16 Jan 2012

January 16, 2012

Brown Wants to Cut CA Prison Spending $1.1 Billion

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California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to cut state prison spending next fiscal year for the first time in nearly a decade, a departure from the goals of recent administrations, which increased corrections spending and pushed for prison expansion. the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Brown would save $1.1 billion on housing inmates and hundreds of millions more by halting some prison construction - savings largely due to his administration's recent overhaul of the state's criminal justice system.

General fund spending on prisons nearly doubled under Brown's predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, from $5.2 billion in 2004 to $9.5 billion in 2011, when Brown took office. The increase in spending was largely caused by an exploding inmate population and a court order to improve medical care in prisons. "We're knocking it down, and we'll knock it down further," Brown said of the prison budget. "A lot of the problems come from the fact that they built (too many) prisons in 20 years - it was too fast, they didn't know what they were doing, and now we have to clean up that mess. We made good progress the first year." The prison population is at 130,000, a decrease of 11,000 in six months.

San Francisco Chronicle


Savings Associated with Private Prisons "Dubious"--Report

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About 8 percent of U.S. prisoners are in private facilities, says The Sentencing Projecct in a new report. From 1999-2010, the number held in private prisons grew by 80 percent, compared to 17 percent for the overall prison population. The federal prison system's commitment to privatization grew much more dramatically than in the states, The number of federal prisoners in private prisons rose from 3,828 to 33,830, an increase of 784 percent, while the number of state prisoners incarcerated privately grew by 40 percent, from 67,380 to 94,365. Today, 30 states maintain some level of privatization, with seven states housing more than a quarter of their prison populations privately.

In a review of studies and other evidence on private prisons, The Sentencing Project concludes that, "Savings associated with investing in private prisons appear dubious. Even minimal savings are far from guaranteed, and many studies claiming otherwise have been criticized for their methodology. The available data belies the oft-claimed economic benefits of private contracting, and points to the practice being an unreliable approach toward financial stability. Even if private prisons can manage to hold down costs, this success often comes at the detriment of services provided," says the project.

The Sentencing Project


Miss America 2012's Platform: Children of the Incarcerated

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Laura Kaeppeler, of Kenosha, Wi., who was named Miss America 2012 this weekend, has chosen as her theme for the year "Circles of Support: Mentoring children of incarcerated parents," reports the Kenosha News. Kaeppeler is 23. At 17, her father was sent to federal prison for a year for a white collar crime.

She sees a need for mentoring children of imprisoned parents because of the negative influences in their lives. "It's everyday life for millions of children," she says. "And it allows me to connect with people on a level they don't expect a pageant contestant to connect with them. This is a real problem people can relate to." She has received many letters, phone calls, and emails from parents in prison. She spent time talking to 200 inmates at Wisconsin's Racine Correctional Institute and their families.

Kenosha (WI) News


Miami Lays Off 118 Officers; 911 Response Time Not Affected

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The day after Miami-Dade County sent layoff notices to 118 police officers, Police Department Director Jim Loftus said his force remains committed to its core service despite what he called a "crisis," the Miami Herald reports. "This is a big hit for us. It hurts in every possible way, but we will find a way to get through this for the betterment of the people we serve. That's our focus," Loftus said.

The layoffs represent 5 percent of the workforce of 2,000 officers. In addition to the 118 layoffs, there were 41 demotions, including some officers moved to public safety aides or other administrative roles. "When people call, they want someone to come," Loftus said. He expects that the response time for 911 calls will remain the same for now. Police units that combat violent crime will not be affected, nor will the number of police officers who patrol the streets. A patrol officer who has been laid off will be replaced with another officer from another unit.

Miami Herald


Detroit Homicides Up Last Year, Serious Crime Down 8%

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Detroit homicides increased by 12 percent in 2011, but serious crimes decreased overall in the city, says the Detroit News. The police department saw about 7,300 fewer serious crimes - homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft, an 8 percent decrease.

Police Chief Ralph Godbee said he will take blame for the increase in homicides, to 344 from 308. He wants his officers and community leaders to take credit for the "Herculean effort" to decrease crime with fewer resources. Detroit homicides peaked in 1974 at 714, but the population was then 1.5 million, making the homicide rate the same as 2011. Godbee is two months into an 18-month engagement with criminologist George Kelling. Kelling, a fellow at Harvard University and professor at Rutgers University, is working to help change the methodology of the police department and cut down on small "quality of life" crimes so they don't lead to serious crimes.

Detroit News


Bucking U.S. Trend, San Antonio Murders Increased Last Year

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San Antonio police counted 88 murders last year, up from 79 in 2010, says the San Antonio Express-News. Thirty-eight of last year's cases remain unsolved. The proportion of cases unsolved jumped from 24 percent to 39 percent in a year. "What we're seeing a lot of, more than any other, is what we have categorized as 'stranger murders,'" said Police Chief William McManus.

"If I'm in a bar, for example, and I look at someone's girlfriend and they don't like the way I look at her," McManus said, "and then they see me in the parking lot and shoot and kill me. (Those types of murders) are practically impossible to prevent." San Antonio's numbers are unusual, said Larry Hoover, director of the Police Research Center at Sam Houston State University. Most of the U.S. has seen a decrease in homicides. Despite national trends, relatives of local victims are left grasping for answers.

San Antonio Express-News


New Orleans Steps Up Policing After 18 Shootings In 24 Hours

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Seeking to calm a city rattled by a surge in gun violence, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and his Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas ramped up tough talk and announced they are flooding the streets with officers in a full-court press to combat crime, says the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Civic leaders gathered at City Hall in the wake of a particularly violent and chaotic 24-hour period in which 18 people, including a New Orleans cop, were struck by gunfire. Five of the victims died from their wounds, including a gunman shot by police.

"We want to make sure it's perfectly clear," said Serpas, "we are taking this fight to the street. We are going after these criminals with an intensity that has not been seen in the last 18 months." The two officials were blunt and fiery, their monologues punctuated by clenched fists and steadfast promises. Their speeches hit on well-worn themes: A high number of the city's victims of violence have criminal histories; the battle to quell crime must be waged on many fronts; and community involvement remains paramount. At least 47 people have been wounded by gunfire in the first 12 days of the year.

New Orleans Times-Picayune


S.F. Sheriff Charged With Domestic Battery, Other Offenses

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San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has been charged with domestic violence battery of his wife, child endangerment, and dissuading a witness in connection with an incident that prosecutors believe happened on New Year's Eve, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. "No one is above the law," said District Attorney George Gascón. "Whether this was the elected sheriff or any other San Francisco resident, this type of behavior is inexcusable, criminal and will be prosecuted."

The sheriff was booked and released from the jail he oversees on $35,000 bail. Mirkarimi, who was sworn in as sheriff less than a week ago, said he is innocent of the charges and refused to step down while the legal case plays out. Prosecutors obtained an emergency restraining order that prevents Mirkarimi from seeing his wife and young son or returning to their home. His wife, Eliana Lopez, said, "This is unbelievable and this is completely wrong."

San Francisco Chronicle


Domestic Violence by Cops Underreported for Fear of Retaliation

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Law enforcement officers beat their wives or girlfriends at nearly double the rate of the rest of the population, and trying to control that is not only difficult for the victims but potentially deadly, experts tell the San Francisco Chronicle. The trouble lies in the nature of police work. One of the hallmarks of a good cop is to radiate authority and control. In the wrong hands, those characteristics can be misused, domestic violence counselors say. When that happens, it's hard to report it because the victim has to go up against a man - and it is almost always a man - and his agency, both seen by society as paragons of protection.

Ross Mirkarimi, the San Francisco sheriff charged Friday with three misdemeanor counts connected with accusations that he abused his wife, graduated from the city police academy in 1996 and spent nine years as an armed investigator for the district attorney's office. "The biggest problem for a woman reporting that she's been abused by her police officer husband or boyfriend is that nobody believes you," said Diane Wetendorf of Chicago, who wrote a nationally used victim handbook, "Police Domestic Violence." "If you do speak up, the police are very good at turning the accusations around. "The women get terrified, too, so the crime is very under-reported. There is a legitimate fear of retaliation."

San Francisco Chronicle


Critics Question Homeland Security Social Media Monitoring

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Civil liberties advocates are concerned that the Department of Homeland Security's three-year-old practice of monitoring social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter could extend to tracking public reaction to news events and reports that "reflect adversely" on the U.S. government, reports the Washington Post. Activists who obtained DHS documents in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit say a 2010 analyst handbook touts as a good example of "capturing public reaction" the monitoring of Facebook and other sites for public sentiment about the possible transfer of Guantanamo detainees to a Michigan prison.

Civil liberties advocates are concerned that the Department of Homeland Security's three-year-old practice of monitoring social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter could extend to tracking public reaction to news events and reports that "reflect adversely" on the U.S. government, reports the Washington Post. Activists who obtained DHS documents in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit say a 2010 analyst handbook touts as a good example of "capturing public reaction" the monitoring of Facebook and other sites for public sentiment about the possible transfer of Guantanamo detainees to a Michigan prison. A DHS official said the department does not monitor dissent or gather reports tracking citizens' views. He said such reporting would not be useful in the types of emergencies to which officials need to respond. Officials also said that the analyst handbook is no longer in use and that the current version does not include the Guantanamo detainee reaction or similar examples. With the explosion of digital media, DHS has joined other intelligence and law enforcement agencies in monitoring blogs and social media, which is seen as a valuable tool in anticipating trends and threats that affect homeland security, such as flu pandemics or a bomb plot.

Washington Post


Barbour Explains MS Pardons, Says Most Were Not In Custody

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Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour invoked his Christian belief in forgiveness and his childhood experiences with a convict named Leon Turner to explain why he granted clemency to 215 convicts just before he left office, including 17 murderers, reports the Biloxi Sun Herald. The former governor answered questions about the pardons for the first time three days after he created a furor when he filed the pardons and sentence commutations with the Secretary of State's Office, then exited the political stage.

Barbour said knew victims' families would be rightfully upset, but he did not know the public would have the impression he let 215 inmates out of prison. Barbour stressed that only 26 convicts granted clemency were still in state custody, and 13 of those were very ill. Four of the five murderers worked as trusties in the governor's office. The clemency power, he said, "is rooted in the Christian idea of giving second chances. I'm not saying I'll be perfect. That nobody who received clemency will ever do anything wrong. I'm not infallible and nobody else is. But I am very comfortable and totally at peace with these pardons, including those at the mansion."

Biloxi Sun Herald/McClatchy Newspapers


Why Governors' Pardon Grants Can Be "Political Land Mines"

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A pardon can redress an overly harsh sentence or a wrongful conviction. It can also prove to be a political land mine, reports NPR. What makes the case of former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour more than 200 so unusual is that he issued barely a handful of pardons as governor and then on his last day on the job "dump[ed] all these at the end," says P.S. Ruckman, a political science professor at Rock Valley College in Illinois.

"It's too bad the way he's done this," Ruckman says, "It just casts a shadow over the whole process." Joshua Kleinfeld, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law, agrees that Barbour's move is unusual and that it contributes to a public perception that justice is sometimes short-circuited. "I think the public feels betrayed when convicted criminals appear to escape ordinary justice," Kleinfeld says. "That feeling is definitely exacerbated when the pardons come en masse." In contrast to Barbour, Gov. Mike Beebe in neighboring Arkansas has granted pardons throughout his time in office. That gives the process more credibility, so when Beebe issues a pardon, "it doesn't appear to have been done under cover of darkness," Ruckman says.

NPR