prisoners

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Prosecutors Hid Evidence in Convicting Mom of Murder

Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio, convicted of killing her toddler, could now go free

(Newser) - The judge who presided over Melissa Lucio's 2008 murder trial following the death of her 2-year-old daughter now says the conviction should be thrown out. State District Judge Arturo Nelson recommended on Friday that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturn Lucio's conviction and death sentence, in response...

Supreme Court Case Tests 'Sex Shaming' Defense

Prosecutors highlighted sex life of Brenda Andrew, now on death row

(Newser) - The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from the only woman on Oklahoma's death row this month, and the case may set a precedent in regard to prosecutors focusing on a defendant's sex life. Coverage:
  • The inmate: Brenda Andrew, 60, was sentenced to death in 2004 after being
...

Inmates in Prime Eclipse Path Sue for a Viewing

New York state prisoners say lockdown violates religious rights to witness the celestial event

(Newser) - Inmates in New York are suing the state corrections department over the decision to lock down prisons during next Monday's total solar eclipse. The suit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York argues that the April 8 lockdown violates inmates' constitutional rights to practice their faiths by...

Latest Victim of 'Hacktivists': Russia's Prison System

Per CNN, hackers angered by Navalny death say they stole prisoner database, altered commissary prices

(Newser) - The death last month of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Russian penal colony shocked the world. It also apparently angered a bunch of anti-Kremlin hackers, who are now accused of swiping a Russian prisoner database in retaliation. CNN has the exclusive on this "stunning breach of security":
  • Photo
...

Here's Your 'Ewwww' Crime of the Day
Here's Your
'Ewwww' Crime
of the Day
Mar 14, 2024 12:46 PM CDT

Here's Your 'Ewwww' Crime of the Day

Mississippi cop charged after allegedly making prisoner lick urine-coated floor

(Newser) - Holding cells aren't known for their luxe accommodations, but one prisoner reportedly had an especially gross stay during his temporary detention in a Mississippi jail. Court files show that police officer Michael Christian Green has been charged with one federal count of deprivation of rights under color of law,...

New Louisiana Law Allows 2 More Execution Methods
Louisiana Nixes
Most Future
Parole
Mar 8, 2024 1:55 PM CST

Louisiana Nixes Most Future Parole

New law applies to anyone convicted after Aug. 1; another bill allows for 2 more execution methods

(Newser) - As Louisiana's attorney general last year, Jeff Landry pushed back hard against efforts to commute the sentences of the state's death row inmates. As governor, the Republican signed a bill this week to allow two more execution methods in the state, NOLA.com reports. "This is what...

Prison Escapees Face Murder Charges for Missing US Couple

Grenada charges 3 men who allegedly hijacked husband and wife's yacht, threw them overboard

(Newser) - Authorities have pressed murder charges against a trio of escaped prisoners, accused of hijacking an American couple's yacht last month and throwing them overboard . Per a statement from the Royal Grenada Police Force cited by CNN , 30-year-old Ron Mitchell, 25-year-old Atiba Stanisclaus, and 23-year-old Trevon Robertson (who'd originally...

Inmate's Generosity Just Made Him $100K Richer

Prisoner donated $17 paycheck—an entire month's worth of work—to Gaza; then people gave to him

(Newser) - A longtime California inmate had to put in a month's worth of work just to earn enough to buy a couple of Starbucks drinks. What he did with those earnings, however, has since made him $100,000 richer as he prepares to reenter the world upon being paroled later...

NY Murderer Freed Because He Was Held in Wrong Prison

Terrence Lewis, who was serving 22-year sentence, gets out on technicality

(Newser) - A man convicted for a 2015 killing in western New York has been freed and his indictment has been dismissed solely because he was held at the wrong prison according to an interstate law on detainees. Terrence Lewis was released earlier this month from a maximum-security prison in Seneca County,...

US Food Chain Rides Heavily on Backs of Prison Labor
US Food Chain Rides Heavily
on Backs of Prison Labor
INVESTIGATION
Jan 29, 2024 1:17 PM CST

US Food Chain Rides Heavily on Backs of Prison Labor

Major companies are making bank off forced labor: AP

(Newser) - In a sweeping two-year investigation, the AP found that goods linked to the forced labor of US prisoners wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products, from Frosted Flakes cereal and Ball Park hot dogs to Gold Medal flour and Coca-Cola beverages. They're on the...

Lawsuit: Inmate's Body Was Missing His Heart

It's 'part of a pattern,' says attorney for family suing Alabama's prison system

(Newser) - The bodies of two men who died while incarcerated in Alabama's prison system were missing their hearts or other organs when returned to their families, a federal lawsuit alleges. The family of Brandon Clay Dotson, who died in a state prison in November, filed a federal lawsuit last month...

UN Experts Call to Stop Alabama Inmate's Execution

Independent monitors with group are 'alarmed' nitrogen gas will be used to execute Kenneth Smith

(Newser) - An Alabama inmate's scheduled execution by nitrogen gas later this month, which would be the first-ever execution by this method in the US, is now receiving pushback from the United Nations. The Guardian reports that four independent UN monitors have issued a joint statement on the plan for Jan....

Solitary Confinement Is No More in NYC

NYC Mayor Eric Adams vows to veto City Council's ban on practice some call akin to torture

(Newser) - Lawmakers on Wednesday banned most instances of solitary confinement in New York City, over the protests of the city's mayor. The City Council's 39-7 vote greenlit the ban, which allows for inmates to be placed in isolation for "deescalation" purposes for no more than four hours at...

Venezuela Hands Over 'Fat Leonard' in Prisoner Swap

Former defense contractor is central figure in massive Pentagon bribery scandal

(Newser) - This file is updated throughout with new details. The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who is at...

Inmates Sue Alabama Over 'Modern-Day Slavery'

Current and former prisoners say the state is illegally profiting from their work

(Newser) - Current and former inmates announced a lawsuit this week challenging Alabama's prison labor program as a type of "modern-day slavery," saying prisoners are forced to work for little or no pay in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. The class-action lawsuit also accuses the state...

Ex-Prison Transport Officer Admits Raping Detainees

Marquet Johnson faces maximum sentence of 30 years under federal plea deal

(Newser) - A former prison transport officer has pleaded guilty to raping detainees and will face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison under a plea deal. Marquet Johnson, 44, admitted that he raped two detainees while working for private prisoner transport company Inmate Services Corporation in 2019 and forced a...

Activist Who Went Viral as Teen Among Newly Freed Palestinians

Ahed Tamimi, 22, who slapped Israeli soldiers 6 years ago, among latest group released by Israel

(Newser) - Hamas released another 16 hostages on Wednesday amid the temporary pause in fighting in Gaza, and in exchange, Israel set free 30 prisoners of its own—among them, a notable Palestinian activist. The AP reports that a bus transporting some of the latter arrived in Ramallah, in the West Bank,...

Lawyer Accused of Bringing More Than Papers to Jail

Ronald Lewis, 77, is accused of smuggling drug-laced documents to inmates in Texas facility

(Newser) - A good attorney will have your back as you navigate all the legalities of your case. An even better attorney knows that "having your back" doesn't translate to sneaking narcotics into the facility where you're incarcerated. That's exactly what lawyer Ronald Henry Lewis is accused of...

Family: He Died in Prison Assault Weeks Before Release

Relatives say Daniel Williams was essentially kidnapped by inmates, though warden in Alabama claimed overdose

(Newser) - Daniel Terry Williams, serving a 1-year sentence for second-degree theft, was due to be released from Alabama's Staton Correctional Facility early this month. Instead, he left two weeks early because he'd been beaten so badly that he was brain dead, according to family, who claim he was tortured...

With Less Than 5 Hours to Go, Texas Court Halts Execution

Victim's sister asked state to spare the life of William Speer

(Newser) - Texas' top criminal appeals court stopped Thursday evening's scheduled execution of an inmate who had been condemned for killing another prisoner more than 26 years ago. The victim's sister and religious leaders had recently asked authorities to spare the life of William Speer, 49. His attorneys had asked...

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