Articles for 6 April 2011

NAACP to Start Billboard Campaign Against Overincarceration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NAACP has joined the coalition of liberal and conservative groups seeking to reduce incarceration in the U.S., issuing a study saying that state spending on prisons has grown at six times the rate of spending on higher education in the last 20 years, says the Washington Post. "We find ourselves with a new crop of allies," said NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. "This is a place where we've found commonality." The report has been endorsed by conservative activists Grover Norquist and Pat Nolan. Jealous has made the issue a top priority for the NAACP. His group will begin posting billboards in major cities with slogans such as: "Welcome to America, home to 5 percent of the world's people & 25 percent of the world's prisoners." He willmeet with state officials to ask for cuts to corrections spending and corresponding increases in spending to public higher education. That could prove difficult. Even states that have begun to lower their prison populations have difficulty achieving substantial savings, said Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project Washington Post

Brown Signs Prison-to-Jail Inmate Bill; No Money Yet to Fund It ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tens of thousands of California felons convicted of nonviolent crimes would serve their time in county jails instead of state prisons under a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, reports the Los Angeles Times. The measure is designed to reduce the number of inmates in California's chronically overcrowded state lockups and keep relatively low-level offenders closer to their homes, where drug treatment and mental health services are believed to be more effective. Supporters hope to save taxpayers money by lowering the number of offenders who return to prison and by housing many parole violators in less expensive county jails. Brown said the program would not begin until the state has money - hundreds of millions of dollars - to transfer to local authorities to defray the costs. Much of that funding was expected to come from the governor's proposed renewal of several tax hikes that will have expired by the July 1 start of the new budget year. His attempts to get the taxes on a ballot for voter approval, as he promised while running for election, have so far been unsuccessful. Los Angeles Times

Politically-Connected Vendors Could Profit From FL Prison Privatization ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Florida legislature's push to privatize many more prisons, its most far-reaching cost-cutting plan in years, could open a lucrative door to politically connected vendors who stand to profit, reports the Miami Herald. Senate and House budgets require the state to privatize prisons in South Florida, home to one-fifth of the statewide inmate population of 101,000. The region is the home of the GEO Group, the nation's second-largest private prison operator, which currently runs two private prisons. The Boca Raton company, a reliable contributor to the Republican party, employs 2,000 people and a stable of 16 lobbyists. It donated $25,000 to Gov. Rick Scott's inaugural celebration. A top transition budget adviser to Scott, Donna Arduin, is a former trustee of a GEO real estate company. The company's healthcare subsidiary, GEO Care, is led by Jorge Dominicis, a familiar figure in the Capitol from years of lobbying for the sugar industry. In recent testimony, Dominicis touted the advantages of privatization and said his firm achieves savings through higher staffing ratios - more inmates per staff member. Under two pending proposals, private vendors would have to run prisons for at least 7 percent less money than state-run prisons. Miami Herald

CA County Bans Sex Offenders From Popular Public Sites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Orange County, Ca., supervisors have approved a law significantly restricting the movements of registered sex offenders, banning them from entering some beaches, parks, and harbor areas, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sex offenders who visit any of dozens of public spaces without prior approval from county officials face up to six months in jail or a $500 fine. The ban covers some of the region's top attractions. The law is the latest in a controversial series of ordinances across the U.S. aimed at limiting where sex offenders can live and visit. It was championed by Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who said the idea was to keep sex offenders away from children and families. "We are setting up a safety zone by keeping parks and recreation zones safe from predators," Rackauckas said. Critics expressed skepticism about the law, saying it would be difficult to enforce and appeared politically motivated. Franklin Zimring, a University of California Berkeley law professor, said the law was overly broad and misdirected, because more than nine out of 10 sex crimes targeting children are committed not by strangers in a park, but by family members or acquaintances. "It's trying to solve a problem nobody knows exists," he said, adding that laws imposing restrictions on sex offenders are snowballing because they are politically popular. Los Angeles Times

Synthetic Drugs Produce Hospital Visits Up Fivefold From '10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Synthetic substances that mimic marijuana, cocaine, and other illegal drugs are making users seriously ill, causing seizures and hallucinations and deaths, reports the Associated Press. Products are packaged as incense or bath salts and sold for as little as $10 at head shops. Hospitals report a sharp spike in people who show up with problems including labored breathing, rapid heart beats, extreme paranoia and delusions. The American Association of Poison Control Centers analyzed data for AP, finding at at least 2,700 people have fallen ill since January, compared with under 3,200 cases in all of 2010. Medical emergencies related to synthetic drugs could go up nearly fivefold by the end of the year. The substances are suspected in at least 9 deaths since last year. The Drug Enforcement Administration used emergency powers to outlaw five chemicals found in synthetic pot, putting them in the same category as heroin and cocaine. Manufacturers used new formulas only a single molecule apart from the illegal ones. Washington Post

Supreme Court Issues Execution Stay For 2nd Time In Texas Case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the second time this year, Texas death row inmate Cleve Foster got a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court, a surprising move that means he is no longer the first in line to receive the state's new execution drug, reports the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Foster, 47, a former Army recruiter nicknamed "Sarge," was scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. yesterday for the 2002 rape and slaying of Nyaneur "Mary" Pal in Fort Worth. Foster was also charged, but never tried, in another murder, which factored into jurors' decision to sentence Foster to death. The court's decision was based on Foster's claims of innocence and inadequate legal help. "It's surprising," said Steve Conder, an appellate lawyer with the Tarrant County district attorney's office. "It's the first time I have seen it [an execution stopped twice by the U.S. Supreme Court]." The latest turn of events again left the victims' families devastated and Foster's family elated. The mother of one of the murder victims said of the latest development, "We are devastated, heartbroken and disappointed in the judicial system." Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

MA Mulls Screening Group Home Residents After Social Worker Killed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boston area group homes housing drug addicts and the mentally ill have been lightning rods for court actions involving residents accused of violent eruptions that have resulted in a broken jaw for one staffer, a slashing, a torched home, and caretakers being terrorized, reports the Boston Herald. After the January slaying of a young social worker, the Herald reviewed dozens of lawsuits involving several state-contracted group home providers and found several involving violent Department of Mental Health clients. The findings raise safety concerns for staffers, residents and neighbors of these homes, which are often tucked into residential neighborhoods. Several suits allege violent incidents at homes run by Boston's two largest providers, Vinfen and Bay Cove Human Services. Group home providers don't run criminal background checks on prospective residents and the state does not conduct Criminal Offender Records Information checks on clients. A blue-ribbon panel convened after the Jan. 20 slaying of group home worker Stephanie Moulton is mulling whether criminal screenings should be done. The panel is also probing staffing levels and training. Bay Cove president Stan Connors said: "The safety of our work force and those whom we serve has always been, and continues to be, one of our highest priorities." Boston Herald

Philadelphia Braces for Ramsey Departure to Chicago ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Philadelphia Daily News is hard-pressed to find anyone in the city who doesn't believe that Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey will return to his home town of Chicago to head the police force there. Ramsey told the paper that, "most people already think I'm going. They've already got your bags packed." He added, "It's just a tough choice. You have two great cities. You have one great mayor, and one who I believe is going to be a great mayor." Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said, "I'm fighting for the city," noting how he and other city leaders have told Ramsey in every way imaginable how much they admire him, how much they love what he brings to the city personally and professionally. John Apeldorn, president of the Citizens Crime Commission of Delaware Valley, said Ramsey "did a fantastic job, especially as an outsider. He solidified the department, and took action when he had to." Apeldorn said, "If Ramsey's heart is set on going back home, that's a tough sell, no matter what you offer." Philadelphia Daily News

Seattle Police to Pay Defense Lawyers Over Withholding Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Seattle Police Department will pay $32,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing the department of withholding information from defense attorneys about its handling of domestic-violence cases, reports the Seattle Times. The city attorney accidentally revealed a disputed document that showed police had instructed citizen volunteers in a victim-assistance program not to put in writing some information that could be used by defense attorneys. As a result, the police department is rewriting the manual to conform to its legal obligations. The case raises questions about potential violations of the civil rights of defendants and should be reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department as part of its current investigation of the police department's use of force and treatment of minorities, said James Lobsenz, the attorney who represented the defense lawyers' association Seattle Times

How Did Ex-Federal Judge Get 30-Day Term After Felony Plea? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How did former federal judge Jack Camp of Atlanta get off with a 30-day prison term after pleading guilty to a felony in a cocaine deal? The Daily Report says that the Justice Department may have been "outlawyered." Camp's sentence, which the government will not appeal, amounts to a new legal precedent in Georgia affecting whether a felon's prior convictions may be used to enhance criminal charges against anyone helping that felon commit a crime. Camp could have served four years in prison under his original plea deal, which included a felony and was made with prosecutors from the Department of Justice in Washington after local prosecutors and judges recused. Judge Thomas Hogan of Washington, D.C., sitting as a visiting judge in Atlanta, reduced the 67-year-old Camp's felony plea to a misdemeanor. He also will serve 10 weeks of community service, pay a $1,000 fine, and reimburse more than $13,000 to the government for the cost of his prosecution. Criminal defense lawyers were stunned. Arthur Leach, a former federal prosecutor who now does defense work, called the conversion of Camp's pleaded felony to a misdemeanor "absolutely amazing." The downgraded plea, he said, creates "the perception that because [Camp] was a district court judge, he was treated differently." The Daily Report

Bank Robberies Down in 2010; California Leads the List ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than 5,600 U.S. banks were robbed of $42 million last year--400 fewer robberies than in 2009, says an FBI compilation reported by the Christian Science Monitor. About $8 million was recovered. Crooks appear to favor bank branch offices located in a commercial district. Although the vast majority of bank robberies occur without violence, there were 106 injuries, 90 hostages taken, and 16 deaths. All but three of the fatalities were robbers. California recorded the largest number of bank robberies with 805, followed by Texas (464), Ohio (263), and Florida (243). North Dakota had only two robberies, and Wyoming had three, followed by South Dakota and Vermont, each with four reported bank robberies. Christian Science Monitor

Edelman, Dart, Krishnan Win John Jay Medals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman, Sunitha Krishnan, founder of a shelter for sex trafficking victims in the Indian city of Hyderabad, and Cook, County, Il., sheriff Thomas Dart have received medals from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "They are all champions of justice," said John Jay College President Jeremy Travis at last night's awards ceremony. Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, called the plight of minority and poor children America's "greatest national security problem." Dart, who won for his defense of foreclosed homeowners, said, "You can't fully appreciate what goes on (in foreclosures) until you're out there in the streets as people are being torn from the largest investment of their lives." He won national attention in 2008 for his refusal to conduct evictions unless banks and social service agencies provided greater safeguards. The Crime Report