that cross county lines. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

K-9 units sweep prison for drugs

Gettysburg - A surprise canine inspection and practice emergency recall early Tuesday morning resulted in no drugs or weapons, and only a few articles of “nuisance contraband” being found, according to Prison Warden Brian Clark. “It’s good to know that the staff is catching it coming in,” Clark said Wednesday afternoon. “There is very little stuff getting in.”The five-hour sweep, comprising eight Department of Corrections K-9 handlers and their dogs, began at 2 a.m. Tuesday with a practice emergency recall of all 70 union and administrative prison staff. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate Firefighters Are on Front Lines in California

MARIPOSA, California - When Tamara Evans was convicted last year of receiving stolen property, she had no idea it would lead to a potential career in firefighting. The tall, cheerful 30-year-old was in California state prison earlier this year when she applied to become an inmate firefighter. Now, after battling blazes for seven weeks, she is building a résumé that she hopes will land her a dream job: as a U.S. Forest Service firefighter. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Violent inmate to die Tuesday for double slaying

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Leon David Dorsey IV, who brashly called himself "Pistol Pete" and acknowledged in an interview that killing people didn't rankle him, was set to die Tuesday for the 1994 shooting deaths of two employees at a Dallas video store. "I've done cut folks; I've done stabbed folks; I've killed folks," he told The Dallas Morning News while awaiting trial. "But it don't bother me." No appeals were in the courts to stop the lethal injection. which would be the seventh this year in the nation's most active capital punishment state and the first of two this week. Another two executions are scheduled for next week. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Texas 7 member volunteers for execution this week

LIVINGSTON, Texas — Michael Rodriguez remembers the exhilaration of newfound freedom when he hid in the back of a stolen truck as he and six of his buddy convicts staged one of Texas' most notorious prison breaks.
Then he recalls seeing his photo on national TV and grasping the reality that their Hollywood-style plan to rob a Nevada casino had gone terribly awry. He and his fellow fugitives were being hunted everywhere as the killers of a police officer, Aubrey Hawkins, at a store they robbed outside Dallas. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Indiana Prison Guard Allegedly Helps Female Inmate Escape

ROCKVILLE, Indiana - Authorities arrested a prison guard Tuesday for allegedly helping an inmate escape by driving her out of the prison complex hidden inside a vehicle. Scott A. Spitler was arrested early Tuesday in connection with Sarah Pender's Monday escape from the Rockville Correctional Facility about 50 miles west of Indianapolis. State prison officials said Spitler could face charges of assisting a criminal, official misconduct, sexual misconduct and trafficking with an inmate in Pender's escape. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Federal Prisoner Indicted In I-D Theft Scheme

Richmond, Virginia - A federal prisoner in Petersburg with previous mail fraud convictions, is now accused of running an identity theft scheme from behind bars. John Kenneth Leighnor, Jr., 49, is charged with three counts of mail fraud and eight counts of aggravated identity theft. According to court records, Leighnor identified many of his intended victims by reviewing obituaries and dormant Swiss bank account lists for Holocaust victims. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate, 21, slain at prison in Jackson County

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana - Authorities say nine inmates were injured during a fight at the federal prison in Terre Haute. The fight broke out Sunday in a prison recreational yard. Prison officials say nine inmates were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover from their injuries. No staff members were hurt. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Fight hurts 9 inmates at Terre Haute prison

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana - Authorities say nine inmates were injured during a fight at the federal prison in Terre Haute. The fight broke out Sunday in a prison recreational yard. Prison officials say nine inmates were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover from their injuries. No staff members were hurt. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Demand for greater prison security

A senior opposition politician has demanded airport-style security in prisons after a jailed gangland boss was found with a mobile phone.
Fine Gael's Charlie Flanagan called for an explanation on how convicted drug dealer John Gilligan could use the phone in Portlaoise maximum security jail where mobile phone blocking technology is being piloted. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Texas ranks first in juvenile prison sexual abuse

AUSTIN — A just-released federal survey says juvenile prisons in Texas had the most incidents of sexual misconduct with youths during 2005 and 2006 than any other state.
The U.S. Department of Justice survey said Texas reported 21 instances of sexual violence among staff and juveniles. No other state reported more than nine. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison officials stop escape attempt

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -The McConnel Unit at Beeville's state prison remains under lockdown after two convicted murderers were discovered missing during a morning inmate count Wednesday.
The prison was put under lockdown while guards tracked down the two inmates identified as Jeremy Robinson and Abelino Monge. Both men were from minimum security cells. Guards stopped and checked all incoming and outgoing cars at the prison due to heightened security. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Fort Dodge prison snuffs smoking earlier than expected

FORT DODGE, Iowa - The warden at the Fort Dodge state prison says he's fed up with convicts breaking rules by smoking in their cells, so he's moving up plans on the books to ban smoking in state prisons. Warden Cornell Smith says inmates will not be allowed to order any more tobacco products from the prison commissary effective Friday. Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Former head of prisons sentenced to 2 years

CHICAGO - Fighting back tears and apologizing to his teenage daughters, the former head of the Illinois prison system was sentenced to two years in federal prison for taking payoffs from lobbyists. "What I did was absolutely wrong," said Donald Snyder, who admitted pocketing $50,000 from lobbyists when he was director of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
He said he hoped his conviction on the charges would not bias employers against his daughters when they grow up and look for jobs. "I'm sorry, girls," he said, turning to the bench where they were sitting. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison inmate linked to robberies

BOISE — Authorities arrested a low-security prison inmate with a long history of bank heists, including in Canyon County, in connection with two robberies this week in Boise.Officials said the inmate, who walked away from a prison work center, was apprehended Tuesday and accused of the two robberies that took place Monday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Long prison terms for 2 Border Patrol agents upheld

A federal appeals court Monday upheld prison sentences given to a pair of U.S. Border Patrol agents who shot a fleeing, unarmed drug smuggler near El Paso and lied to superiors about it.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld most of the convictions against former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, including the use of a firearm to commit a violent crime. The gun charge carries a mandatory 10-year sentence.
The ruling outraged Border Patrol representatives and supporters of tighter border control and renewed efforts on Capitol Hill to exempt law enforcement officials from the mandatory gun statute and convince President Bush to commute the agents' sentences. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison health care still lags

Continued poor performance by the Department of Correction's medical vendor is harming the department's efforts to get out from under supervision by the U.S. Justice Department, according to the third report by the independent monitor overseeing the state prison system.
Correctional Medical Services, a private company Delaware is paying $39 million this year to provide medical care to inmates, suffers from a "lack of stable and effective leadership," independent monitor Joshua W. Martin III wrote in a 221-page report released Tuesday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Jewish or Protestant? Prison, inmates differ

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The inmates say they're Jewish, but the prison considers them Protestant.
A long-running debate over defining the term "Messianic Jew" has spilled into a dispute over self-described Messianic Jews at an Ohio prison claiming discrimination in their attempts to keep kosher. Messianic Jews say they can be Jewish while believing that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in Jewish scriptures — an idea contrary to traditional Judaism. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Private prison company must produce records

NEW YORK - A Nashville judge ruled Tuesday that private prison company Corrections Corp. of America is subject to Tennessee's open records law. Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ordered CCA to provide information on settlements, judgments and complaints against the company to Alex Friedmann, who first requested the information in an April 2007 letter.
Joe Welborn, an attorney representing CCA, said the company will appeal. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Ex-guard in Beaumont gets prison over contraband

BEAUMONT, Texas — A two-year prison term has been ordered for a now-ex guard at a federal prison in Beaumont in a contraband smuggling case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 27-year-old John Leroy Chambers III of Beaumont pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit and receive a bribe as a public official. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate Found Dead In Apparent Suicide

NEWTOWN - An inmate who hanged himself in an apparent suicide at Garner Correctional Institution early this morning has been identified as a man facing murder and assault charges in the fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend in April, sources said. The inmate hanged himself by tying a bed sheet around his neck and the other end to the cell door, Department of Correction spokesman Brian Garnett said. His cellmate notified prison staff around 4:30 a.m. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Life in prison for killer of police chief

MOUNT STERLING — James H. Barnett had eased back into his chair between his court-appointed attorneys when he turned toward his family Thursday afternoon.
“I’m going to take a life sentence,” he whispered to the folks who know him better as Jamie.
After an emotional morning of testimony during the sentencing phase of his trial, Barnett took his fate into his own hands, rather than allowing the jury to decide it.
Barnett, who on Wednesday was found guilty of wanton murder for shooting Clay City police chief Randy Lacy, accepted a deal for life in prison. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

3 prison inmates captured in Baldwin County

LOXLEY, Alabama - State prison officials say three inmates who escaped from a minimum-security facility in Elmore County are back in custody.
Bay Minette Police and Baldwin County sheriff's deputies captured 19-year-old Corey Jones, 23-year-old Joshua Deese and 26-year-old Lawrence Smith. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Pontiac prison close officially suggested

Illinois - The Illinois Department of Corrections has officially recommended the closure of Pontiac's prison in a report filed this week with the state commission reviewing the matter.
In the report, belatedly filed with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the department said it would save more than $4 million per year by concurrently closing Pontiac Correctional Center and opening Thompson Correctional Center in northwestern Illinois. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Monroe County Prison warden resigns

Monroe County - Marlene Chamblee had a short but successful tenure as warden at Monroe County Prison.'' Anytime that anybody comes in during a transition time, it's tough,'' county Commissioner Donna Asure, who also heads the county's six-member prison board, said Thursday. Asure said Chamblee, 44, of Cresco has left to pursue other work opportunities. Her last day as warden was Wednesday. Chamblee took over as warden in January in the wake of a sex scandal last year that saw former Warden David G. Keenhold resign amid claims that inmates and guards had intimate encounters at the Hamilton Township facility, which can house nearly 400 inmates and has a staff of about 100. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

NY spammer hit with 30-month prison sentence

New York - A federal court on Tuesday sentenced a New York man to a 30-month prison term for sending unsolicited marketing e-mail to 1.2 million AOL subscribers, according to a Reuters report. The court ordered Adam Vitale, 27, to also pay restitution of $180,000 to the Time Warner unit for violating federal antispam laws.
In 2005, Brooklyn resident Vitale and another man, Todd Moeller of New Jersey, cut a deal with a government informant to send junk e-mails that advertised a security computer program to nearly 1.3 million AOL subscriber addresses. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison cuts postponed

Nevada - A plan to help deal with Nevada's budget crisis by cutting out the extra pay that about 450 prison guards get for working swing-shifts has been postponed by Corrections Director Howard Skolnik. Skolnik said Wednesday that he was able to sideline the plan, which would have saved about $700,000 a year, by freezing staffing positions that currently are vacant.
While the plan to eliminate the 5 percent differential pay for the swing-shift guards is gone for now, Skolnik cautioned that continued revenue problems for the state could result in the plan being revived later. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Stillwater prison opens $19.6 million high-tech unit

Minnesota - Stillwater Prison opens a new $19.6 million segregation unit today to replace the old one, built in 1914. That new 150-cell, high-tech unit will be safer for inmates and prison guards, as well. Offenders will be escorted out of the old unit in groups of four to the prison's spanking-new $19.6 million segregation building, a far safer place for the officers who manage them. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Susan Atkins to stay in prison

AP reports that the state parole board today ruled against letting the terminally ill former Manson family member out of prison during the final months of her life, as the editorial board urged last month. The board struck a careful balance between its official opposition to the death penalty and its belief that Atkins should stay incarcerated: Our system of justice attempts three noble aims: punishment, protection of society and deterrence (some would add rehabilitation). Atkins poses no physical threat to society. Her sentence and time in prison undoubtedly have sent a deterrent message to any would-be Mansonite still lurking out there. And she may well have been rehabilitated: While serving her sentence, Atkins has written a book, explored religions, taught classes. Has she been punished? Yes, of course; 37 years is not trivial. But Atkins gravely wounded our collective peace, and society has the right, even the obligation, to exact vengeance. For some criminals, including Atkins, the crime is so great that the price should be imprisonment until death. Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Cambridge Springs prison to get $17.8M

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS -- The state women's prison here is in line to grow, but at a slower pace than what prison officials had hoped.The state Department of Corrections has received capital budget funding to add more beds to four of its 27 facilities. This includes $17.8 million to add a 230-bed, medium-security unit at the State Correctional Institution at Cambridge Springs, department spokeswoman Susan McNaughton said Monday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Former prison case worker sentenced for lying about relationship with inmate

Kansas City, Kansas — A former case manager with the federal Bureau of Prisons was sentenced Monday for lying about a sexual affair she had with an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth. Jennifer Stambaugh, 36, Overland Park, Kan., was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas to six months house arrest plus six months probation and a $3,000 fine for lying when she told investigators she never had sex with an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate at Mt. Pleasant prison hangs himself

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa - State corrections officials say an inmate at the prison in Mount Pleasant has killed himself. John William Martin was found Sunday afternoon, hanging by a sheet in a seated position. The sheet was tied to a ceiling air supply vent. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison worker arrested on drug charges

FORT MADISON, Iowa - An employee at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison has been arrested for allegedly bringing drugs into the prison.
Michael Prado, of Fort Madison, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with conspiracy.
Capt. Dave Hinton of the Lee County Narcotics Task Force says Prade worked as a food service coordinator at the state's maximum security prison. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Minor wants out of prison to care for sick wife

JACKSON, Mississippi - Former attorney Paul Minor is asking a federal court to release him from prison while he appeals his bribery conviction.
Minor, who amassed a fortune by suing tobacco, asbestos and other companies, was convicted in March 2007 of bribing two former judges from the Mississippi coast.
He was sentenced to 11 years. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Lawsuit alleges improper care of hepatitis C outbreak in California prisons

SACRAMENTO - California prison officials are failing to adequately treat an outbreak of hepatitis C that has infected thousands of inmates, a federal class-action lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit was filed today in Los Angeles on behalf of inmates including Kevin Jackson, who is at the California State Prison at Solano and claims he has not received proper treatment since he was diagnosed with the disease in August 2007. Up to 40% of the 190,000 inmates in state prisons may be infected by hepatitis C, said Shawn Khorrami, an attorney for Jackson. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Program allows companies to employ inmates

AUSTIN — The East Texas town of Lufkin was home to one of the biggest manufacturers of tractor-trailer beds in the state until sluggish sales forced the firm, Lufkin Industries, to close its factory earlier this year, displacing 150 workers.
For everyone but the affected employees, the story might have ended as little more than a cautionary tale of what happens when an established business gets squeezed by a smaller, nearby competitor, in this case, Direct Trailer and Equipment Co., which sells an almost an identical product for as much as $2,000 less. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Tear gas canisters help end violent Edmonton prison standoff

While Canada Day fireworks were popping in the night sky over Edmonton, guards were firing canisters of tear gas into a nearby prison, bringing an end to a nine-hour standoff that saw eight inmates stabbed and one shot by a guard.
Moments later, plumes of white smoke floated over the prison yard and a male voice came over a speaker: "Put your hands behind your back." More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

2 hostages at Maine state prison released unharmed

WARREN, Maine — Two hostages held by a knife-wielding prisoner were released Monday night without serious injury and the hostage taker was back in custody following an hours-long drama at the Maine State Prison, home to the state's most dangerous offenders, officials said.
Few details were immediately available about how the situation ended. "I'm thankful that the crisis has ended without loss of life," Gov. John Baldacci said Monday night. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison inmate donates reward money to charity

BRADENTON, Florida - A prison inmate who gave key testimony that led to a conviction in a Manatee County murder donated his $3,000 reward to charity.
Manatee County Crime Stoppers Executive Director Frank Brunner said Sunday the inmate stepped forward after seeing information about the unsolved murder on a deck of cold-case playing cards distributed in prison.
The man recalled hearing Brian Curry talk in jail about the 2004 slaying of his girlfriend. He provided information that led to Curry's arrest and then testified against him at trial. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Brit to spend life in prison for murdering wife, baby in US

WOBURN, Massachusetts — A British man convicted of shooting dead his wife and nine-month-old daughter was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without possibility of parole.
"These crimes are incomprehensible. They defy comprehension because they involve the planned and deliberate murders of the defendant's wife and nine-month-old child, in violation of bonds that we recognize as central to our identities as human beings," Judge Diane Kottmeyer told the court. Neil Entwistle, 29, was convicted by a jury Wednesday of killing his American wife Rachel, 27, and their daughter Lillian. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

$160 million, 2,050-bed prison pitched as inmate numbers rise

NORFORK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Department of Correction is considering building a new, $160 million prison to help the state deal with its increasing prison population.
If approved, the proposed 2,050-bed prison would be the state's largest, topping the 1,725-bed Cummins Unit near Grady.
Larry Norris, director of the Department of Correction, unveiled the proposal yesterday at a meeting in Norfork of the Board of Corrections. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Focus turns to moms in prison

Within the confines of the Women's Community Correctional Center, five inmates got a slight glimpse of freedom Saturday. Many of the women share a history of substance abuse that has strained their family relationships, but these three hours spent with their kids were filled with hugs, smiles and hand holding.
A trip to the taro patches and gardens -- set apart from the prison's cramped quarters and barbed wire -- gave them a break from their bleak routine. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Correctional Officer Killed at a North Valley Prison

The Atwater Federal Prison is on lockdown tonight after a correctional officer is stabbed to death by an inmate.
Merced County Sheriff's deputies identify the officer as 22-year-old Jose Rivera.
They say he was stabbed at the prison around 3:30 this afternoon.
The F.B.I is currently investigating the circumstances leading up to the stabbing. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate Dies After Waiting 18 Years For New Trial

Talladega, Alabama - An Alabama death row inmate has died in prison without getting the retrial he sought 18 years ago for his case.
Shep Wilson Jr., 50, of Talladega County, succumbed to liver failure due to hepatitis C on June 12 at the infirmary of the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. He was buried by his family on Tuesday. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Prison smuggling ring outlines in court ruling

TRENTON, N.J. - Court records explain how an inmate's family received $85,000 to smuggle drugs, weapons, cell phones and escape tools into New Jersey State Prison. An appeals court ruling says Miguel Ramos took orders for more than 130 fellow inmates at the maximum security prison in Trenton. The goods were delivered once payment was made. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Leave prison health care to private companies

Wyoming's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union doesn't think a for-profit company should provide health care services for state prisoners.But the state ran its own health care system for inmates until 14 years ago, and it was inadequate for both the prisoners and the Department of Corrections. That's when the decision was made to hire a private company, with the goal of improving services while saving money.The results have been mixed as the state has contracted since 1994 with Wexford Health Sources, then Correctional Medical Services, and now Prison Health Services Inc. Prisoners have consistently complained about inadequate medical care no matter which company has been in charge, and several have sued the state and won. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners

Inmate wins case vs. state over diet

Fourteen years ago, Henry K. Boateng was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a Worcester jury convicted him of beating his 5-week-old son to death and viciously attacking the baby's mother.
Now, Boateng, who has changed his name to Daniel Yeboah-Sefah and identifies himself as a Buddhist, has won a significant legal victory: A federal judge found that the state prison system violated his civil rights by denying him a vegan diet. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners - Discount Cigarettes and Tobacco Products Online

Prison Violence Task Force Sets Priorities

TOWSON, Maryland - A Maryland task force on prison violence is giving high priority to reducing gang activity and drug smuggling.
At the group's first meeting Wednesday in Towson, Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary Maynard said most of the violence behind bars stems from gang influence.
He says the gangs are responsible for much of the drugs and other contraband smuggled into prisons. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners - Discount Cigarettes and Tobacco Products Online

Undocumented prison inmates costing state

Utah - Federal funds to offset the costs of undocumented immigrants in Utah's prisons pays for only about 7 percent of the cost. In 2007, it cost about $7.7 million to imprison about 300 undocumented immigrants, but the U.S. Department of Justice's State Criminal Alien Assistance Program allotted the state only $566,000. Utah received the largest amount of money for its undocumented prisoners in 1999, but saw a precipitous decline beginning in 2001. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners

Kaine Halts Housing of Out-of-State Prisoners

RICHMOND, Virginia - Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has ordered the Department of Corrections to halt plans to rent prison beds to other states to house their inmates after sheriffs across Virginia lodged complaints about the moneymaking venture.
The decision to accept out-of-state inmates had angered sheriffs, especially those from the populous areas of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, whose crowded local jails hold hundreds of inmates awaiting beds at state-run prisons. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners

Lawmakers fighting to save prison

JOLIET, Illinois - Two state lawmakers have kicked off a tour of state prisons in an effort to block the closing of the aging Pontiac Correctional Center, located in rural Livingston County. State Senators Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa) said Monday they hope to get Governor Rod Blagojevich to change his mind on shutting down Pontiac by bringing attention to the impact of prison closures on local communities. More... Pen Pals For Prisoners

Man gets prison time for apartment blast

Texas - A man who survived a 2006 Texas City apartment blast that killed his roommate was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison Monday.
Under a plea deal, Curtis Lee Jetton, 23, admitted helping Matthew Rugo make triacetone triperoxide, an extremely dangerous explosive material known as TATP. More... Penpals for Prisoners

Ex-Manson follower dying, seeks release from prison

LOS ANGELES, California - Former Manson family member Susan Atkins has requested a "compassionate release" from prison because she has less than six months to live, a California prisons spokeswoman said Friday. Atkins, 60, was convicted in the 1969 slayings of actress Sharon Tate and four others. She had been incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Corona, California. More... Pen Pals for Prisoners at PrisonerPal.com

Arizona has returned most inmates from Indiana prison

PHOENIX - Arizona has taken back most of its prisoners from an Indiana prison where a riot occurred. The Arizona Department of Corrections now has only 125 inmates at the New Castle Correctional Facility, down from the roughly 630 who were there at the time of April 2007 disturbance. Indiana officials have said they need the space at New Castle for their own prisoners. More... PrisonerPal.com

Ruling favors governor on prison transfers

SACRAMENTO, California - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was within his rights to declare a state of emergency at California's overcrowded prisons in 2006 and begin transferring inmates out of state, an appeals court ruled Wednesday over the objections of the prison guards union.
The ruling by the state Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento overturned a judge's decision and was welcomed by Schwarzenegger, who is separately defending the state against lawsuits by inmates seeking to reduce the overall prison population and improve the prisons' health care system. A federal judge has transferred control of prison health care in California to a court-appointed manager after ruling that the system violated constitutional standards. More... Prisoner Pen Pal

Sheriff Sues Over Prison Space

Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul J. Lanteigne sued the state yesterday for renting prison space to other states while leaving Virginia prisoners in his jail at local expense.
Fairfax County supervisors said Monday that they would consider joining a lawsuit. More... PrisonerPal.com

Guantanamo Is a Model Prison

Cuba - There is much talk in the media, in our capital and elsewhere about the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I have paid close attention to this dialogue, and after a year in command, it is clear that there are two Guantanamos: the one that exists in popular culture, and the one most discover when they actually see conditions there.
We house enemy combatants in one of several facilities according to their compliance with camp rules. Highly compliant detainees, approximately 20% of the population, live in Camp 4. Here they enjoy a communal, barracks-style environment, with movie nights, classes in Pashtu, Arabic and English, shared meals and prayers, and up to 12 hours of recreation per day. More... PrisonerPal.com

Referee plan to cut state prison overcrowding

California - A court-appointed referee in the battle over prison overcrowding in California unveiled a proposed settlement Tuesday that would reduce the inmate population by 17 percent in four years by keeping minor offenders and some parole violators out of state custody - and, as a last resort, requiring early releases of prisoners who have nearly finished their sentences.
With Republican legislators firmly opposed to early releases and prisoners' lawyers seeking lower population limits, prospects are uncertain that the plan will resolve lawsuits over crowded conditions and health care at the state's 33 prisons. A three-judge federal panel has set a Nov. 17 trial date if negotiations fail to bring all sides together. More... PrisonerPal.com

US Navy Commander Denies Allegations of U.S. prison ships

The British human rights organization, Reprieve, has accused the United States government of using naval military ships to detain in secret and interrogate alleged terror suspects. The United States swiftly denied the allegations. Clive Stafford Smith, founder and director of Reprieve, said, “The U.S. administration chooses ships to try to keep their misconduct as far as possible from the prying eyes of the media and lawyers.”According to Reprieve, valuable prisoners such as the Australian David Hicks, and the American John Walker Lindh were imprisoned on naval ships stationed off the coasts of both Somalia and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Reprieve also said, “Prisoners have been interrogated under tortuous conditions before being rendered to other, often undisclosed locations.” More... Pen Pals for Prisoners at PrisonerPal.com

Former Los Angeles police officer sentenced to 102 years in prison for role in robbery ring

Seemingly defiant to the end, a former Los Angeles police officer convicted of participating in a home invasion-style robbery ring declined Monday to address a federal judge moments before sentencing, an opportunity many defendants use to plead for leniency.William Ferguson, a 35-year-old father of three, stood silently with his hands chained at his waist as U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess sentenced him to 102 years in federal prison. More... Pen Pals for Prisoners at PrisonerPal.com

Two dead, 13 injured in prison brawl

OKLAHOMA CITY - Two inmates were killed and 13 injured in a brawl on Monday in the recreation yard of a medium security prison in Granite, Oklahoma, officials said.
No guards were attacked in the battle at the Oklahoma State Reformatory between prisoners, said Kevin Rowland, chief investigator for the state medical examiner.
"It sounds like it was a pretty big brawl," he said. More... Pen Pals for Prisoners at PrisonerPal.com

U.S. plans $60 million Afghan prison on military base

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is proceeding with plans to build a new, 40-acre detention complex on the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan, officials said, in a stark acknowledgment that the United States is likely to continue to hold prisoners overseas for years to come. The proposed complex would replace the cavernous, makeshift U.S. prison on the Bagram military base north of Kabul, which is now typically packed with about 630 prisoners, compared with the 270 held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. More... Pen Pals for Prisoners

Police Investigating Prison Fight

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Friday that the two death row inmates who briefly scuffled this week had unusual access to each other after they were released into a corridor at the same time. "The way that I hear that this happened, one jail cell was opened and they ended up being out in a corridor, an area, at the same time," Rell during a taping of Connecticut Public Television's "On the Record" program. More... Prisoner Pen Pals at PrisonerPal.com

Guard wounds inmate during prison melee

Oregon - A prison guard shot and injured an inmate during a fight Sunday morning that involved 120 prisoners at Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario.
Three other prisoners suffered injuries in the brawl, which erupted at 9:40 a.m. All were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Officials locked down the prison, confining inmates to their cells and canceling visiting hours Sunday. PrisonerPal.com

Notorious sex offender dies in prison riot

VANCOUVER — One of British Columbia’s most notorious sex criminals has died in a prison riot at Mountain Institution in Agassiz, about 120 kilometres east of Vancouver. Michael Andrew Gibbon, 39, of Bridal Falls, was serving an indeterminate sentence for sexually assaulting two prepubescent girls in the 1990s. More... Prisoner Pen Pals

Rapper Beanie Sigel back in prison after violating probation

PHILADELPHIA — Rap star Beanie Sigel has returned to prison.
A federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced Sigel to three months in prison Friday after authorities say he gave a false urine sample to probation officials.
Officials also say the rapper tested positive five times this month for Xanax and Percocet. Prisoner Pen Pals

House lawmakers approve plan for early prisoner releases

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—House lawmakers struggling with a financial crisis have voted to save money by letting prisoners leave state prison sooner if they behave and work.
The bill passed Thursday evening 56-9. The proposal must still be approved by the state Senate before it could become law.
Rhode Island is facing a massive budget deficit estimated at around $560 million. Gov. Don Carcieri, a Republican, and Democratic lawmakers had proposed cutting prison costs by allowing prisoners more time off their sentences for good behavior, working and getting treatment. More... Prisoner Pen Pals

Controversy Follows Ex-Radical's Parole

Despite reviewing the file of Sara Jane Olson multiple times since December, prison administrators and clerks failed to catch the miscalculation that led to the premature release of the former 1970s radical, officials said.
Olson, 61, was paroled March 17, a year before her sentence was to end. She was re-arrested five days later after the error was caught. More... Prisoner Pen Pals

The reality of prison rape remains difficult to research

Exactly who is getting raped in Texas prisons and why is a jailhouse whodunit that has state and federal officials looking somewhat sideways at each other.
During a two-day hearing that wrapped up in Houston on Friday, a Justice Department panel questioned wardens, guards and other prison officials over findings that Texas has among the nation's most dangerous prisons for the sexually vulnerable. More... Prisoner Pen Pals

T.I. Cops to Gun Rap, Faces Prison

The self-proclaimed King of the South is at the mercy of the court.
Hit-making rapper T.I. pleaded guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges in return for a light prison sentence.
Exactly what the sentence will be remains to be seen.
U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. will withhold levying a prison term for a full year. In the interim, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete between 1,000 and 1,500 hours of community service, which includes talking to kids about the dangers of guns, gangbanging and drugs, and pay a $100,000 fine. More... Prisoner Pen Pals

1 dead, 15 hurt in South Texas prison brawl

THREE RIVERS -- An inmate is dead and 15 others hospitalized after a riot early today at a federal prison in South Texas.
Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Deborah Denham said that how the inmate died is still being investigated, but she does not believe that guards at the Three Rivers prison used any potentially lethal force to break up the fight. Prisoner Pen Pals