tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70327281442178171662024-02-18T20:15:19.934-07:00Arizona Prison Watch (retired)A community resource for monitoring, navigating, surviving, and dismantling the prison industrial complex in Arizona. Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comBlogger1653125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-11644405584058752332018-07-31T16:09:00.001-07:002018-08-11T12:05:15.644-07:00LOVE to the North American Prison Strike! AUG 21, 2018<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> Rock on, friends - </i></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>All Power to the People this summer! </i></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Resistance is not futile!</i></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://michiganabolition.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/nsfullcolor.pdf" target="_blank"><i>PRINT and send this FLYER INSIDE!</i></a></span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> More info from the</i> </span></h4>
<h4>
<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.</span></a></h4>
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<footer class="dateline">
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<b>July 19, 2018</b></div>
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<h3 class="title">
<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources/final-straw-podcast-interview-prison-strike-organizers-amani-sawari-and-brooke">Final Straw Podcast - Interview with Prison Strike Organizers Amani Sawari and Brooke</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources/final-straw-podcast-interview-prison-strike-organizers-amani-sawari-and-brooke" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Final Straw - A Weekly Anarchist Show" height="300" src="https://incarceratedworkers.org/sites/default/files/styles/atom_media_image_teaser/public/resource_image/final-straw-radio.jpg?itok=QH8LrvMO" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><label class="field-label">Resource Types: </label><span class="field-item odd"> </span></span></div>
<div class="field field--field-resource-type field--inline-label">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="field-item odd"><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resource-types/podcast">Podcast</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2018/07/08/august21-prison-strike-2018/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Final Straw</a>
interviews two outside organizers, Amani Sawari and Brooke of IWOC
about the upcoming national prisoner strike starting on August 21st and
continuing through September 9<sup>th</sup>, 2018.</span><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018" target="_blank">Prison Strike 2018</a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>#prisonstrike</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>#AUGUST21</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> 2018</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF3XzSEUjipifugNJKxpuGGp42pxylC1qQU5nkD3fe7OpH-RwMUqhO36dFl3jI3jcpsVGtydppmGsYa9ODMbgWpKwxq8HTL45FhD8X2hpULqrcenD8e-1C_hF0jMGt-q8qRsLzetePIRz/s1600/npssticker02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF3XzSEUjipifugNJKxpuGGp42pxylC1qQU5nkD3fe7OpH-RwMUqhO36dFl3jI3jcpsVGtydppmGsYa9ODMbgWpKwxq8HTL45FhD8X2hpULqrcenD8e-1C_hF0jMGt-q8qRsLzetePIRz/s320/npssticker02.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Rebels incarcerated in prisons across the nation declare a nationwide strike in response to <a href="https://shadowproof.com/2018/05/03/interview-south-carolina-prisoners-challenge-narrative-around-violence-lee-correctional-institution/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the riot in Lee Correctional Institution</a>,
a maximum security prison in South Carolina. Seven comrades lost their
lives when prison officials turned their backs on a riot they provoked.
We are demanding humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation,
sentencing reform and the end of modern day slavery.
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/JailLawSpeak/status/988771668670799872" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Original Press Release</a> by Jailhouse Lawyers Speak</li>
<li><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/news/iwoc-endorses-national-prison-strike-and-pledges-support">IWOC Endorsement</a></li>
<li><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources?keyword=&type=All&topics=177&date%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=&project=">Prison Strike Resources</a></li>
</ul>
Learn more at <b><a href="http://sawarimi.org/national-prison-strike" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://sawarimi.org/national-prison-strike</a></b><br />
<br />
<b>Demands</b><br />
<br />
Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.<br />
An immediate end to prison slavery. All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.<br />
The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.<br />
The Truth in Sentencing Act and the Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole. No human<br />
shall be sentenced to Death by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.<br />
An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.<br />
An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.<br />
No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.<br />
State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.<br />
Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.<br />
The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count.<br />
<br />
Endorsers<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/JailLawSpeak" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jailhouse Lawyers Speak</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/MillionsforPrisonersMarch/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Millions for Prisoners</a></li>
<li><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/about">Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thepeoplesconsortium.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The People's Consortium</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
See <a href="http://sawarimi.org/groups-organizations-in-solidarity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">full list of endorsers</a>.<br />
<br />
Add your organization's name to the list by emailing prisonstrikemedia@gmail.com<br />
Support the Strike<br />
<br />
Educate yourself and others about the strike demands <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><ul>
<li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-208734627/nationwide-prison-strike-set-for-august-21-september-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to interview with Jailhouse Lawyers Speak organizers</a></li>
<li>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23August21&src=typd&lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#August21</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23prisonstrike&src=typd&lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#prisonstrike</a> on social media</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Endorse the strike by emailing your organization's statement to <a href="mailto:prisonstrikemedia@gmail.com">prisonstrikemedia@gmail.com</a></li>
<li>Spread word of the strike both inside and outside - <a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources?keyword=&type=All&topics=177&date%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=&project=">print out stickers, flyers and posters</a></li>
<li> <a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources/prison-strike-2018-history-and-endorsement-fire-inside-collective">Read the Prison Strike zine</a></li>
</ul>
Organize a phone tree in preparation for phone zaps<br />
Amplify incarcerated voices via social media using the #August21 and #prisonstrike hashtags<br />
Join or organize a solidarity demo<br />
<br />
and check this out:<br />
<h3 class="title">
<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources/solid-black-fist-official-national-prison-strike-newsletter-issue-1">Solid Black Fist : Official National Prison Strike Newsletter - Issue 1</a></h3>
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<label class="field-label">Resource Types: </label><span class="field-item odd"><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resource-types/allied-literature">Allied Literature</a></span>, <span class="field-item even"><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resource-types/publication">Publication</a></span></div>
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First issue of the 2018 national prison strike newsletter.</div>
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<footer class="dateline"> July 20, 2018 </footer><br />
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<a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/resources/solid-black-fist-official-national-prison-strike-newsletter-issue-1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Solid Black Fist Newsletter header" height="300" src="https://incarceratedworkers.org/sites/default/files/styles/atom_media_image_teaser/public/resource_image/solid-black-fist-issue-1-cover.png?itok=YK9wBxRL" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">GO TO: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018" target="_blank">The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee </a><br />for more...</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-23552980005263995292017-06-27T21:07:00.001-07:002017-06-27T21:07:57.457-07:00USP-Tucson: Supporting Women's Rights is not Terroristic. <div class="post-header">
<b><a href="https://4strugglemag.org/political-prisoner-profiles/"> 4StruggleMag</a></b> is a classic prisoner rights zine put out by and for North American political prisoners and friends. One of the resources they link to is this great<b> <a href="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/legalsolidarityhandbook.pdf">Legal Solidarity Handbook</a></b>. They also put out alerts about the abusive conditions of confinement being experienced by prisoners due to their political views, as in the case of anti-imperial prisoner Jaan Laaman.<br />
<br />
Jaan is currently buried in solitary confinement in a federal facility in Tucson, Arizona<b> for <a href="https://4strugglemag.org/2017/03/08/day-without-a-woman-strike-statement/">expressing solidarity with women</a> and his <a href="http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/jaan-laaman/farewell-thoughts-my-friend-lynne-stewart-235-jaan-laaman">grief over the loss of a friend</a> of all things. </b><br />
<br />
Especially if you're in Arizona, please <b>email the regional director, as noted below,</b> and urge her not to punish Jaan further. The BOP needs to know there are people bearing witness to how they treat our elders - and really, those <b><a href="https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/cmus-federal-prison-system-s-experiment">Communication Management Units</a></b> need to be banned (that's where they'll dump me, too, no doubt, if they ever get the chance...). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtbkTy0td8URpGiW7JNEbFCwjPT7kl90gE5GjhJoHgv_nT7T208NXPXgPS9DEyj7zaeD2t_3COvaYqJ1qSOtFBgaDoANvPqO3kkhNazppTENfW1Ua4NkcBBCXzkMWqfJ9ZdUl1NzqZeqY/s1600/cropped-anarchist-black-cross-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="700" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtbkTy0td8URpGiW7JNEbFCwjPT7kl90gE5GjhJoHgv_nT7T208NXPXgPS9DEyj7zaeD2t_3COvaYqJ1qSOtFBgaDoANvPqO3kkhNazppTENfW1Ua4NkcBBCXzkMWqfJ9ZdUl1NzqZeqY/s320/cropped-anarchist-black-cross-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>to support prisoners in Arizona and fight the police state:</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <b><a href="https://tucsonabc.wordpress.com/">tucson anarchist black cross</a> <a href="https://phoenixabcdotorg.wordpress.com/">phoenix anarchist black cross</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>----------from<a href="https://4strugglemag.org/"> 4strugglemag</a>-------</b></span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<a href="https://4strugglemag.org/2017/06/26/take-action-now-political-prisoner-jaan-laaman-still-in-segregation-threatened-with-transfer-to-cmu/"><b>Take action now! Political prisoner Jaan Laaman still in segregation, threatened with transfer to CMU</b></a></h3>
<br />
<div class="date" id="single-date">
June 26, 2017</div>
</div>
<div class="meta clear">
<div class="author">
<span class="by-author"><span class="sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://4strugglemag.org/author/4struggle/" rel="author" title="View all posts by 4struggle">4struggle</a></span> </span> </div>
</div>
<div>
Dear Friends,</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
As of today, <span class="aBn"><span class="aQJ">Monday, June 26, 2017</span></span>,
Jaan K. Laaman, long-time anti-imperialist political prisoner, is still
locked down in segregation (minimum of 23 hours locked down in a 6×9’
cell). Jaan has been in “segregation” for three months simply for
issuing two statements, a clear violation of free speech and human
rights. He is being threatened with transfer to a Communication
Management Unit (CMU) or Special Management Unit; punishments that are
not appropriate for a prisoner of Jaan’s age, and would be a violation
for practicing free speech.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
After a prison hearing on May 4, 2017, Jaan was found to not have
violated prison regulations regarding “misuse of mail,” but was found to
have violated prison regulations concerning “misuse of the telephone,”
for speaking on the phone to a friend and conveying his support of the
“Day Without a Woman Strike” (International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017),
and his feelings about the death of his friend, Attorney Lynne Stewart.
Jaan was sanctioned by losing 10 days good time credit and by loss of
the telephone for 6 months (in addition to the loss of email access
which was imposed without a hearing one year ago). Jaan is currently
appealing this ruling. Meanwhile, Jaan is still in “segregation,” and
still being threatened with transfer to a CMU.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
CMUs are prison units designed to isolate and segregate prisoners.
People locked up in the CMUs are completely banned from any physical
contact with visiting family members and friends, and other types of
communication are also severely limited, including interactions with
non-CMU prisoners and phone calls with friends and family members. For
more info see: <a href="https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/cmus-federal-prison-system-s-experiment" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://ccrjustice.org/home/get-involved/tools-resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/cmus-federal-prison-system-s-experiment</a></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<b>How you can support Jaan:</b></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Write/call/email the Bureau of Prisons Regional Director and ask her not to transfer Jaan to a Communication Management Unit.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Please remind her that Jaan is an elder prisoner, and you are
concerned about his health in segregation and you would be concerned
about his safety if he is moved to a Communication Management Unit.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Mary M. Mitchell, Regional Director</div>
<div>
BOP Regional Office</div>
<div>
7338 Shoreline Dr</div>
<div>
Stockton, CA 95219</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Regional email: <u>wxro/<a href="mailto:execassistant@bop.gov" rel="noopener" target="_blank">execassistant@bop.gov</a></u></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Send a message through the Bureau of Prison (BOP) website here: <a href="https://www.bop.gov/inmates/concerns.jsp" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.bop.gov/inmates/concerns.jsp</a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
– Select ‘USP Tucson’</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
– Send a message that includes his name and number: ‘Jaan Laaman #10372-016’</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Please be polite but firm in your letters and send the responses you get to <a href="mailto:jaanlaaman@gmail.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">jaanlaaman@gmail.com</a></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<b><span class="s1"><a href="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/jaan.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-1883 alignleft" data-attachment-id="1883" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":""}" data-image-title="jaan" data-large-file="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/jaan.jpg?w=442" data-medium-file="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/jaan.jpg?w=248&h=300" data-orig-file="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/jaan.jpg" data-orig-size="442,535" data-permalink="https://4strugglemag.org/2008/05/10/introduction-3/jaan-2/" height="300" src="https://4strugglemag.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/jaan.jpg?w=248&h=300" width="248" /></a></span> </b></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>Write to Jaan and let him know he’s in our hearts and on our minds.</b></div>
<div>
Jaan has no access to news and access to phone calls. It’s
important we send him some letters right now. Send him articles, so that
he gets some world news and messages of solidarity and support. Let the
jailers see that Jaan has support from the community and cannot just be
left in segregation or silenced.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Jaan Karl Laaman #10372-016</div>
<div>
USP Tucson</div>
<div>
P.O. Box 24550</div>
<div>
Tucson, AZ 85734</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><b>Background Information</b></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1">Jaan is imprisoned at United States
Penitentiary (USP) Tucson in Arizona, and is one of the last two
remaining Ohio-7 political prisoners still locked up. The Ohio-7 were
convicted in 1986 of direct actions to protest U.S. support for the
white-supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa, illegal U.S. attacks
on Nicaragua, and repression against advocates for Puerto Rican
self-determination.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">Jaan was placed into </span><span class="s1">solitary confinement because </span><span class="s2">of two short messages: one in support of the “<a href="https://4strugglemag.org/2017/03/08/day-without-a-woman-strike-statement/"><span class="s5">Day Without a Woman Strike</span></a>” (International </span><span class="s1">Women’s Day, March 8, 2017) which was printed in the NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) update, and his “<a href="http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/jaan-laaman/farewell-thoughts-my-friend-lynne-stewart-235-jaan-laaman"><span class="s6">Farewell Thoughts to My Friend, Lynne Stewart</span></a>”
which was broadcast on Prison Radio. Lynne Stewart, revolutionary
peoples’ lawyer passed away on March 8, 2017. When the NYC ABC magazine
arrived by mail to the prison, Jaan was promptly placed in solitary
confinement. Prison officials charged Jaan with “threatening the
security of the prison” because of these First Amendment protected
statements. </span></div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1">No one should be punished for exercising
their First Amendment Rights. The United States District Court in
Pennsylvania recently ruled in a case involving efforts to censure Mumia
Abu-Jamal:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“A past criminal
offense does not extinguish a person’s constitutional right to free
expression. The First Amendment does not disappear at the prison gate.”</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><b>Pattern of Increasing Repression</b></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p14">
<span class="s1">Being placed in segregation is the
latest act of repression by the prison administration, following
increasing actions against Jaan<b><i>. </i></b>Over a year ago, the prison shut down </span><span class="s7">Jaan’s
access to email, and they have been censoring him in various ways since
then, including withholding his mail and limiting access to his lawyer. </span></div>
<div class="p14">
<br /></div>
<div class="p15">
<span class="s7">Jaan was placed in segregation on his birthday and has been there ever since. T</span><span class="s1">here
is a growing consensus as to the psychological harm caused by solitary
confinement. In 2011 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
concluded that solitary confinement for more than 15 days constitutes
torture and can cause irreversible harmful psychological effects.</span></div>
<div class="p15">
<br /></div>
<div class="p14">
<span class="s7">Jaan previously wrote about the increasing censorship he has been facing, <a href="http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/jaan-laaman/lynne-stewart-reads-prisoners-voices-blocked-and-censorship-us-prisons-338"><span class="s8">here</span></a>. J</span><span class="s1">aan
has been writing reflections about global events since he was first
captured in 1984, so this level of censorship is certainly something new
and different.</span></div>
<div class="p14">
<br /></div>
<div class="p14">
<span class="s1">This update was written by friends of Jaan Laaman. </span></div>
<div class="p14">
<br /></div>
<div class="p14">
<span class="s1"><a href="mailto:jaanlaaman@gmail.com"><span class="s9">jaanlaaman@gmail.com</span></a></span></div>
<div class="p14">
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<span class="s1">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Free-Jaan-Laaman-893324014061467/"><span class="s9">Free Jaan Laaman</span></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/4StruggleMag"><span class="s9">@4StruggleMag</span></a></span></div>
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Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-19226011219763473202016-09-10T09:23:00.001-07:002016-09-13T10:34:06.415-07:00Arpaio's Jail: Deliberate Indifference Kills...again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654"> </span></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcBR1LBI22xxUAvDWh0oQtq-2kwj-aDACRNeNguFAVcN5ShYT8fFXKNpHPMlJ5lyuZJcbWQVITIGq60DXPmnY0m5pkliMf_m32zHPQSjeBUsxL6k_kdjF9tlGsrBw1YLem_fkFQ4-167x/s1600/ADCdeliberateindifferenceKILLS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcBR1LBI22xxUAvDWh0oQtq-2kwj-aDACRNeNguFAVcN5ShYT8fFXKNpHPMlJ5lyuZJcbWQVITIGq60DXPmnY0m5pkliMf_m32zHPQSjeBUsxL6k_kdjF9tlGsrBw1YLem_fkFQ4-167x/s400/ADCdeliberateindifferenceKILLS.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">Soon,
the family of yet another Maricopa County Sheriff's Office prisoner
will be Googling his name for answers as to why he died on the floor of
their jail cell begging for medical care...that on the same day
prisoners around the country were raising their voices for justice.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">His
crime, by the way? Driving on a suspended license. Nothing anywhere as
bad as what the state did to him, but no one will spend even two days in
jail for the Deliberate Indifference that killed him. They never do.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">The
state will post his mugshot everywhere as they announce his death -
that's to make people forget he was human when they killed him. So this
is his FB pic, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">CR Snead.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9mY2NlTAiq9vExlVOn8c4mQm4NcdXsInNLTFFvQtSrladQrvi7fJ2CpD9ISpr_S-3wIQEovfZHvA_Qsgdx8N061Ny30yJsPzPWPkH1shf0XVM9Hcyhjt0TLc4lJ6ghMYkYh8CA2FrH4c/s1600/covalsnead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9mY2NlTAiq9vExlVOn8c4mQm4NcdXsInNLTFFvQtSrladQrvi7fJ2CpD9ISpr_S-3wIQEovfZHvA_Qsgdx8N061Ny30yJsPzPWPkH1shf0XVM9Hcyhjt0TLc4lJ6ghMYkYh8CA2FrH4c/s200/covalsnead.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">To <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">CR</span>'s family: I hear he was a pretty decent guy; I'm so sorry for
your loss. I really wish I had answers for you. Those will come with
time (and a good lawyer). </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">You
won't get justice from the system that killed your child, though: it is
simply not a just system, never will be. Sue the MCSO for all you can,
and call as much public attention to the conditions that led to Coval's
death as possible. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">If
you want real justice, you'll have to be the ones to help create the
more kind and free world that won't let the next kid die that way.
Unfortunately, your grief now gives you much power; I hope you use it. </span><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">Clearly, we need all the help we can get. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654">For those of you not grieving today, if you're in the Downtown Phoenix area, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1250380508326938/">hit this event from 1pm-3pm</a>, and come together to figure out how to help prisoners fight back for more than just a day...</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="gmail-goog_1109545654"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Folks who miss the chance to connect with each other this weekend, you can also catch up with the Campaign to fight to<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">xic prisons <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Campaign-to-Fight-Toxic-Prisons-1744188675811724/">here,</a> </span>Phoenix Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iwoc.phoenix/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=overview">here</a>, the Phoenix Anarchist Black Cross <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iwoc.phoenix/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=overview">here</a>, or the Tucson Anarchist Black Cross <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tucsonabc/about/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info">here</a>. They all do good stuff. </span></span></span></span><br />
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Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-24920733584026890232016-09-04T10:21:00.000-07:002016-09-04T10:24:28.746-07:00Prisoner SOLIDARITY: for September 9.<span style="font-size: large;">September 9th is the 45th anniversary of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/books/blood-in-the-water-a-gripping-account-of-the-attica-prison-uprising.html">Attica uprising</a>, a massive 1971 prisoner protest against dismal conditions and abuse, which ended with the state of New York murdering scores of people.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Given the continuing abuse, neglect, and enslavement of over 2 million imprisoned people in the US today, prisoners
across the US have called for and will begin a nationally coordinated
work stoppage and protest on Sep 9, 2016. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Learn more at <a href="http://supportprisonerresistance.net/">SupportPrisonerResistance.net. </a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There is at least one <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1683272775331595/">Arizona demonstration on September 9, outside ASPC-Lewis, in Buckeye</a>, and many others across the country in solidarity with those prisoners who will be stopping work. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Oh yes, <a href="https://itsgoingdown.org/">it's going down</a>!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The following is the most moving poem on prisoner support I've ever heard, from our brother Ben at <a href="http://insurgenttheatre.org/">Insurgent Theatre</a>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He wrote this is the wake of Mariam Abdullah's suicide at ASPC-Perryville in July...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Please share to help inspire people making personal connections with prisoners in the course of building this movement. </span><span style="font-size: large;">He's an impassioned and committed prison abolitionist and anarchist - he and the folks he hangs with have done some great work towards liberation for all. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Great resources on the Attica uprising:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://niastories.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/attica_primerfinal.pdf">Attica Prison Uprising 101: A Short Primer</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://niastories.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/attica-zine.pdf">A story of Attica</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Benjamin Michael Turk</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If there is not a fire burning in your heart that longs to spread to every prison emptying them out reducing them to ash and rubble then you don't know what world you are living in. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You don't know control unit suicides, humans reduced to hands full of pills to hands displaying makeshift razors through narrow reinforced windows begging to have the master's tools taken away from them begging the COs to save them from what the COs have made them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The shit smeared razor cuts bedsheet nooses confined conflagrations. Legal briefs and case law stacked knee high on the concrete is at least flammable. If nothing else, these papers could go up in a relieving blaze finally serving the pursuit of freedom they so long promised but withheld. Immolation is another way to end the suffering. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When it happens, whether by noose or knife by pills or by fire an alarm goes up. The emergency call buttons don't work never worked so everyone kicks their doors and shouts. Man down! Man down! Save our souls! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But the COs come slow and they shrug. There is nothing unexpected about a person ending a life of torture. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If there is not a fire smoldering under wet blankets you've carefully arranged to get through your days but unextinguishable, reignited with each salvo of bullets tearing through black flesh on your computer screen, reignited by the dark eyes on a mugshot of an eighteen year old who hung herself in solitary, if that fire doesn't threaten your life everyday, then you and I, we must live in different worlds. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But if there is a fire burning in your chest as in mine, smothered but burning soaked with a deluge of your tears but burning stamped and pummeled to oblivion but burning wished and prayed and begged out but raging still that fire doesn't need to smolder there doesn't need to choke you with it's slow curls of noxious smoke of hopeless endeavors of shrugging shoulders, reconciled to defeat. You can open your heart and spill your angry flames into the world! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is a fragile world, standing heavy on unstable history flammable as a house of paper. This world is nothing other than paper and us. It works through us having no power other than us, it sets us against us gets us burning our own selves up. It will burn you up until you learn to blow it back, to open your blast furnace spewing embers and sparks tongues of flame billowing smoke a moving wall of intolerable heat. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Be less afraid because an enemy cowardly enough to shoot black men dead this often is weak. <b>An enemy who cannot hold a precious human without breaking, torturing, driving her into ever smaller boxes until she turns up dead in one of them, is utterly without defense</b>. You don't need to take up arms, you don't even need to take the streets, there are many ways you can tend your flames. <b>We can damage this enemy with our words, with paperwork, letters and love. If you put your fire in an envelope it may kindle flames in a body deemed disposable, a body gasping for air inside a box designed to suffocate it. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We can damage this enemy with our hearts, make ourselves its witness, our voices and eyes, just listen and repeat. All that we need is to reach through the bars and hold the trembling hand of someone who refuses to comply with a direct order. The walls will turn to ash, and crumble. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do this not because you feel pity or some charitable obligation to the cause, but because you know. You know in your heart in this smoky and raw cavity below your ribs that while another person suffers you are never free. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We are all very anxious. Alone, without power, glued to screens and over-whelmed by secondary trauma virtual trauma hyper trauma a zeitgeist of feverish useless but exhausting obsession with trauma. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But the confined ask only that we use our freedoms wisely, that we turn away from distraction and anxiety, give up the numbing potions the dopamine triggers the performances of doing being okay and find instead, a place for them, in our flammable hearts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our cure is in clasped hands our cure is in angry chants our cure is in work parties in our feet and hands and voices. Our cure is in fighting to fucking win. Because it feels good to hurt a fascist good and necessary. It tends your fire, keeps you up and alive authentic and whole. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If there is not a fire of solidarity burning in you I want to start one. I want to put the pen to paper the kindling in your hand and matches protest banners stacks of flyers U-locks, pitchforks and torches. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I want you to tend your fire. If for no other reason than because when the prisons are done suffocating their current captives and suffocating the next class the next batch of surplus population the next group of precarious workers thrown to correctional dogs by ruling class austerity measures it will eventually get around to smothering you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This fucking enemy called my mother a thug, my white middle-aged, college-educated elementary school teaching mother. It called her a terrorist, and then it stole from her pension. Very few of us are truly safe from this fucking thing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is a seesaw over an inferno and while you might feel and look different from those below you those sliding off the edge breaking their fingernails in desperate grips, the enemy is raising the angle increasing the slope, toward the incinerator which yawns at all of us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If there is not a fire wanton inside of you clouding your vision causing you panic a blaze of impending doom always there tightening up tendons at the base of your neck pulling you so many ways piling ever smaller stresses till you're fit to choke or snap out if you don't feel the gravity, see the precipice, and fear the heat of those flames, then you aren't paying attention. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But if there is a fire, then you should know who built it you should know that we have enemies. Your body is warning you of danger why would you ignore it? Stop scrabbling at the ankles of those above you while kicking off those below. Recognize: greedy hands are creeping toward your own throat, and they look like yours. The enemy moves them closer as it slides us all down the incinerator's chute. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Instead of all that instead of living in fear of the thug and the terrorist that runs amok within you instead of cutting each other instead of ever smaller boxes instead of waiting to show up in the array of suicide mugshots we could fight together cuz if we did we would win.</span></span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-39670125837366586752015-03-01T08:00:00.000-07:002019-05-18T12:38:01.046-07:00Arizona Prison Watcher: January 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b><br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YIfgG8KsGLL4rAmIai3Wv1yMkkL9g8BhCeRHV4Fq9fA/edit?usp=sharing"><b>ARIZONAPRISONWATCHER </b></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YIfgG8KsGLL4rAmIai3Wv1yMkkL9g8BhCeRHV4Fq9fA/edit?usp=sharing"><b>JANUARY 2015 (rev 3/15)</b></a><br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YIfgG8KsGLL4rAmIai3Wv1yMkkL9g8BhCeRHV4Fq9fA/edit?usp=sharing"><b>(DOWNLOAD and PRINT)</b></a></div>
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<b>IMAGINE NO PRISONS... </b></div>
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<br />
Margaret J. Plews, Editor<br />
ARIZONAPRISONWATCH.ORG<br />
<br />
<br />
January 13, 2015<br />
<br />
New Year’s Greetings to those behind bars in the AZDOC:<br />
<br />
This
may well be my last letter to you all as Arizona’s Prison Watcher,
since my family has recently called me home, where last week it was
literally colder than Mars. I moved back East around Thanksgiving
and immediately got caught up in my loved ones’ medical crises. Then my
house burned down in December, just before I moved in - thank goodness
no one was hurt. I’m crashing on a friend’s sofa now, and all my stuff
is buried in the garage under the things that were salvaged from the
house after the fire. That means my office is still in boxes, and may
well sit there until spring, as I have no place else to put it.<br />
<br />
Furthermore,
while I did put in a forwarding notice with the post office before
moving, a lot of stuff didn’t get forwarded for over a month and I got
hit all at once with a ton of mail last week. So, I’m not blowing anyone
off - I just haven’t been able to get back to most of you who have
written in the past few months. That’s what prompted this letter, as I
can’t answer all your requests for help - really, I’m having a time of
it right now myself. The best I can do is refer you to my friends and
comrades back in Arizona, in hopes that they can help you somehow. None
of the following people have asked me to promote them or anything, by
the way - I compiled this list as a favor to you, not them.<br />
<br />
First is Tucson-based attorney Stacy Scheff.
I’ve been following the work she’s done these past few years. She’s a
civil rights attorney, not a free one, either - she has bills to pay.
But she is very competent when it comes to prisoner rights litigation,
can coach you through filing a suit yourself if need be, and will do a
demand letter re: PC or medical care for a reasonable fee. DOC and the
AG know her, and that she’s not to be taken lightly. She used to work
with Vince Rabago, but has recently started her own practice in Tucson.
If you need a legal consult on a matter of your rights as a prisoner,
get a legal call to explain your issue and see what she might charge, or
write to her. I get no kickbacks for referrals, by the way - I just
know that if you have a case, she can kick the state’s a**, which makes
me happy. <b>Law Office of Stacy Scheff / P.O. Box 40611 / Tucson, AZ
85717-0611 / (520) 471-8333 FAX: (520) 300-8033</b><br />
<br />
Of course,
there’s also the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona (ACLU-AZ).
They sued the DOC in the class action over health care at the DOC,
Parsons V Ryan. Ask them for a copy of the original complaint and the
stipulations the DOC agreed to in the settlement - it might help you in
your own fight for access to medical care. You should also report
violations of human and constitutional rights to them. FILE GRIEVANCES
over that stuff, first, though, and see them through - follow the policy
or you have no chance in hell of holding DOC accountable in court down
the road. Even if the ACLU doesn’t intervene in your individual case,
its so important for prisoners to document with them what’s going on
inside, that’s what get’s them paying attention to areas that may
require litigation: a barrage of compelling testimony from prisoners and
their family members, and evidence of unconstitutional policies and
practices. They are at: <b><i>ACLU-AZ / PO Box 17148 / Phoenix, AZ 85011.</i></b><br />
<br />
I’d
also recommend reporting the abuse and neglect of prisoners with
serious mental illness (SMI includes major thought and mood disorders,
like schizophrenia or manic-depression) to the Arizona Center for
Disability Law. The AZCDL has the “Protection & Advocacy”
authority in Arizona, which is power to intervene with institutions
where disabled individuals are being abused, neglected, or denied their
civil rights. Historically they have not helped SMI prisoners on an
individual basis (they litigated the DOC in Parsons v Ryan over the poor
treatment of mentally ill prisoners and the abuse of solitary
confinement), but they may make an exception if your case is
representative of a bigger problem they’ve been hearing about. The only
way to really drag them into this fight is for those they should be
serving (or those looking out for them) to write to them. Even if they
don’t help you, your letter may help them tune into what SMI prisoners
are going through, and get them more involved on some other level. Their
contact info is: <br />
<br />
<i><b>Arizona Center for Disability Law<br />5025 E. Washington St., Ste 202 100 North Stone Ave., Ste 305<br />Phoenix, AZ 85034 Tucson, AZ 85701<br />(602) 274-6287 (voice/TTY) (520) 327-9547 (voice)<br />(800) 927-2260 (voice/TTY) (800) 922-1447 (voice) </b></i><br />
<br />
If
you’re fighting for your medical care, or dealing with extreme
isolation, the folks to write to are at the American Friends Service
Committee (AFSC) in Tucson. They’re on top of prison and health care
privatization, new legislation affecting criminal justice issues, and in
the fight against solitary confinement. They wrote “Death Yards” about
Corizon’s shoddy care, and a booklet on solitary confinement in AZ. They
may have other resources that can help, and it’s good for them to hear
from prisoners about what’s going on. Their contact info is: <i><b>AFSC-Tucson
/ 103 North Park Avenue, #111 / Tucson, AZ 85719 / (520) 623-9141</b></i><br />
<br />
Another
place for prisoners (not solely people of color) to report the DOC’s
bad conduct to is the NAACP of Maricopa County. The attorney who
volunteers for them is in only once a week, but is good about checking
the mail and will occasionally pursue a complaint on a prisoner’s behalf
if it appears civil rights are being violated, whether it’s due to
racism, homophobia, or other such prejudices. She’s advocated for the
safety of gay and transgender prisoners as well, regardless of race.
She’s a member of the National Lawyer’s Guild, too - I often see her at
protests doing legal observing (cop-watching). She also goes around the
state doing presentations to community groups against private prisons
and mass incarceration - thank her for all her community service if you
write. Send your letters “LEGAL MAIL” to: Dianne Post, Legal Redress /
<i><b> NAACP of Maricopa County / P.O. Box 20883 / Phoenix, AZ 85036</b></i><br />
<br />
Now,
for those of you who like to express yourselves, don’t care what the
DOC thinks about it, and want to be a part of a larger community of AZ
prisoners sharing poetry, art, essays, horror stories, or experience,
strength and hope in a new prisoner-written zine or newsletter, write to
the <i><b>Free Verse at PO BOX 7241 Tempe AZ 85281</b></i> with your ideas and ask
them what they’re working on - someone will get back with you. Those are
my friends, too.<br />
<br />
Take care, all.<br />
<br />
Peggy Plews<br />
<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span></h3>
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PS: here are the attorneys I know who have recently sued the AZ DOC successfully, in most cases, I believe. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8WlYFefqjc5SERKamJucFk2VWc/view?usp=sharing">PAGE 1</a> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8WlYFefqjc5OUo0dnJTQk9LRUE/view?usp=sharing">PAGE 2</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
ART ATTACK at the Maricopa County Courthouse<br />
Day of the Dead Prisoner: November 1, 2013</div>
Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-48006530304798811692015-02-19T21:05:00.000-07:002015-02-19T21:05:46.216-07:00Manfred Dehe: Corizon's deliberate indifference keeps killing...<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Yes, <a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2015/02/parsons-v-ryan-settlement-approved-by.html">Parsons v Ryan has been settled</a>. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> No, the prisoners havent stopped suffering yet.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
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--------from <a href="http://azfamily.com/">AZFAMILY.COM</a>---------</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.azfamily.com/news/Family-Claims-Prison-Healthcare-Killed-Their-Father-292524061.html?ref=prev">Family claims prison health care killed father</a><br /><br />by Brandon Lee<br /><br />Posted on February 19, 2015 at 6:58 AM<br /><br />Updated February 20 at 8:34 AM</b><br /><br /><br />PHOENIX
-- The company that provides health care to Arizona inmates is Corizon.
Its website states, in part, the company provides "high quality
healthcare (sic)... that will improve the health and safety of our
patients. Our people, practices and commitment to success through
evidence-based medicine enable us to consistently meet and exceed client
expectations."<br /><br />But several nurses who currently work for Corizon Health tell 3TV that's not true.<br /><br />What's more, one family says their father died because Corizon failed to live up to its promise.<br /><br />"He
was always in great shape," Mark Dehe said of his father, Manfred. "He
walked all the time. He actually walked quite quickly."<br /><br />Dehe said
he spent as much time as he could with his father, but that changed
when Manfred was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Dehe knew his dad
would serve time but would eventually be released. The family would be
reunited.<br /><br />Dehe had no idea what three years inside an Arizona prison would do to his father.<br /><br />"Infuriating," he said. "Infuriating."<br /><br />Soon after Manfred went to prison, he complained to his family that he was in severe pain.<br /><br />Dehe ignored him at first.<br /><br />"I
thought he was overreacting," Dehe explained. "I told him, 'Dad, this
isn't the Ritz.' I told him it's prison you might just have to wait a
little bit longer."<br /><br />Medical records show that a prison doctor
recommended surgery for a hernia on Feb. 21, 2012. It was categorized as
an urgent priority.<br /><br />On March 13, another medical professional
recommended Manfred be seen by a doctor outside the prison, again for
hernia-related issues.<br /><br />One week later, medical staff again recommended outside treatment. It was again listed as "priority urgent."<br /><br />I sat down with Dehe to talk about his claims that Corizon failed to provide proper care for his father.<br /><br />Health care for violent criminal offenders is not at the top of most people's minds.<br /><br />"I'm
a little embarrassed to say I understand," Dehe confessed. "Prior to my
father going to prison ... I didn't give it much thought. [M]y thoughts
were 'Well if they didn't do anything wrong, then they wouldn't be in
that position to begin with.<br /><br />"But I also assumed that they were
receiving and given adequate health care," he continued. "It may not
have been the best. You may have had to wait a little bit, but I thought
it met their needs. I was very ignorant."<br /><br />3TV obtained hand-written notes from Manfred to prison staff. He seemed to be begging for help.<br /><br />"I'm 77 years old. I don't feel right. I'd like to have a doctor fully examine me."<br /><br />"To urinate is extremely painful. My hernias are also hurting."<br /><br />"I'm not receiving any more meds for my urinary tract infection."<br /><br />When Manfred was finally seen by doctors outside of the prison, lab tests came back with devastating results.<br /><br />"Prostate cancer. Terminal prostate cancer. Stage 4," Dehe said.<br /><br />Manfred's health deteriorated fast.<br /><br />His
family says he was supposed to receive monthly injections to slow the
cancer. Medical records show that injections were sometimes missed
because the medicine was not available, according to one doctor's notes.<br /><br />Manfred
continued to cry out for help. He wrote letters to management, saying,
"I FEEL LIKE I AM BEING NEGLECTED. I NEED TO SEE A QUALIFIED DOCTOR AND
GO TO THE HOSPITAL NOW!!!"<br /><br />"From that time until he was finally
seen for an exam, August 2013, 15 months had passed," Dehe said. "By
that time, it was too late. He never left the bed. He never saw outside.
He was never moved from one side to another and after two weeks he had
severe bedsores. They would eventually get so bad you could see through
to the bone."<br /><br />Manfred's story is not unique. The state of Arizona
has a contract with a private health care company, Corizon, to provide
care for inmates. A report by medical experts hired by the ACLU to
inspect and review the conditions at Arizona prisons found "almost half
of the people who died natural deaths received grossly deficient medical
care. And that the poor care clearly caused or hastened their death."<br /><br />We even spoke to a current prison nurse who confirmed that inmates are dying because of poor care.<br /><br />The prison nurse we talked with spoke on the condition of anonymity.<br /><br />"People
with ongoing diagnosis like leukemia, diabetes, or complications to
some serious illnesses are being delayed care. Absolutely."<br /><br />Nurses and doctors caring for Manfred tried to get him proper care.<br /><br />"It is my medical judgement that this patient requires hospitalization," one doctor who saw him wrote to prison management.<br /><br />One
nurse even wrote a note that reads, "Department of Corrections short
staffed and unable to provide security for ambulance transport. Consult
Cancelled."<br /><br />Dehe believes his father was sentenced to death because of poor health care.<br /><br />"He
was ridiculed by the staff," he said. "They didn't want to bathe him
because quite frankly he smelled. One of the people even joked and said,
'Why don't you throw a sheet over him,' insinuating he smells like he's
dead. He must be dead so cover him up."<br /><br />Corizon recently settled
a major class action lawsuit, promising it will make changes to provide
better care to inmates. The case settled on Oct. 14, the same day
Manfred lost his battle with cancer.<br /><br />Manfred walked into prison at age 75. Three years later, he was dead.<br /><br />"Do
I think anything is going to change? Not a bit. Not a bit," Dehe said.
"I have to assume that they act on the fact that there is no oversight,
and therefore they can do whatever they want. If there's nobody watching
me, I can do whatever I want. Who's going to complain? The inmate?
Who's going to believe the inmate?"<br /><br />Corizon declined an on-camera interview for this story. A spokesman did, however, respond with a statement.<br /><br />"The
oncological care provided Inmate Dehe from the time Corizon Health
began serving the Arizona prison system met the standard of care and was
appropriate to his condition. Federal and state privacy laws prohibit
public discussion of details of patient conditions or courses of
treatment."<br /><br />A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Corizon and the
Arizona Department of Corrections have three years to make changes that
will improve the health care provided to inmates.</span></span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-4150323709464679132015-02-19T20:59:00.001-07:002019-05-18T12:33:34.917-07:00PARSONS V RYAN settlement approved by US District Court Judge Duncan<br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span></h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
---------------------from the AZ Republic-----------</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/02/19/judge-approves-arizona-inmate-health-care-settlement/23657207/">Judge approves Arizona inmate health-care settlement</a><br /><br />Craig Harris, The Republic | azcentral.com </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">9:55 a.m. MST February 19, 2015<span class="sewpxt5oqtk9uur"></span><span class="sewpxt5oqtk9uur"></span><br /><br /><br />A
federal judge on Wednesday approved a settlement that will provide
improved health-care coverage for about 34,000 Arizona inmates in
state-run facilities at a cost to taxpayers of at least $8 million a
year.<br /><br />The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and
the Prison Law Office, a prisoner-advocacy group, reached a settlement
with the Arizona Department of Corrections last October, days before a
trial was to start.<br /><br />The lawsuit, filed on behalf of state-prison
inmates, alleged that Arizona's inmate health-care system was so flawed
that it caused deaths and preventable injuries. It also accused the
state of keeping inmates in solitary confinement for long periods of
time.<br /><br />The state denied the allegations, and admitted no wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement.<br /><br />"This
is a small glimpse of justice," said Patti Jones, whose nephew, Tony
Lester, killed himself in a state prison. "I think this is a just
settlement."<br /><br />Jones was one of seven people to address U.S.
Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan, who approved the settlement. Duncan
also authorized $4.9 million in fees for the attorneys who represented
the inmates.<br /><br />The fees must be paid by the state. Duncan noted the
amount for plaintiffs' attorneys nearly mirrored the amount the state
spent in legal bills defending itself, bringing the state's total legal
tab to about $10 million.<br /><br />Gov. Doug Ducey is asking lawmakers for
$8 million in his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year so the
state's contracted inmate health-care provider, Corizon Health, can hire
91 additional health-care workers to comply with the settlement
requirements.<br /><br />The settlement requires DOC to:<br /><br />• Meet more
than 100 health-care performance measures, covering issues such as
monitoring prisoners with diabetes, hypertension and other chronic
conditions.<br /><br />• Offer all inmates annual influenza vaccinations. Those with chronic diseases will be offered required immunizations.<br /><br />• Offer inmates aged 50 to 75 annual colorectal cancer screening.<br /><br />• Offer female inmates aged 50 and older mammogram screenings.<br /><br />• Provide no less than 6 hours per week of out-of-cell exercise time for maximum-custody inmates.<br /><br />• Provide maximum-custody inmates with serious mental illness an additional 10 hours of unstructured out-of-cell time per week.<br /><br />• Only use pepper spray or other chemical agents during an imminent threat.<br /><br />The
settlement also allows attorneys for inmates and their experts to
conduct up to 20 daily tours of state prison complexes annually to make
sure the agreement is being enforced.<br /><br />Donna Hamm, executive
director of Middle Ground Prison Reform, said she liked the settlement
but is unhappy that the state will have up to two weeks' advance notice
prior to a tour.<br /><br />"Some of the visits should be spontaneous and
not announced," said Hamm, an outspoken critic of the Arizona prison
system. "But overall, this is an improvement."<br /><br />Daniel Struck, a
private attorney representing the state, said DOC already has started to
implement changes called for in the settlement.<br /><br />David Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project, called the settlement "real improvement" in the care of inmates.<br /><br />The settlement does not apply to the roughly 7,000 inmates in six private prisons across Arizona.<br /><br />ON THE BEAT<br /><br />Craig
Harris covers the Arizona Department of Corrections and other state and
federal agencies, with an emphasis on government accountability and
public money.<br /><br />How to reach him<br /><br />craig.harris@arizonarepublic.com<br />Phone: 602-444-8478<br />Twitter: @charrisazrep</span></span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-28808570206869519092015-02-07T10:47:00.001-07:002015-02-07T10:47:18.776-07:00GOP support for early release in AZ legislature this year...<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Shocking. Even the GOP in the Senate isnt completely on board with Chuck Ryan's plan for new prisons...</i></span><br />
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<h1 itemprop="name headline">
<a href="http://ktar.com/22/1805532/GOP-legislator-pushes-Arizona-bill-to-relieve-prison-crowding"><span style="font-size: small;">GOP legislator pushes Arizona bill to relieve prison crowding</span></a></h1>
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<a class="dropMenu" href="http://ktar.com/22/1805532/GOP-legislator-pushes-Arizona-bill-to-relieve-prison-crowding#" id="shareit"><b>Share Story</b></a>
</div>
<b>By <span itemprop="author">Associated Press</span></b>, |
<span content="1969-12-31 17:00:00" itemprop="datePublished"><b>KTAR NEWS</b></span></div>
<div class="byline">
<span content="1969-12-31 17:00:00" itemprop="datePublished">February 6, 2015 @ 2:00 pm</span></div>
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<span content="1969-12-31 17:00:00" itemprop="datePublished"> </span>
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PHOENIX -- A Republican state senator is pushing a bill to release
thousands of non-violent inmates early in a bid to save money and ease pressure
on crowded prisons.<br />
<br />
Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, said the legislation would expand an existing
Department of Corrections program to help prisoners transition into daily life
with services including counseling, case management and substance-abuse
treatment.<br />
<br />
The bill comes at a time when Gov. Doug Ducey's executive budget calls for $40
million for a new prison with 3,000 beds. Pierce said the size of the project
could cost $70 million per year.<br />
<br />
Arizona housed more than 42,000 inmates last year, and the Department of
Corrections expects to add nearly 1,000 prisoners per year through 2016.<br />
<br />
During that time, the Department of Corrections released 943 inmates through
its three-month transition program and saved nearly $1 million, according to an
annual report by the agency.<br />
<br />
Senate Bill 1390 seeks to increase the number of inmates placed in the program
to a minimum of 3,500 prisoners in the first year, and 5,000 in the second year.
The program would serve low-risk, non-violent offenders and exclude those
convicted of driving under the influence, sex offenses, arson or domestic
violence.<br />
<br />
Pierce said his bill would save the state money and avoid having to build
another prison.<br />
<br />
<span id="storyWrapper">
"We are spending an awful lot of money putting people and keeping people in
jail that are non-violent criminals," he said. "I think more people need to be
in treatment than in jail." </span><span id="storyWrapper"><br />
The program has already proven to reduce the rate of return offenders compared
with the general population, Pierce said.<br />
<br />
When asked if the bill would provide a cost-effective alternative to building a
new prison, the governor's office said it had not yet reviewed the legislation.<br />
<br />
Corrections Department spokesman Doug Nick said the agency is aware of the
legislation and monitoring it as the bill moves through the Legislature, but did
not provide further comment.</span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-79377078775138112762015-02-07T00:26:00.002-07:002019-05-18T12:39:12.076-07:00AZ DOC tries to wriggle out of fine for allowing rape of teacher....<div class="articleHeader">
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
EDIT 05/18/2019</span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">@dougducey</span></h3>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.startribune.com/business/291070561.html">Arizona Corrections Department appealing workplace safety fine in prison teacher rape case</a></b></div>
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Article by:
BOB CHRISTIE
, Associated Press
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<li class="updatedBy">Updated: February 6, 2015 - 3:50 PM STARTRIBUNE</li>
</ul>
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PHOENIX — The
Arizona Department of Corrections does not believe it should have to pay
a $14,000 fine that state workplace safety regulators levied against
the agency for failing to protect a teacher who was raped by an inmate
in a sex offender unit.<br />
<br />
Documents
obtained by The Associated Press show the department filed an appeal
last week to overturn the fine issued by Industrial Commission of
Arizona. A prisons spokesman said the agency believes there is a basis
for the appeal, but he did not elaborate.<br />
<br />
Arizona
has faced intense criticism over the attack. Prison officials sent out
only a vague press release that referred to an assault on an employee
after the January 2014 rape. The details of the assault came to light
only after The Associated Press obtained documents under a public
records request and interviewed people familiar with the case.<br />
<br />
The
attack raised questions about prison security because the teacher was
put into a room full of sex offenders with no guards nearby and no
closed-circuit cameras. She had only a radio to call for help.<br />
The
state found itself facing more scrutiny this week after lawyers for the
attorney general's office argued in court that the woman's lawsuit
should be thrown out. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Weisbard wrote
that the teacher routinely worked in classrooms and there is always a
risk of assault when working with prisoners.<br />
<br />
A
federal judge on Thursday refused to dismiss the teacher's civil rights
lawsuit, writing that the lawsuit raised plausible allegations that the
warden and other top officials created a dangerous environment that led
to the rape.<br />
<br />
The
workplace-safety investigation was launched last July after the AP story
provided the first detailed account of the incident.<br />
<br />
Authorities
have said inmate Jacob Harvey, who was less than a year into a 30-year
sentence for a home-invasion and rape, lingered after other inmates left
the room on Jan. 30, 2014, then repeatedly stabbed the teacher with a
pen before raping her.<br />
<br />
Harvey remains in prison, and he is awaiting trial on new charges. He has pleaded not guilty.<br />
The
appeal of the $14,000 fine levied in January by the state Industrial
Commission seeks a hearing before an administrative law judge.<br />
<br />
The
Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health recommended a fine
of $9,000 for two violations of workplace-safety rules. But
commissioners boosted that to $14,000 at a hearing last month, with one
commissioner saying the violations showed the rape "should never have
occurred in that facility."<br />
<br />
Commissioner
Joseph Hennelly Jr. even suggested the department could be hit with an
additional $25,000 fine, but he was told state laws didn't allow it in
this case.<br />
<br />
A spokesman for
the Department of Corrections said the department believes there are a
significant number of factual inaccuracies in the worker safety agency's
report that it plans to contest.<br />
<br />
"The
2014 assault on the ADC teacher was a cowardly and despicable crime,
for which the inmate is rightfully facing prosecution," spokesman Doug
Nick said in an email. "The safety and well-being of all ADC staff is
the department's paramount priority, and the victim has our full
assistance and support."<br />
Scott Zwillinger, the teacher's lawyer, criticized the Corrections Department for appealing the workplace safety citations.<br />
<br />
"They
refuse to acknowledge when they have issues. They refuse to be
introspective and look and evaluate and make changes," Zwillinger said
Friday. "So rather than accept what seems a relatively obvious
conclusion and to correct these matters, all they simply do is deny and
fight on."<br />
<br />
State prison
officials have since installed cameras in prison classrooms, increased
patrols and issued pepper spray to civilian workers. They have said
issuing pepper spray had been planned before the rape.<br />
<br />
In
minutes of the Jan. 8, 2015, meeting of the Industrial Commission where
the fines were levied, commissioners repeatedly questioned how the
teacher could have been placed in a room filled with sex offenders
unattended. Commission Chairman David Parker said he understands there
are situations where prisoners can end up alone with civilian staff.<br />
<br />
"But something went wrong here, and this is different," he said.</div>
Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-23868716244755723552015-02-05T07:37:00.002-07:002015-02-05T07:37:37.436-07:00Charles Davis: Truthout on the Free Press and the Mass Marketing of Mugshots.<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Excellent commentary by freelance writer and producer Charles Davis. One of the things I hate most about our local "liberal" or "alternative" media is that it features a "<b><a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/mugshots_of_the_week/">mugshot of the week"</a></b> contest, in which it seeks to inflict maximum humiliation on the subjects, amplifying, of all things, <b><a href="http://www.mcso.org/Mugshot/">one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's own tools of abuse</a></b>. Having been <b><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20131219new-times-journalists-were-arrested-dead-night.html">targets of his themselves</a></b>, you'd think the editors would show a bit more empathy. They even <b><a href="http://cronkite.asu.edu/alternative-weekly-founders-endow-chair-improve-coverage-latino-communities">donated a big chunk of change</a></b> they got from suing him to ASU to improve coverage of Latino issues in the field of journalism....</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> By the way, this was one of their kickoffs for the "<b><a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/04/mouthless_meth_dealer_celebrit.php">mugshot-of-the-week</a></b>" contest. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lots of people thought he was funny. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I know this guy, personally - and it wasn't funny. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cancer is what ate his face. </span></i></div>
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</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>---------------from <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/">TRUTHOUT</a>-----------</b></div>
<a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/28903-against-mugshots-photos-of-the-state-s-latest-catch-don-t-belong-in-a-free-press"></a><br />
<h3>
<a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/28903-against-mugshots-photos-of-the-state-s-latest-catch-don-t-belong-in-a-free-press">Against Mugshots: Photos of the State's Latest Catch Don't Belong in a Free Press</a></h3>
<br /><b>Wednesday, 04 February 2015 10:20<br /><br />By Charles Davis, Truthout | News Analysis</b><br /><br />An
image can tell a story, but like any tale it could very well be full of
lies. Who is taking a photo - when they have taken it and why, what
they have decided to include and chosen to leave out - invariably
affects what we, the viewer, see. The lighting, positioning and camera
angle can sway whether the picture evokes empathy or anger, lust or
revulsion. The photograph is an unreliable narrator, then, telling us
part of a story but giving us nothing close to the full picture.<br /><br />A
mugshot, the picture taken after an arrest, is a photo designed to tell
the state's side of a story. The subject of the photo, taken at one of
the lowest points in their life, has no voice, but the language of the
form - the unflattering bright light, the drab background, the name and
prisoner ID at the bottom - tells us we are looking at a "criminal."<br /><br />With
the internet, that "we" has expanded to the far reaches of the globe.
Today, police in the United States can upload a photo of their latest
catch to Facebook and see it in a foreign tabloid by the end of the day.
Before the subject can mount a defense, a 1,000-word photo pronouncing
their guilt may have already gone viral. Stacking the deck in favor of
the already advantaged police, the photos discourage empathy in favor of
judgment: of the accused person's appearance and their overall worth as
a human being. Depicted only as a transgressor, not as a mother or
father or someone's son or daughter, the subjects of mugshots become
fair game for abuse. We can mock their looks and class and perceived
intelligence without feeling guilty; this humiliation becomes just
another manifestation of punishment (often before a conviction has even
taken place).<br /><br />The press partakes readily in this ritual
debasement, the most respectable of media outlets eagerly distributing
the state's unflattering photos, of people who have yet to be convicted
of anything, on the front page and on the evening news and on dedicated
websites that feature nothing but mugshots, sortable according to the
physical features of the once-human body that is now behind bars, with a
line at the end or in small print thrown in, almost as an afterthought,
that the person we see is "innocent until proven guilty," though the
implication of guilt hangs heavy over every photo: Come on, just look at
them.<br /><br />Almost everyone looks like a criminal because every
arrested person we know who has been caught has posed for the same
photo. And it's the looks of the person, not necessarily the severity of
their alleged crime, which often makes a mugshot go around the globe.<br /><br />"Woman
arrested for meth possession while wearing 'I Love Crystal Meth'
shirt," reported the Associated Press wire service, ensuring this
important news would make it into papers across the country. "This Might
Be The Most Ironic Mugshot Ever," said BuzzFeed. "Not ideal mugshot
attire," snarked the Daily Mail, all the way over in Britain. "Walter
White was a genius," said the New York Post, referring to a character
from a TV show who was given the benefit of a backstory. "This woman?
Not so much."<br /><br />Unlike cable's most artfully depicted anti-hero,
all we know about "this woman," whose arrest made international
headlines, is what has been said about her by police. We don't know what
led up to that moment (Did any of the reporters covering her arrest do
any reporting?) except that, according to the sheriff's department in
Laurel County, Kentucky, she and another person allegedly possessed
"3.37 grams of crystal meth and a set of digital scales." We also know
that under state law an intent to sell more than two grams of
methamphetamines (street value: about $200) makes one a "trafficker," a
fact that wasn't to be found in any of the 20,000 news stories that were
published about Deborah Asher, actual human being, within a week of
that arrest. While the worldwide web-browsing community snickered before
moving on to the next content, its object of contempt sat in a jail
cell grappling with the possibility of spending the next 10 to 20 years
behind bars.<br /><br />Asher was reduced to that booking photo, originally
posted on Facebook by those who arrested her, and one sentence reducing
her life experience to "criminal." She was marked "bad," so gestures of
superiority and even celebration of her misfortune - disparaging the
intelligence, looks and class status of a stranger - were given a thin
veneer of moral justification.<br /><br />"We're very judgmental people -
that's a human trait," noted Mariame Kaba, founding director of Project
NIA, a Chicago-based organization that promotes alternatives to
incarceration, when I spoke to her on the phone. "You have to work at
being nonjudgmental," she said, but mugshots discourage that, inviting
us instead to sit back in judgment and indulge that vulgar human desire
to feel better at the expense of some other poor wretch. "The
circulation of these kind of images allows people to play out that
judgment," Kaba added, "to be able to look at somebody else and see
someone who is worse off."<br /><br />Some argue that the dissemination of mugshots is necessary, so we can identify "criminals" should they escape state custody.<br /><br />"Knowing
the names and faces of those formally charged with crimes helps us
protect ourselves and allows us to make informed decisions on who we
want to associate with," Greg Rickabaugh, owner of the mugshot gallery
and crime reporting website AugustaCrime.com, told television station
WJBF. He was reacting to a new law in Georgia, passed by a legislature
not known for its bleeding-heart liberalism, which bars local police
departments from posting booking photos online. Mugshots are still
public records and as such are available upon request, but websites that
obtain the photos are required to remove them, without a fee, if
charges against the person in them have been dismissed.<br /><br />The law
is aimed at thwarting the dozens of websites that take these photos from
the state-sanctioned system and repost them in the hopes of getting the
person in them to pay hundreds of dollars to have them taken down, what
Rickabaugh calls the "predatory" mugshot websites, contrasting them
with the ostensibly legitimate exploitation exercised by websites like
his, which earn profit through the classier, indirect route of
advertising. Indeed, Mark Caramanica of the Reporters Committee for
Freedom argues that, on principle, both not only have a right to exist,
but have a right to easy, automated access to the photos of those whose
rights have been taken away.<br /><br />"Should we shut down the entire
[mugshot] database because there are presumably bad actors out there?"
Caramanica told The New York Times (who the "bad actors" actually are is
left open to the reader's interpretation). "I think it's better if
journalists and the public, not the government, are the arbiters of what
the public gets to see."<br /> <br />Portraying the debate
over the routine posting of mugshots online as one between those old
(ostensible) foes, the free press and the state, is a smart public
relations strategy. It is also absurd: It is the state, after all, that
takes and then provides these photos to the press - photos the person
whose liberty the state has taken away would generally prefer not be
plastered across the media for friends and family to see. Like the other
profit-driven sites that post these photos, the corporate media is
effectively providing free press for the police, who get to show their
side of the story ("proof" of criminality) - often before the person
photographed has even had a chance to place their one phone call.<br /><br />Yet
in examining the issue of mugshots - or, really, any matter of the
ethics of privacy - should we really stick to the narrow question of
whether one has a "right" to do something? Legal rights aside, is it the
right thing to do?<br /><br />"Right 2 Know" is the slightly too defensive
name the Chattanooga Times Free Press has given to its own mugshot
gallery. Just looking at those featured on its homepage when I last
visited, the alleged criminals the public has an interest in seeing
shamed include a young man accused of underage drinking, a woman accused
of driving on a revoked license and a woman accused of driving under
the influence. The information is "presented here as a public service,"
the paper assures, the photos "gathered from open county sheriff's web
sites," showing the state to be a publishing partner (certainly calling
into question the position of the "fourth estate"). In fine print, we're
told that "people shown on this page have not been convicted of these
crimes and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty." If they are
found innocent and possess the right paperwork, the site will even take
down the legally declared person's photo, though by that point the
photo will have already been out there on the internet, where it might
very well serve defamatory purposes long into the future.<br /><br />"I
believe that there is a way to strike a balance between public interest
in information while really respecting folks' rights as individuals who
have not yet been convicted of anything," said Zachary Norris, executive
director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which seeks to
reduce the threat of incarceration facing communities of color. "And I
don't think we're striking the right balance at all with the publication
of these mugshots because, effectively, in that context the only
information you're getting about someone is that they did something
wrong."<br /><br />The use of that information becomes an ethical question
with which the journalism community must wrestle. "Recognize that legal
access to information differs from an ethical justification to publish
or broadcast," says the Society for Professional Journalists in its code
of ethics. "Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, even if others do."<br /><br />However,
this code is likely read almost exclusively by journalists working on
stories about ethics in journalism - and when it comes to publishing the
photos of the recently arrested, few seem to have given the issue much
thought. Erin Madigan, a spokesperson for the AP, said decisions at the
newswire "are made on a case-by-case basis," but neither BuzzFeed nor
The Washington Post responded when I asked if they had policies in place
governing the use of such photos.<br /><br />"We're all human and we all
make mistakes," Norris told me. But the availability of these photos
works against our ability to identify with the humanity of those who've
been arrested. "In addition to that, these mugshots can have real
ramifications in terms of people's ability to get jobs, [and] real
ramifications in terms of their public reputation," he said. Be one a
naked profiteer or a publication ostensibly pursuing the public
interest, publishing these photos at all only "adds to an already
pernicious environment where poor people are disadvantaged by the
justice system."<br /><br />But what of the pretty ones? Though the
consumption of mugshots tends to focus on the wacky and conventionally
unattractive, lately there has been a noticeable uptick in attention
paid to what social media has dubbed the "#FelonBae." Jeremy Meeks took
Twitter by storm over the summer of 2014 with his dreamy blue eyes,
which were posted on the Facebook page of local police in Stockton,
California. "Hot mugshot guy," The Washington Post called him in a
report on his first courtroom appearance, which noted, almost as an
aside, that it wasn't all fun and games for the hottie: He learned that
he could spend up to 10 years in prison on a gun charge. "But," the Post
pointed out, "There are photos!"<br /><br />"Felon bae" is a certifiable
trend. "Meet Your New 'Hot Mugshot Guy,'" reported The Daily Beast a few
weeks later when another man in California was arrested, allegedly for
assaulting a Fox News cameraman.<br /><br />"These good-looking criminals
that circulate on social media that people trade, like cards - it
becomes that, just another player card," Mariame Kaba told Truthout.
"It's not actually a human being, at all, and it doesn't matter that
these folks have been accused of a crime that hasn't been proven." They
are, ultimately, more meat to be objectified, "with a complete and utter
disregard for people's humanity."<br /><br />The Tampa Bay Times even
categorizes the bodies in police detention according to height, weight,
age and eye color, allowing the alleged felon fetishist more options for
sorting their potential "baes" than what's available on most dating
sites.<br /><br />However, there are select cases in which the state fights
to prevent mugshots from ever seeing the light of day. When the Detroit
Free Press sought to publish the booking photos of four cops convicted
of accepting bribes and conspiring to deal cocaine, the US Marshals
Service refused to release to them. That prompted a lawsuit and, in
April 2014, a federal judge sided with the paper and its attorney,
Herschel Fink, who argued, according to the Associated Press, that the
public "has a legitimate interest in seeing who has been arrested and
charged with a crime."<br /><br />But what exactly is that interest, and
does it matter who the arrestee is, or what the context of their alleged
crime may be? As US Department of Justice attorney Galen Thorp argued -
entirely out of the state's self-interest in this particular case -
that just publishing a mugshot could inflict serious damage on a person.
"An 18-year-old arrested for a federal misdemeanor who appeared in
court, pled guilty, did community service, and had his or her record
expunged, could find his or her booking photograph immortalized on the
Internet for every would-be employer to see for many years to come,"
Thorp said.<br /><br />Of course, if a mere photo of an arrest for a minor
crime can do such damage to a person, it raises the question: Why book
any teen, or anyone, over a nonviolent misdemeanor when that arrest
could prove much more damaging to society in the long run - once brought
into the legal system, one's chances of coming back are exponentially
greater - than the alleged offense? And, the cynicism of the state's
arguments aside, those who would further the ruining of someone's life
should ask themselves: to what end?<br /><br />Indeed, what is the point,
even, of posting a bad cop's mugshot? Arguably, it could show that no
one is above the law - but of course, that principle is patently untrue:
A black teen who kills a dog gets 23 years in prison while a white cop
who kills a black teen, as a rule, gets maybe a paid vacation.<br /> <br />"I'm
against posting people's mugshots just categorically," Kaba told
Truthout. "If I don't believe the mugshots of people without power have
meaning or purchase, then I don't think mugshots of people in power have
meaning or purchase," she said. Desiring vengeance - to see one's
enemies humiliated - may be understandable, but it's not a healthy basis
for a system of justice or a desire to which we ought to cater. "It's
the same kind of performance and spectacle that I think doesn't actually
lead to what we want," said Kaba, "which is a redress of whatever it is
that happened or, in some expansive way, justice."<br /><br />This is not
to say that publicizing who has done harm in a community is without
merit. The power of social sanction, of shunning those who have violated
community norms, is in many ways a more powerful and effective mode of
accountability than just locking someone up for an arbitrary period of
time where, instead of learning healthier behaviors, anti-social
behavior is only reinforced.<br /><br />"Particularly in the early 1960s to
the mid to late-1970s, many feminists used to post posters around their
community of rapists to alert other people and let them know what was
happening, on the one hand, and to basically out and shame that person
who has harmed people," Kaba said. "And I can understand that. I can see
the value in having that as a warning to other people."<br /><br />But the
photos being posted today are overwhelmingly not those of people who are
actively causing harm, but of people whose alleged offenses don't
deserve to even be lumped under the same heading of "crime": nonviolent
drug offenders, for instance, and disproportionately the poor and people
of color. Posting their photos without any context but that provided by
the state doesn't make us safer, but serves only to reinforce racist
assumptions of criminality.<br /><br />How do we move forward, past a
practice of constant visual criminalization? Many advocates argue that
public records should remain public, upon request, but barring local law
enforcement from dumping these photos online is a demand that chills no
one's right to free speech.<br /><br />We also must actively hold those who
fetishize mugshots accountable. "I think that we should be calling out
these entities that are making a spectacle of folks and making profit of
them in ways that don't jive with our idea of justice and common
decency," Norris said. There's no reason why "ethics in journalism"
should be the sole domain of video-game addicts who wish only to drive
feminists away from their toys. So long as they purport to have them,
editors should at least be forced to think about the ethics of what they
are doing when they expose powerless people to the online judgment and
ridicule of a global readership. And when journalists are forced to
reflect on their role in the state-sanctioned system of
shaming-by-mugshot, they may even reconsider their practices.<br /><br />"I
really don't think that the role of a community newspaper is to punish
or embarrass anybody," said Ben Carlson, general manger of The Anderson
News in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. At least, he added, it shouldn't be:
Eight years after the paper first began publishing the booking photos of
those accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, Carlson
announced it would do so no more. In an editorial noted by the Society
of Professional Journalists, Carlson argued that the press shouldn't be
in the business of adding "a level of punishment, or at least
embarrassment, beyond what is imposed by a judge."<br /><br />None of the
mugshots The Anderson News published went viral (nor had any effect on
local DUI rates), but Carlson saw the impact his small-town Kentucky
paper was having on the lives not just of those arrested, but on their
families too. A child whose parent is in the paper is going to hear
about it at school, effectively collectivizing the shame. As one father
told the SPJ, "I deserved everything I got," but his innocent teenage
sons were the ones who "got rode over pretty hard" by their classmates
when his mugshot hit the press.<br /><br />Those with much bigger platforms
from which to name and shame ought to think carefully about how they
use that power, what they are actually accomplishing when they wield it
and whose interests are really being served.Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-57310793478781291292015-02-04T10:34:00.004-07:002015-02-04T10:34:51.944-07:00 AZ DOC Budget Hearing report: Day 1.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Here's the word from Day 1 of the AZ Department of Corrections' / 2015 AZ LEG budget hearings, as told by the AZ Republic. Glad to hear there is some resistance to more private prison beds. Thanks for catching that, Craig. See <b><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2015/02/gci-save-both-lives-and-money-with.html">yesterday's post</a></b> for advocacy tips and the people at the AZ LEG who need to be contacted...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----------------</div>
<br />
<section class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module" id="module-position-N3Te2CjIJaM"><h1 class="asset-headline" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/02/03/arizona-lawmakers-skeptical-another-private-prison/22835597/">Some Arizona lawmakers skeptical of another private prison</a></h1>
</section><section class="storytopbar-bucket priority-asset-module" id="module-position-N3Te2CiInGU"></section><section class="storytopbar-bucket story-byline-module" id="module-position-N3Te2Cj1phU"><div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<b><span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name">Craig Harris, The Republic | azcentral.com </span></b></div>
<div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<b><span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> </span><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline">6:37 a.m. MST February 4, 2015</span></b></div>
<div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline"> </span></div>
</section>State Corrections Director Charles Ryan made his pitch Tuesday for a
new 3,000-bed private prison, but some members of a legislative budget
panel were skeptical, with one asking him to cut spending to free up
money for education.<br />
<br />
Ryan, whose proposal has the support of
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, told the Senate Appropriations Committee
that the state needs more prison beds to combat current overcrowding and
accommodate a projected increase in inmates.<br />
<br />
Ryan's staff told
lawmakers that despite a decline in inmates the past few years, more are
now violating their probation and being remanded into custody. Ryan
projects the state will house an additional 80 inmates a month for at
least the next two years, so he is seeking another medium-custody
prison.<br />
<br />
Ryan's private-prison request is part of Ducey's $1
billion fiscal 2016 spending plan for the state Department of
Corrections. The proposed budget, which runs the entire state prison
system, is $52 million more than that of last year's. Corrections is one
of the few agencies that received a spending increase in Ducey's
austere budget plan, which must account for a decline in state revenue.<br />
<br />
No
action was taken Tuesday on the request to add a seventh private
prison. Six private facilities across the state now house about
one-sixth of the state's roughly 42,000 inmates.<br />
<br />
Democrats Olivia
Cajero Bedford and Steve Farley of Tucson challenged Ryan to put inmates
in county jails, where they said there are plenty of vacancies.<br />
<br />
"It would be better to give our money to the counties, which are struggling, rather than a for-profit prison," Farley said.<br />
<br />
County
sheriffs, including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, have said they
would be happy to take additional inmates from the state, and could do
it at a lower cost than private prisons.<br />
<br />
But Ryan said county
jails are not equipped to provide work, education and treatment programs
offered at state-run and private prisons.<br />
<br />
Ryan also got pushback from Sen. Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City, who said Ryan needed to cut spending.<br />
<br />
"My constituents would like to see us prioritize teachers and kids over criminals," Ward said.<br />
<br />
Sen.
John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, defended Ryan during the hearing and
is among the proponents of private prisons who say the state saves money
through them because operators must build the facilities and absorb
startup costs. Each facility typically is turned over to the state many
years later.<br />
<br />
Private-prison operators recoup their startup costs over time by charging a higher rate to house inmates than state facilities.<br />
<br />
Ryan
and his staff were the only ones allowed to speak before the Senate
committee, which took no action on the proposal. The panel is expected
to vote on a series of agency spending bills later in the session.<br />
<br />
Critics, however, in the past few days have voiced opposition to Arizona funding another private prison.<br />
<br />
Arpaio,
the Grand Canyon Institute's think tank and a coalition of groups
called the Arizona Justice Alliance said funding another private prison
would waste tax dollars.<br />
<br />
The Grand Canyon Institute, a
Phoenix-based centrist organization, projects the state will pay close
to $1.5 billion during the next 20 years to operate the new private
medium-security facility.<br />
<br />
The institute said its research shows
Arizona has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, which
drives up costs for taxpayers.<br />
<br />
The 1,000-member Arizona Justice
Alliance said the state could lower its corrections budget by altering
its truth-in-sentencing law for non-violent offenders. The state
requires all offenders to serve about 85 percent of their sentences.<br />
<br />
County
sheriffs say the state could save more money by asking counties to
house drunken-driving offenders who are serving sentences of less than a
year in private prisons.<br />
<br />
There is no surefire way to determine
whether cost savings occur with private prisons because the 2012
Republican-controlled Legislature repealed a law that required the DOC
to compare state and private prison costs.<br />
<br />
Prior DOC studies showed it was less costly to house inmates in state-run facilities.<br />
<br />
Arpaio contends county jails and state-run prisons are more efficient and have better trained officers than private prisons.<br />
<br />
"History
will show that our employees and Corrections employees have higher
standards," Arpaio said. "This should not be a money-making operation."<br />
<br />
Private
prisons accept only the physically and mentally healthiest inmates,
which lowers operating costs. The private companies do not house the
most violent and dangerous prisoners, who are in state-run close- and
maximum-custody facilities.<br />
<br />
The private-prison industry has posted significant nationwide profits. Three operators run the half-dozen Arizona facilities.<br />
<br />
In
2013, Corrections Corporation of America nearly doubled its profits to
$300 million on nearly $1.7 billion in revenue. The company's chief
executive was paid nearly $3.3 million, according to CCA's Securities
and Exchange Commission filings. The company will announce its 2014
earnings on Feb. 11.<br />
<br />
GEO Group, another publicly traded company,
has not reported its 2014 earnings. In 2013, the company made $115
million in profits on $1.5 billion in revenue and paid its chief
executive $4.6 million.<br />
<br />
Management & Training Corp. is privately held and does not disclose its earnings.<br />
<br />
The Corrections Department will make a similar budget presentation to the House Appropriations Committee at 2 p.m. today.<br />
<br />
<span class="-newsgate-element-cci-infobox--1--begin"></span><br />
<span class="-newsgate-paragraph-cci-infobox-head-"><b>Corrections budget</b></span><br />
Gov.
Doug Ducey proposes to increase spending by $52 million for the
Department of Corrections. General-fund spending in fiscal 2015 was $996
million, while the fiscal 2016 proposal is just more than $1 billion.<br />
<br />
<span class="-newsgate-element-cci-infobox--1--end"></span><br />
<span class="-newsgate-element-cci-infobox--2--begin"></span><br />
<span class="-newsgate-paragraph-cci-infobox-head-"><b>Private prisons</b></span><br />
Arizona has six private prisons. Here are their locations and operators:<br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Florence (medium custody), GEO Group.</span><br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Florence-West (minimum custody), GEO Group.</span><br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Phoenix-West (minimum custody), GEO Group.</span><br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Kingman (minimum/medium custody), Management & Training Corp.</span><br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Marana (minimum custody), Management & Training Corp.</span><br />
<span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-108-FRT7-187">• </span><span class="-newsgate--ccix-command-133">Eloy (medium custody), Corrections Corporation of America.</span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-84220157710409156232015-02-03T07:24:00.000-07:002015-02-03T17:24:37.595-07:00Advocacy tips for AZ DOC BUDGET HEARINGS this week!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Dave Wells is an Economics professor at ASU, and a damn good thinker, as liberals go. Here's his take on the budget hearings for the AZDOC this week. If you have loved ones in state prison, pay attention. The<a href="http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/"> <b>Grand Canyon Institute</b></a> identifies itself as a "centrist" thinktank, and is totally not connected to Arizona Prison Watch, nor did they issue the AJA bulletin below.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>For my part, I'd suggest that folks with loved ones at stake contact the Governor, who just re-appointed DOC Director Chuck Ryan, <b><a href="http://www.azgovernor.gov/governor/engage">here</a></b>. Register your concerns about the direction of the AZ DOC these past five years. Ask for a new audit of the department by the Inspector General to determine the actual impacts of prisons and health care privatization. Tell your own story.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Find your legislators <b><a href="http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp">here</a></b>, and lobby them hard to de-privatize the prisons, call Chuck Ryan on the carpet, and conduct an investigation into the growing violence and neglect on his watch, as well as the actual impacts of privatization (death rates, average age of death, re-incarceration rates, etc).</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaJusticeAlliance?fref=nf">Arizona Justice Alliance</a></b>'s recommendations for impacting the budget hearings this week follow the GCI post below.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>from the grand canyon institute </i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C7ffY0_d-t67euEXOkImRHewZ7BFzmntx4B34FtobpOaQxCjb64rphVaTXvu4CN6qft0Qbm1loHxHtS0dbqazKKQHfFRVp4ifAT17ibrn-29KnlqXPDStGxNSccbAh3QFNz1BHtjKd_2/s1600/GCIlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C7ffY0_d-t67euEXOkImRHewZ7BFzmntx4B34FtobpOaQxCjb64rphVaTXvu4CN6qft0Qbm1loHxHtS0dbqazKKQHfFRVp4ifAT17ibrn-29KnlqXPDStGxNSccbAh3QFNz1BHtjKd_2/s1600/GCIlogo.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Press Release<br />
CONTACT: Dave Wells, Ph.D.<br />
Research Director, Grand Canyon Institute<br />
<a href="tel:%28602%29%20595-1025%20ext%203" target="_blank" value="+16025951025">(602) 595-1025 ext 3</a> <br />
<a href="mailto:dwells@azgci.org" target="_blank">dwells@azgci.org</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>Ducey’s Private Prison Proposal
would cost $1.5 billion—alternative options save the state more than
$500 million over two decades.</i></span></b></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
PHOENIX —Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Apario is right; Arizona does not
need 3,000 more medium security beds through a private prison
contractor. Arizona has the sixth highest incarceration rate in the
country-and the highest in the Pacific and Mountain West region. High
incarceration rates cost taxpayers and don’t necessarily bring added
public safety, but do bring added costs.<br />
<br />
<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_224712825" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">On Tuesday</span></span> and <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_224712826" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Wednesday this week</span></span>
key committees in the House and Senate will hear the Department of
Corrections Budget proposal, including $5.3 million to begin funding
toward 3,000 new medium-security beds. Says Dave Wells, research
director of the Grand Canyon Institute, “The $5.3 million is a down
payment on $100 million in planned expenditures on those through fiscal
year 2018, and their annual cost will be in excess of $70 million. The
nature of contracts with private prisons will require that the state
spend that amount each year for the next 20 years, regardless of whether
or not those beds are filled. In other words, this is a $1.5 billion
proposal, not $5.3 million.”<br />
<br />
The Ducey administration argues we have a current short-fall in medium
security-beds, except unnecessary state policies drive up our prison
population.<br />
<br />
In March 2012, The Grand Canyon Institute released its report “<a href="http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=344&qid=9540" target="_blank">Reducing Incarceration While Maintaining Public Safety: From Truth in Sentencing to Earned Release for Nonviolent Offenders</a>.”
Report author, Dave Wells, Research Director for the Institute, noted
“Arizonan is the only state in the country that requires nonviolent
offenders, regardless of risk or programs they complete while in
custody, to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence behind bars.
That’s neither cost effective nor best practice. Arizona can learn from
other states that have moved toward earned
release with appropriate community supervision and drug treatment and
save between $30 and $73 million annually while maintaining public
safety. Over 20 years that’s more than $500 million and possibly in
excess of $1 billion in savings.”<br />
<br />
The report gave three ways to approach reducing sentences which could
impact up to one-fourth of those currently incarcerated by enabling them
to more quickly earn release to supervised probation with in many cases
needed drug treatment at far lower costs. Such actions would free up
space, if more medium-security beds were needed.<br />
<br />
Arizona would be wise to follow the concerns of the Utah Commission on
Criminal and Juvenile Justice which in November 2014 released 18
proposals designed to “avert 98 percent of the anticipated growth in the
prison population, avoid the need for 2,551 prison beds, and save
taxpayers at least $542 million over the next two decades.”<br />
The Grand Canyon Institute is a centrist think-tank founded in 2011
which works to elevate economic analysis of public policy in Arizona.<br />
<br />
Links to Resources:<br />
Copy of the 2012 Grand Canyon Institute Report: <a href="http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=344&qid=9540" target="_blank">http://grandcanyoninstitute.<wbr></wbr>org/sites/<wbr></wbr>grandcanyoninstitute.org/<wbr></wbr>files/GCI_Policy_Paper_<wbr></wbr>Prisons-March2012.pdf</a><br />
Response to County Attorney Objections to an op-ed based on the 2012 Report: <a href="http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=345&qid=9540" target="_blank">http://grandcanyoninstitute.<wbr></wbr>org/sites/<wbr></wbr>grandcanyoninstitute.org/<wbr></wbr>files/GCI_Prison_Response-<wbr></wbr>March2012.pdf</a><br />
Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice Report: <a href="http://grandcanyoninstitute.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=346&qid=9540" target="_blank">http://justice.utah.gov/<wbr></wbr>Documents/CCJJ/Reports/<wbr></wbr>Justice_Reinvestment_Report_<wbr></wbr>2014.pd</a><br />
-----------------from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaJusticeAlliance?fref=nf">AJA</a>---------------<br />
<br />
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaJusticeAlliance/posts/996238580404213?fref=nf&pnref=story"><b>Arizona Justice Alliance ACTION ALERT: NO NEW PRISON BEDS FOR ARIZONA!</b></a><br />
<br />
Gov. Ducey's budget for FY2016 proposes 3,000 new medium-security
for-profit prison beds—beds we don’t need. The Governor’s budget
estimates that these new beds will cost taxpayers over $100 million over
the next three years.<br />
<br />
Corrections is already the third largest
state agency budget, absorbing 11% of General Funds. Corrections’ total
budget for FY2015 is over $1 billion. Yet Arizona’s recidivism rate is
between 40-50%. Since recidivism means future crime, our prisons are
clearly failing in their mission to preserve public safety.<br />
<br />
Arizona’s budget priorities are completely misaligned. Historic
underfunding of K-12 and deep cuts to higher education shortchange our
kids and make Arizona less attractive to businesses. The state’s failure
to care for the poor or treat substance abuse and mental illnesses only
serve to undermine public safety.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, new prison beds
are totally unnecessary. The Department of Corrections has the authority
to release thousands more prisoners every year into a Transition
Program. This program saved Arizona Taxpayers over $1 million in 2014
alone.<br />
<br />
And changes in Arizona’s criminal justice policies, such
as Truth In Sentencing, could allow the state to potentially save over
$200 million per year. These types of reforms have been undertaken in
most other US states—including very conservative ones—and these states
have seen greater drops in crime than Arizona has.<br />
The Arizona
Department of Corrections will present its budget to the House and
Senate Appropriations Committees next week. They need to hear from YOU
today!<br />
<br />
Take Action!<br />
<br />
<b>CONTACT THE <a href="http://www.azgovernor.gov/governor/engage">GOVERNOR</a> AND THE CHAIRS OF APPROPRIATIONS </b><br />
<br />
Tell them NOT to approve the new prison beds and instead invest $100 million in the things that truly make us safer!<br />
<br />
Governor Doug Ducey:<br />
(602) 542-4331 (Maricopa County and Phoenix)<br />
(520) 628-6850 Tucson<br />
(602) 542-1381 Fax<br />
<br />
Senate Appropriations Chair: Sen. <b><a href="http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=13&Legislature=52&Session_ID=114">Don Shooter</a></b>, (602) 926-4139, dshooter@azleg.gov<br />
<br />
House Appropriations Chair: Rep. <b><a href="http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=78&Legislature=52&Session_ID=114">Justin Olson</a></b>, (602) 926-5288, jolson@azleg.gov<br />
<br />
<b>Suggested Talking Points:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. 3,000 more medium security prison beds are overly expensive and unnecessary</b>:<br />
a. These new beds would cost Arizona over $100 million in just the first few years.<br />
b. The Arizona Department of Corrections claims it needs the best due
to population growth. But ADC’s own records show that the increase in
prison population may be due not just to more people entering the
system, but also to prisoners staying longer. The number of people being
released decreased by 7.5% between 2009 and 2014, while at the same
time the average length of a stay in prison has increased by 19%.<br />
<br />
<b>2. The Department of Corrections’ funding should be tied to realistic
performance standards similar to those expected of other state agencies.
</b><br />
a. The Arizona Department of Corrections reports that its
recidivism rate is 42%. However, ADC also reports that 48.8% of inmates
have served time in the Arizona prison system before.<br />
b. Recidivism
is basically future crime. If the purpose of Corrections is to preserve
public safety, Arizona prisons have a 40-50% failure rate.<br />
<br />
<b>3.
There are effective alternatives either currently in place or being
proposed that would make the new prison beds unnecessary.</b><br />
a. The
Transition Program allows all non-violent prisoners to be released after
serving 85% of their sentence. In 2012, the program saved taxpayers
$1,038,224. Yet even after statutory changes expanding eligibility and
an ADC review of its criteria and procedures, the program is being
underutilized. <br />
b. A modest adjustment of Truth in Sentencing laws
would potentially allow for the release of 9,500 people, with a
potential cost savings of $207,493,375 per year.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-79202336704356368352015-02-02T11:20:00.002-07:002019-05-18T12:40:10.786-07:00Chuck Ryan's legacy: Gangs and rapists rule the AZ DOC.<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">hope @dougducey has the balls to deal with this guy Ryan...</span></h3>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As many folks who follow this site are aware, a prison teacher was stabbed and raped at the AZ DOC a year ago; the court hasn't dismissed her case yet, thank god. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hopefully her suit will be a small vindication to those of you who haven't been able to hold the AZ DOC's feet to the fire on this issue - and a great use to those of you who are currently litigating on these issues, as well. This remark
from the victim about who bears responsibility for the high
level of violence in AZ prisons bears paying attention to, especially if you've lost someone to it:</span></i><br />
<br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"></span></span><br />
"The attack raised questions about prison security after reports
showed she was put into a room full of inmates with no guards nearby.<br />
<br />
Authorities said Harvey had lingered behind after others left the
room, then repeatedly stabbed the victim with a pen before raping her.<br />
<br />
In a September interview with the AP, the woman said she primarily
blamed Corrections Director Charles Ryan for putting her in danger. She
said rampant understaffing meant no one checked on her while she was in
the classroom."<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Surviving the violence is a serious issue at the AZ DOC, as far as prisoners and the parents of prisoners, are concerned, too - like those of <b><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2015/01/asp-kingmans-deaths-in-custody-neil.html">Neil Early, mudered at ASP-Kingman</a></b> last month. Prisons are run by state and gang violence, and are thus inherently unsafe institutions to live or work in. But Arizona's are also grossly short-staffed (presumably so we can divert more money to the pocketbooks of out-of-state profiteers), so employees and prisoners alike are often left to fend for themselves. With plenty of blind spots to allow the prison heroin traffic to readily flourish (which sedates the masses, you see), the most vulnerable are easy prey. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That explains, in brief, why one union for AZ correctional officers, the<a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2014/02/suing-az-doc-judicial-watch-arizona.html"> <b>Arizona Corrections Association, has asked Judicial Watch to intervene</b></a> due to the high incidence of assaults on officers under Ryan's tenure. In fact, </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's <a href="http://www.prisonabolitionist.com/2010/11/brewer-please-sack-chuck-ryan.html"><b>the AZCPOA 2011 letter of no confidence in Charles Ryan's leadership</b></a>. </span></i>Note how the AZCPOA letter in that second link makes references to documents being routinely falsified and officers being punished for reporting security concerns.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Here is a list of links to other AzPW posts about prison
safety, specifically for those of you helping someone fight the AZ DOC
for protection from gangs, bad debts, racists, homophobes, or certain
death out on the GP yards.</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2013/08/az-doc-protective-custody-battles.html">AZ DOC Protective Custody Battles: Surviving the Fight</a> </b></li>
<li><b> </b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2013/09/az-doc-protective-custody-battles.html">AZ DOC Protective Custody Battles: Letter to the Endangered Prisoner</a></b></li>
<li><b> </b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2014/06/az-state-prisoners-and-activists-call.html">AZ DOC Prisoners and activists call on DOJ to investigate violence, gangs, prison rape</a></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Follow the links above, </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>and hold Chuck Ryan accountable for your loved one's safety by addressing him here: <b><a href="mailto:CRYAN@azcorrections.gov">CRYAN@azcorrections.gov</a></b>. </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Be sure you <b><a href="http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp">put your legislators</a></b> in the cc line - they fund his department, even though the <b><a href="http://www.azgovernor.gov/governor/engage">governor</a></b> is his boss. Don't bother with Ryan's subordinates, unless they are actually helping you. Send all your communications about the danger your loved one faces to his in-box, and insist on confirmation that it's been received.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Meanwhile, if you cant print and send them the things they need yourself, tell prisoners to write to <b><a href="http://phoenixabc.org/">Phoenix ABC</a></b> at PO Box 7241 / Tempe, AZ 85281. They should ask for info about the issue they're dealing with: folks at the ABC will send self-help articles about their <b><a href="http://www3.law.columbia.edu/hrlr/jlm/toc/">rights</a></b>, copies of <b><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/reports-documents/adc-policies/department-orders-index">relevant policy</a></b>, etc. PHX ABC may also be reached via email at <b><a href="mailto:collective@phoenixabc.org">collective@phoenixabc.org</a></b>. Or find them on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/phxabc?ref=br_tf"><b>here</b>.</a></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Finally, here is the list of attorneys I'd send you to if you needed help suing the AZ DOC. None of them asked to advertise with me, by the way - I put this together for you, not for them: </i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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-------------from the AP/East Valley Tribune------------- </div>
<h1 id="blox-asset-title">
<a href="http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/arizona/yourwestvalley/article_f5073b5a-ecf0-5d6f-8567-bb91cad3e014.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="blox-headline entry-title">Arizona wants lawsuit filed by raped prison teacher tossed</span></span></a></h1>
<div class="story-times dtstamp">
<b>
Posted: <span class="updated" title="2015-02-02T00:42:00-07:00">Monday, February 2, 2015 12:42 am</span></b>
</div>
<b>
</b><br />
<div class="byline">
<b>
<span class="author source-org vcard"><span class="org fn">Associated Press</span></span> |East Valley Tribune</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="content">
<span class="first-paragraph">
<span class="paragraph-0"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">PHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers for the state of Arizona will urge a judge on
Monday to dismiss a civil-rights violations lawsuit filed by a
Department of Corrections teacher who was raped by a convicted sex
offender in a prison classroom.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">The lawsuit blames corrections employees for failing to establish
proper security and the department's health care provider for improperly
assessing prisoner Jacob Harvey's mental health. That allowed the
then-20-year-old convicted rapist to be classified as a relatively
low-risk offender and gain access to the classroom on Jan. 30, 2014.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">A federal judge will hear arguments on the state's request to dismiss
the case Monday. A deputy attorney general wrote that the teacher
routinely worked in classrooms at the Eyman prison complex in Florence,
and there is always a risk of assault when working with prisoners. He
wrote the case should be dismissed because the teacher can't show the
defendants had actual knowledge of or willfully ignored impending harm.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">"By being placed in a classroom at the complex, the officers were not
placing plaintiff in any type of situation that she would not normally
face," deputy attorney general Jonathan Weisbard wrote.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">The victim's lawyer says there is nothing normal about his client
being placed unguarded in a classroom with convicted sex offenders.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">"To the contrary, the complaint alleges in substantial detail (and
plaintiff will prove) that there is nothing 'normal' or 'routine' about a
teacher being left alone in a room for nearly ninety minutes with six
or seven sex offenders and special needs inmates, including at least two
who were convicted of violent sexual crimes," attorney Scott Zwillinger
wrote.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">The woman, who is not being identified by The Associated Press
because she's a sexual assault victim, also is suing prison health care
provider Corizon Health Inc. Lawyers for Corizon also are asking that
the case be dismissed and deny wrongdoing.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">A claim the woman made against the state before filing the lawsuit sought $4 million.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">The attack raised questions about prison security after reports
showed she was put into a room full of inmates with no guards nearby.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">Authorities said Harvey had lingered behind after others left the
room, then repeatedly stabbed the victim with a pen before raping her.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">In a September interview with the AP, the woman said she primarily
blamed Corrections Director Charles Ryan for putting her in danger. She
said rampant understaffing meant no one checked on her while she was in
the classroom.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">"Safety's got to come before everything, and there's just this
attitude that we have the number of staff we need because we say we do,"
she said.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">A prison spokesman called the rape "a cowardly and despicable crime,
for which the inmate is rightfully facing prosecution" and said safety
is always paramount.</span></span><br />
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0"><br /></span></span>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">Harvey is awaiting trial on rape, assault, kidnapping and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty.</span></span></div>
<span class="first-paragraph"><span class="paragraph-0">
</span>
</span>
</div>
Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-37308477877430714932015-02-01T23:18:00.002-07:002019-05-18T12:40:33.162-07:00The Ghosts of Doug Ducey: JANUARY 2015 State Prison Deaths<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span><i> </i></h3>
<br />
<i>The first month of the new year was not kind to Arizona's prisoners, at least three of whom died in the first week by their own hand, and one of whom was brutally murdered. What follows are death notices for January 2015. The AZ DOC seldom updates the public with information about a cause of
death unless there's a compelling demand from media for it - and all they are inclined to tell us about at times like these are their dead prisoners crimes and punishments. If you have any information on any of these individuals' lives or their deaths, or are a loved one who needs assistance, please feel free to contact me. Peggy Plews <a href="mailto:arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com">arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com</a></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>JANUARY 2015 AZ DOC DEATHS </b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">January 1 ASPC-Lewis SUICIDE Donald Condra, 51, ADC #233190</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">January 5 ASPC-EYMAN SUICIDE Bernard Stewart, 47, ADC #277366</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">January 5 ASPC-EYMAN SUICIDE <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">Justin Reif, 24 ADC#244623</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">January 6 ASPC-Florence UNK </span></span>James Haley, 50 ADC#075188<br />
<br />
January 7 ASPC-Perryville UNK <span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">Carolyn Thompson, 67 ADC#038274</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">January 14 CACF (GEO) UNK </span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">Craig Aubert, 46 ADC#278241</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">January 19 ASP-Kingman Homicide </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">Neil Early, 23, ADC #250396</span></span> </span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
January 31 ASPC-Perryville UNK <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cheryl Smith, 54 ADC#288162</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeE8Mnq67O1o0MMHgYSo2UEHOrnbXCLC-ZxNdbgJ5IGLQGR1FfeC3pEygLTa4z0uGVufemujaxOPjpHaND1i3z0UjLyP_kESOqfH2yhjFfSZI8zyx1gWlWgqhBRtd4_2MJHtR45AypUXc/s1600/neilearly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeE8Mnq67O1o0MMHgYSo2UEHOrnbXCLC-ZxNdbgJ5IGLQGR1FfeC3pEygLTa4z0uGVufemujaxOPjpHaND1i3z0UjLyP_kESOqfH2yhjFfSZI8zyx1gWlWgqhBRtd4_2MJHtR45AypUXc/s1600/neilearly.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: small;">23 year old Neil Early </span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Murdered at ASP-Kingman, </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>on a minimum security yard.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i><span style="font-size: small;">This was the AZ DOC's Director's statement about suicides on his watch after two guys killed themselves the same day, in the same prison. What I've seen is that Ryan's AZ DOC's methods of "suicide prevention" and "suicide watch" are so brutal and humiliating, with mentally ill prisoners in particular sustaining such emotional and physical abuse, that its no wonder more aren't sent home dead. This really sounds like Ryan is trying hard to look on the bright side of being mediocre ("average") about suicide prevention and response. I wouldnt find it acceptable, myself, if my own kid was inside - by not offering drug abuse treatment and mental health care where needed, Corizon is cutting corners where Ryan lets them, making a profit at the most severely impaired prisoners' expense... </span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">------------------</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/article/inmate-death-notification-reif"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><b>Statement from Corrections Director Charles Ryan </b></span></a></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/article/inmate-death-notification-reif"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><b>regarding inmate suicides</b></span></a></span></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">“The
Department of Corrections is dedicated to the safety and security of
the general public, ADC personnel and the inmates in our custody. Any
inmate self-harm attempt is taken seriously and is thoroughly
investigated.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">This
department has a goal of zero inmate suicides, and while one suicide is
one too many, data from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics
indicate that ADC’s rate of inmate suicides was approximately 17 per
100,000 from 2001-2012 (the most recent annual data available). This is
nearly identical to the overall rate for the entire state population. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">This
data also shows that in terms of prison systems, 21 states had a higher
rate than Arizona, 27 had a rate below, and one has the same rate as
ADC. This places Arizona’s rate in alignment with national average. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">In
2009, ADC instituted enhanced measures to address this issue. Those
strategies include an integrated approach to mental health and suicide
prevention that combines environmental, programmatic, operational,
training and staff considerations. This begins for every inmate upon
arrival at ADC where they are assessed for any mental health, medical
and dental issues.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">Specifically,
ADC has instituted additional inmate programming to address mental
health and self-esteem concerns, enhanced officer patrol procedures to
ensure ongoing observation of inmates in max custody units, made
facility modifications such as enlarging cell windows to increase
visibility and communication between inmates and staff, modified
recreational enclosures to increase group contact and promote
socialization, replaced individual classroom enclosures with secure desk
chairs for programming classes, and installed televisions for
self-paced inmate programming.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b># # # #</b></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"><b>INMATE DEATHS<br />BY YEAR AND CAUSE</b></span></span></div>
<img alt="Inmate Deaths by Year and Cause" class="media-element file-default" data-file_info="%7B%22fid%22:%222724%22,%22view_mode%22:%22default%22,%22fields%22:%7B%22format%22:%22default%22,%22field_file_image_alt_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Inmate%20Deaths%20by%20Year%20and%20Cause%22,%22field_file_image_title_text%5Bund%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%22:%22Inmate%20Deaths%20by%20Year%20and%20Cause%22%7D,%22type%22:%22media%22%7D" height="258" src="https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/inmate_deaths_by_year_and_cause.png" style="height: 90%; width: 90%;" title="Inmate Deaths by Year and Cause" width="320" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;">*FY 2015 as of 01/05/2015<br />**Actual inmate population as of 01/05/2015<br />Includes ADC and Contract Beds<br />ADP – Average Daily Population (for Fiscal Year)<br />Cause
of death figures are subject to change based on official medical
examiner reports, which may be issued in a subsequent month.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif;"> </span></span> Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-87363981216607275272015-01-27T21:03:00.001-07:002019-05-18T12:45:06.387-07:00"No Man's Land" and short-staffing at ASPC-Lewis: Appeals court keeps Cortez case alive.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The following ruling is important, so follow those links and read the complaint and decision. And please be sure you have an attorney who knows prison law, folks, if you have lost a loved one inside, or are trying to save one still. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>If you need a list of lawyers who have sued the AZ DOC, one is here (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8WlYFefqjc5cDhMSGpUb3I1bG1tSXBtOHdWelIzeVpyUHdv/view?usp=sharing">pg1</a>) and here (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8WlYFefqjc5MzFEV2ZDNTRTM0pMN185ZzZHUndaUlZQb1Vj/view?usp=sharing">pg2</a>). </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I compiled it myself for prisoners and their families to find help, not for the lawyers to get clients - they didn't even ask me to list them - nor are there any guarantees that they will be great. Just interview them yourselves, and trust your better judgement.</i> <i>The firm litigating this case isn't on my list yet, so I'll put them down here - kudos to them for salvaging this claim. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div data-canvas-width="232.1895405526303" style="left: 143.999px; text-align: center; top: 229.74px; transform: scaleX(0.932488);">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Leader Law Firm</span></span></div>
<div data-canvas-width="232.1895405526303" style="left: 143.999px; text-align: center; top: 229.74px; transform: scaleX(0.932488);">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">John P Leader, Esq. </span></span></div>
<div data-canvas-width="232.1895405526303" style="left: 143.999px; text-align: center; top: 229.74px; transform: scaleX(0.932488);">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1715 E. Skyline Dr., #121 </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tucson, AZ 85718 </span></span></div>
<div data-canvas-width="200.38956931323432" style="left: 143.999px; text-align: center; top: 279.54px; transform: scaleX(0.90674);">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Phone (520) 575-9040 </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">05/18/19 UPDATE <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23chuckchuck" target="_blank">see the current campaign</a> to oust Charles Ryan from the AZ DOC - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">same old story year after year and no one has the guts to deal with him, still. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">poor @dougducey probably wont sack him even now...</span></span><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
#CHUCKCHUCK #DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan #FireChuckRyan" </span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS #FREEMARCIAPOWELL</span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#<a href="http://www.nohumaninvolvedfilm.com/" target="_blank">NOHUMANINVOLVED</a></span></h3>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-----<a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/">from Courthouse News</a>----</span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div id="C1R1_Headline">
<h5>
<a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/01/26/arizona-must-defend-claims-over-jail-attack.htm"><span style="font-size: small;">Arizona Must Defend Claims Over Jail Attack</span></a></h5>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
<b>By JAMIE ROSS</b> /<b>Courthouse News</b></span><br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;">Monday, January 26, 2015</span></h1>
PHOENIX (CN) - Arizona may be liable for claims filed on behalf of a
prison inmate who was assaulted by two others while a prison guard
escorted them through "no man's land," a back-alley area without
cameras, the 9th Circuit ruled Monday.<br />
<br />
Marty Cortez filed <a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/01/26/CortezLawsuit.pdf">suit</a>
against Arizona and Bill Skol, the prison guard, in 2009 for
failure-to-protect and negligence on behalf of her now-deceased son,
Philip.<br />
<br />
On Nov. 16, 2007, officers applied belly chains -- but
not leg irons, as allegedly required by prison policy - to move Cortez,
Juan Cruz, and Steven Lavender from the detention unit to the visitation
building. Skol, a visitation officer, was responsible for escorting
inmates between the two structures.<br />
<br />
While in "no man's land" - a
back alley hidden from cameras and non-escorting officers - Cruz and
Lavender attacked Cortez and stomped on the back of his head as he lay
on the ground, handcuffed. Skol allegedly used pepper spray on Cruz and
Lavender, but did not physically intervene in the attack, which
allegedly lasted for five minutes.<br />
<br />
Cortez suffered a brain
injury from the assault, was granted clemency and released from prison.
He later died of an apparent drug overdose.<br />
<br />
The defendants filed
motions for summary judgment, and a magistrate judge found that the
evidence supported her claims. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Zipps <a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/01/26/ZippsOpinion.pdf">disagreed</a>, however, and found for Skol and Arizona.<br />
<br />
"Given
the inherently risky environment in which plaintiff Cortez's injuries
occurred, there is no material issue of fact regarding whether plaintiff
Cortez was exposed to an unreasonable risk, nor is there evidence to
suggest that it was highly probable that harm would result," Zipps
wrote.<br />
<br />
Cortez promptly appealed. On Monday, the 9th Circuit held
that there was enough evidence to show the "high-security" inmates were
undermanned, and that Skol acted with indifference to Cortez's safety.<br />
<br />
The
opinion written by U.S. Circuit Judge Michelle T. Friedland, on behalf
of a three-judge panel, noted that Skol admitted to an investigator that
he overhead "a lot [of] talk and harassing words between the three
inmates in the back cage," had reason to know that Cortez was in
protective custody and was at risk for attack by other prisoners, and
knew that prison policy required leg restraints.<br />
<br />
"Skol's
admitted awareness of the policy, combined with the prison
administrators' testimony regarding its effect, raises a genuine issue
as to whether Skol proceeded with the escort despite knowing that the
inmates were not properly restrained," Friedland wrote.<br />
<br />
Since
there was enough evidence to show Skol acted with "deliberate
indifference" toward Cortez, the State of Arizona still faces negligence
claims against it, the panel said.<br />
<br />
"Because we have concluded
that there are material fact disputes with respect to deliberate
indifference, and because Arizona's gross negligence standard is lower
than the federal deliberate indifference standard, we necessarily
conclude that there are also material fact disputes with respect to
gross negligence," Freidland wrote. "Indeed, in addition to being
responsible for Skol's behavior, the State may also be liable for the
aggregate conduct of other prison staff." Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-80974367994684920482015-01-27T19:08:00.001-07:002015-01-27T19:08:39.703-07:00Johann Hari: Why addicts' lives matter...<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don't miss Johann's book on the Drug War!</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://chasingthescream.com/">chasingthescream.com</a></b></span></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks, friend, for remembering <b><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-tell-marcia-powell-s-story">Marcia Powell</a></b>...</span></i></div>
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> <span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-tell-marcia-powell-s-story">Free Marcia Powell!</a></b></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>-----------------from the Huffington Post-----------------</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<h1 class="title">
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/addicts-lives-matter-we-n_b_6546318.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Addicts' Lives Matter: Here's Why We Need a Hashtag -- and a Total Change of Attitude</span></a></h1>
<h1 class="title">
</h1>
<div class="info">
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/" rel="author"><span class="name fn">Johann Hari</span></a> Author of 'Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs'<div class="headline group">
<div class="times">
<span class="posted">
Posted: <time datetime="2015-01-26T09:52:58-05:00">
01/26/2015 9:52 am EST </time>
</span>
<span class="updated">
Updated: <time datetime="2015-01-27T09:59:01-05:00">
01/27/2015 9:59 am EST </time>
</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
For the past few months, I
have been watching the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter as it exposes the
unpunished killings of African-Americans -- Trayvon and Michael and
Eric, and all the other names that never make the news, because there
are so many, and it never seems to stop. I had a very personal reason
for watching it so closely. For most of my adult life, and for the past
three years especially, I have been spending a lot of time with another
minority group. All over the world, they are being killed or left to
die, with nobody being punished, and nobody being called to account.
There have even been government officials who suggest their deaths are a
good thing<br />
. <br />
There will be some people reading this who shrug
when members of this minority die, and say they brought it on
themselves. I am talking about addicts, who I spent a lot of time with
for my new book, <a href="http://www.chasingthescream.com/" target="_hplink"><em>Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs</em>.</a> I would like to propose today the hashtag #AddictsLivesMatter, because we need to change how we think about them.<br />
<br />
Here's
a story I stumbled across that, to me, distills the darkest attitude we
have fostered towards addicts in our culture -- the one that has been
created by the drug war, and has been in place for a century this year.<br />
In
Phoenix, Arizona, I went to a prison called Tent City. It is a slew of
tents in the desert behind barbed wire, and I went out in the sweaty
Arizona sun with the prison's female chain gang, who are forced to wear
t-shirts saying "I Was A Drug Addict" and dig graves. The guards force
these women to chant rhymes that state they will be electrocuted if they
show any "lip." It's not an idle threat: I met the father of a man who
was killed with a taser in this prison, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BeOd_Ukm_s" target="_hplink">on camera</a>, when he was offering no resistance.<br />
<br />
I
talked with the women about their lives as they wiped the sweat from
their brows. One of them, Karen, was in her early forties and had a
quiet, girlish voice as she stuttered her story about being violently
abused by men all her life, and how the only thing that had ever made
her feel any relief was drugs.<br />
<br />
I also spoke with the women who
work on prisoners' rights in Arizona, and I asked them one of my stock
journalistic questions: What have you seen over the years that shocked
you? One of them, Donna Leone Hamm of the excellent organization <a href="http://www.middlegroundprisonreform.org/" target="_hplink">Middle Ground Prison Reform</a>,
started to reel off a long list, and a while into her list she
mentioned the time they put a woman in a cage and cooked her, and then
carried on. I asked her to stop, and go back a second. What did they do?<br />
<br />
When
Prisoner Number 109416 woke up in her cell in Perryville State Prison
on May 19th 2009 she was suicidal. The prison doctor said she was just
trying to get out of her cell. They took 109416 and put her in an
uncovered outdoor cage. And they left her there. According to witnesses,
she begged for water. She shat herself. She started to scream
deliriously. And then she collapsed. By the time the ambulance arrived,
her internal organs had been cooked, as if in an oven.<br />
<br />
And here's the thing. Nobody was ever criminally punished.<br />
<br />
Because she was an addict. Because she didn't matter.<br />
<br />
Almost
nothing was known about Prisoner Number 109416 except that she was in
and out of prison either for having meth, or for prostituting herself to
get it, so I set off on a journey across the US to find out who she
really was. The story -- which you can find in the book -- tells us a
lot about the drug war. Her real name was Marcia Powell and, as I
learned from the father of her son, there were moments in her life when
she got clean and recovered, only to be busted for old drug charges and
to spiral back onto the road that ended in a desert cage.<br />
<br />
This
story is extreme, but as I learned on my long journey from Mexico to
Vietnam, it is only the sharpest tip of the spear that is jabbed at
addicts every day, across most of the world. It has been there since the
start of the drug war. This war was launched in the 1930s by a man
called Harry Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who
was driven by an obsessive hatred of addicts. He treasured a poem that
said he could only retire when "the last addicts died."<br />
<br />
One of the
people he took his rage out on was Billie Holiday. He had her stalked
by his agents and sent to prison. He had her stripped of her ability to
perform anywhere that alcohol was served. When she collapsed with liver
cancer, his agents arrested her on her hospital bed. They handcuffed her
to the bed. They confiscated her record player. They banned her friends
from seeing her. People protested outside with signs saying "Let Lady
Live." When her methadone was cut off, she went into withdrawal and
died.<br />
<br />
And here's where #BlackLivesMatter and #AddictsLivesMatter
meet. When Anslinger found out Judy Garland was a heroin addict, he
didn't have her stalked and killed. He told her to take longer
vacations, and reassured her studio she'd be fine. Can you spot the
difference between Billie and Judy? Can you spot the difference today
between the addicts in Beverley Hills who get compassionate rehab, and
the addicts in South Central who get cold jail cells?<br />
<br />
Nobody
wishes the drug war on people they love -- white people, in Harry
Anslinger's case. Yet when it comes to the addicts we don't know, we
have chosen -- as a society -- a policy of mass caging instead of a
policy of compassion. Why? I interviewed Eric Sterling, the lawyer who
wrote the drug laws from the United States throughout the 1980s, and who
now bitterly regrets it and campaigns for sensible policies. He told me
about one meeting, at the height of the AIDS crisis, where he and a
group of senators were being briefed on how it was essential to
distribute clean needles, or all the addicts would die. Eric didn't
write down the words at the time, but he recalled that one of the
senator suggested a mass die-off of addicts would be a good thing. After
all, who wants addicts to survive?<br />
<br />
It's important to stress that
most people who support the drug war don't think this way. They don't
want to kill addicts. They tell themselves that they are being harsh in
order to be kind -- that you have to threaten punishment in order to
encourage current addicts to stop, and to prevent other people from
falling down that dark well. I don't judge anyone for believing this --
it is based on compassion, and it has been backed with an enormous
amount of government propaganda for a hundred years.<br />
<br />
But I would
urge anyone who sincerely believes this to look at the evidence. There
are places that have tried the punishment approach and addicts keep
dying in huge numbers. And there are places that have tried the
compassionate approach and addicts start to survive and recover in much
greater numbers. I have seen this all over the world, from Switzerland
to the North of England. To give just one example, in Portugal, after
they decriminalized all drugs and chose to spend the money on caring for
addicts instead, the rate of injecting drug use has fallen by 50
percent, and overdose and HIV transmission among addicts have come
crashing down.<br />
<br />
To choose this better path, we have to undo a lot
of the assumptions that have been drilled into our heads. As Harry
Anslinger was stalking Billie Holiday, he was helping to invent a whole
new way of thinking about addicts -- as vampires, or zombies, or
predators. We have dehumanized people who get addicted to banned drugs
in a way we (thankfully) don't dehumanize people who get addicted to
legal drugs, like alcohol. We have to recover the ability to see the
humanity of addicts -- that they are people like us, with feelings and
dreams and the capacity to be heroic.<br />
<br />
I learned about this from many people -- but nobody taught it to me more than a man called Bud Osborn.<br />
In
the year 2000 Bud was a homeless street addict on the streets of the
Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. His neighborhood had the highest
concentration of addicts anywhere in North America. It was the place at
the end of the line in the city at the end of the line of the American
continent, and all around him, Bud's friends were dying. They would
shoot up behind dumpsters so the police wouldn't see them -- but if the
police can't see you, nor can anyone else, so if you start to OD, you
will be found days later, dead.<br />
<br />
Bud decided he had to do something. But he also thought, <em>What can I do? I am just a homeless junkie.</em><br />
Then he had an idea. He gathered some addicts and proposed something simple. He asked them, <em>Why don't we arrange a schedule, and patrol the alleyways ourselves? If we see one of us ODing, we can call an ambulance.</em><br />
<br />
The
addicts started to do it and their death rates began to tumble. That
was great in itself, but it also meant they began to think about
themselves differently -- <em>maybe we're not pieces of shit</em><em>. Maybe we are people who can achieve things.</em>
They started to turn up at public meetings to discuss The Menace Of The
Addicts, and they would sit at the back, and after a while, they would
put up their hands and explain they were The Addicts, and ask what they
could do differently. People complained they left needles lying around,
so the patrols were extended to collect discarded needles.<br />
<br />
Bud
learned that in Frankfurt, Germany, they had opened safe injecting rooms
where people could use their drugs monitored by doctors, and that it
had massively reduced the death toll. So Bud and hundreds of other
addicts began to stalk Philip Owen, the right-wing mayor of Vancouver,
everywhere he went, carrying a coffin, asking how long it would be
before he ended the deaths.<br />
<br />
Nobody had much optimism. Philip Owen
was a right-wing businessman from a rich family who had said that
addicts should be carted off to the local military base.<br />
<br />
But then,
after protesting for years, something nobody expected happened. Philip
Owen wondered who the hell these people were, and he went to the
Downtown Eastside incognito, and he spent night after night talking with
addicts. And he was blown away. He had had no idea what their lives
were like.<br />
<br />
So Philip Owen made an announcement. He held a press
conference with the police chief, the coroner, and the addicts, and he
announced they were opening the first injecting room in North America.
It opened, and Philip Owen's right-wing party was so appalled they
eventually deselected him, and his political career ended. He was
replaced by a left-wing candidate who kept the injecting room open.<br />
<br />
But
the taboo was broken. And now the results are in. Ten years on, the
average life expectancy on the Downtown Eastside has improved by ten
years, and overdose is down by 80 percent. Philip Owen told me he would
do it all again in a heart beat.<br />
<br />
Bud died last year. He was only
in his early sixties, but life as a homeless addict during a drug war,
before there was any help, had wrecked his body. For his memorial
service they sealed off the streets of the Downtown Eastside, where he
had once lived on the pavements, and enormous crowds gathered. There
were a lot of people in that crowd who knew they were alive because of
the uprising Bud began all those years before.<br />
<br />
I learned so much
from my friendship with Bud, but here's what I learned more than
anything else: You never write anyone off. You never dismiss a human
being. You never can assume anyone is worthless. It's hard to think of
somebody with less power or respect than a homeless street addict -- but
Bud saved thousands of lives, and he changed his city forever.<br />
<br />
If you are reading this and thinking, <em>Yes,
the abuse of addicts is wrong, but what can we do? We all feel
powerless. We all feel sometimes like we can't make a difference.</em> Then think of Bud. If we band together, we have so much more power than we realize.<br />
<br />
Every
human has the capacity to be a hero -- including addicts. Every life
matters. Every addict's life matters. Marcia Powell deserved better than
being cooked in a cage. Billie Holiday deserved better than being
handcuffed on her deathbed. Bud deserved better than years on the
streets. In the twentieth century, we chose policies that kill addicts
over policies that save addicts. As year 101 of the drug war begins, we
have a chance to save the next Marcia, and Billie, and Bud. There is a
better way waiting for us -- if only we are ready to seize it.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<em>Please
share your stories of addicts you have known, or addicts who have been
killed by our wrong approach, with the hashtag #AddictsLivesMatter.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Johann
Hari's book 'Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on
Drugs' is published by Bloomsbury as a hardback, ebook and audiobook. To
find out where to buy it, or for more information, click <a href="http://www.chasingthescream.com/" target="_hplink">here</a>.</em><br />
<br />
<em>To be kept up to date on this issue, you can <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chasingthescream?ref=bookmarks" target="_hplink">like the book's Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/johannhari101" target="_hplink">follow Johann on Twitter.</a></em><br />
<br />
<em>The sources for this article can be found in the book.</em><br />
<br />
<em>You can watch the video of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPrnFKjxQk" target="_hplink">Johann Hari's recent speech about #AddictsLivesMatter</a>. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Johann
will be speaking and signing books at Politics and Prose in Washington
DC on the evening of the 29th Jan, the 92nd Street Y in NYC on the
lunchtime of the 30th Jan, Red Emma's in Baltimore on the 4th Feb, and
at Ben McNally bookstore in Toronto (with Naomi Klein) on the 11th Feb.</em><br />
<br />
<b class="follow_twt_author">
Follow Johann Hari on Twitter:
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/johannhari101" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/johannhari101</a>
</b>
Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-44196511277249926542015-01-26T15:09:00.004-07:002015-01-26T15:12:25.262-07:00Monica Jones' Conviction Overturned in AZ Superior Court!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hooray!The state will no doubt want to refile charges, so stay tuned. I suspect this isn't over...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Sent:</b> Monday, January 26, 2015 10:20 AM<br />
<b>Subject:</b> ACLU News: Monica Jones Conviction Overturned</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Good afternoon,<br />
<b><br />
Crystal here from the ACLU, writing to inform you that Monica Jones’
conviction for manifesting intent to solicit prostitution was overturned
today by the Superior Court of Arizona.</b><br />
<br />
Jones was arrested and charged in May 2013 under a Phoenix law that the
ACLU and others have argued is unconstitutional. In April 2014 she was
convicted and then in August of that year she appealed her conviction.
The ACLU filed an amicus brief in support of
her appeal and has been supporting her since her arrest. Here is a
background blog on her case:
<a href="https://www.aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/when-walking-down-street-crime" target="_blank">https://www.aclu.org/blog/<wbr></wbr>lgbt-rights/when-walking-down-<wbr></wbr>street-crime</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Monica Jones comment:</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";"> </span></b><br />
“Today is a great day! My wrongful conviction under the Phoenix
manifestation law was vacated this morning. I am so grateful to my legal
team and all of my supporters across the country and world. My
conviction being vacated is important but it is a small win
in our larger fight for justice. There are so many trans women and
cisgender women who might be charged under this law in Phoenix and
similar laws across the country. There is so much more work that needs
to be done so that no one will have to face what I
have no matter who they are or what past convictions they have.”<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Comments from legal team:</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jean-Jacques “J” Cabou</span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, a partner at the law firm of
<a href="http://www.perkinscoie.com/en/index.html" target="_blank">PerkinsCoie</a>
who represented Monica in her appeal and argued her case, said: “Monica
was convicted in an unconstitutional trial, under an unconstitutional
law, of a crime she didn’t commit. We are incredibly
pleased that the appellate court agreed that Monica was
unconstitutionally denied the presumption of innocence and that the
court vacated her conviction.” <wbr></wbr> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chase Strangio</span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,
a staff attorney with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, who has been
working with Monica for
the past year and a half, said: “Like so many trans women of color,
Monica Jones was profiled and targeted by police for walking down the
street. Today’s reversal of her conviction is an important validation of
Monica’s brave fight to be seen and treated like
a human being.”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dan Pochoda</span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,
senior counsel at the ACLU of Arizona, who has also been working on
Monica’s case, noted:
“Monica Jones was targeted by law enforcement after her public
opposition to the coercive treatment of sex workers by Project ROSE. The
demise of this Project is based on the inaccurate claim that most adult
sex workers are "trafficked" is further vindication
of Monica.”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The order can be found here:
<a href="https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/monica_jones_conviction_reversed.pdf" target="_blank">
https://www.aclu.org/sites/<wbr></wbr>default/files/assets/monica_<wbr></wbr>jones_conviction_reversed.pdf</a>. Happy to connect you to Monica Jones and her legal team for further discussion. You can reach me at <a href="tel:212-519-7894" target="_blank" value="+12125197894">212-519-7894</a>.<br />
<br />
Best,</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Crystal Cooper</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
Media Strategist<br />
American Civil Liberties Union<br />
125 Broad St., New York, NY 10004<br />
■ <a href="tel:212.519.7894" target="_blank" value="+12125197894">212.519.7894</a> ■ <a href="mailto:ccooper@aclu.org" target="_blank">ccooper@aclu.org</a></span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-7243078272293255752015-01-21T06:41:00.000-07:002019-05-18T12:53:47.370-07:00ASP-Kingman's Deaths in Custody: Neil Early, 23.<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>UPDATE 05/19/19 </i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>current campaign (over the SOS happening still)</i></span></b></span><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span style="font-size: small;">#DARTHryan #DarkSideRyan </span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">#CHUCKCHUCK</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> <span>#DELIBERATEindifferenceKILLS</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>(I actually doubt @dougducey has the balls to #FIREChuckRyan but we should tell him to anyway)</span></span></h3>
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>UPDATE (1/25/15 3:20pm) </i></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I've heard from Neil's family since the post below, and they confirm he was murdered at ASP-Kingman/Cerbat. The AZ DOC should have cracked down on ASP-Kingman over the proliferation of drugs and violence there after the escape of John McClusky and friends, but by the sound sof things, it all only got worse once the spotlight was off this private prison.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Neil's mom has posted this message on her facebook, and has asked folks to share it far and wide.<span class="userContent"><br /> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="userContent"></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="userContent"></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="userContent"><br /> </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tPJrX1SrCb2j62yPqcVEPg0wptys7pyn9Q7WZ8kLc_SnAQtA4S5bWjipoL4q8IuRWBPzwIMUbNqaBZfrz_o0myh78VCUIGC6wpZtyOGFfHCbcwJHjUcwmUcjH7EFvL3ZDIxpY64E_cD0/s1600/neilearlyGRAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tPJrX1SrCb2j62yPqcVEPg0wptys7pyn9Q7WZ8kLc_SnAQtA4S5bWjipoL4q8IuRWBPzwIMUbNqaBZfrz_o0myh78VCUIGC6wpZtyOGFfHCbcwJHjUcwmUcjH7EFvL3ZDIxpY64E_cD0/s1600/neilearlyGRAD.jpg" width="229" /></a></i></span></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">(Neil Early 7/11/1991-1/19/2015)</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="userContent"> <br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">We are the parents of Neil Early who was murdered in the Kingman Prison
on Monday 1/19/15. Neil was only 23 years old. There are many untruths
going on and we want to clarify a few details.<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> <br />
Neil wasn’t a bad man, misguided, but he wanted to do the right thing.
He was in prison, doing 5 years and had 15 months left on his term. He
was convicted of Drug Paraphernalia and Conspiracy to Commit Retail
Theft. This meant that he stole some video games from two different
stores and resold them for money. Stupid yes, but he shouldn’t have to
die for a mistake he was already paying for. He now will never be a son
again, a big brother, a cousin, or a father to his child. The family
needs to know what happened to him! This should not be covered up! We
are understandably very angry and need answers. He shouldn’t have had a
death sentence for his mistakes!<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">The family is requesting anyone with ANY information please contact us:<br /> <br /> Email:<span style="background-color: black;"> NeilEarly@bcaz.com</span><br /> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Website: </b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://neilearly.com/" target="_blank">NeilEarly.com</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /> The Early Family<br /> PO Box 1138<br /> Black Canyon City, AZ 85324</span></span></span></span><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Original Post (1/21/15 6:41am) </i></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Arizona state prison officials have kept the recent death of 23 year old ASP-Kingman prisoner Neil Early on the down low since it happened. My condolences to the family; I hope you sue - that's the only way you'll ever get to the truth. You sure can't trust the AZ DOC to get at it for you. Contact me if you don't know where to start: Peggy Plews at <a href="mailto:arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com">arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com</a> or 480-580-6807. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I'd also like to hear from anyone else who can fill in the blanks - all I don't know about this kid's life, his dreams, and such that I can't find out from the AZ DOC website; I know there was more to him than what meets the eye. Send me a better picture, too, if you can.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Folks at <a href="http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7404502">Prison Talk</a> suggest that Neil's death was a homicide, but none of the media outlets have reported it as such, and the DOC has nothing on their site (though <a href="https://adconline.azcorrections.gov/Inmate_DataSearch/PrintInmate.aspx?ID=250396">his AZDOC profile</a> has been updated to show he passed away.) Sadly, it appears he was having trouble with substance use in custody, up until shortly before his death. His judge did recommend he go to Marana facility for substance abuse treatment when he was sentenced. It's a shame they think (or pretend as if) people actually get any care in prison. They should have taken one look at him and known he would be prey in there, instead. It's time we stop sending non-violent offenders like him to prison on minimum mandatory sentences. That could be done this year, if the legislature had the will. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Here's what AZCENTRAL.COM has to say this am:</i></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> ------------------</i></span></div>
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<section class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module" id="module-position-N0-dlGZ7CnY"><h1 class="asset-headline" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/01/20/kingman-inmate-dead-abrk/22073559/"><span style="font-size: small;">Officials: Kingman inmate, 23, dies at private prison</span></a></h1>
</section><section class="storytopbar-bucket story-byline-module" id="module-position-N0-dlGZgpn8"><div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> Garrett Mitchell, The Republic | azcentral </span><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline"> </span></div>
<div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline">8:30 p.m. MST January 20, 2015</span></div>
</section><br />
An inmate's death Monday at a private prison near Kingman has
prompted an investigation from the Arizona Department of Corrections,
according to a statement from the agency.<br />
<br />
Neil Early, 23, was
serving a sentence for two counts of organized retail theft and drug
paraphernalia charges from 2011 in Maricopa County.<br />
<br />
Early was
sentenced to a 5-year prison term in May 2012 after having previously
served less than a year in 2010 for for theft charges.<br />
<br />
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<br />Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-7608468449110811602015-01-20T16:04:00.000-07:002015-01-20T16:04:33.391-07:00Corizon HealthScare: Meet me in St. Louis...<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The article below was posted from the AP to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today. This was the comment I left for their readers: </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Corizon has been nothing but disastrous to Arizona state prisoners, ignoring too many to death and leaving their families devastated. We've had a whistleblower speak out and a class action lawsuit here (Parsons v Ryan), exposing how evil they are - as well as numerous protests by prisoners' loved ones and interviews with survivors, but it has been to no avail. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some think that's due to Good Old Boy Terry Stewart's influence in AZ (he's the former AZ DOC director - Chuck Ryan's mentor - now in bed with the folks at Corizon Healthscare), but I can't explain why other states still have contracts with them. Voters should really scrutinize things closely if their jails or prison systems are going with these folks and renewing contracts year after year, there's probably something dirty going on that keeps them sucking your tax dollars up for their profits at the expense of some of your most vulnerable citizens. Stop the privatization all together, if you can. It doesn't deliver what it promises, and you'll end up paying more after too many die in the end. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Posted as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/peggyplews">Peggy Plews</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">God only knows why the new governor, Doug Ducey, has retained Chuck Ryan after the embarassment his administration was to Brewer - must have something on that guy, too. It's like the whole Republican party here just dug their heads in the sand when it comes to the AZ DOC, though, not just the chiefs. Their mascot should be an ostrich, not an elephant. Elephants are, after all, thoughtful, compassionate, and wise...</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By the way, if you're fighting these bastards on behalf of a loved one at the AZ DOC, follow the links to these older pieces, but be sure to be current on the relevant AZDOC policies (<a href="https://corrections.az.gov/reports-documents/adc-policies/department-orders-index">Department Orders</a>) and send them the right copies - the docs and links in these old posts have probably expired.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2014/06/corizons-cruel-and-unusual-greed-follow.html"> Corizon's Cruel and Unusual Greed: Follow the Money with Prison Legal News</a></span></i></span><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i></span></b>
<h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2013/03/corizon-and-az-doc-prisoners-families.html">Corizon and the AZ DOC: Prisoners & Families, Know Your Rights.</a></i></span></span></span></b></b></h4>
<h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></b></b></h4>
<h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<b></b></h4>
<b><span style="color: blue;">
</span></b><h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2013/05/corizons-deliberate-indifference.html">Corizon's deliberate indifference: fighting back.</a></i></span></span></span></b></h4>
<h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></b></h4>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">artwork is mine....</span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------from the <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/">St Louis POST-DISPATCH</a>--------</div>
<div class="title-block">
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/corizon-s-struggles-highlight-challenges-of-inmate-care/article_94b4385c-4b5a-53ee-a90a-09b22a9b753f.html">Country's biggest for-profit prisoner health care provider under increased scrutiny</a></span></h1>
</div>
<div class="date">
<span class="pubdate">St Louis Post-Dispatch</span></div>
<div class="date">
<span class="pubdate">Janaury 20, 2014</span> </div>
<div class="date">
<span class="byline">By ADAM GELLER
Associated Press</span></div>
<br /><br />Months after he landed in Florida’s Manatee County Jail, Jovon
Frazier’s pleas for treatment of intense pain in his left shoulder were
met mostly with Tylenol.<br /><br />“I need to see a doctor!” he wrote on
his eighth request form. “I done put a lot of sick calls in & ya’ll
keep sending me back and ain’t tell me nothing.”<br /><br />Four months
later, after Frazier’s 13th request resulted in hospitalization and
doctors diagnosed bone cancer, his arm was amputated, according to a
lawsuit by his family.<br /><br />But the cancer spread. Frazier died in 2011 at age 21, months after his release.<br /><br />As
an inmate, his medical care had been managed not by the county
sheriff’s office that runs the jail, but by a private company under
contract.<br /><br />That company, Corizon Health Inc., is under growing
pressure after the loss of five state prison contracts, downgrades by
analysts and increasing scrutiny of its care of inmates held by some of
its largest customers, including New York City.<br /><br />Corizon,
responsible for 345,000 inmates in 27 states, including Missouri, is the
country’s biggest for-profit correctional health provider, but it’s
just one of many firms vying for billions of public dollars spent on
prisoner care.<br /><br />Corizon was established in 2011 when privately
held Valitás Health Services Inc., the Creve Coeur-based parent of
Correctional Medical Services Inc., acquired America Service Group Inc.,
a Tennessee-based provider of prison health services.<br /><br />With corporate headquarters in Brentwood, Tenn., Corizon touts Creve Coeur as home to its operational headquarters.<br /><br />For-profit
prison care raises questions about ceding public responsibilities to
private companies. It turns, though, on a thornier issue: How do you
ensure care of people who society mostly would prefer not to think
about?<br /><br />Inmates “are still human beings. I think some people
forget that, I really do. They’re somebody’s child,” said Shirley
Jenkins, Frazier’s grandmother.<br /><br /><b>PRIVATIZED CARE</b><br /><br />States
spend $8 billion a year, a fifth of their corrections budgets, on
prison health care, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts and the
MacArthur Foundation. Local jails spend millions more.<br /><br />Some critics fault the idea of privatizing the job.<br /><br />“The
problem is a structure that creates incentives to cut corners and deny
care to powerless people that have no other options,” said David Fathi,
director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison
Project.<br /><br />Others say deficiencies with prison care go beyond whether it is privatized.<br /><br />“I
don’t have a great love for private health care ... but I don’t think
that they’re the source of the problem,” said Dr. Marc Stern, former
health services director for Washington state’s prisons. Stern, who once
worked for a Corizon predecessor in New York state, issued a 2012
report criticizing the company’s care of Idaho prison inmates while
serving as a court-appointed expert.<br /><br />“I think the problem is how much money and effort we are willing to put into correctional health care,” Stern said.<br /><br />Some critics, though, say Corizon is notably problematic.<br /><br />“We
get letters from prisoners about medical care not being provided, and
the list is endless. And it’s increased tremendously since Corizon took
over,” said Randall Berg, executive director of the Florida Justice
Institute, who represents inmates petitioning for care.<br /><br />Corizon says it strives to provide quality care.<br /><br />“We
are always troubled by any questions on the care provided to our
patients and view this as an opportunity to reconfirm our commitment to
operational ethics and professionalism,” company spokeswoman Susan
Morgenstern said in a written statement. The company declined to answer
questions.<br /><br />The criticism surrounding Corizon isn’t new.
Correctional Medical Services, or CMS, which later became Corizon, was
the main subject of a 1998 Post-Dispatch investigation of for-profit
prison health care providers. Looking at CMS and other firms, the
investigation found more than 20 cases nationwide in which inmates died
as a result of alleged negligence, indifference, understaffing,
inadequate training or cost-cutting.<br /><br />In 2012, Corizon was sued
for alleged medical missteps in the death of Courtland Lucas, an inmate
in the St. Louis jail. He died May 25, 2009, from complications of a
heart problem, congenital aortic valve stenosis, while under the care of
CMS. The lawsuit was settled in the fall of 2014, but the terms were
not disclosed.<br /><br />Corizon’s struggles are widespread.<br /><br />Its
care of the 11,000 inmates at New York City’s Rikers Island is under
“comprehensive review” by officials, who say they are concerned about
problems including at least 16 deaths since 2009.<br /><br />Arizona hired
Corizon last year to replace Wexford Health Sources Inc. after its care
came under fire. But an advocacy group warned that “if anything, things
have gotten worse” in state prisons. Arizona and the ACLU recently
reached a settlement calling for more monitoring of inmate care.<br /><br />Meanwhile
Corizon has lost long-standing prison contracts in Minnesota, Maine,
Maryland, Tennessee and Pennsylvania since 2012. Auditors in three
states documented problems, including slowness to address poor
recordkeeping and inmates’ urgent requests for off-site care.<br /><br />Corizon,
which generated $1.4 billion in revenue in 2013 and is owned by a
Chicago private equity firm, has battled stiffening competition. In
recent months, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have downgraded
Corizon’s holding company, citing financial underperformance, contract
losses and competition that has squeezed profits.<br /><br />The connection between Corizon’s contract losses and questions about the quality of care it provides is not clear.<br /><br />But
the challenges are evident in Florida, where a year after the state
privatized prison care and awarded Corizon a $1.2 billion contract, news
reports point to rising inmate deaths. If the company does not address
substandard care, the state’s corrections commissioner wrote to
Corizon’s CEO in September, Florida may begin withholding payment.<br /><br />In
Minnesota, an audit last year found that inadequate communication
between prison staff and Corizon doctors during overnight hours “may
have been a contributing factor to inmate deaths.”<br /><br />But in
announcing Minnesota’s change of contractors, the corrections
commissioner said Corizon had provided “excellent” service. In a written
response to questions, the state corrections department said its
decision was not related to the audit. It would not comment on inmate
deaths.<br /><br />Corizon’s work in local jails also has come under scrutiny.<br /><br />In
October, Volusia County, Fla., officials questioned Corizon executives
about lawsuits and its financial stability before voting unanimously to
switch contractors. The hearing was held in the shadow of a lawsuit
filed locally by the family of Tracy Veira, an inmate who choked to
death in 2009 in a cell where she was supposed to be under watch while
detoxing from painkillers.<br /><br />A nurse working for one of the
companies that merged to form Corizon saw an ailing Veira in the jail’s
clinic the afternoon before she died. She told a supervisor the inmate
looked as if she needed hospitalization, but Veira was instead sent back
to her cell, according to an affidavit filed in the case.<br /><br />When
the commissioners questioned Corizon’s executives, there was no mention
of Veira. But Commissioner Deb Denys said she was mindful of the case,
scheduled for a July trial.<br /><br />“I think everybody was,” Denys said. “Sometimes you don’t state the obvious.”<br /><br /><i>Jennifer Mann of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.</i>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-54230379787704294702014-11-13T02:16:00.003-07:002014-11-13T02:16:50.960-07:00Video Visitation at the MCSO: InSecurus and Sheriff Joe's newest money-making scheme...<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>So, for those of you who missed it, there's no longer such a thing as a "contact visit" at the Maricopa County Jails. Prisoners are also now only allowed one "free" visit a week, which must be conducted via videophone from 4th Ave Jail or the Lower Buckeye Jail. All video visits from off-site are unlimited, however - so long as you are able to access a computer with a camera and the internet, and can afford the $12.95 every 20 minute visit will cost you. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>As for the "inmate Services" fund this extra money is supposed to be going to: he should just refund it straight to the families, since the last time he had a chunk of change in the "Inmate Services" fund (where MCSO profits from the canteen sales presumably go, as well) he "misappropriated" it. Remember that <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/13/20110413arizona-arpaio-detention-funds-misspent.html">$<b>99 million he lost - almost $15 million of which came from this "Inmate Services" fund</b></a><b> </b>he likes to force prisoners and their loved ones to contribute to?</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>There never was actual contact allowed that could have facilitated smuggling at "contact" visits when they had them anyway - not at Estrella, at least - the women were always chained to the tables when visitors sat across from them. Mothers weren't even allowed to hug their kids.</i></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>MOre access to prisoners from family the world is great - but should be affordable and not result in fewer visitation privileges for those who can't afford it. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>This
is just more of the same: extortion and exploitation of what is largely
a population of individuals who haven't yet even been convicted of a
crime. Arpaio needs to rein in his <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/08/03/mcso-deputy-dead-request-denied/13537417/"><b>departmental</b> <b>corruption</b></a>, really, if he wants to get that contraband issue under control, as far as I can see. </i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anyway, this is what you should really be checking out - we got taken for a ride, people! </span></i><br />
<br />
<h1 class="title" id="page-title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/">GRASSROOTSLEADERSHIP.org</a>:</span></h1>
<h1 class="title" id="page-title">
<a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/programs/insecurus-ensuring-visitation-prisoners-and-their-loved-ones"><span style="font-size: small;">#inSecurus | Ensuring Visitation for Prisoners and their Loved Ones</span></a></h1>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.... (among other resources...)</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li>For more information about Securus Technologies and video visitation at the Travis County Jail, see our <strong><a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/sites/default/files/Securus%20Video%20Visitation%20Fact%20Sheet%20%7C%20September%202014.pdf">SECURUS FACT SHEET</a> </strong></li>
<li>Take our <strong><a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/jail-video-visitation-survey">JAIL VIDEO VISITATION SURVEY</a> (<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N4DbXXu1z_6joQ7utqDbjDOo4alOm2DsZekC212FGXc/viewform">versión en Español aquí</a>) </strong>to help us learn more about how video visitation impacts friends and family visiting people in jail. <em>(</em></li>
<li><a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/stop-eavesdropping-prisoners-travis-county-jail"><strong>SIGN OUR PETITION</strong> </a>to restore in-person visitation at the Travis County Jail.</li>
<li>Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23INSECURUS&src=typd"><strong>#inSECURUS</strong></a></li>
<li>Check out our <a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/video-visitation-how-private-companies-push-visits-video-and-families-pay-price"><strong>NEW REPORT</strong></a>!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://grassrootsleadership.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/SECURUS%20NEW%20REPORT.png?itok=bZq-ZDl6" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://grassrootsleadership.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/SECURUS%20NEW%20REPORT.png?itok=bZq-ZDl6" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>---------or settle for this, from <a href="http://azcentral.com/">azcentral.com</a>---------------</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<section class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module" id="module-position-Np3aULAxUmU"><h1 class="asset-headline" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/11/06/mcso-launches-video-visitation-platform/18618403/">Video chats replace in-person visits at county jails</a></h1>
</section><section class="storytopbar-bucket story-byline-module" id="module-position-Np3aULB8anQ"><div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"> <b>Paulina Pineda, The Republic | azcentral.com</b></span></div>
<div class="asset-metabar" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item" itemprop="name"><b> </b></span><b><span class="asset-metabar-time asset-metabar-item nobyline">9:06 p.m. MST November 6, 2014</span></b></div>
</section><br />
Face-to-face visitation has a new meaning for inmates at Maricopa
County jails now that in-person visits have been swapped for Skype-like
video chats.<br />
<br />
On Thursday, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
launched a Web-based video-visitation platform that eliminates in-person
visitations and expands visitation hours.<br />
<br />
The system, developed
by Texas-based Securus Technologies, allows people from all over the
world to talk to any of the 8,500 inmates in the county's six jails via
video, as long as they have a high-speed Internet connection and a
webcam.<br />
<br />
The Sheriff's Office is offering a promotional price of $5
for a 20-minute conversation, but that price will increase to $12.95
for 20 minutes after Jan. 1.<br />
<br />
Securus is paying $2.3million to
provide 600 video stations to the six jails at no expense to the
taxpayers, according to Securus CEO Rick Smith.<br />
<br />
The system, which
Securus says is the largest in the country, is expected to generate
thousands of dollars for the Sheriff's Office while increasing jail
security by eliminating the potential for contraband smuggling, an issue
during the more than 20,000 in-person visitations each month, according
to sheriff's officials.<br />
<br />
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said it will also
allow friends and family members to schedule visits without having to
miss work or drive down to a facility.<br />
<br />
"It's a win for everyone involved," Arpaio said.<br />
<br />
Remote visitations can be scheduled seven days a week between 7 a.m. and 9:30 p.m at <br /> visitfromhome.net/maricopa. Visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance.<br />
<br />
Inmates
can receive one free on-site visit per week, but they will be held
through the video platform at either the Fourth Avenue or Lower Buckeye
jails.<br />
<br />
On-site visitation hours at those jails have expanded to
seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., up from a single visit on
Sunday or Monday.<br />
<br />
Sheriff's officials say on-site visits will no
longer be conducted at the Durango, Estrella, Tent City or Towers jails,
but inmates there have access to video chats.<br />
<br />
Securus will
receive 100 percent of the revenue until the number of calls reaches
8,000 per month. Ten percent of the excess revenue will then go to MCSO,
and that will increase to 20 percent once the company's initial
investment is recovered.<br />
<br />
Money generated from the system will go toward the Sheriff's Office Inmate Services Fund for education.<br />
The Sheriff's Office will store video calls for 60 days and will monitor calls for criminal or sexual activity.Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-57424167793012799902014-11-09T23:07:00.000-07:002014-11-09T23:07:02.865-07:00How greedy states and profiteers bleed prisoners and families dry.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uRaK7TqT5gywx4jmzR3UymhU8ss2plDmGchcLTcRDh9GaL1OroeQX5HfHWm7J1_oKNLct3FbBMNqT69q34uOU1dFY1byIvz1y8sGO0qqAhNTGqwmAs_6yhJY3OPWsGbeoaJUPqEeX_2a/s1600/WIERDwithoutmoney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uRaK7TqT5gywx4jmzR3UymhU8ss2plDmGchcLTcRDh9GaL1OroeQX5HfHWm7J1_oKNLct3FbBMNqT69q34uOU1dFY1byIvz1y8sGO0qqAhNTGqwmAs_6yhJY3OPWsGbeoaJUPqEeX_2a/s1600/WIERDwithoutmoney.JPG" height="400" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The following article is the good work of my friend <a href="http://www.grassrootsfeminism.net/cms/node/117"><b>Vikki Law</b></a>, who edits the zine <b><a href="http://resistancebehindbars.org/node/19">Tenacious</a></b>, which is by and for women in prison. She wrote <b><a href="http://resistancebehindbars.org/">the book on women's resistance in prison</a></b> - literally. Vikki's pretty prolific, and covers a lot of issues re: prisoners, crime and punishment - <b><a href="http://resistancebehindbars.org/node/10">find links to her other articles here</a></b>.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Info about the AZ DOC revised (OCT 15, 2014) money policy is here:</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/electronic-payments">https://corrections.az.gov/electronic-payments</a></b> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>here's the director's instruction, modifying the existing policy:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/DI/di_322.pdf">https://corrections.az.gov/sites/default/files/policies/DI/di_322.pdf</a></b> </i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>----from <a href="http://truth-out.org/">TRUTH-OUT.ORG</a> (inserted art is mine)------ </b></div>
<br />
<h2 class="itemTitle">
<a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/27138-public-prisons-private-profits">Public Prisons, Private Profits</a>
</h2>
<span class="itemDateCreated">
Saturday, 01 November 2014 09:39 </span>
<span class="itemAuthor">
By <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/author/itemlist/user/45103">Victoria Law</a>, Truthout | Report </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
When her daughter was first incarcerated in Arizona's Perryville State
Prison, "Rae" sent her money orders bought at the local cash-checking
place or from Walmart. But those took too long to clear, leaving her
daughter without needed supplies, so she began driving to the post
office to buy money orders. Throughout her daughter's four years in
prison, Rae has sent her money twice a month - $100 on the first of the
month and whatever she can afford (usually $50 or less) on the 15th of
the month.<br /><br />"When she first got there, she was issued two pairs of
underwear, which had been worn by someone else," Rae told Truthout. So
Rae sent her daughter money to buy her own underwear, bras and socks as
well as tennis shoes and a TV set. "It was $300 for the TV," she
recalled.<br /><br />Her daughter earns 35 cents an hour cleaning inside the
prison. Although the prison supplies some necessities, like one roll of
toilet paper each week and a limited number of tampons or pads, Rae's
daughter relies on the money from home to get her through each week.
These money orders enable her to buy the additional toilet paper and
feminine hygiene supplies she needs each month. It also enables her to
buy Tylenol and cold medicine as well as pay the $4 co-pay on each
medical visit. "Occasionally she can splurge and buy herself a candy
bar, but that's rare," Rae said.<br /><br />Services that had previously
been provided by the jail or prison, such as medical care,
transportation, phone and communication services, food, and even money
exchanges, are increasingly handled by private companies.<br /><br />On
October 15, 2014, however, Arizona changed the way family members like
Rae can send money. Now, instead of paying $1.25 for a money order at
the post office, Rae must use one of three companies - JPay, Global
TelLink or Keefe - to send her daughter money. To send $50 through
Keefe, Rae also needs to pay a $4.75 internet transaction fee. Families
without internet access can deposit money by phone - for a fee of $5.75 -
or in a storefront transaction for $5.95. (Global TelLink and JPay have
different fee structures.)<br /><br />Despite the added cost, Rae is
determined to send her daughter the same amount of money. "I'm going to
have to eat the fees and make up the money somewhere else," she said.
"I'll have to give something up. So will my husband." The couple has
already had to sell their camper to cover the cost of visiting their
daughter once a month. They've cut down on going out and other
activities that cost money. On occasion, they've also had to choose
between sending money to their daughter in prison or helping their son,
who is not. "I feel bad that I can't help him because all our money is
going to his sister," Rae said.<br /><br />Only 8 percent of the nation's
prison population is held in private prisons. But, as Rae's experience
and recent news stories have demonstrated, private companies have found
other ways to profit from bodies in government-run prisons. Services
that had previously been provided by the jail or prison, such as medical
care, transportation, phone and communication services, food, and even
money exchanges, are increasingly handled by private companies.<br /><br /><b>Sending in Money Costs Money</b><br />As
Rae's story shows, prison systems have contracted with private
companies to handle money sent by family members to their loved ones
inside. In the federal prison system, the contract was awarded to Bank
of America. In 32 state systems, the contract belongs to private company
JPay.<br /><br />In February 2014, New Jersey prisons began utilizing JPay
to handle these monetary transactions. "Before, it would only cost a
stamp and the cost of the money order," said "Pam," currently
incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. "Now, it
cost our families or friends $4.95 in addition to whatever amount they
send us." Loved ones also have the option of mailing a money order to
JPay, but the money takes seven to 10 days to be credited to a woman's
account. Pam's mother balked at paying an additional $7 and mailed a
money order. The money was not credited to Pam for 14 days.<br /><br />At
Edna Mahan, commissary - or the prison store - is only available every
other week. For women like "Pam" whose family chooses to save money and
mail money orders, the delay means missing the chance to buy
necessities, such as shampoo and feminine hygiene supplies.<br /><br />"If a
person owes restitution, the prison takes 55 percent of whatever money
he receives," a mother told Truthout. Thus, to put $56 in his prison
account so that he can buy food, she had to send $125.<br /><br />"Gwen" has
also experienced delays of up to four weeks when her family mails a
money order to JPay. She told Truthout that, while women can order from
commissary every two weeks, certain items, such as photos, clothing and
beauty supplies, are only available once a month. In addition, many
women rely on food items at commissary to supplement the prison's meals,
which she described as "truly inedible."<br /><br />Daily wages at Edna
Mahan range from $5 at the top-paying commissary job to $2.40 for
working in the kitchen or cleaning housing units. If a woman is sick or
unable to work, as in Gwen's case, she must either learn to go without
supplies or rely on money from family. "It isn't a lot of money, but $28
can mean a whole commissary for me," Gwen explained.<br /><br />California
is another state that has instituted JPay to handle money sent to
prisoners. But the fees make sending money an exorbitant expense for
many family members. "Samantha," for instance, must send her son twice
the amount of money that he needs. "If a person owes restitution, the
prison takes 55 percent of whatever money he receives," she told
Truthout. Thus, to put $56 in his prison account so that he can buy
food, she had to send $125. And that's not including JPay's service
fees, which vary depending on the amount of money sent. "There's no
readily available list of charges," she told Truthout. "I literally had
to call and hunt down how much would be charged."<br /><br />"If you put
money in a couple of times a month, you pay that fee a couple of times a
month. Families with the least amount of money get hit the hardest."<br /><br />JPay
provides money transfers to more than 1.7 million people or nearly 70
percent of the US prison population. It charges state prison systems
nothing for handling payments and, for every payment processed, it sends
between 50 cents and $2.50 back to the prison. According to an <b><a href="http://time.com/3446372/criminal-justice-prisoners-profit/">exposé in Time</a></b>, JPay sent approximately $4,000 each month to the Illinois
Department of Corrections in 2013.<br /><br />"Jill"'s daughter has less
than two years on her sentence at Arizona's Perryville prison. When
Arizona announced the switch to electronic money transfers, Jill decided
to skip the fees and send a money order for the total amount her
daughter would need during her last year behind bars. But, she told
Truthout, many of the family members she has met cannot afford that
option. "Many families have to budget in order to send money," she said.
"If you put money in a couple of times a month, you pay that fee a
couple of times a month. Families with the least amount of money get hit
the hardest."<br /><br /><b>The Kick-Out Fee - and the Fees That Go With It</b><br /><br />A
person leaving the Arizona prison system for the first time is given
$100 upon her release. The money, saved from the wages earned at prison
jobs, is called the "kick-out fee."<br /><br />Until 2013, people released
from Arizona's prisons were given the kick-out fee in the form of a
check. However, banks often refused to cash the check with a prison ID,
usually the only form of identification many women have after years in
prison. Thus, accessing their only $100 first required a trip to the
Department of Motor Vehicles for identification or finding a friend
willing to deposit the check for them.<br />
<br />Now,
they are issued a debit card through Bank of America. "If women are
coming out after a long time, they don't know how to use debit cards,"
Jill explained. "They're scared to death about using them." In addition,
Bank of America charges a $1.50 monthly maintenance fee and, like many
other banks, charges a $1.50 withdrawal fee if a person uses a non-Bank
of America ATM and a 25 cent point-of-sale fee for every transaction.<br /><br />No
staff member explains the various fee structures, which means that
people are unaware that they deplete their funds each time they use the
card. If a person chooses to withdraw the entire amount from her debit
card, she is charged a $5 fee.<br /><br />In addition, if she loses the
card, no replacement is issued. Her money is simply gone. For a woman in
a halfway house, shelter or other temporary living situation, this
means sleeping with the card tucked into her bra or panties.<br /><br />Arizona
is not alone in utilizing this new method. The <b><a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/">Center for Public Integrity</a></b> recently reported on Bank of America's contract with the
Federal Bureau of Prisons to issue debit cards to people upon release.
Under that contract, they've issued cards to nearly 50,000 people. The
Center's report has spurred a government audit into the contract.<br /><br /><b>Privatizing Health Care - But at What Cost?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-aF23oqrX04lXg2uwC6NpClCw-e-PH0r4g0-fdfNuaVZgQpNQkyecm1DiUEn4w1S7uF9BZGPPmerFqZKuosb7EJaVHzrVbRScndpSwjlk5w45TcINYqqf-HllfA7cFhhtzIm7gl4OnJs/s1600/CoRIZON+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-aF23oqrX04lXg2uwC6NpClCw-e-PH0r4g0-fdfNuaVZgQpNQkyecm1DiUEn4w1S7uF9BZGPPmerFqZKuosb7EJaVHzrVbRScndpSwjlk5w45TcINYqqf-HllfA7cFhhtzIm7gl4OnJs/s1600/CoRIZON+(1).JPG" height="208" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"We live by violence, but we die by neglect."</b></div>
</div>
<br />Handling
prisoner accounts is not the only service that has been privatized.
Across the country, jails and prisons have been contracting with
private, for-profit companies to provide medical services to people
inside.<br /><br />Cecily McMillan experienced this firsthand during her 58
days on Rikers Island, New York City's island jail complex. When she
arrived, she was denied her prescribed medications for mild anxiety and
ADHD. Instead, jail medical staff gave her BuSpar, the same medication,
McMillan says, that every woman was prescribed regardless of her actual
needs. After three weeks of fighting for her proper medication, a fight
that included help from sympathetic city council members, McMillan had
her medications reinstated. But that was not the only medical horror she
encountered.<br /><br />She recalled making an appointment to see a
gynecologist. Warned that the jail's male gynecologist was "kind of
handsy," she requested to see the jail's female gynecologist only to be
told that she wasn't available for six weeks. When she saw the doctor,
he informed her that she needed to undergo a gynecological scrape even
though McMillan had had a check-up before entering Rikers. "He scraped
me until I was bleeding," she recalled. When he finished, McMillan
realized that his fly had been open the whole time.<br /><br />During her 58
days on the island, McMillan also saw how medical care could be deadly:
Judith had been prescribed low-dose methadone pills for back pain,
McMillan recalled. But when Judith arrived at Rikers, the doctors
insisted that she take methadone in high-dose liquid form. Taking higher
dosages of methadone induced intense vomiting in Judith, who had
hepatitis C. McMillan recalls seeing her friend vomit blood and what she
described as "chunks of her liver." The women in the housing unit
demanded that the officers call the doctor. When medical staff failed to
respond, they physically carried Judith to the clinic. Days later,
Judith was dead.<br /><br />Judith's death is only one of a string of recent
deaths on Rikers Island. In 2013, 19-year-old Andy Henriquez died from a
tear in his aorta after his pleas for medical attention were ignored.
That same year, 46-year-old Carlos Mercado and 39-year-old Bradley
Ballard died after their medications were withheld. The families of all
three men are suing Corizon, the private medical provider that has held
the contract for medical services at Rikers since 2003. However,
according to DNAinfo, Corizon's contract with New York City stipulates
that the city will represent the firm in lawsuits arising from its care.
It also ensures that the city will cover costs arising from medical
malpractice or civil rights violations.<br /><br />New York is not alone in
turning to privatized health care for people behind bars. In 2011,
Florida governor Rick Scott contracted with Corizon to provide medical
care in its state prison system for $1.2 billion. Corizon took complete
control in 2013. According to an investigation by The Palm Beach Post,
three months later the number of deaths "shot to a 10-year high," with
30 deaths in four of the past seven months.<br /><br />Corizon currently
holds contracts in 27 states with approximately 345,000 people under
their care. (In October 2013, Therese Brumfeld, vice president of
Corizon's provider operations and purchasing, stated that Corizon had
contracts in 29 states with over 400,000 people.) From 2008 to 2013,
Corizon has been sued 660 times for malpractice.<br /><br />In Alabama, the
Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal suit against the state's
prison system for ignoring the medical and mental health needs of its
prisoners. (Corizon provides medical care only. MHM, another private
company, holds the contract for mental health care.) Unlike its contract
with New York City, Corizon's 34-month, $224 million contract with
Alabama requires it to pay for any legal work in the event of a lawsuit,
even if it is not named in the suit.<br /><br />Arizona recently settled
class-action suit <a href="https://www.aclu.org/prisoners-rights/parsons-v-ryanhttps://www.aclu.org/prisoners-rights/parsons-v-ryan">Parsons v. Ryan</a>. The suit, filed by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) in 2012, charged that the state ignored the
basic needs, including medical needs, of people in its prison system for
years. Corizon took over the state prison's health care system in March
2013 after the state terminated its contract with private health care
provider Wexford following multiple deaths and accusations of medical
neglect.<br /><br />However, medical care did not improve under Corizon and
the ACLU continued its suit. On October 14, 2014, Arizona settled the
suit, agreeing to meet more than 100 health care performance measures,
including monitoring people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes
and hypertension as well as improving pregnancy and dental care.<br /><br />Before
the court decides whether to approve the settlement, however, each of
the 33,000 people in Arizona state prisons must receive notice of the
settlement and an opportunity to submit comments to the court. David
Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project and co-lead counsel
on Parsons, estimated that the process would probably take two months.
The settlement does not become effective until the court grants its
approval.<br /><br />In the meantime, health care needs continue to go
unaddressed. The day after the settlement was announced, Jill spoke with
her daughter who told her that her yard had no health needs request
forms, which every person must fill out to start the process of
receiving medical attention.<br /><br />"We live by violence, but we die by neglect," a woman told McMillan when she entered Rikers.<br /><br />After
hearing stories from her daughter, Jill doesn't dispute this. She
recalls her daughter telling her about a woman on her yard whose
complaints about bleeding and pain were ignored. She was finally taken
to the hospital where she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She died in
her 30s.<br /><br />"My daughter went in a very healthy 25-year-old," Jill
said. "She was not given a life sentence or death. She should be given
enough medical care so that when she comes out, she can resume living a
normal life."Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-72385049405653228312014-11-06T06:35:00.000-07:002014-11-06T06:35:14.643-07:00Social Workers and Solitary Confinement<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you aren't fighting it, you're condoning it. Please help end the solitary confinement of prisoners...</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMMAyout7SZazVRgauJ9aCsKdMhRN8M29qzmugdcPa5kauDs0ZuFn3hILMwejaYVCSPKR06mSjEeJxHKUyjU15MkuKoIG1IltqGtTOfcW0VXcNPaJzlnmkAgAZv1WJ7Ght-dcMo4dAANm/s1600/FREEJESSIEbtshirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMMAyout7SZazVRgauJ9aCsKdMhRN8M29qzmugdcPa5kauDs0ZuFn3hILMwejaYVCSPKR06mSjEeJxHKUyjU15MkuKoIG1IltqGtTOfcW0VXcNPaJzlnmkAgAZv1WJ7Ght-dcMo4dAANm/s1600/FREEJESSIEbtshirt2.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>For <a href="http://www.arizonaprisonwatch.org/2014/10/kids-in-custody-suicide-and-semantics.html">more on Jessie B...</a></b></span></i></div>
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Are Social Workers Helping Inmates Rot in Solitary Confinement?</div>
</h2>
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<h6>
<span class="ln-post-categories">Posted: 10/22/2014 8:29 </span></h6>
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<a href="http://www.southerncoalition.org/" target="_blank"><img alt="CRSIP logo" class="alignright size-full wp-image-14120" height="138" src="http://cdn9.socialjusticesolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/crisp-250x225.jpg?6e6487" width="300" /> </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
As I wrote in a <a href="http://crispinc.org/2014/06/23/when-solitary-confinement-becomes-torture/" target="_blank">blog post</a>
several weeks ago, there are about 25,000 people held in solitary
confinement in supermax prison units called SHUs—security housing
units—and another 80,000 inmates housed in isolation cells in regular
prisons and jails. Many of these individuals are mentally ill. Some
are juveniles and/or pretrial detainees. No question they are being
subjected to cruel and unusual punishment regardless what different
courts may decide. The purpose of solitary confinement—if it should be
used at all—is to segregate the most dangerous criminals. But even
dangerous criminals should not be isolated for extended periods and
never indefinitely. Social workers and other mental health
practitioners are assigned to these units to provide care for the
inmates. Often they wind up feeding them medication and sleeping pills
so they will not totally lose their minds. In a warped sense, they are
helping them rot in their cells.<br />
<br />
This ethical nightmare was brought to my attention recently by Moya Atkinson, a dynamic social worker who is <a href="http://nofsw.org/?p=990" target="_blank">very passionate about this issue</a>.
Nearing 80 years old, you would think she would leave this fight to
younger advocates. She has organized a task force of social workers
committed to significantly restricting the use of solitary confinement
and eliminating its use for vulnerable populations such as the mentally
ill, juveniles, pregnant women, people with disabilities and pretrial
detainees. After she read my blog we met to discuss the issue and I
agreed to join the task force. While my focus was on the cruel and
unusual punishment individuals incur because of extended, indefinite and
indiscriminate use of solitary confinement, she was equally concerned
about ethical dilemmas faced by social workers and other mental health
professionals charged with providing care for individuals in solitary
confinement.<br />
<br />
Ethical
dilemmas are familiar to social workers who often find themselves in
environments and situations that challenge their code of ethics. But
working in solitary confinement is a level of horror that few
encounter. Social work in correctional facilities which falls under the
umbrella of forensic social work is ripe with these challenges. What
should social workers do when they believe mentally ill inmates are
being mistreated in jails or prisons? Who does she or he complain to?
Often locked in an environment with violent individuals who are both
inmates and guards, how do social workers look out for their personal
safety concerns while seeking just treatment for inmates? These are
tough questions with no easy answers that the task force will wrestle
with.<br />
<br />
Task force member Mary E. Buser, whose <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/solitary-confinements-mockery-of-human-rights/2014/04/04/537f32b4-b9c5-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html" target="_blank">op-ed piece in the Washington Post</a>
about her work with mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement at New
York City’s Rikers Island jail provided the impetus that spurred Moya
into organizing the task force, wrote about “doling out antidepressants,
antipsychotics, and mountains of sleeping pills,” in an effort to keep
the psyches of people in solitary from unraveling. Her <a href="http://solitarywatch.com/2014/02/28/bing-time-memories-mental-health-worker-rikers-islands-solitary-confinement-unit/" target="_blank">j</a>ob
was to determine if those in solitary confinement might reach the point
where they would kill themselves. How do you do that as a social
worker or mental health practitioner? Her brief time as acting chief of
mental health <a href="http://solitarywatch.com/2014/02/28/bing-time-memories-mental-health-worker-rikers-islands-solitary-confinement-unit/" target="_blank">took her into the segregation unit</a>
on Rikers Island known as the Bing. It was an experience she will
never forget. Yet social workers must provide services to people in
solitary confinement unless the practice is discontinued.<br />
<br />
National social work organizations are involved in this effort. Task
force member Mel Wilson, manager of the Department of Social Justice
and Human Rights for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
has been active on this issue for years. He <a href="http://solitarywatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/national-association-of-social-workers.pdf" target="_blank">provided testimony</a>
during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the
Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights on the use of solitary
confinement. Dr. Michel Coconis, chair of the Association for Community
Organizing and Social Administration (ACOSA) and a long-time activist
against the death penalty, also joined the task force which held its
kickoff meeting Wednesday at Columbia University School of Social Work.<br />
<br />
Confronting the misuse of solitary confinement will be a challenge as
many in the “tough on crime” crowd see solitary confinement as
necessary and useful. However, there is mounting opposition to the
growing use of solitary confinement in our nation’s jails and prisons.
Conservative columnist George Will has <a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/george-will-discovers-solitary-confinement/" target="_blank">equated solitary confinement with torture</a>.
The New York City Department of Corrections recently ended solitary
confinement for 16 and 17 year olds. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin,
chair of the Judiciary Committee has held <a href="http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/search/?q=solitary+confinement&as_sitesearch=www.judiciary.senate.gov%2Fmeetings&access=p&as_dt=i&as_epq=&as_eq=&as_lq=&as_occt=any&as_oq=&as_q=&client=judiciary&sntsp=0&filter=0&getfields=title&lr=&num=15&numgm=3&oe=UTF8&output=xml&partialfields=&proxycustom=&proxyreload=0&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&requiredfields=&site=judiciary&sitesearch=&sort=date%3AD%3AS%3Ad1&start=0&ud=1" target="_blank">two subcommittee hearings</a> on solitary confinement. Two bills have been introduced in the House—<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4618?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22hr+4618%22%5D%7D" target="_blank">H.R. 4618</a> sponsored by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA2) would create a commission to study its use, and <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4124?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+4124%22%5D%7D" target="_blank">H.R. 4124</a> sponsored by Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA29) would eliminate the use of solitary confinement in federal juvenile facilities.<br />
<br />
The post <a href="http://crispinc.org/2014/10/16/are-social-workers-helping-inmates-rot-in-solitary-confinement/">Are Social Workers Helping Inmates Rot in Solitary Confinement?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://crispinc.org/">Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy</a>.<br />
<br />
Written By Charles E. Lewis Jr., Ph.D<br />
<br />
<a href="http://crispinc.org/2014/10/16/are-social-workers-helping-inmates-rot-in-solitary-confinement/" target="_blank" title="Are">Are Social Workers Helping Inmates Rot in Solitary Confinement?</a> was originally published @ <a for="" href="http://crispinc.org/" target="_blank" title="Congressional">Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy » Charles Lewis</a> and has been syndicated with permission.Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-32299010398246079122014-11-06T06:22:00.001-07:002014-11-06T06:22:17.463-07:00California Dreaming: Major sentencing reform Prop 47 passes!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The AZ CJ system is growing even more draconian, as expected, but the folks in California finally did something right. Maybe we will someday learn from their success...</i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---from the LA TIMES---</div>
<br />
<h1 class="trb_article_title_text" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html#page=1"><span style="font-size: small;">Prop. 47 jolts landscape of California justice system</span></a></h1>
<b>LA TIMES</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="trb_bylines">
<b><span class="trb_bylines_name_primary"> <span class="trb_bylines_name_author" itemprop="author"><span class="trb_bylines_name_author_by">By </span><a class="trb_bylines_name_author_a" href="http://www.latimes.com/la-bio-paige-st-john-staff.html">Paige St. John</a><span class="trb_bylines_name_author_divider">, </span><a class="trb_bylines_name_author_a" href="http://www.latimes.com/la-bio-marisa-gerber-staff.html">Marisa Gerber</a></span> </span> </b></div>
<div class="trb_bylines">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="trb_bylines">
<b>Nov 5, 2014</b></div>
<div class="trb_bylines">
</div>
<div class="trb_sharelines">
<div class="trb_sharelines_list" data-role="socialshare_item">
<a class="trb_shareline" data-role="socialshare_information socialshare_toggleState socialshare_container" data-socialshare-content-id="81890866" data-socialshare-content="story" data-socialshare-context="shareline" data-socialshare-default-image="" data-socialshare-description="Prosecutors and jailers scramble to deal with the effects of the law that reduces penalties for some crimes" data-socialshare-newspapername="Los Angeles Times" data-socialshare-slug="la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-thumbnail="http://www.trbimg.com/img-545ad7e1/turbine/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-title="Prop. 47 jolts landscape of California justice system" data-socialshare-url="/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="trb_shareline_item" data-role="socialshare_share socialshare_setdefault" data-socialshare-type="twitter"></span></a><span class="trb_sharelines_text" data-role="socialshare_sharetext">Prosecutors and jailers scramble to deal with the effects of the law that reduces penalties for some crimes</span></div>
<div class="trb_sharelines_list" data-role="socialshare_item">
<a class="trb_shareline" data-role="socialshare_information socialshare_toggleState socialshare_container" data-socialshare-content-id="81890866" data-socialshare-content="story" data-socialshare-context="shareline" data-socialshare-default-image="" data-socialshare-description="California is the first state to downgrade certain drug possession cases from felonies to misdemeanors" data-socialshare-newspapername="Los Angeles Times" data-socialshare-slug="la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-thumbnail="http://www.trbimg.com/img-545ad7e1/turbine/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-title="Prop. 47 jolts landscape of California justice system" data-socialshare-url="/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="trb_shareline_item" data-role="socialshare_share socialshare_setdefault" data-socialshare-type="twitter"></span></a><span class="trb_sharelines_text" data-role="socialshare_sharetext">California is the first state to downgrade certain drug possession cases from felonies to misdemeanors</span></div>
<div class="trb_sharelines_list" data-role="socialshare_item">
<a class="trb_shareline" data-role="socialshare_information socialshare_toggleState socialshare_container" data-socialshare-content-id="81890866" data-socialshare-content="story" data-socialshare-context="shareline" data-socialshare-default-image="" data-socialshare-description="Thousands of felons are now eligible for immediate release from prisons and jails after Prop 47's passage" data-socialshare-newspapername="Los Angeles Times" data-socialshare-slug="la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-thumbnail="http://www.trbimg.com/img-545ad7e1/turbine/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-title="Prop. 47 jolts landscape of California justice system" data-socialshare-url="/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="trb_shareline_item" data-role="socialshare_share socialshare_setdefault" data-socialshare-type="twitter"></span></a><span class="trb_sharelines_text" data-role="socialshare_sharetext">Thousands of felons are now eligible for immediate release from prisons and jails after Prop 47's passage</span></div>
</div>
<div class="trb_article_dateline" itemprop="datePublished">
<time class="trb_article_dateline_time" data-datetime-clock="6:13 PM" data-datetime-day="5" data-datetime-daydiff="-1 days left" data-datetime-fullclock="6:13:00 PM" data-datetime-hour="6 PM" data-datetime-month="November" data-datetime-monthshort="Nov." data-datetime-timezone="PST" data-datetime-weekday="Wednesday" data-datetime-weekdayshort="Wed." data-datetime-year="2014" datetime="2014-11-05T18:13:00PST"></time></div>
Los
Angeles County Public Defender Ron Brown walked into a Pomona court
Wednesday and saw first-hand the impact of Proposition 47 — the
voter-approved initiative that reduces penalties for drug possession and
other nonviolent crimes.<br />
<br />
His office had deliberately postponed
sentencing for a defendant facing more than a year behind bars for
possessing heroin and methamphetamine to the day after Tuesday's
election, waiting to see what voters would do.<br />
<br />
The gambit worked. The man was sentenced and released from custody with no further jail time.<br />
<br />
"They were felonies yesterday. They're misdemeanors today," Brown said. "This is the law now."<br />
<br />
The
day after California voted to reduce punishments, police agencies,
defense attorneys, prosecutors and even some advocates were scrambling
to figure out exactly how it was going to work.<br />
<aside class="trb_embed " data-content-id="81878906" data-content-size="small" data-content-subtype="storylink" data-content-type="story" data-role="socialshare_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer "> </aside>The
greatest effect, experts said, would be in drug possession cases,
noting that California is now the first state in the nation to downgrade
those cases from felonies to misdemeanors. Thousands of felons are now
eligible for immediate release from prisons and jails.<br />
<br />
City
attorneys accustomed to handling traffic tickets and zoning violations
are now responsible for prosecuting crimes that used to be felonies,
including forgeries, theft and shoplifting. District attorneys who used
to threaten drug offenders with felony convictions to force them into
rehabilitation programs no longer have that as an option. Social workers
said they worried that offenders who voluntarily seek treatment will
have trouble finding services.<br />
<aside class="trb_panelmod_container" data-load-type="noop" data-panelmod-type="relatedContent" data-role="panelmod_container imgsize_ratiosizecontainer"><br /></aside> "It's
going to take a little while to figure out," said Molly Rysman, who
operates a housing program for the destitute who sleep on sidewalks in
L.A.'s skid row. She is glad that drug users now face only brief stays
in jail, if any time at all, but said options for someplace else to go
in L.A. are "dismal." Rysman said caseworkers now spend weeks trying to
find an opening for clients who need a detox bed or room in a treatment
program.<br />
<br />
Proposition 47 sets aside funding for such programs, but the money may not materialize for another year, advocates said.<br />
<br />
"I
can't say I agree with Proposition 47. It should have mandated
treatment," said Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey. "Most of
the money from the initiative will go to mental health and substance
abuse treatment, but how we will get people to accept that treatment is
the question."<br />
<br />
<aside class="trb_embed " data-content-id="81891140" data-content-size="small" data-content-subtype="pullquote" data-content-type="pullquote" data-role="socialshare_item " data-state=" "> <div class="trb_embed_media ">
<span class="trb_pullquote_text" data-role="socialshare_sharetext">It is going to take time to evaluate that, but we're not conducting a mass release, today or tomorrow.</span> <span class="trb_pullquote_credit">- Nicole Nishida, L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman</span></div>
<div class="trb_embed_media ">
<span class="trb_pullquote_credit"> </span><div class="trb_embed_related" data-role="lightbox_metadata">
<a class="trb_sharepullquote" data-role="socialshare_information socialshare_toggleState socialshare_container" data-socialshare-content-id="81891140" data-socialshare-content="pullquote" data-socialshare-context="pullquote" data-socialshare-default-image="" data-socialshare-description="It is going to take time to evaluate that, but we're not conducting a mass release, today or tomorrow." data-socialshare-newspapername="Los Angeles Times" data-socialshare-slug="la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-pq-20141106" data-socialshare-thumbnail="http://www.trbimg.com/img-545ad7e1/turbine/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106" data-socialshare-title="Prop. 47 jolts landscape of California justice system" data-socialshare-url="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="trb_sharepullquote_item" data-role="socialshare_share socialshare_setdefault" data-socialshare-type="twitter"></span></a></div>
</div>
</aside>Lacey
said her office would reevaluate the more serious cases downgraded by
Proposition 47 to determine whether there were other felony charges that
could be filed. Under the measure, thefts, bad check writing and
forgery charges are downgraded to misdemeanors if the stolen value is
$950 or less. Lacey said she was particularly concerned about cases
involving the theft of guns. Prosecutors, she said, "will be looking at
alternative charges for some of those cases, because we should all be a
little nervous when a firearm is involved."<br />
<br />
Los Angeles City Atty.
Mike Feuer on Wednesday asked the City Council for $510,000 to hire 15
lawyers and assistants to handle the anticipated influx of misdemeanor
prosecutions, which previously would have been prosecuted as felonies by
the district attorney's office. He said his office expected to handle
13,500 new cases a year, most involving drug offenses.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile,
jailers in Los Angeles County made preparations to deal with an unknown
number of inmates charged with felonies that are now misdemeanors.<br />
<br />
Because
of severe overcrowding and court-ordered population caps, the Los
Angeles County jails do not typically hold those charged with
misdemeanors.<br />
<aside class="trb_panelmod_container" data-panelmod-type="comments" data-role="panelmod_container"><br /><div class="trb_panelmod_showpener" data-role="panelmod_opener">
<div class="trb_panelmod_showpener_row">
<a class="trb_panelmod_showpener_a" href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html#"></a>
</div>
</div>
</aside>"It
is going to take time to evaluate that, but we're not conducting a mass
release, today or tomorrow," said Sheriff's Department spokeswoman
Nicole Nishida.<br />
<br />
Legislative analysts predict that about 40,000
California offenders each year will now draw misdemeanor convictions
instead of felonies. Prison officials said they have identified 4,770
felons in custody who are eligible to seek resentencing. And L.A.
prosecutors have identified almost 4,000 offenders in the pipeline
between arrest and sentencing who might qualify for more lenient
treatment under the new law.<br />
<br />
To get released, current inmates must prove that they are not a threat to the public.<br />
<br />
Proposition
47 will also give a fresh chance to some three-strikes prisoners
serving life terms who have recently failed to obtain reduced sentences.<br />
<aside class="trb_embed " data-content-id="81880616" data-content-size="small" data-content-subtype="storylink" data-content-type="story" data-load-method="innerHtml" data-load-type="comment" data-role="socialshare_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer"><div class="trb_embed_media ">
<span class="trb_embed_media_kicker"></span><div class="trb_embed_related" data-role="lightbox_metadata">
</div>
</div>
</aside>Under
a 2012 ballot measure, Proposition 36, most inmates serving
three-strikes sentences for relatively minor crimes can receive shorter
sentences unless a judge decides that they pose an "unreasonable risk of
danger to public safety." Michael Romano, an attorney who helped write
the measure, said the initiative did not define that risk for judges,
many of whom used their own criteria to decide whether someone was too
risky to release. The vast majority of three-strikers who have asked for
reduced sentences have been successful, but about 118 inmates have been
declared a risk to public safety, said Romano, who directs the Stanford
Law School Three Strikes Project.<br />
<br />
Proposition 47 gives inmates in
that small group another opportunity to ask for shorter sentences if
their third strikes were for one of the minor felonies downgraded under
Proposition 47, Romano said.<br />
<br />
Inmates whose strikes don't fall into
that category, he said, can also return to court and cite Proposition
47's new definition of an "unreasonable risk of danger," which Tuesday's
ballot measure defined as likely to commit serious or violent crimes
that include homicide, sexual assault and child molestation.<br />
<br />
"It's
a clear message from voters that our law enforcement resources should
not be spent on three-strikes sentences or long felony sentences for
these types of crimes," Romano said.<br />
<br />
The new law also derails drug
court, where felony charges were set aside for offenders who completed
treatment regimens. Those who succeed have a high success in staying
sober, but without the threat of jail, there is little incentive to
participate, said Mark Delgado, executive director of the Countywide
Criminal Justice Coordination Committee, which runs those programs.
Delgado said county officials are seeking a substitute.<br />
<br />
"Regardless
of what the laws are on the books, we're asking, 'How do we best engage
the individuals who need treatment?'" he said.<br />
<br />
Brown, L.A.
County's chief public defender, acknowledged that the proposition will
change the "carrot and stick" approach used to entice people into
rehabilitation with the promise of a lighter sentence. But he thinks
that can be managed.<br />
<br />
"We're going to have to work a lot harder to convince people it's the best thing for you," Brown said.Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-17786163620100819982014-11-06T06:13:00.000-07:002014-11-06T06:13:09.971-07:00Educate, don't incarcerate: new CBPP report.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>As many folks may know, the <b><a href="https://corrections.az.gov/article/doc-seeks-millions-more-deal-rising-prison-population">AZ DOC recently sought an increase in their funding</a></b> (apparently a Billion dollars isn't enough to feed that beast), partly to assure they have the necessary resources allocated to comply with the <a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/10/14/72431.htm">Parsons v Ryan settlement agreement</a>, which compels the health care provider to hire more staff (people just aren't lining up for the jobs...). But the DOC also reports a rising prison population last year, for the first year in several. And they're opening that new 500-man Supermax unit at Lewis early next year - they can't get the staff they need at Lewis as it is, though, so I don't know how they plan to staff it even if they have the money to.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Chuck Ryan is nearing retirement, I hope, as Jan Brewer bows out of office in January - there's another Republican coming in, but I'd think that guy would really want to start off clean at the AZ DOC and not keep putting more of the Good Old Boys in power there - they've done enough damage as it is. Maybe we should consider evidence-based, effective alternatives to </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>throwing more money at the DOC to </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>solve our growing prison population problem - especially to reduce recidivism.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>That's not to say that I think the public education system is any less coercive and hostile to already-oppressed communities, though, </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>than the prison system is - it seeks to cultivate good citizens and workers to serve the state and corporate elite, basically. S</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>imply throwing more money there isn't going to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline so many kids are quickly tracked into. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>There are some great programs though, and schools can be a good site of intervention to reduce incarceration rates for communities. Likewise, if you think some portion of your public is getting too upwardly-mobile, school systems are sites for undermining progressive programs, an example being when the dolt <b><a href="http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/93603:arizona-bans-ethnic-studies-and-along-with-it-reason-and-justice">Tom Horne was state superintendent</a></b>. Unfortunately, I don't see Arizona restoring the Tucson Ethnic Studies program anytime soon, despite the success it had with improving graduation and resiliency rates for students of color. Honestly, the election results this week were pretty grim. I guess people are going to have to hurt even more before they become ready to cast off their chains. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The <b><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/about/">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities</a></b>
is an excellent resource for folks researching poverty, income
inequality, funding criminal justice initiatives, and legislative reforms - arm yourselves with the facts here, at least. It's
considered a liberal think tank - keep that in mind when you look at
their policy recommendations, and know that I'm even left of that - but
their sources and stats are pretty solid, and we've got to start somewhere. I'd say investing in our communities
instead of the prisons is the place to begin to build anew.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>There are some great links at the end of this report, as well.</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAZagWjab7R3Rn0jcFZkRhbDMgzZhU_aEDSgiratb96BBhpFkhjzaMtFzylNB6hczPwfweKPaA0aZqAzuNFls2uMbwn0jqj-O6OuIUzrGPocsaYHAtumT_c-8PUiy8ZKNGkS1iVgdgk59/s1600/buildcommunities.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAZagWjab7R3Rn0jcFZkRhbDMgzZhU_aEDSgiratb96BBhpFkhjzaMtFzylNB6hczPwfweKPaA0aZqAzuNFls2uMbwn0jqj-O6OuIUzrGPocsaYHAtumT_c-8PUiy8ZKNGkS1iVgdgk59/s1600/buildcommunities.JPG" height="247" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>------------------------</b></div>
<h1>
<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#"><span style="font-size: small;">Changing Priorities: State Criminal Justice Reforms and Investments in Education </span></a></h1>
<div id="entry-meta">
<div class="reportPDF">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/files/10-28-14sfp.pdf">PDF of this report (21 pp.)</a></b></div>
</div>
<div class="author">
By <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/experts/index.cfm?fa=view&id=232">Michael Mitchell</a> and <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/experts/index.cfm?fa=view&id=161">Michael Leachman</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Center on Budget and Policy Priorities</span></div>
<div class="date">
October 28, 2014</div>
</div>
Most states’ prison populations are at historic highs after decades
of extraordinary growth; in 36 states, the prison population has more
than tripled as a share of the state population since 1978. This rapid
growth, which continued even after crime rates fell substantially in
the 1990s, has been costly. Corrections spending is now the
third-largest category of spending in most states, behind education and
health care. If states were still spending on corrections what they
spent in the mid-1980s, adjusted for inflation, they would have about
$28 billion more each year that they could choose to spend on more
productive investments or a mix of investments and tax reductions.<br />
<br />
Even
as states spend more on corrections, they are underinvesting in
educating children and young adults, especially those in high-poverty
neighborhoods. At least 30 states are providing less general funding
per student this year for K-12 schools than before the recession, after
adjusting for inflation; in 14 states the reduction exceeds 10
percent. Higher education cuts have been even deeper: the average
state has cut higher education funding per student by 23 percent since
the recession hit, after adjusting for inflation. Eleven states spent
more of their general funds on corrections than on higher education in
2013. And some of the states with the biggest education cuts in recent
years also have among the nation’s highest incarceration rates.<br />
<br />
This
is not sound policy. State economies would be much stronger over
time if states invested more in education and other areas that can
boost long-term economic growth and less in maintaining extremely high
prison populations. The economic health of many low-income
neighborhoods, which face disproportionately high incarceration rates,
could particularly improve if states reordered their spending in such a
way. States could use the freed-up funds in a number of ways, such as
expanding access to high-quality preschool, reducing class sizes in
high-poverty schools, and revising state funding formulas to invest
more in high-poverty neighborhoods.<br />
<br />
State incarceration rates
have risen primarily because states are sending a much larger share of
offenders to prison and keeping them there longer. States can reduce
their incarceration rates – without harming public safety – by
reclassifying low-level felonies to misdemeanors where appropriate,
expanding the use of alternatives to prison (such as fines and victim
restitution), shortening jail and prison terms, and eliminating prison
sentences for technical violations of parole/probation where no new
crime has been committed.<br />
<br />
A number of states have enacted
criminal justice reforms in recent years. Some have reduced prison
populations sharply; reforms in New Jersey, New York, and California
for example, helped drive down prison populations in each of those
states by roughly 25 percent – while crime rates have continued to
fall.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>
In most states, though, reforms have not had a large impact on the
size of prison populations, which remain extremely high nationally.
Moreover, states rarely have directed the savings from reform
explicitly to human capital investments (such as education) or
low-income neighborhoods.<br />
<br />
States wishing to use the savings from
criminal justice reforms for productive purposes would do well to
adopt planning and budgeting mechanisms that can help them shift
priorities. These include:<br />
<ul>
<li>A high-quality, long-term
forecast of the savings from specific reforms, made available to
lawmakers when they are considering reform bills;</li>
<li>An accepted process to estimate the annual savings from the reforms once enacted;</li>
<li>An established mechanism to shift those savings to productive uses, especially human capital investments; and</li>
<li>An independent commission to monitor implementation and enforce compliance with the reforms.</li>
</ul>
This
is not to say that states can use criminal justice reforms to fully
finance the increased education investments they need. First, there
is a timing issue; major savings from reducing incarceration likely
will accrue over a number of years, as reforms lead to prison closures
and a reduction in the prison population, but states need to invest
more in education more rapidly than that. In addition, states will
likely spend much of the savings from criminal justice reforms
elsewhere, in investments such as effective rehabilitative programs
that allow formerly incarcerated people to address mental illness and
addiction and lead productive lives, or in a mix of investments and tax
reductions.<br />
<h2>
State Prison Populations Have Grown Rapidly in Past 35 Years</h2>
State
corrections systems incarcerate the vast majority of prisoners in the
United States. State prisons account for 87 percent of the total
prisoner population, with the remaining 13 percent under federal
jurisdiction.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a>
When one considers the broader population of incarcerated people —
that is, including inmates in local jails either awaiting sentence or
serving a term of less than one year — state prisons account for just
under 60 percent of all people behind bars at any given point in time.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3">[3]</a><br />
<br />
The
overall state prison population has grown sizably since the late
1970s, from roughly 270,000 inmates in 1978 to more than 1.3 million in
2013.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4">[4]</a>
That growth far outpaced U.S. population growth. In the late
seventies, states imprisoned around 120 individuals for every 100,000
U.S. residents; in 2007 the state incarceration rate peaked at 450
individuals per 100,000 residents and has fallen only slightly since.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5">[5]</a><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<img alt="" src="http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/10-28-14sfp-f1.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<br />
Incarceration
rates have more than tripled in 36 states since 1978 and have
increased six-fold in four states (Mississippi, New Hampshire, North
Dakota, and Pennsylvania). Rates remain at near-peak levels:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ten
states had incarceration rates above 500 prisoners per 100,000
residents in 2013: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.</li>
<li>Five
of those states — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas
— had incarceration rates above 600 prisoners per 100,000 residents.</li>
<li>In one of those states, Louisiana, the incarceration rate stood at nearly 850 prisoners per 100,000 residents.</li>
</ul>
<div align="center">
<img alt="" src="http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/10-28-14sfp-f2.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;">State Policies, Not Crime Levels, Are Biggest Drivers of Rising Incarceration Rates</span></b><br />
<br />
Incarceration
rates are a function of four variables: the crime rate, the ratio of
arrests to crimes, the share of offenders sent to prison, and the
length of prison sentences. Research shows that the last two of these
are the biggest drivers of the increase in state incarceration rates
over the past several decades. Both the share of people sent to prison
and the length of their prison stays are under policymakers’ direct
control. Reforms aimed at reducing prison populations will need to
target these two areas.<br />
<br />
More specifically, research on the causes of rising incarceration rates has found:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Crime rates have risen and fallen independently of incarceration rates. </b>Crime
rates began rising in the early 1960s, roughly a decade before state
incarceration rates began rising. In the 1980s, violent and property
crime rates fluctuated (falling in the first half of the decade, then
rising in the second), while incarceration rates continued rising,
undergoing their greatest decade of growth. By the end of the 1990s,
crime rates had fallen to levels not seen since the 1970s, and they have
continued to fall throughout the 2000s; yet incarceration rates
continued to grow well into the 2000s, peaking in 2007.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6">[6]</a> </li>
</ul>
<div align="center">
<img alt="" src="http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/10-28-14sfp-f3.png" style="border: 0px;" /></div>
<ul>
<li><b>Arrests per crime have been relatively stable. </b>Incarceration
rates may rise even when crime rates remain stable if police become
more effective at apprehending offenders (in other words, if the arrest
rate per crime increases). However, the likelihood of arresting
someone who has committed a crime remained relatively stable between
1980 and 2010. “[B]y the measure of the ratio of arrests to crimes, no
increase in policing effectiveness occurred from 1980 to 2010 that
might explain higher rates of incarceration,” a recent National
Research Council report concluded.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7">[7]</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>The share of offenders sent to prison has climbed dramatically. </b>For
all major crime types, the likelihood that an offender will go to
prison has risen sharply over the past 30 years. This is especially
true for drug offenses; the likelihood of being sent to prison for a
drug-related crime rose by <i>350 percent</i> between 1980 and
2010. The National Research Council study estimated that the increase
in the share of offenders sent to prison accounts for 44 to 49 percent
of the long-term growth in state incarceration rates.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8">[8]</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Length of stay in prison has grown for all types of crimes. </b>Between
1990 and 2009, the average time served rose by nearly 25 percent for
property crimes and by roughly 37 percent for violent and drug crimes,
the Pew Center on the States estimates. Overall, Pew estimated that
individuals released from prison in 2009 spent nine months longer
behind bars than offenders released 20 years ago.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9">[9]</a>
The increase in average sentences has contributed as much to the
growth in incarceration rates as the rise in the share of offenders
sent to prison, and possibly slightly more.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3 align="left">
<span style="font-size: small;">High Incarceration Rates Impose Significant Human Costs, Especially in Certain Neighborhoods</span></h3>
<div align="left">
While
incarceration rates have risen in every state in recent decades, the
impacts have been most acute for a small but geographically
concentrated number of neighborhoods. A 2010 paper by two Harvard
criminologists found that incarceration rates in the early and
mid-2000s were below 500 per 100,000 adult residents for the majority of
Chicago neighborhoods but were more than <i>eight times</i> greater— over 4,000 per 100,000 adult residents — for a small subset of clustered Chicago neighborhoods.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10">[10]</a>
Another study found that North Carolina’s incarceration rate in 2000
was 335 per 100,000 residents statewide, well below the national
average at the time, but was 8,000 per 100,000 adult residents in one
neighborhood.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11">[11]</a></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
Communities
most afflicted by high incarceration rates have high levels of
poverty, unemployment, and racial segregation. “To state the claim
bluntly, imprisonment and its effects are concentrated in neighborhoods
where black people and poor people live,” political scientist Traci
Burch has written.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12">[12]</a><br />
<br />
High
levels of incarceration impose significant human and economic costs.
People with criminal convictions face serious challenges in finding
stable and adequate employment.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13">[13]</a>
Time behind bars is generally time lost developing the skills and
education increasingly necessary in today’s labor market, a particular
problem given that formerly incarcerated people typically have lower
levels of education.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14">[14]</a>
(Nearly 40 percent of state prisoners had not finished high school
and only 11 percent had attended college, a Justice Department study
conducted in 2003 found.)<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15">[15]</a>
For many, incarceration also carries a strong stigma, which can
discourage potential employers from hiring. In addition, in some
states, legal barriers prevent people with criminal convictions from
holding certain jobs.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16">[16]</a> <br />
<br />
Even those who do find employment typically earn less than otherwise-similar people who have not been incarcerated.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17">[17]</a> A Pew study<b> </b>found
that men with a previous criminal conviction worked roughly nine fewer
weeks, and earned 40 percent less, each year than otherwise similar<b> </b>non-offenders.
These effects accumulate over time. The study also found that men’s
total earnings by age 48 are less than half among men who have been
incarcerated than among comparable men who have not been incarcerated.
In addition, the study found that overall, incarceration reduces the
total earnings of <i>all</i> black men — not just ex-offenders — by 9 percent.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18">[18]</a><br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/10-28-14sfp-f4.png" style="border: 0px; float: right; margin-left: 12px;" />Incarceration also increases poverty, for those who have been to prison as well as other household members, including children.<b> </b>Many
inmates are also parents and/or partners, and their incarceration
leaves households with one less potential wage earner. One study
examining poverty and state-level incarceration rates between 1980 and
2004 determined that if incarceration rates had not increased, the
official poverty rate would have fallen by roughly 20 percent over that
period instead of remaining relatively stable.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn19" name="_ftnref19">[19]</a>
A 2008 study estimated that more than 2.7 million children had a
parent behind bars, and that this significantly increased the
children’s likelihood of being poor.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20">[20]</a><br />
<br />
Because
high levels of incarceration are heavily localized, the individual and
family effects of imprisonment accumulate to limit entire communities’
economic and social opportunities. Removing large numbers of
working-age men and women from the community depletes the human capital
needed to build stable neighborhoods.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21">[21]</a> That depletion, in turn, tends to reduce economic and social opportunities even for community members with <i>no </i>interaction
with the criminal justice system. A 2003 study found that as
incarceration rates rise in a given county, unemployment rates
subsequently rise for the county’s non-incarcerated African Americans.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22">[22]</a><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;">High Incarceration Rates Present Mounting Fiscal Challenge</span></h3>
As
the number of individuals connected to the criminal justice system has
ballooned, so has state corrections spending, which more than doubled
between 1986 and 2013 (after adjusting for inflation), from $20 billion
to over $47 billion.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23">[23]</a>
Spending rose in every state except Virginia, by more than four times
in nine states (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and by five times
in three of those states (Colorado, Idaho, and Pennsylvania).<br />
<br />
The <i>share</i>
of state general-fund dollars going to corrections rose as well
between 1986 and 2013, from 4.7 percent to nearly 7 percent nationally.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24">[24]</a> For most states, corrections spending is now the third-largest category of spending, behind only education and health care.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25">[25]</a>
In four states (Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, and Vermont), corrections
accounts for more than 11 percent of state general fund spending.<br />
<br />
Growth
in corrections spending has outpaced growth in expenditures in other
critical areas of state budgets, such as K-12 and higher education.
State spending on higher education — that is, money spent through the
state budget, not by students and families through tuition — rose by
less than 6 percent between 1986 and 2013, after adjusting for
inflation. State support for K-12 education grew by 69 percent over
this period.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26">[26]</a> But corrections spending jumped by <i>141 percent.</i>
Eleven states spent more general funds on corrections than on higher
education in 2013; Oregon spent more than twice as much. In 12 other
states, corrections spending was at least 70 percent of state support
for higher education.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn27" name="_ftnref27">[27]</a><br />
<br />
If
states were still spending the same amount on corrections as they did
in the mid-1980s, adjusted for inflation, they would have about $28
billion more available each year for education and other productive
investments.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody>
<tr class="blueHeader"> <td align="center" colspan="4"><b>Table 1<br /> State Corrections Spending Has Risen Significantly Since 1986 <br /> (in millions of dollars)</b></td> </tr>
<tr class="grayHeader"> <td></td> <td align="center">Fiscal Year 1986 (in 2013 $’s)</td> <td align="center">Fiscal Year 2013*</td> <td align="center">Difference</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Alabama</td> <td align="center">$270</td> <td align="center">$460</td> <td align="center">$190</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Alaska</td> <td align="center">$166</td> <td align="center">$349</td> <td align="center">$183</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Arizona</td> <td align="center">$347</td> <td align="center">$965</td> <td align="center">$618</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Arkansas</td> <td align="center">$81</td> <td align="center">$385</td> <td align="center">$304</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>California</td> <td align="center">$3,329</td> <td align="center">$8,618</td> <td align="center">$5,289</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Colorado</td> <td align="center">$130</td> <td align="center">$670</td> <td align="center">$540</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Connecticut</td> <td align="center">$225</td> <td align="center">$642</td> <td align="center">$417</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Delaware</td> <td align="center">$100</td> <td align="center">$265</td> <td align="center">$165</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Florida</td> <td align="center">$772</td> <td align="center">$2,316</td> <td align="center">$1,544</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Georgia</td> <td align="center">$449</td> <td align="center">$1,467</td> <td align="center">$1,018</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Hawaii</td> <td align="center">$79</td> <td align="center">$218</td> <td align="center">$139</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Idaho</td> <td align="center">$32</td> <td align="center">$213</td> <td align="center">$181</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Illinois</td> <td align="center">$782</td> <td align="center">$1,295</td> <td align="center">$513</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Indiana</td> <td align="center">$296</td> <td align="center">$687</td> <td align="center">$391</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Iowa</td> <td align="center">$155</td> <td align="center">$362</td> <td align="center">$207</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Kansas</td> <td align="center">$151</td> <td align="center">$354</td> <td align="center">$203</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Kentucky</td> <td align="center">$196</td> <td align="center">$558</td> <td align="center">$362</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Louisiana</td> <td align="center">$389</td> <td align="center">$713</td> <td align="center">$324</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Maine</td> <td align="center">$74</td> <td align="center">$133</td> <td align="center">$59</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Maryland</td> <td align="center">$780</td> <td align="center">$1,313</td> <td align="center">$533</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Massachusetts</td> <td align="center">$353</td> <td align="center">$1,261</td> <td align="center">$908</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Michigan</td> <td align="center">$836</td> <td align="center">$2,064</td> <td align="center">$1,228</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Minnesota</td> <td align="center">$185</td> <td align="center">$469</td> <td align="center">$284</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Mississippi</td> <td align="center">$117</td> <td align="center">$312</td> <td align="center">$195</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Missouri</td> <td align="center">$204</td> <td align="center">$589</td> <td align="center">$385</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Montana</td> <td align="center">$45</td> <td align="center">$178</td> <td align="center">$133</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Nebraska</td> <td align="center">$74</td> <td align="center">$198</td> <td align="center">$124</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Nevada</td> <td align="center">$96</td> <td align="center">$247</td> <td align="center">$151</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>New Hampshire</td> <td align="center">$32</td> <td align="center">$95</td> <td align="center">$63</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>New Jersey</td> <td align="center">$670</td> <td align="center">$1,511</td> <td align="center">$841</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>New Mexico</td> <td align="center">$140</td> <td align="center">$266</td> <td align="center">$126</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>New York</td> <td align="center">$2,762</td> <td align="center">$2,918</td> <td align="center">$156</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>North Carolina</td> <td align="center">$538</td> <td align="center">$1,717</td> <td align="center">$1,179</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>North Dakota</td> <td align="center">$17</td> <td align="center">$81</td> <td align="center">$64</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Ohio</td> <td align="center">$668</td> <td align="center">$1,798</td> <td align="center">$1,130</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Oklahoma</td> <td align="center">$208**</td> <td align="center">$459</td> <td align="center">$251</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Oregon</td> <td align="center">$196</td> <td align="center">$802</td> <td align="center">$606</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Pennsylvania</td> <td align="center">$393</td> <td align="center">$2,111</td> <td align="center">$1,718</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Rhode Island</td> <td align="center">$74</td> <td align="center">$185</td> <td align="center">$111</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>South Carolina</td> <td align="center">$257</td> <td align="center">$492</td> <td align="center">$235</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>South Dakota</td> <td align="center">$28</td> <td align="center">$85</td> <td align="center">$57</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Tennessee</td> <td align="center">$472</td> <td align="center">$880</td> <td align="center">$408</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Texas</td> <td align="center">$872</td> <td align="center">$3,191</td> <td align="center">$2,319</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Utah</td> <td align="center">$115</td> <td align="center">$239</td> <td align="center">$124</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Vermont</td> <td align="center">$34</td> <td align="center">$131</td> <td align="center">$97</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Virginia</td> <td align="center">$940**</td> <td align="center">$1,174</td> <td align="center">$234</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Washington</td> <td align="center">$344</td> <td align="center">$913**</td> <td align="center">$569</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>West Virginia</td> <td align="center">$45</td> <td align="center">$219</td> <td align="center">$174</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Wisconsin</td> <td align="center">$279</td> <td align="center">$1,138</td> <td align="center">$859</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Wyoming</td> <td align="center">$30</td> <td align="center">$123</td> <td align="center">$93</td> </tr>
<tr> <td></td> <td></td> <td align="center"><b>Total Spending Increase: </b></td> <td align="center"><b>$28,006 </b></td><td align="center"></td><td align="center"></td><td align="center"></td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="4"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="4"></td><td colspan="4"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*FY
2013 spending levels are estimates collected by the National
Association of State Budget Officers. Actual state spending levels may
differ.<br /> **Oklahoma data reflect corrections spending
in FY 1987; Virginia data reflect FY 1990; Washington State data
reflect FY 2012.<br /> Source: CBPP analysis Data from National Association of State Budget Officers.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td colspan="4"></td><td colspan="4"></td><td colspan="4"></td><td colspan="4"><br /></td><td colspan="4"><br /></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table>
<h3>
States Are Underinvesting in Educating Children in Low-Income Neighborhoods</h3>
State
economies — and, in particular, the economies of many low-income
neighborhoods — would be stronger over time if states spent less in
maintaining extremely high prison populations and more to educate
children and young adults. <br />
<br />
In recent years, though, states
have cut education funding, in some cases by large amounts. At least
30 states are providing less general funding per student this year for
K-12 schools than in state fiscal year 2008, before the Great Recession
hit, after adjusting for inflation.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28">[28]</a>
In 14 states, the reduction exceeds 10 percent. The three states with
the deepest funding cuts since the recession hit - Alabama, Arizona,
and Oklahoma - are among the ten states with the highest incarceration
rates.<br />
<br />
Cuts in state funding for colleges and universities have
been even deeper. The average state has cut higher education funding
per student by 23 percent since the recession hit, after adjusting for
inflation. The two states with the deepest cuts - ver 40 percent - are
Arizona and Louisiana, both in the top ten for incarceration rates.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29">[29]</a><br />
<br />
Many
states have also cut funding substantially for preschool programs. Of
the 40 states that help fund preschools, 28 now have lower per-child
funding than before the recession hit.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30">[30]</a>
Many of the deepest cuts occurred in the highest-incarcerating states.
Six of the ten states with the highest incarceration rates - Arizona,
Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas - cut preschool
funding per child by more than 15 percent between 2008 and 2013.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31">[31]</a><br />
<br />
By
reordering their priorities to invest more in education, states could
start repairing the damage done by these recession-era cuts and
otherwise improve their education systems, especially in high-poverty
neighborhoods most directly affected by high incarceration rates. They
could, for example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Expand access to high-quality preschool.</b>
A substantial body of research indicates that children from
low-income families who attend a high-quality preschool program improve
their cognitive skills and tend to earn more as adults.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn32" name="_ftnref32">[32]</a> Yet only a little over <i>one-third</i>
of 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families nationally are enrolled
in preschool, including both public and private programs.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn33" name="_ftnref33">[33]</a> Only New Jersey and the District of Columbia have enrollment rates exceeding 50 percent.<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="http://www.cbpp.org/images/cms/10-28-14sfp-f5.png" style="border: 0px; float: right; margin-left: 12px;" />While
some high-incarcerating states perform comparatively well on this
measure, others do not. Mississippi enrolls nearly half of its
low-income 3- and 4-year-olds in preschool, for example, but Arizona
enrolls only about 27 percent.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Reduce class sizes in high-poverty schools. </b>Evidence suggests that reducing class sizes can boost achievement, especially in the early grades and for low-income students.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn34" name="_ftnref34">[34]</a> After the recession hit, though, class sizes rose nationally and in a number of states.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn35" name="_ftnref35">[35]</a> Kansas schools, for example, had 19,000 more students last school year than they did in 2009, but 665 fewer teachers.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn36" name="_ftnref36">[36]</a> Further, in a handful of states, teachers in high-poverty schools
have more students, on average, than teachers in low-poverty schools -
the opposite of what is generally required to produce an equitable
education system.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn37" name="_ftnref37">[37]</a>
In Alabama, for example, the average teacher in a high-poverty school
district had 19 students in 2011, while the average teacher in a
low-poverty district had 13. Four of the states with this backward
arrangement - Alabama, Arizona, Florida, and Texas - are among the ten
highest-incarceration states.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Revise state funding formulas to invest more in high-poverty neighborhoods</b><b>.</b>
Schools receive most of their funding from a combination of state and
local sources. The primary local source is the property tax, which
tends to generate more revenue for schools in wealthier areas than in
poorer ones because it is based on property values. State funding can
help counteract that inequity.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn38" name="_ftnref38">[38]</a> Unfortunately, a number of states provide <i>less </i>funding
for high-poverty schools than for low-poverty schools, while some
others provide about the same funding to high- and low-poverty
districts. As of 2011, only 14 states provided at least 5 percent more
funding per student for high-poverty districts than low-poverty
districts.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn39" name="_ftnref39" title=""> <br /> <br /> </a>Further,
many states provide inadequate funding for schools overall. While some
interstate differences in funding levels are to be expected, given
variations in wage rates, poverty levels, population density, and other
factors, a number of states have low per-student funding levels even
after controlling for these factors. Based on one study that accounted
for these factors, <i>none </i>of the states with the ten highest incarceration rates ranked in the top half of states for school funding per student in 2011.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Increase college enrollment and graduation rates for students from low-income families. </b>Students
from low-income families are much less likely to enroll in college
than students from wealthier households. Only about half of recent high
school graduates from households in the lowest income quintile
(earning less than $18,300) enrolled in postsecondary education in
2012, compared to more than 80 percent of students from households in
the top quintile (earning over $90,500 a year).<br /> <br /> In
addition, low-income students who enroll in college are much less
likely to graduate than their higher-income counterparts. One study
found that only a quarter of low-income students who began college in
the 2003-04 school year had attained a bachelor’s degree six years
later, compared to nearly 60 percent of high-income students.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn41" name="_ftnref41">[41]</a> <br /> <br />
Adding to the difficulties facing low-income students, sharp
reductions in state funding for higher education have led to
significant tuition increases. Tuition at the average public college
or university nationally is up $1,936 (28 percent) since the 2007-08
school year, after adjusting for inflation.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn42" name="_ftnref42">[42]</a>
While more federal financial aid is now available to offset rising
tuition for low-income students, increases in costs of room and board
along with a higher “sticker price” at many colleges and universities
likely cause some students to choose not to enroll.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn43" name="_ftnref43">[43]</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>
Reforms Can Reduce Incarceration Rates and Produce Savings </h3>
States can reduce their incarceration rates and realize significant long-term budget savings without harming public safety.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn44" name="_ftnref44">[44]</a>
To do this, state policymakers need to enact reforms that target the
main drivers of high incarceration rates: the number of people admitted
(or re-admitted) into correctional facilities and the length of their
prison stays. States should consider four basic kinds of reforms:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Decriminalize certain activities and reclassify certain low-level felonies.</b>
The increased use of prison — and longer prison sentences — to punish
crimes such as the possession of certain drugs, like marijuana, has
contributed heavily to the growth in mass incarceration. Lawmakers
should look to reduce or eliminate criminal penalties for such crimes
when doing so would not affect public safety. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Expand
the use of alternatives to prison for non-violent crimes and divert
people with mental health or substance abuse issues away from the
criminal justice system altogether.</b> Policymakers should
assess the range of sentencing alternatives available in their state,
such as drug and mental health courts and related treatment, community
correction centers, community service, sex offender treatment, and
fines and victim restitution. Whenever possible, people whose crimes
stem from addiction or mental illness should be diverted into treatment
programs rather than sent to prison. These treatment programs should
be high-quality and adequately funded.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn45" name="_ftnref45">[45]</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Reduce the length of prison terms and parole/probation periods.</b>
Policymakers should reform unnecessarily harsh sentencing policies,
including “truth-in-sentencing” requirements and mandatory minimum
sentences, and allow inmates to reduce their sentences through good
time or earned time policies. States also should expand programs that
enable inmates meeting certain requirements to receive favorable
decisions in parole hearings, especially in states where parole grant
rates remain low. Funding for programs to help inmates meet these
requirements, in areas such as substance abuse, anger management,
literacy, or higher education, has not kept pace with the growth in
state prison populations.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn46" name="_ftnref46">[46]</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Restrict the use of prison for technical violations of parole/probation. </b>The
share of individuals entering prison due to a parole violation grew
rapidly between the late 1970s and the late 2000s. While it has fallen
more recently, parole revocations accounted for more than a quarter of
admissions to state prisons in 2013.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn47" name="_ftnref47">[47]</a>
Some of these violations are technical, such as missing a meeting
with a probation officer or failing a drug test. States should heavily
restrict the use of prison for technical parole violators and implement
graduated sanctions for more serious parole violations. <br /> <br />
States can also adopt more effective probation policies. For
example, Hawaii has sharply reduced probation revocations with a
program that punishes infractions more quickly and with more certainty,
but with much shorter periods of incarceration.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn48" name="_ftnref48">[48]</a></li>
</ul>
These
reforms are complementary; adopting just one or two won’t shrink a
state’s prison population as much as a more comprehensive set of
reforms that improves “front-end” sentencing and admission policies as
well as “back-end” release and re-entry policies.<br />
<br />
<h2>
What Policy Mechanisms Do States Need to Support Those Reforms?</h2>
States
wishing to use savings from criminal justice reforms for more
productive purposes would do well to adopt planning and budgeting
mechanisms that can help them shift priorities, including the following.<br />
<h3>
High-Quality, Long-Term Forecast of Potential Savings</h3>
Lawmakers
often don’t have the information needed to make educated decisions on
proposed criminal justice reform legislation because they lack an
official estimate of the fiscal impact of the reforms, also known as a
“fiscal note.” Roughly 40 percent of the major criminal justice bills
enacted in states in 2009-2011 had no fiscal note. In about half of the
states where a fiscal note <i>was</i> produced, the notes projected
fiscal impacts no more than two years into the future. Moreover, some
states had little or no process to ensure that the fiscal notes were
credible, such as a review by independent analysts. (See Box 1.)<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn49" name="_ftnref49">[49]</a><br />
<div class="textBox">
<h4>
Box 1: Fiscal Note Best Practices</h4>
When drafting fiscal notes, states should strive to make them:<sup>a</sup><br />
<br />
<b>Consistent</b>.
Fiscal notes should be produced in a consistent format by trusted,
non-partisan staff. All major bills that have reached a certain stage
in the legislative process should be analyzed for their fiscal impact.<br />
<br />
<b>Properly researched</b>.
Fiscal notes should estimate savings and potential costs and include a
detailed explanation in instances where an estimate cannot be
calculated. At a minimum, they should seek to forecast five years into
the future.<br />
<br />
<b>Detailed</b>. In complex reform
bills, the analysis should extend to the bills’ individual major
provisions. Fiscal notes should also attempt to estimate impacts on
local as well as state finances and on the size of prison and jail
populations.<br />
<br />
<b>Accessible</b>. Fiscal notes should
be clearly written and available online and should include contact
information for the analyst or staff responsible.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>a</sup> See Michael Leachman <i>et al.,</i>
“Improving Budget Analysis of State Criminal Justice Reforms: A
Strategy for Better Outcomes and Saving Money,” Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities and American Civil Liberties Union, January 11, 2012,
<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3654">http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3654</a>.</span></div>
<h3>
Accepted Process to Estimate Annual Savings Once Reforms Are Enacted</h3>
To
capture the savings from criminal justice reforms for more productive
human capital investments (including education), states need to
estimate how much specific reforms save following enactment. These
estimates need to be produced each time a state writes its budget -
annually in most states - so that lawmakers can incorporate the savings
into the budget. Estimates need to be produced in a manner that is
accepted as credible by legislators, other policymakers, and the
public, so that the process does not bog down in arguments over the
numbers.<br />
<br />
A California ballot initiative (Proposition 47) could
serve as a model. It would reform sentencing policies and
place all resulting savings in a special fund to be used for certain
specified purposes, primarily addiction and mental health treatment and
school programs for high-risk youth. (See Box 2.) To determine how
much to deposit into the fund, Proposition 47 would require the state
finance department to estimate the savings attributable to the measure
annually.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, states can choose to allocate savings
based on estimates produced during the initial fiscal note process.
For this to occur, it is important that fiscal notes be properly
researched, consistent, and provide detailed estimates of savings far
enough into the future. Such a process would be similar to what occurs
at the federal level when the Congressional Budget Office estimates
the potential costs or savings of proposed legislation and these
estimates are then used to determine the savings that can be spent in
subsequent years.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn50" name="_ftnref50">[50]</a><br />
<h3>
Established Mechanism to Shift Savings to Investments in Human Capital</h3>
States
typically have three alternative ways to shift savings from criminal
justice reforms into human capital investments. They can:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Establish a mechanism to automatically estimate the savings and divert them into a special fund.</b>
One approach is for policymakers enacting criminal justice reforms to
simultaneously create a “reinvestment fund” that captures savings from
the reforms and allocates those savings largely to human capital
investments, including educational programming targeted to high-poverty
communities and improved mental health and substance abuse treatment
programs. As the state reports each year the estimated savings from
the reforms, an equal amount is automatically deposited into the fund.
The legislation establishing the fund would specify how the money is
to be spent. California’s Proposition 47 follows this approach.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Appropriate savings through state budget processes.</b>
Through the annual budget process, policymakers can estimate the
savings from criminal justice reforms and determine how much of those
savings to reinvest and in what programs. This option gives
policymakers greater flexibility and control. On the other hand, it
can place reinvestments in future years in jeopardy as political
priorities change or fiscal and economic conditions shift.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Reallocate spending at the department or agency level.</b>
Within departments or agencies, states can shift dollars away from
incarceration and into human capital investments. For instance, after
North Carolina enacted criminal justice reforms in 2011, policymakers
shifted $16 million into community-based treatments by drawing on
resources that were already in the Department of Public Safety’s budget
but would no longer be needed for corrections costs.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn51" name="_ftnref51">[51]</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="textBox">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
--------(<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-ff-pol-proposition47-20141106-story.html#page=1">THIS JUST PASSED IN CALIFORNIA</a>!!!!)--------</h4>
<h4>
Box 2: California Ballot Proposal Offers Model</h4>
Proposition
47 (“The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act”), which will appear on
California’s statewide ballot on November 4, contains criminal justice
reforms designed to reduce the state prison population, coupled with
measures to reinvest the savings.<br />
<br />
California has the nation’s second-largest prison system, with over 130,000 individuals under state jurisdiction.<sup>a</sup>
With the system operating at roughly 140 percent of capacity,
California has located more than 15,000 prisoners in private prison
facilities and out-of-state prisons.<sup>b</sup> In addition, a federal
court ruling that prison overcrowding is preventing the state from
giving prisoners adequate medical and mental health care means that
California must reduce its prison population.<br />
<br />
To accomplish this, Proposition 47 would:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Make
targeted sentencing reductions by reclassifying certain offenses from
felonies to misdemeanors, for both current and future offenders</b>.
Proposition 47 would reclassify seven types of non-violent drug and
property crimes (such as shoplifting, drug possession, and petty theft)
from felonies to misdemeanors,<sup>c</sup> thereby shortening the
maximum penalty from a multi-year prison sentence to one year in jail.
Since the change would be retroactive, qualifying prisoners could apply
for resentencing and see their sentences reduced. <b> </b></li>
<li><b>Require the state to calculate the savings from the reforms each year and deposit them in a dedicated fund</b>.
The initiative would require California’s Department of Finance to
estimate the state savings attributable to the measure each year and
deposit them in a special fund.</li>
<li><b>Earmark the savings for specific investments</b>.
Savings deposited in the fund could only be used for three explicit
purposes and in specified proportions: 65 percent would go to mental
health services, drug treatment, and “diversion programs” designed to
enable offenders to avoid criminal charges and a criminal record; 25
percent would go to supporting at-risk youth in schools; and 10 percent
would go to victim services.</li>
</ul>
California’s Legislative
Analyst’s Office has estimated that Proposition 47 would likely cut the
state’s prison population by “several thousand” inmates while
generating corrections savings in the “low hundreds of millions” of
dollars annually.<sup>d</sup><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">a CBPP calculations, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “National Prisoner Statistics,” <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps">http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps</a>. <br />
b “Proposition 47: Should California Reduce Penalties for Drug and
Property Crimes and Invest in Treatment?” California Budget Project,
September 2014, <a href="http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2014/140909_Proposition_47_BB.pdf">http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2014/140909_Proposition_47_BB.pdf</a>. <br />
c These seven categories are check fraud, drug possession, forgery,
petty theft, shoplifting, receiving stolen property, and petty theft
with a prior theft-related conviction. This change would <i>not</i> apply to individuals with prior convictions for violent offenses or registerable sex offences.<br /> d “Proposition 47: Criminal Sentences. Misdemeanor Penalties Initiative Statute,” California Legislative Analyst’s Office, <a href="http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2014/prop-47-110414.aspx">http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2014/prop-47-110414.aspx</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">--------------------------------------------------- </span></div>
</div>
<h3 align="left">
Independent Commission to Monitor Implementation and Enforce Compliance</h3>
<div align="left">
States
adopting significant criminal justice reforms can create an oversight
commission to craft and recommend further reforms, propose legislation,
assist in implementation, and evaluate the results. The commission
should include experts and individuals rooted in communities most
affected by high incarceration rates.</div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
South Carolina, for
instance, created a bipartisan sentencing reform commission in 2008 to
recommend changes to state law. The commission proposed a set of
reforms in 2009 that, among other things, required fiscal impact
statements for future criminal justice legislation, eliminated
mandatory minimum sentences for drug possession, and expanded parole
eligibility for certain offenses. Projections indicated that these
reforms, enacted in 2010, would slow the growth of the prison
population over the next five years by 7.3 percent and save roughly
$241 million over that period. At the commission’s urging, policymakers
also created a standing oversight committee with the authority to
spend part of the resulting savings.<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftn52" name="_ftnref52">[52]</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>END NOTES: </b><i><br /></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a>
New York and New Jersey reduced their prison populations by 26 percent
between 1999 and 2012. California reduced its prison population by 23
percent between 2006 and 2012. See Marc Mauer and Nazgol Ghandnoosh,
“Fewer Prisoners, Less Crime: A Tale of Three States,”The Sentencing
Project, July 2014, <a href="http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_Fewer_Prisoners_Less_Crime.pdf">http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_Fewer_Prisoners_Less_Crime.pdf</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2">[2]</a>
CBPP calculations, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Sentenced prisoners
under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities,
December 31, 1978-2013,” <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps">http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps</a>.
Note that while the average person often uses the terms “prison” and
“jail” interchangeably, they refer to different criminal justice
facilities. As defined by the Bureau of Justice Statistics; “[j]ails
are locally-operated, short term facilities that hold inmates awaiting
trial or sentencing or both, and inmates sentenced to a term of less
than 1 year, typically misdemeanants. Prisons are long-term facilities
run by the state or the federal government and typically hold felons
and inmates with sentences of more than 1 year.” See <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=qa&iid=322">http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=qa&iid=322</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3">[3]</a> Jeremy Travis, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn (editors), The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences, National Academies Press, 2014.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4">[4]</a> CBPP calculations, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “National Prisoner Statistics,” <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps">http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5">[5]</a>
CBPP calculations, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Imprisonment rate of
sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal
correctional authorities per 100,000 U.S. residents, December 31,
1978-2013,” <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps">http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6">[6]</a>
CBPP analysis of incarceration data from BJS and FBI, Uniform Crime
Reports, prepared by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7">[7]</a> Travis et al., p. 49.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8">[8]</a> Ibid.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9">[9]</a>
Pew Center on the States, “Time Served: The High Cost, Low Return of
Longer Prison Terms,” 2012. Other studies have produced similar
findings. The National Research Council found that between 1980 and
2010, the time served for aggravated assault, burglary, and robbery
increased by 83, 41, and 79 percent, respectively.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10">[10]</a> Robert J. Sampson and Charles Loeffler, “Punishment’s Place: The Local Concentration of Mass Incarceration,” Daedalus,
Summer 2010, pp. 20-31. (See Figure 3, “Spatial Concentration of
Incarceration in Chicago, 2000-2005,” on p. 24.) See also Visher and
Farrell (2005), which found that over half of former male prisoners
reentering Chicago from prison returned to just seven of the city’s 77
distinct community areas.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11">[11]</a>
The study looked at census “block groups.” Traci Burch, “The Old Jim
Crow: Racial Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Imprisonment,”
American Bar Foundation, 2008, <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/group/scspi/_media/working_papers/Burch_Old_Jim%20Crow.pdf">http://web.stanford.edu/group/scspi/_media/working_papers/Burch_Old_Jim%20Crow.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12">[12]</a> Traci Burch, “The Spatial Concentration of Imprisonment and Racial Political Inequality,” <a href="https://apw.polisci.wisc.edu/archives/Burch%20Spatial%20Concentration%20of%20Imprisonment.pdf">https://apw.polisci.wisc.edu/archives/Burch%20Spatial%20Concentration%20of%20Imprisonment.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13">[13]</a> See, for example, Holzer et al. (2003), Raphael (2007), and Schmitt (2010) on the impacts of incarceration on employment and wage prospects.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14">[14]</a>
Steven Raphael, “Improving Employment Prospects for Former Prison
Inmates: Challenges and Policy,” National Bureau of Economic Research,
April 2010, <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w15874.pdf">http://www.nber.org/papers/w15874.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15">[15]</a>
Caroline W. Harlow, “Education and Correctional Populations,” U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, March 2003.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16">[16]</a> Jon Schmitt and Kris Warner, “Ex-offenders and the Labor Market,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, November 2010.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17">[17]</a> Bruce Western, “The Impact of Incarceration on Wage Mobility and Inequality,” American Sociological Review, August 2002,<a href="http://scholar.harvard.edu/brucewestern/files/western_asr.pdf">http://scholar.harvard.edu/brucewestern/files/western_asr.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18">[18]</a> Pew Charitable Trusts, “Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility,” 2010.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19">[19]</a> Robert H. DeFina and Lance Hannon, “The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Poverty,” Crime and Delinquency, February 23, 2009. Available at SSRN: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=1348049">http://ssrn.com/abstract=1348049</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20">[20]</a> “Collateral Costs.”</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21">[21]</a> Todd R. Clear, Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse, Oxford University Press, 2007.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22">[22]</a>
Clear, citing William J. Sabol and James P. Lynch, “Assessing the
Longer-run Effects of Incarceration: Impact on Families and
Employment,” 2003.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23">[23]</a>
CBPP calculations, National Association of State Budget Officers. The
year 1986 represents the first year of complete budget data on
corrections spending that states reported to NASBO. State spending
levels from years prior to 2013 are expressed in 2013 dollars.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24">[24]</a> The share declined in only six states: Alaska, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Virginia, and Washington.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25">[25]</a>
CBPP calculations, data from NASBO. Education spending includes
spending for higher education. Overall in FY 2012, roughly 45 percent
of state general fund dollars went to education (K-12 and higher
education combined), with another 20 percent going to health care.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26">[26]</a> The number of K-12 students also rose over this period, by about 10 million students or about 25 percent.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27">[27]</a> CBPP calculations, data from NASBO.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28">[28]</a>
Michael Leachman and Chris Mai, “Most States Still Funding Schools Less
Than Before the Recession,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
October 16, 2014, <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4213">http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4213</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29">[29]</a>
Michael Mitchell, Vincent Palacios, and Michael Leachman, “States Still
Funding Higher Education Below Pre-Recession Levels,” Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities, May 1, 2014, <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4135">http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4135</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30">[30]</a>
From 2007-08 to 2012-13, the latest data available. Authors’ analysis
of data from National Institute for Early Education Research, The State of Preschool 2013, <a href="http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/yearbook2013.pdf">http://nieer.org/sites/nieer/files/yearbook2013.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31">[31]</a> Ibid.
Louisiana, also among the ten highest-incarcerating states, is
excluded from this list because most or all of its very deep (76
percent) cut in state pre-K funding was offset by an increase in the
state’s use of federal TANF funds for the same purpose.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref32" name="_ftn32">[32]</a> See Timothy J. Bartik, “From Preschool to Prosperity,” W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 2014, <a href="http://www.upjohn.org/sites/default/files/WEfocus/FromPreschooltoProsperity.pdf">http://www.upjohn.org/sites/default/files/WEfocus/FromPreschooltoProsperity.pdf</a>. See also Julia Isaacs, “Research Brief #1: State Pre-Kindergarten,” Brookings Institution, September 2008, <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/%7E/media/research/files/papers/2008/9/early%20programs%20isaacs/09_early_programs_brief1.pdf">http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2008/9/early%20programs%20isaacs/09_early_programs_brief1.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref33" name="_ftn33">[33]</a>
Bruce Baker, David Sciarra, and Danielle Farrie, “Is School Funding
Fair: A National Report Card,” Education Law Center, Third Edition,
February 2014, p. 32, <a href="http://www.schoolfundingfairness.org/">http://www.schoolfundingfairness.org/</a> .</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref34" name="_ftn34">[34]</a> See Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, “Does Class Size Matter?” National Education Policy Center, February 2014, <a href="http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/does-class-size-matter">http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/does-class-size-matter</a>.
See also Matthew M. Chingos and Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst, “Class
Size: What Research Says and What it Means for State Policy,”
Brookings Institution, May 11, 2011, <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/05/11-class-size-whitehurst-chingos">http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/05/11-class-size-whitehurst-chingos</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref35" name="_ftn35">[35]</a> See National Center for Educational Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 2007-08, Table 8 and 2011-12, Table 7.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref36" name="_ftn36">[36]</a> Kansas Center for Economic Growth, “Quality at Risk: Impact of Education Cuts,” August 2014, <a href="http://realprosperityks.com/kac/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/KCEG-school-funding-report3.pdf">http://realprosperityks.com/kac/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/KCEG-school-funding-report3.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref37" name="_ftn37">[37]</a>
Baker, Sciarra, and Farrie, Table 8. A “high-poverty district” in
this study has a poverty rate of 30 percent, while a “low-poverty
district” has a poverty rate of zero.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref38" name="_ftn38">[38]</a> See, for example, Bruce D. Baker, “Evaluating the Recession’s Impact on State School Finance Systems,” Education Policy Analysis Archives, Volume 22, Number 91, September 15, 2014.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref39" name="_ftn39">[39]</a> Baker, Sciarra, and Farrie, pp. 17-18.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref40" name="_ftn40">[40]</a> Baker, Sciarra, and Farrie, p. 13.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref41" name="_ftn41">[41]</a> Sandy Baum et al., “Education Pays 2013: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society,” College Board, October 2013, <a href="http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2013-full-report-022714.pdf">http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2013-full-report-022714.pdf</a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref42" name="_ftn42">[42]</a> Mitchell, Palacios, and Leachman.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref43" name="_ftn43">[43]</a>
Overall, the cost of attending college has risen for low-income
students because the cost of room and board has increased, too. As a
result, the net cost of attendance at four-year public institutions for
these students increased 12 percent from 2008 to 2012, after adjusting
for inflation.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref44" name="_ftn44">[44]</a>
Marc Mauer and Jenni Gainsborough, “Diminishing Returns: Crime and
Incarceration in the 1990s,”The Sentencing Project, September 2000, <a href="http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/DimRet.pdf">http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sp/DimRet.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref45" name="_ftn45">[45]</a>
See ACLU of Southern California, “A Way Forward: Diverting People with
Mental Illness from Inhumane and Expensive Jails into Community-Based
Treatment that Works,” July 2014, <a href="https://www.aclusocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JAILS-REPORT.pdf">https://www.aclusocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JAILS-REPORT.pdf</a>. See also Families Against Mandatory Minimums, “Alternatives to Incarceration in a Nutshell,” July 8, 2011, <a href="http://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FS-Alternatives-in-a-Nutshell-7.8.pdf">http://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FS-Alternatives-in-a-Nutshell-7.8.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref46" name="_ftn46">[46]</a> Sarah Lawrence et al., “The Practice and Promise of Prison Programming,” Urban Institute, May 2002, <a href="http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/410493_PrisonProgramming.pdf">http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/410493_PrisonProgramming.pdf</a>.
See also Rand Corporation, “Evaluating the Effectiveness of
Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs that Provide
Education to Incarcerated Adults” 2013, p. 60.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref47" name="_ftn47">[47]</a>
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Number of parole violation admissions of
sentenced prisoners to state or federal prisons, 1978-2013.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref48" name="_ftn48">[48]</a>
Significant research has been done on Hawaii’s HOPE program. See
Hawken, Angela & Mark Klaiman “Managing Drug Involved Probationers
with Swift and Certain Sanctions: Evaluating Hawaii’s HOPE,” December
2009, U.S. Department of Justice. For a summary of the program and its
results see, Pew Center on the States, “The Impact of Hawaii’s HOPE
Program on Drug Use, Crime and Recidivism,” January 2010, and VERA
Institute of Justice, “More than the Sum of Its Parts: Why Hawaii’s
Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) Program Works,” 2012.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref49" name="_ftn49">[49]</a> Michael Leachman et al.,
“Improving Budget Analysis of State Criminal Justice Reforms: A
Strategy for Better Outcomes and Saving Money,” Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities and American Civil Liberties Union, January 11, 2012,
<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3654">http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3654</a>. </i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref50" name="_ftn50">[50]</a>
Regardless of which method is used, states would do well to adopt the
practice of publishing a “current services baseline” — a projection of
the state’s costs to maintain the same level of services, absent any
relevant policy changes —in order to more easily estimate the savings
attributable to criminal justice reforms. Current services baseline
projections take into account inflation and other changes in the cost of
providing services, changes in the size of the population being
served, and past rule changes that are still being phased in. Such
projections are fairly uncommon at the state level; a 2011 CBPP report
found that fewer than half of states prepare current services
baselines. See Elizabeth McNichol and Dylan Grundman, “The Current
Services Baseline: A Tool for Understanding Budget Choices,” October
21, 2011, <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3602">http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3602</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref51" name="_ftn51">[51]</a> Nancy Lavigne et al., “Justice Reinvestment Initiative State Assessment Report,” Urban Institute, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2014, <a href="http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412994-Justice-Reinvestment-Initiative-State-Assessment-Report.pdf">http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412994-Justice-Reinvestment-Initiative-State-Assessment-Report.pdf</a>.</i><br />
<i><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4220#_ftnref52" name="_ftn52">[52]</a>
The committee was required to spend the savings only on stronger
parole and probation programs. American Civil Liberties Union, “Smart
Reform is Possible: States Reducing Incarceration Rates and Costs While
Protecting Communities,” 2011, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/smartreformispossible.pdf">https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/smartreformispossible.pdf</a>.</i>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7032728144217817166.post-77447090815437693852014-10-22T22:22:00.001-07:002014-10-22T22:22:20.526-07:00Ghosts of Jan Brewer: Margaret Alvarado, 47.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Condolences to Margaret's family. I received word from Perryville tonight that she was a diabetic, and had asked for medical attention shortly before she died because she wasn't feeling well. She was reportedly sent back to her cell without even having her glucose levels checked. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>If anyone knows anything more about Margaret's death or her life and her loves, or if you are family and want help contacting a good wrongful death attorney (the only way to get to the truth about how she died), please reach me at:</i></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Peggy Plews </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>PO Box 20494 </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Phoenix, AZ 85036</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>480-580-6807</i></span> </div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Janice K. Brewer, Governor</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Charles L. Ryan, </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Director</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><strong>Tuesday, October 22, 2014</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;"><strong>Inmate Death Notification</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;">PHOENIX (Tuesday,
October 22, 2014) – Inmate Margaret Alvarado, 47, ADC #256176, was
pronounced dead of apparent natural causes after responders performed
lifesaving measures at her housing location.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;">Alvarado
was sentenced out of Maricopa County, serving eight years on a
conviction of Participating in a Criminal Street Gang. She came to ADC
on August 19, 2009 and was housed at ASPC – Perryville.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: times new roman,times,serif;">All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office.</span></span>Margaret Jean Plewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17604426254894186183noreply@blogger.com