Only 6% Of Inmates in Education Programs, Survey Finds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Based on data from 43 states, a survey by the Institute for Higher Education Policy reported by the Wall Street Journal found only 6 percent of prisoners were enrolled in vocational or academic post-secondary programs during the 2009-2010 school year. Of enrollees, 86 percent were serving time in 13 states, suggesting other states provide little access to inmate education. The survey, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, argued for giving inmates greater access to education-including Internet-based programs-on grounds that doing so could reduce the overall cost of incarceration by cutting recidivism. About 2.3 million prisoners in the U.S. cost about $52 billion a year. Inmate education plummeted after the 1994 federal crime law made prisoners ineligible for Pell Grants, a form of federal financial aid for college. The study said 13 states have made inmate education a priority: Washington, Idaho, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and New York. |
CA Advocates Urge Brown to Back Money-Saving Sentencing Changes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three advocacy groups are asking California Gov. Jerry Brown to include sentencing reforms in the revised state budget proposal he will unveil this month, says California Watch. The American Civil Liberties Union, Drug Policy Alliance, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights contend that reducing charges for simple drug possession and nonviolent property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors would yield many millions of dollars in cost savings to the deficit-plagued state. A survey of likely voters funded jointly by the groups found 66 percent of respondents said they favor reducing the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. The state budget shortfall remains around $15 billion. Brown and lawmakers have already sliced $11 billion. The three groups hope that their two sentencing reform proposals are part of the next round of cuts. A felony conviction for simple drug possession can bring a three-year sentence in state prison. |
To Make Point, MD Prosecutor Charges Police--and Gets Little ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After he campaigned on a slogan of "Fight Crime First," many expected that Baltimore's new chief prosecutor, Gregg Bernstein would pursue a repeat offender who had slipped through the fingers of the previous regime. The Baltimore Sun says that to the surprise of critics who worried that he would be too cozy with the police who endorsed him, Bernstein chose to try three city officers charged with kidnapping and misconduct after picking up two teens and dropping them off far from home. Bernstein made no secret that he took the case in part to prove skeptics wrong. "I do think it is important for the public to know that as state's attorney, I take these cases very seriously," he said outside the courthouse after a jury found two of the officers guilty of misconduct but acquitted them on the more serious charges of kidnapping. For a prosecutor who had accused his predecessor of too often battling police, some saw Bernstein's prosecution of the officers as a betrayal and a failure. Defense attorney Kenneth Ravenell said after the verdict that Bernstein had wasted his time. "Look at what he ended up with - a misdemeanor" conviction, he said, vowing to appeal. The police union that enthusiastically endorsed him as a crusader for justice felt let down. "Choosing this case to go forward with first seemed more political than his mandate of fighting crime first. I would've looked elsewhere," said Robert Cherry, president of the police union, which backed Bernstein over longtime incumbent Patricia Jessamy. |
Snitching in Philly: Cooperating U.S. Witnesses 3 Times National Average ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Despite conventional wisdom that Philadelphia has a "no-snitch" reputation, federal prosecutors there have long been relying on cooperators to make cases, says the Philadelphia Daily News. One third of three federal criminal cases involves cooperating defendants, almost three times the national average for federal cases, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. "There isn't anybody facing mandatory minimum sentences that we have not urged to cooperate," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Zauzmer. When defendants cooperate and provide information the government deems useful, prosecutors make a motion at sentencing based on "substantial assistance." The motions generally mean a reduction in the prison time a cooperating defendant would otherwise have to serve. The model has proved to be a win-win for the feds: Philly prosecutors are getting lots of cooperation and nearly double the national average of prison time. Several factors conspire to make the Philly feds look like bad-asses. For one thing, a higher percentage of violent crimes are charged than the national average, and those crimes often carry mandatory minimum sentences of 10 to 30 years, meaning defendants have a greater incentive to cooperate. (In 2010, 61 percent of federal criminal cases in Philadelphia involved drugs, guns and robbery or a combination, compared with 39 percent nationwide.) |
Feds: No Civil Rights Charges in Pittsburgh Alleged Brutality Case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A U.S. Justice Department decision not to charge three Pittsburgh police officers with civil rights violations in the case of Jordan Miles brought relief for the accused and disillusionment for the teen whose name became inextricably linked with police brutality, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Undercover officers said they confronted Miles, then 18, because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house with a heavy object in his coat they thought was a concealed weapon. A U.S. Justice Department decision not to charge three Pittsburgh police officers with civil rights violations in the case of Jordan Miles brought relief for the accused and disillusionment for the teen whose name became inextricably linked with police brutality, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Undercover officers said they confronted Miles, then 18, because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house with a heavy object in his coat they thought was a concealed weapon. A U.S. Justice Department decision not to charge three Pittsburgh police officers with civil rights violations in the case of Jordan Miles brought relief for the accused and disillusionment for the teen whose name became inextricably linked with police brutality, says the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Undercover officers said they confronted Miles, then 18, because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house with a heavy object in his coat they thought was a concealed weapon. Miles said officers did not identify themselves and attacked him without cause as he walked between his mother's and grandmother's homes. His allegations stirred racial tensions and outraged activists, who called for the officers' firings. Miles said he suffered a number of injuries, including repeated blows to the head. Witold Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union aid the injuries easily rose to excessive force. In the end, the Justice Department decided it couldn't prove the officers acted willfully. "Proving 'willfulness' is a heavy burden and means that it must be proven that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids," the Justice Department said. "Neither negligence, accident, mistake, fear, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish such a criminal violation." |
Abuse Found in Many FL Assisted-Living Homes for Mentally Ill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dozens of Florida assisted-living facilities are so poorly run that residents are forced to languish without crucial needs - including medication and psychiatric help - leaving their care to police and rescue workers, says the Miami Herald in an ongoing investigative series. The special homes were the state's answer to providing housing for thousands left in the streets after the historic closings of psychiatric institutions. Ranging from small cottages in suburban neighborhoods to 350-bed complexes, the homes represent a third of assisted living facilities in the state, but account for some of the most egregious cases of abuse. "It's a cheap, easy, unregulated system of care," said Miami-Dade Mental Health Court Judge Steve Leifman, who refuses to send people in his program to some of the homes because of dangerous and decrepit conditions |
Illinois Quits "Secure Communities," Calls Program Flawed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and state lawmakers have taken two actions that run counter to a wave of pro-immigation enforcement measures approved or under consideration in Arizona and other states, says the Chicago Tribune. Quinn declared the state's formal withdrawal from Secure Communities, a federal deportation program that targets hardened criminals but has also been used against illegal immigrants arrested for misdemeanor crimes. Nearly a third of all illegal immigrants deported out of Illinois under the program have never been convicted of any crime, Quinn said. Illinois' participation in the program had been suspended by Quinn. After reviewing it, he governor "determined that [the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency's] ongoing implementation of Secure Communities is flawed." |
Homeland Security Devising New Index to Measure Border Problems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is developing a comprehensive index to measure Southwest border security in a new way that looks deeper into the quality of life of Americans who live near Mexico, reports the Arizona Republic. Instead of just counting arrests and drug seizures, the new index would look at community concerns about environmental damage, economic losses, and feelings of personal safety. Napolitano told a Senate panel she has ordered Customs and Border Protection to work with outside experts and border communities to develop the index. Border residents have long complained that traditional measures, such as state and local crime statistics, don't show the harsh realities they're experiencing. "This may include calls from hospitals to report suspected illegal aliens, traffic accidents involving illegal aliens or narcotics smugglers, rates of vehicle theft and numbers of abandoned vehicles, impacts on property values, and other measures of economic activity and environmental impacts," Napolitano told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. |
Georgia Gun Dealer Loses Appeal in New York City Lawsuit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Georgia gun store owner has lost most likely the final round in a five-year-old legal fight that started when New York City sued other gun dealers in Georgia and states, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jay Wallace, owner of Adventure Outdoors, lost an appeal yesterday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. The court said, however, that terms of monitoring were too broad and would have to be revised. In all the other cases, New York paid for a court-appointed monitor to oversee gun sale records for three years. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent investigators to shops in several states to make "straw" gun purchases because, he said, "rogue" gun dealers were responsible for firearms recovered at New York City crime scenes. For the last two years, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence has ranked Georgia the No. 1 source state for firearms recovered at crime scenes around the U.S. |
With GOP in Control, Concealed Weapon Carry Likely in Wisconsin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Republican legislators in Wisconsin are moving quickly on bills to allow people to carry concealed weapons without any training and potentially without having to obtain state permits, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states that do not allow people to carry concealed guns and other weapons. The legislature passed concealed weapons bills in 2003 and 2005, but they were vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle. With Republicans now controlling the Legislature and governor's office, a concealed weapons bill is expected to pass pass this session. Rep. Jeff Mursau and Sen. Pam Galloway have proposed bills that go much further than past versions. Galloway does not believe training is needed for people to carry concealed guns. "People who carry concealed as private citizens are responsible people," she said. The state requires hunters to take a safety course. Critics said that at minimum, the state should ban guns from more places, such as domestic abuse shelters. |
PA To Start Sex-Offender Court; DA Seeks GPS Tracking ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pennsylvania's first sex-offender court will launch next month in Allegheny County, reports the UpperSt.Clair Patch. The court is a test for the state and will handle the 300 cases the county sees each year, ensuring that they move through the system more quickly. Allegheny County Judge Donna Jo McDaniel will preside. Pennsylvania will be the third state to set up a sex-offender court. The pilot program in Allegheny County could be expanded to other areas of the state in a year or so if it is deemed successful. District Attorney Stephen Zappala hopes the court will be a launch pad for GPS tracking of violent offenders. Red Five Security, a Virginia-based consulting firm, is testing GPS tracking units affixed to bracelets and worn by 45 convicted and registered sex offenders |
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
5 May 2011
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