February 17, 2012 Today's Stories |
| Milwaukee Burglary Rise Tied to Metal Prices, Foreclosures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Much crime in Milwaukee is declining, but burglaries, auto thefts, robberies, and arson increased last year, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Violent crimes are down more than 23 percent in five years, with burglary a clear exception, up 6.5 percent last year. Police attributed the uptick in burglaries and auto thefts to historically high scrap metal prices, which have led thieves to target abandoned and foreclosed homes. "(Burglaries) may be up 6 percent compared to last year, but it's 11% over our five-year trend," said Police Chief Ed Flynn. That means something to us. I'm not someone that believes that when the economy goes bad, suddenly factory workers become robbers. But I do believe that if new markets exist, they create a condition in which more people will go into an illegal activity they don't perceive necessarily there's a victim. We all know the devastating impact an abandoned house that's been ripped up and gutted apart can have on a neighborhood's stability, so there are victims of that crime." Mayor Tom Barrett said the burglaries into vacant buildings ties directly into the mortgage and foreclosure crisis nationwide, and that more money is needed to tear down those buildings. |
| National Database Assesses Campus Policies On Sex Assault ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do colleges and universities have at least one full-time person working on campus sex-assault? May rape survivors report attacks confidentially and/or anonymously? Does the school's policy cover the sex assault of a man? Is emergency contraception available in the school health center? These are the questions that students across the country are answering through the Campus Accountability Project, an open-access database designed for students, applicants and parents, reports Women's eNews. The database finds plenty of schools failing to present friendly survivor policies. Of about 250 schools now in the database, 19 don't cover the cost of counseling after a sexual assault or rape, including such well-known universities as University of California-Berkeley and Cornell University. Only 30 offer victims amnesty from punishment for offenses surrounding the assault, such as violating school policy against underage drinking. The fear of being punished for such offenses is considered a major deterrent to bringing a report. The database is produced by a partnership between Students Active for Ending Rape, or SAFER, based in New York City, and V-Day, whose One Billion Rising campaign invites one billion women and their loved ones -- representative of female survivors of sexual violence worldwide -- to gather and dance on V-Day's 15th anniversary, February 14, 2013. |
| AZ Prisons, Under Fire On Health Care, Face Questionable Choice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Arizona Department of Corrections, under orders to privatize its troubled prison health-care system, faces a questionable choice, says the Arizona Republic. The department is expected soon to award a three-year contract to provide medical and mental-health care for the nearly 34,000 inmates in Arizona's 10 state-run prisons. The state must choose between two companies with checkered records and a third company that has no track record in correctional health care. Corizon Inc. of Brentwood, Tn., a privately held company, is the country's largest provider of correctional medical care, operating at 400 prisons and jails in 31 states, with a total prison population of about 400,000. Corizon formed last June from a merger of fierce rivals, both of which repeatedly ran into problems providing adequate health care in other states. As soon as next week, a legal coalition representing Arizona inmates is expected to file suit alleging that the state has systematically and unconstitutionally denied medical care to inmates for weeks or months even for severe, life-threatening conditions. |
| The Gray Box: A Look Inside U.S. Solitary Confinement ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The box is the common the name for the solitary confinement cell where as many as 80,000 U.S. prisoners live in seclusion. A new multi-media report by the Dart Society offers an intimate portrait of the men who live in those cells, often confined 23 hours a day to a cell the size of two queen-sized mattresses. Some stay for a few weeks. Others, for decades. "It's a wasteland," says one inmate. "The gray box is a wasteland." The investigation by Denver-based journalist Susan Greene includes interviews with inmates, prison officials and advocates, for an unusually human look at criminal justice policy. Greene's report won an award this month from the Sidney Hillman Foundation. |
| Jury Selection to Begin In First Trial of Catholic Official In Sex Abuse Case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jury selection is to start next week in the case of Monsignor William Lynn, formerly the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's point person for allegations of clerical abuse, NPR reports. "He willingly oversaw numerous reports of child sex abuse," says Cardozo law Prof. Marci Hamilton. "And he willingly put these men in positions where they had second, third, fourth opportunities to abuse children in new settings." In most cases, the statute of limitations barred criminal charges. two cases have not expired, and prosecutors say Lynn criminally endangered two young men, allegedly raped when they were 10 and 14, by looking the other way. Although other senior Catholic officials have been criminally charged for allegedly covering up sex abuse claims, Lynn is the first to go to trial. "Church people are watching this around the country very, very closely," says Nicholas Cafardi, dean emeritus and law professor at Duquesne Law School in Pittsburgh. |
| Seattle Prosecutor Quits; Rebuked for Telling Jury of "Black Folk Code" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A longtime senior Seattle prosecutor who went on leave after being rebuked by the state Supreme Court for using racially charged language during a 2007 murder trial has resigned, reports the Seattle Times. Last year, the Supreme Court found that James Konat had engaged in "prosecutorial misconduct" in questioning witnesses during the 2007 trial of Kevin Monday, who was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree assault, and sentenced to 64 years in prison. During the trial, Konat questioned witnesses, many of them black, about a purported street "code" that he claimed prevented some from talking to the police. Konat referred to police as the "PO-leese." During his closing argument to jurors, Konat said that while witnesses denied the presence of such a code, "the code is black folk don't testify against black folk. You don't snitch to the police." The Supreme Court overturned Monday's conviction and awarded the man a new trial. Monday is black; Konat is white. |
| Official TX Website Describes Border Violence; Feds Are Dubious ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Texas Department of Agriculture website, ProtectYourTexasBorder.com, publicizes assertions by farmers and others that violence from Mexico's drug war has spilled over the border, reports the New York Times. It has a more political mission as well: to challenge the Obama administration, which has called the belief that the border is overrun by violence from Mexican drug cartels "a widespread misperception." The Texas site paints a frightening portrait of life along the 1,254-mile border that Texas shares with Mexico. One man talks about quitting the farming business for fear for his family's safety. There are police reports and news accounts of a ranch foreman getting injured by shattered glass after drug-smuggling suspects shot at his truck, vehicles being pursued by law enforcement crashing through farm fences, and workers clearing trees being told to stop what they were doing or else. "We need to be careful not to overstate it, but similarly we need to be careful not to understate this problem," said Col. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "The Mexican cartels are the most significant organized crime threat in Texas. This is not a political issue. This is a crime issue." |
| U.S. Goes Overboard in Forefeiture Case Vs. MA Motel: Wash. Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Washington Post criticizes the U.S. Justice Department for trying to seize the Motel Caswell near Boston via an asset forfeiture proceeding. The hotel owner is not accused of criminal wrongdoing but of being the scene of at least 100 drug investigations since 1994. For owners not accused of a crime, federal seizure of assets is undue punishment, asserts a Post editorial. Local law enforcement groups that team up with the federal government may be awarded up to 80 percent of the proceeds from seizures. The Institute for Justice, which represents the motel owner, says such "equitable sharing" payments from the federal government to states have increased dramatically in recent years, from $200 million in 2000 to roughly $400 million in 2008. There are better alternatives to address legitimate public safety goals in cases like this, the Post says. Most jurisdictions have nuisance laws that can be used to force owners to literally and figuratively clean up their properties. |
| MA's Coakley Hails Crackdown on Johns; Hookers Object ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is pressing for huge fines and even jail time for johns under a sweeping new human-trafficking law - but some online hookers tell the Boston Herald they aren't victims and don't need the government doing them any favors. The law, effective Sunday, is largely aimed at protecting child prostitutes but also hits adult hookers' clients with fines of up to $5,000 and up to 21⁄2 years behind bars, as part of a broad crackdown aimed at snuffing out prostitution by turning up the heat on both pimps and end-users of the illicit trade. Women of the night are treated as victims of human trafficking, still facing the same misdemeanor charges but with new rights to sue those who exploited them. "The penalties we've had have been far too low," Coakley told the Herald. "All we've done by the increase is make them appropriate for the kinds of offenses we're talking about." One high-priced online hooker said she's no victim - and she doesn't know any women who are. "If you are an escort, you go into it of your own free will," she said. "Absolutely no one is forced into doing this. You don't have to be affiliated with any agency. I'm not forced to do anything I don't want." The new law calls for at least five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000 for the new state crime of human trafficking for sexual servitude. |
| Starbucks Policy At Center of War Between Pro- , Anti-Gun Carriers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Starbucks has reiterated its stance that it won't prohibit customers from openly carrying guns into its stores in states that allow it, reports the Christian Science Monitor. On one hand, the stand is a reflection of law: 43 states permit open carry. Yet other companies - such as Peet's Coffee, IKEA, and California Pizza Kitchen post signs against open carry, even in states where it's allowed. The ubiquity and popularity of Starbucks makes the chain a far more powerful symbol for both sides of the issue. The National Gun Victims Council, which is leading a boycott, says Starbucks points to the need "to eliminate the risk of guns in public places and ultimately to bring sane gun laws to the US." Its boycott aims to "reduce Starbucks' stock price by an amount no rational company would allow." Gun-rights advocates are responding with a "buycott" to support the chain. A coalition of secular, religious, and gun-control groups backing the boycott claim to represent 14 million Americans. The ability of gun control groups to influence the lawmaking process has waned in recent years, with gun-rights legislation outnumbering gun-control laws by a 3-to-1 margin, says an Associated Press analysis. |
| California Probation Failures Drop Under Incentive Plan for Counties ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California's probation failure rate declined 23 percent in 2010 after a state law provided an incentive for counties to reduce such failures, says the Pew Public Safety Performance Project. The 2009 law awards counties that reduce the rate at which they send probationers to state prison by sharing 40-45 percent of the savings to the state from not housing revoked offenders. County probation departments are required to reinvest their share of the savings into evidence-based probation, defined as programs and practices that have been scientifically proved to reduce recidivism. Among changes being made by counties are use of risk and needs assessments to determine supervision levels and case plans, cognitive behavioral therapy for offenders, and the use of graduated sanctions and rewards to hold offenders accountable and encourage compliance with the terms of supervision, The California Department of Finance estimated that because of the reduction in revocations, 6,182 fewer probationers entered state prison in 2010, generating state savings of $179 million. |
| County Leader: Focus On Cutting Jail Populations as Well as Prisons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many of the 64 percent of U.S. jail inmates who are awaiting trial could be safely released if sophisticated protocols were used to determine flight risk and danger to the community, speakers told a recent National Association of Counties symposium on justice and public safety in Atlanta, the association reports. Such statewide protocols have been developed in Minnesota and Ohio. Declining revenues and budget shortfalls have forced counties to make hard choices about funding needed services such as public safety, health care, and human services. Counties are seeking partnerships and smart initiatives to improve their criminal justice systems. Sebastian County, Ar., Judge David Hudson, chair of NACo's Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, said the U.S. criminal justice system is an intergovernmental system and "therefore, the solutions must also be intergovernmental." He noted that some states appear to be focused on lowering prison populations without sufficient regard to lowering jail populations. "It is simply inaccurate and ideological to focus only on the state role since it is just a part of the overall system," he said. |
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
17 Feb 2012
16 Feb 2012
February 16, 2012 Today's Stories |
| Huge Media Interest In Huguely Trial: A Question of Race? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than 200 reporters, photographers, and TV producers are credentialed to cover the George Huguely-Yeardley Love murder trial in Charlottesville, Va., says the Washington Post. Among those who've registered to cover it are representatives from the three broadcast networks' morning shows, CNN, "48 hours," "Dateline," "20/20," the New York Times, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and several authors researching books on the case. The Times of London is covering it, too. (Huguely and victim Love were young white college students.) The only thing that's stopped the case from turning into a full-blown circus is Judge Edward Hogshire's decision to ban TV cameras from his courtroom. Why, in a nation that averages more than 15,000 murders a year, do a few crimes or trials gain such attention? Scot Safon of the HLN cable network denies that factors such as the race, wealth, age and telegenic qualities of the victim or the accused are critical, but the Post says the almost all of the media spectacles surrounding crime and punishment have involved young white women, celebrities, or wealthy people. Says Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox: "Most readers and viewers are white. They identify with crimes involving white people. When it's a black person, unfortunately, they don't identify with the victim." |
| TX Woman Wins $20 Million For Landlord Not Warning Of Rape Risk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Houston jury awarded $20 million in damages yesterday to a rape victim who sued her apartment complex for failing to notify residents about previous sexual attacks on the property, the Houston Chronicle reports. The woman lwas raped and sodomized for more than 10 hours at a west Houston complex in 2009. She charged that complex officials knew about a break-in next door to the woman's unit a few weeks before her ordeal in which a man tried to rape that resident and failed to notify other tenants about a sexual predator. The woman renewed her lease shortly after the earlier incident without being told about its severity, said her lawyer, Troy Chandler. After a weeklong trial, the jury awarded $7 million for physical pain and mental anguish, $5 million for future mental anguish and $8 million for conduct forbidden by the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Police, on notice about a possible serial rapist, arrested Darryl Martin shortly after the woman's attacker fled and she called 911. Martin, now 24, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. |
| Some States Pursue New Ways of Fighting Prescription Drug Abuse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Governors and legislators in some states are taking steps to tackle the growing scourge of prescription drug abuse, says Stateline.org. All but two states and the District of Columbia have enacted some kind of prescription drug monitoring program, but many state officials argue that this is not enough. "This growing problem is so frightening because while FDA-approved prescription opiates are easy to get, many are just as addicting and dangerous as street heroin and crack cocaine," says Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. Shumlin has proposed giving law enforcement personnel access to the state's prescription drug monitoring system, currently accessible only to doctors and pharmacists, who enter a record in the database any time a patient is prescribed a potentially-addictive drug, classified as a schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam also is taking aim at his state's prescription drug database, which only requires prescribers to record that they've written a prescription. In a Haslam-backed bill, all prescribers and drug dispensers would be required to check the database prior to prescribing a controlled substance, and Tennessee would be able to share data with other states to cut down on doctor-shopping. |
| DE Halts Medical Pot Plan; U.S. Threatens State-Worker Prosecution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delaware's legalization of medical marijuana has fizzled amid legal opinions that growers, distributors, and state employees could be prosecuted under federal drug laws, reports the Wilmington News Journal. Gov. Jack Markell suspended the regulation-writing and licensing process for medical marijuana dispensaries -- effectively killing the program -- and criticized the federal government for sending mixed signals on law enforcement. "[G]rowing, distributing and possessing marijuana, in any capacity, other than as part of a federally authorized research program, is a violation of federal law regardless of state laws permitting such activities," said U.S. Attorney Charles Oberly. "Moreover, those who engage in financial transactions involving the proceeds of such activities may also be in violation of federal money laundering statutes." Markell's office said that prevents the state from issuing licenses to medical marijuana dispensaries, whose employees and owners may be subject to federal raids and prosecution. |
| Group Contends AZ Private Prisons Not Cost Effective, Hard to Monitor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arizona's private prisons are not cost-effective for taxpayers and are more difficult to monitor than state prisons, says a new report by a prison watchdog group that is calling for a moratorium on any new private prisons in the state, says the Arizona Republic. The report examined the five prisons that have contracts to house Arizona prisoners and six private prisons that house federal detainees or inmates from other states, including California and Hawaii. Based on public-information requests and other data, the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group that works on criminal-justice reform, concluded that Arizona paid $10 million more for private prison beds between 2008 and 2010 than it would have for equivalent state beds. Arizona's pending plan to contract for another 2,000 private-prison beds would cost taxpayers at least $38.7 million a year, at least $6 million a year more than incarcerating those inmates in state prisons. Plans to add 500 maximum-security beds in state prisons would add almost $10 million a year. The report questioned whether those beds are needed, since the prison population has declined over the past two years by more than 900 inmates, to 39,854. |
| Sen. Paul Blocks Bill To Outlaw Synthetic Recreational Drugs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three senators took the unusual step of going to the Senate floor to denounce a "hold" by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on bills to outlaw synthetic recreational drugs across the U.S., reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "Let's hear what the objections are, and then pass these bills," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who has been taking aim at a group of chemical compounds marketed as so-called bath salts, herbal incense, and research chemicals. Despite a bipartisan coalition for anti-drug legislation -- a House version passed by wide margin in December -- Klobuchar and her allies find themselves bollixed by Paul, who by Senate tradition can single-handedly hold up legislation. Paul spokeswoman Moira Bagley said he believes "law enforcement of most drug laws can and should be local and state issues." She said that Paul's hold does not prevent Senate leaders from bringing the bills up for a vote, however it might be delayed. Long-time congressional watchers say the tactic has been used with increasing frequency in recent years, particularly by Paul, a libertarian Republican who, like his father, presidential candidate Ron Paul, is unafraid of challenging the Washington establishment. |
| Serpas Quickly Drops Idea of Orange Stickers on Homes Searched for Drugs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas has cancelled what the New Orleans Times Picayune calls a "dreadful idea" of plastering bright orange stickers on homes that were searched for drugs based on anonymous tips. In an editorial, the newspaper says that "shining the light of public suspicion on someone's home -- even in cases where police found no drugs and made no arrests -- could have unfairly subjected innocent people to ridicule and embarrassment without accomplishing any real good." Public reaction to the program was quick and negative. Serpas cited lack of support as a reason for not going forward. "I recognize that without widespread community support, the placarding strategy will not be successful, so we will not move forward,'' he said. Declares the Times Picayune: "A modern-day scarlet letter isn't necessary. Arresting drug dealers and putting them behind bars is the best way to show people that their tips matter." |
| Denver Wrongful Arrest Cases Top 600; City Vows Fixes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At least 600 times since 2002, Denver authorities, armed with warrants, arrested or jailed the wrong person, the American Civil Liberties Union tells the New York Times. As described in a lawsuit, similar names, stolen identities, and inaccurate records were sometimes the source of errors made by the police and jailers. In other cases, the arrests and detentions seemed inexplicable. "Denver law enforcement has knowingly tolerated an unjustifiable risk and frequency of these mistaken identity arrests, causing hundreds of innocent persons to be jailed for hours, days, even weeks on warrants for someone else," said the ACLU's Mark Silverstein. In one case, the Denver police mistakenly arrested a man on three different occasions who had a name similar to the actual suspect's. Even after a warning was inserted into a criminal database, the wrong man was arrested a fourth time and jailed for eight days in 2007, says an ACLU lawsuit. Since 2009, the Denver police and the sheriff's department here have set up a system in which claims of wrongful arrest and detention are investigated immediately; fewer than 10 officers are either disciplined or retrained each year because of such mistakes, said Police Lt. Matt Murray. A group of local police experts who specialize in the process of identifying criminals is studying how to reduce the problem, said David Edinger, chief performance officer for the city. The findings are expected within the next three weeks. |
| Amid Misinformation On Islam, Who Should Do Anti-Terrorism Training? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tennessee police officers and deputies will gather in Nashville in two weeks for training on how to fight terrorism, reports The Tennessean. They'll hear from experts from the national Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the Combating Terrorism Task Force at West Point. Muslim speakers will explain Islam and its code of conduct. What they won't hear at the event, organized by the U.S. Attorney, is anyone from Strategic Engagement Group, the Virginia-based nonprofit that is training the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office this week. Its leaders have drawn criticism for painting Muslims as violent believers who follow a law not protected by the Constitution. Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold defended a training event led by the group this week, saying there are few courses available about Islam and terrorism. Finding training isn't a problem, anti-terrorism experts say. Finding the right training is. "There is a lot of misinformation out there from people who don't understand Islam," said Jonathan White of the Homeland Defense Initiative at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mi. Last year, the New York City Police Department showed the film The Third Jihad, which says Muslims are waging a modern holy war, to nearly 1,500 officers as part of its anti-terrorism training. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg denounced that move. |
| MA Agrees To Provide Better Care to Mentally Ill Inmates ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Years after an alarming series of suicides by inmates in state prison segregation units, Massachusetts has reached a landmark agreement with advocacy groups to provide better care for prisoners with severe mental illnesses, the Boston Globe reports. The agreement, which needs a judge's final approval, calls for the Department of Correction to maintain two new units at high-level security prisons as alternatives to disciplinary segregation for prisoners with mental illness. The full article is available only to paid subscribers. |
| PA Jails Not Meeting Reproductive Health Needs of Women: ACLU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a report, Reproductive Health Locked Up: An Examination of Pennsylvania Jail Policies, the American Civil Liberties Union says Pennsylvania jails "are not meeting the reproductive health needs of incarcerated women," reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jails built largely for men face a changing demographic: The rate of incarceration among women has increased twice as much as that for men since 1977, says the Institute on Women and Criminal Justice. That's driven largely by a steep increase in drug charges against women. More than half of women in prisons are there for drug or property crimes. Health care for women at the Allegheny County Jail has come under criticism. Amy Lynn Gillespie, a 27-year-old pregnant inmate, died in 2010 after her pneumonia was misdiagnosed, charges a federal lawsuit filed by her mother. "We're open enough to say, 'How can we do better,'" said Bruce Dixon, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, which created the nonprofit agency that handles health care at the jail. |
| Sentencing Inconsistent For MA Teens Convicted of Murder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One Massachusetts teen served nine years in prison for killing her mother. Another fatally stabbed a schoolmate and is serving life without the possibility of parole. The cases illustrate profound inequities in the Massachusetts juvenile justice system since the passage of a tough sentencing law enacted 15 years ago and designed to punish the most depraved "super-predators" among teen killers, reports the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. The law is not being applied consistently to the most horrific juvenile murder cases, as it was intended. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider this spring whether it is "cruel and unusual" punishment to sentence juveniles 14 and under to life without parole for murder. In Massachusetts, there is no obvious pattern as to why some killers are sentenced to life without parole and others - who committed shocking, grisly crimes such as fatally beating a 2-year-old - escaped the harsh sentence. Juveniles whose crimes approach the cruelty of the teen whose case triggered the the 1996 law, Edward O'Brien, have escaped the severe sentence, while spontaneous acts of violence by teenagers with little prior record are punished with life behind bars |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
14 Feb 2012
Feb. 14, 2012 Today's Stories | |
| In Shift, Private Corrections Firm Offers to Buy State Prisons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent letters to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons as a remedy for "challenging corrections budgets," reports the Huffington Post. In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full. The move reflects a significant shift in strategy for the private prison industry, which until now has expanded by building prisons of its own or managing state-controlled prisons. It also represents an unprecedented bid for more control of state prison systems. Corrections Corporation has been a swiftly growing business, with revenues expanding more than fivefold since the mid-1990s. The company capitalized on the expansion of state prison systems in the '80s and '90s at the height of the so-called 'war on drugs,' contracting with state governments to build or manage new prisons to house an influx of drug offenders. During the past 10 years, it has found new opportunities in the business of locking up undocumented immigrants. CCA's offer of $250 million toward purchasing existing state prisons is yet another avenue for potential growth. The company has billed the "corrections investment initiative" as a convenient option for states in need of fresh revenue streams: The state benefits from a one-time infusion of cash, while the prison corporation wins a new long-term contract. | |
| Growing Trend in NYC: 'Community Guns' Shared by Criminals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The New York Times says community guns, hidden and shared by a small group of people who use them when needed, appear to be rising in number in New York. It is unclear why, but money may be one reason. "The gangs are younger, and their resources are less," said Ed Talty, an assistant district attorney in the Bronx. The hiding places include keyed mailboxes, car wheel wells, light pole compartments and garbage pails. "Behind some bushes or under a building," said State Senator Malcolm A. Smith, who has visited the scenes of shootings in his Queens district that were linked to community guns. The police believe that a community gun is now in play in a series of gang-related shootings in East New York, Brooklyn, between the Rock Starz and their colorfully named rivals, the Very Crispy Gangsters. Sharing guns predates the Wild West, but the sophistication of maintaining today's community gun can be striking. "You call it a community gun, so that name has to be able to market itself," Senator Smith said. "You have a business model behind this concept, a schedule, which is a shame. If they used that intellect for something positive, who knows how successful that person could be?" | |
| Texas Murders Highlight Dilemma of 'Open Line' Calls to 911 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Open line" silent calls to 911 during urgent emergencies have long plagued dispatchers, reports the New York Times. To those on the receiving end of the line, the silence can signify a prank, a pocket-dial or, just as easily, something haunting. The paper cites an open-line call on Christmas Day 2011 to 911 in Grapevine, Texas, where a dispatcher heard only static, a few muffled comments and breathing. In fact, a gunman named Aziz Yazdanpanah was in the process of shooting six relatives. Across the country, policies on open-line calls vary, depending on the size and resources of the city. Some require dispatchers to investigate every call, reaching out to cellphone service providers for more information if necessary. Faced with the uncertainty of an open line, dispatchers sometimes send officers into comically innocuous settings, some of which make the local newspapers. In 2008, when a dispatcher in Shrewsbury, Mass., heard a child screaming in the background, the responding officer reported that an "8-year-old child was given a timeout and called 911." And last winter, a dispatcher in Glenburn, Me., sent a deputy to an empty house, where a pug named Lucy was found chewing on the phone that had dialed 911. | |
| 'Speed Freak Killer' Brings Spotlight to His Northern CA Hometown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Authorities are searching near Linden, Calif., after a man on death row for murder claimed that he and a boyhood friend killed many others and dumped their remains there. Serial killer Wesley Shermantine says he was a partner in murders committed by a neighbor, Loren Herzog. Shermantine, 46, was condemned for killing women with Herzog in the 1980s and '90s. A neighbor called them "total trouble" and "scary speed freaks," reports the San Francisco Chronicle. So far, more than 300 bone fragments have been dug up near Linden, along with shoes, jewelry, coats and a purse. Herzog, 45, hanged himself on Jan. 16. When Shermantine and Herzog were arrested in 1999, they were dubbed the Speed Freak Killers for committing a string of methamphetamine-fueled slayings throughout Central California. Between them, they were convicted of seven murders, but investigators believe they killed more than a dozen people. Shermantine started doling out details of body locations to several people, including a local bounty hunter, a Stockton Record reporter and a retired FBI agent, this winter in hopes of getting reward money to pay off debts and buy candy bars and other goodies prized in prison. Bounty hunter Leonard Padilla struck a deal to pay Shermantine $33,000 for the information. | |
| A Hold-the-Line Budget at Justice May Avoid Conservative Fire ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ President Obama's Justice Department spending plan for next year is a balancing act, with a few tiny increases for popular programs and $1 billion in various forms of cuts. The $27.1 billion budget sent to Congress would be an 0.4 percent drop from this year, says The Crime Report. Among the few items that would get more money: prosecution of financial crimes, civil rights enforcement, combating human trafficking, and increasing prison and detention capacity. Steady funding was assured for national security and Southwest border work. Obama would maintain many items favored by leaders of both parties, including the Violence Against Women Act, the Second Chance Act for prisoner re-entry, and anticrime aid to state and local governments, the so-called Byrne JAG program. | |
| Assaults Up But Sexual Attacks Down at TX Juvenile Lockups ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Assaults between youths at secure juvenile offender facilities in Texas has tripled in the past five years, reports the Texas Tribune. Attacks on staff members also apparently increased, although statistics indicate reductions in violence perpetrated by staff and in all types of sexual assaults. Cherie Townsend, executive director of the juvenile justice agency, acknowledged there is room for more work, but she said that reforms are making the facilities safer. Advocates and experts, however, say the rise in youth-on-youth assaults and attacks on staff indicate there is still critical work to be done. "It's really disappointing," said Deborah Fowler, deputy director of Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit organization that advocates juvenile justice reform. "The implementation has not been what we hoped for." In 2007, following reports that staff at what was then the Texas Youth Commission had sexually and physically abused youths in their custody, legislators passed laws intended to improve conditions at the lockups. They gave counties incentives to keep low-level offenders in their communities, where they could be close to treatment services and support systems. The average daily population at the secure facilities has dropped to about 1,200 in 2011 from nearly 3,000 in 2007. | |
| Soros Donates $500,000 to CA Three-Strikes Ballot Initiative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Billionaire investor George Soros has given $500,000 to the effort to overhaul California's three-strikes law, reports the Sacramento Bee. The donation to the "Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012" was reported Friday by the ballot drive's fundraising committee, sponsored by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, records show. Stanford University professor David Mills, the measure's proponent, invested an additional $250,000 last week. He cumulatively has contributed $603,000, records show. The campaign must collect 504,760 valid voter signatures by May 14 to qualify for the November ballot. The initiative would amend California law to require that only serious or violent felonies qualify as a third strike punishable by prison sentences of 25 years to life. The measure also would allow some offenders to appeal if they were sentenced under "three strikes" law after conviction of minor crimes. | |
| Las Vegas Celebrates Criminal Roots With New Mob Museum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the 83rd anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Las Vegas on Tuesday opened a new $42 million museum dedicated to the mobsters that helped create the desert Sin City, reports the Associated Press. Las Vegas has long been enamored with its gangster roots. Its longtime former mayor played himself in the mob flick "Casino" and hotels here often promote their nefarious origins. But the publicly funded Mob Museum, located downtown, represents a new height in its devotion to lawlessness. It's the second mob-themed attraction to open in Las Vegas in the past year. The Mob Experience at the Tropicana casino on the Las Vegas Strip quickly shut down because of slow ticket sales and other problems. It's slated to reopen later this year under the name Mob Attraction Las Vegas. City officials said their version will perform better because it's an authentic examination of the decisions and circumstances that made Las Vegas an international symbol of debauchery and excess. The museum is housed in a former Depression-era federal courthouse where the seventh of 14 U.S. Senate hearings on organized crime was held in the early 1950s. | |
| VA Gun Law Repeal 'Unfathomable,' Says WashPost Editorial ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In an editorial, the Washington Post takes Virginia legislators to task for discarding a law, passed 20 years ago, that imposed a one-a-month limit on gun purchases. The law was a response to the state's standing as a leading supplier of guns linked to crimes committed out of state. A study later showed that the limit reduced by 66 percent the number of Virginia-bought guns recovered from crimes scenes in the Northeast corridor. But last week, both chambers of the Virginia legislature approved eliminating the one-gun-a-month limit. The only thing standing in the way of the bill becoming law is the signature of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, who voted for the limit as a state delegate but has since reversed course. Washington Post | |
| MI Group Portrayed at Trial as Social Club or Dangerous Militia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Was Michigan's Hutaree organization a harmless social club or a dangerous militia preparing for war with the government? Those were the opposing narratives presented Monday, by a federal prosecutor and a defense attorney, as the group's seditious conspiracy trial began in Detroit, reports the city's News. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Graveline told jurors the group "wanted a war." Attorney Todd Shanker replied, "Calling this group a militia is pushing it. It's really a social club." Defense lawyers framed the case as a First Amendment fight. William Swor, defense lawyer for alleged Hutaree leader David Stone Sr., said, "David Stone was exercising his God-given right to blow off steam and open his mouth." Members of the group were arrested two years ago with national fanfare after Hutaree was infiltrated by an undercover agent and a paid informant. | |
| Police Chiefs Ask For Remote Shutdowns of Stolen Phones ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police chiefs are asking regulators and wireless-network operators to allow stolen smartphone devices to be shut down remotely through unique identification numbers within them, says the Washington Post. That could make it less likely that robbers would point a gun at a victim, knock someone down, or grab a smartphone from a subway rider because the device's resale value would plummet. "This is a national issue," says Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier. "We have done all we can at the local level." Lanier wants wireless companies to use existing technology to let people who report stolen phones ask their service providers to shut them down using IMEI numbers, a unique registration akin to a fingerprint. The United Kingdom uses a similar system. Lanier has sent a request, endorsed by other big-city police chiefs, asking the Federal Communications Commission to require mobile companies to "disable stolen mobile devices to deter the commission of these thefts." Said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, "It's a simple way to alleviate it. Why would [mobile companies] not want to do it?" | |
| Police Stun Gun Use Up In Poughkeepsie Area: FOI Search ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police stun-gun use in the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., area is growing, finds a Poughkeepsie Journal database analysis of 467 stun-gun reports obtained under the Freedom of Information Law from 19 local police departments. In 2006, 30 people were shocked with the so-called electronic control weapon or conducted energy device, the Journal research showed. By 2010, the number had more than tripled to 100. Among those stunned: a drunken and hysterical 15-year-old girl pulled off a school bus, a man believed to have broken the eye socket of another man, a suicidal woman who had slashed her arm with a knife, and a man holding a box cutter to his throat. The reports open a rare window on the frightening, chaotic, and adrenaline-laced life of a modern-day police officer. | |
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
1 Feb 2012
February 1, 2012 Today's Stories |
| IN Toughens Human Trafficking Law Before Super Bowl, Other States Act ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the day of last year's Super Bowl in Dallas, a human trafficking suspect told police, "There was big money to be made during the Super Bowl," said a Dallas Morning News report quoted by Stateline.org. For Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday in Indianapolis, state officials are going out of their way to show that human trafficking won't be tolerated. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels called on lawmakers to tighten the state's law on human trafficking before the Super Bowl. An anti-trafficking law was quickly passed and signed. Lawmakers in 20 states are debating human trafficking bills. West Virginia is working on creating its first anti-trafficking statute, while the other states are refining existing laws surrounding prostitution, in many cases moving the criminal burden away from those forced into the commercial sex trade and placing it with the traffickers. Legislators are also working to provide resources to fight trafficking by appropriating more funding for victim's services, increasing criminal penalties for traffickers, and giving police authority to use wiretaps or to subpoena internet service providers to investigate potential child sexual exploitation. |
| Denver Indictment Illustrates Growth of Human Trafficking Rings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Denver crime ring had all the makings of a traditional street gang: A clear hierarchy, members who tattooed the group's name on their bodies, girlfriends at the ready to help cover their tracks, says the Denver Post. Rather than drugs and guns, the organization whose indictment was announced this week allegedly trafficked primarily in young girls. It's a trend that, according to experts, is growing, not just overseas or in big port cities but in towns across the United States. While commodities such as guns and drugs are gone once you sell them, a human-trafficking victim - isolated, afraid, potentially addicted or dependent in other ways - provides an ongoing profit stream. "For people who are ruthless and don't care what they do to other human beings, it is a very attractive business proposition," said Denver lawyer T. Markus Funk, a former federal prosecutor and co-author of the recent book "Child Exploitation and Trafficking. "They're like omnivores. They're not selective." Colorado enacted an anti-human-trafficking law in 2006, but the first successful prosecution wasn't completed until last summer. |
| Grassley Insisting on Anti-Fraud Measures In Violence Against Women Law ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to review as early as tomorrow a reauthorization to the federal Violence Against Women Act that would expand its scope by providing more services to under-served populations such as American Indian women, women in the military, and victims of sex trafficking, says The Crime Report. Introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Crapo (R-Id), the bill would also strengthen prevention efforts, expand access to safe housing for women and children and allow more groups to become eligible to receive federal funding. This landmark legislation-the first to recognize that domestic violence required a national response-has received widespread bipartisan support since it was passed in 1994 and reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. It may run into political headwinds. Widespread concern about federal spending and questions about the management of VAWA grant funds could stop the bill in its tracks this year. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the committee's top Republican. Grassley, has been a VAWA supporter in the past but has yet to endorse the current proposal. He says that because audits from two federal agencies found that a number of VAWA grantees were mismanaging their funds, anti-fraud measures must be inserted into the legislation before the bill can move forward. Audits conducted between 1998 and 2010 by the Justice Department's Inspector General found violations of grant requirements ranging from unauthorized and unallowable expenditures, to sloppy record keeping and failure to report in a timely manner. |
| Miami Police Break Up Occupy Camp, Citing Unsanitary, Unsafe Conditions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scores of police swept through the downtown location of Occupy Miami last night, ejecting several dozen demonstrators and arresting a few of them while shutting down the protest camp after three and a half months, reports the Miami Herald. The police, wearing riot gear and banging batons on their plastic shields, cleared demonstrators from within half a-dozen blocks of the camp site. They also tore down tents and makeshift dwellings left on the site. The operation was carried out almost completely without violence, though some of the demonstrators said one of their number was clubbed when caught up in an advancing police line. Six Occupy Miami protesters refused to leave, staying inside a flimsy barricade of plywood and old mattresses. Police detained them briefly, but when they were offered a last chance to walk away without being arrested, they did. Occupy Miami leaders said their movement would simply spread to other camps around the county. The group's continued camping permit was denied because of "unsanitary site conditions and unsafe activities, which have resulted in a number of arrests by the Miami-Dade Police Department," said Miami-Dade spokeswoman Suzy Trutie. Occupy Miami leaders conceded that there have been as many as 50 arrests around the camp site since it was set up last October. |
| FL Gov, With Excess Inmate Beds, Wants to Close 11 Prisons, Camps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Florida Gov. Rick Scott, looking to plug a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, has decided to shutter seven of the state's 62 prisons and four of its 46 work camps, potentially costing 1,300 workers their jobs, the Associated Press reports. The initial savings are estimated at $15 million. The corrections department budget is $2.4 billion. Where have all the prisoners gone? Most never arrived. Policymakers 20 years ago, extrapolating on then-current crime trends, started building prisons. The wave never happened and crime rates have fallen since 1991. Florida now has excess prison room, about 116,000 beds for 102,000 inmates. "Forecasting of prison space is not an exact science," said Bill Bales, a Florida State University criminology professor who was the prison system's research director from 1987 to 2003. "There's no crystal ball." Nationally, state prison population has remained flat at about 1.2 million over the last decade, says the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. |
| Photographer Says Memphis Police Detained Him, Deleted Arrest Footage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Memphis Police Department is investigating a complaint from a photojournalist who was detained by police after he filmed an arrest and whose footage was deleted by the officers, says the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The National Press Photographers Association asked the Memphis police director asking for an investigation and offered help to educate officers on the right of journalists to photograph arrests on public spaces. Monday morning, Casey Monroe, a photographer with ABC 24 News who was not working and not carrying a videocamera, observed officers placing a restaurant owner in a squad car. The man was cited for a parking violation, but was placed into custody after an argument with an officer. Monroe was watching when officers instructed him to leave. He informed the officer that he was a journalist. Asked again to leave, Monroe said he had a right to be there and was placed into the back of a squad car. He was quickly released. The photographer later started videorecording the scene with his phone. Monroe said an officer told him he could not take photos of the arrest. Monroe again informed officers that he was a journalist and that he had a right to photograph police on public property. |
| Milwaukee Evidence Based Pretrial Release System Takes A Hit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It took 10 days for Milwaukee County's new pretrial release system for criminal defendants to draw unwanted attention, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Derrick Byrd, 21, charged with felony murder in a fatal robbery, was released without posting a cash bail. It wasn't a mistake. Commissioner Kevin Costello followed the recommendation of Justice 2000, the agency contracted to assess tens of thousands of people brought to jail. It's part of "evidence-based decision making" meant to bring more effective management of law enforcement and justice system resources. Justice 2000 began using the new assessment tool Jan. 17 after years of research and development. Missing among the many factors considered in assessing risk and recommending bail or conditions of pretrial release is "public reaction." In Byrd's case, prosecutors had asked for $150,000 cash bail. They appealed Costello's ruling to Crcuit Judge David Borowski, who set a $50,000 bail hours after Byrd left jail. "No victim is ever going to accept an evidence-based decision that conflicts with their emotion-based decision" about bail, said Chief Judge Jeffrey Kremers said. "That's valid, but as a system we can't make decisions totally emotion-based, though it always plays some role." |
| L.A. Judge Orders Parts of Juvenile Court Work Open to News Media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Los Angeles County Juvenile Court will be opened to media coverage regularly, with certain exceptions intended to protect the interests of children, reports the Los Angeles Times. Judge Michael Nash said he wanted to open the proceedings because secrecy had allowed problems to fester outside of the public's view. Without access to the courts, news organizations have been forced to rely on incomplete case records released months or years after decisions were made. Nash's ruling applies to the dependency side of Juvenile Court, which largely means child abuse, foster care, and adoption proceedings. The order does not apply to the delinquency side, which handles crimes committed by children. Under state law, Juvenile Court judges are able to open a proceeding if a news organization makes a persuasive argument for it. The media virtually never prevail. Nash's order shifts the burden of proof from news organizations to the parties involved in the proceedings. A Juvenile Court proceeding will now be open to reporters unless a compelling case is made to close it in the best interest of the child or children involved. Leslie Starr Heimov of the Children's Law Center of California, which represents a majority of children in the Los Angeles dependency system, said her firm was considering an appeal to the order. |
| New Science of Arson Enables Defenders to Challenge Convictions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Ohio death row inmate hopes the state parole board will permit him to argue that a mysterious "man in red" could have started the 1990 fire that killed his 3-year-old son, says the Associated Press. Michael Webb says investigators using now-discredited methods came to the wrong conclusion about where in the house the flames broke out. Investigators say Webb set the fire to kill his family, collect the insurance and start a new life with his mistress. It is one of a series of cases that represent a new legal frontier: Defense attorneys cite advances in the fire investigation science to challenge arson convictions, as they use DNA to clear people for murder and rape. Research has challenged long-held assumptions about how flames spread and the tell-tale signs they leave. "Our scientific understandings have improved in recent years, and the effect of that has to be to say, `We've got some innocent people who've been declared guilty based on misunderstandings,'" said John Hall of the National Fire Protection Association. It used to be common for investigators to conclude an accelerant like gasoline was used if a fire burned particularly hot. In fact, the new arson science has found no such correlation. Another mistaken assumption: A V-shaped pattern on a wall of a burned building is proof of arson. All it shows is where a fire started. |
| New York Advances Bill To Expand DNA Collection from Convicts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tough-on-crime New York State legislators, seeking to expand the collection of DNA from convicts, point to cases like that of Raymon McGill, who was linked to a rape and two murders after being arrested in an attempted robbery, says the New York Times. Civil libertarians want to expand the use of DNA for the potential exoneration of people serving time. The Senate passed a bill yesterday that would require all convicted criminals to submit a DNA sample. Current law requires only those convicted of felonies and some misdemeanors to do so. Supporters of the measure said it could have prevented McGill from committing murder, because if he had been required to give his DNA after committing a petty crime years ago, he would have been identified in the rape inquiry, which preceded the murders. Barry Scheck, a founder of the Innocence Project, said that if supporters of DNA expansion were serious about preventing wrongful convictions, they should promote measures like requiring videotaping of interrogations or changing the way lineups are done. "Less than 10 percent of serious felony cases have any biological evidence in them, which can identify the real perpetrator with a DNA test," he said. "And most of the serious offenders are already in the DNA database. This isn't the No. 1 priority." |
| MD Inmates Had Access to Some Patients' Social Security Numbers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Maryland corrections division that provides inmate labor has backed out of a data entry contract with the health department after state auditors found that prisoners had access to some patients' personal information. The findings were included in a legislative report three months after Maryland Correctional Enterprises stopped providing the services to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Baltimore Sun reports. The report said the agency used inmate labor to enter physician Medicaid reimbursement claims into a database. Social Security numbers that appeared in the proper spot in the upper right corner of the forms were automatically redacted, or "blacked out." But "infrequently, Social Security numbers for the recipient and/or the provider appeared in other locations on the form" and "remained accessible to the inmates," the report said. Agency spokesman Rick Binetti said this occurred in 3 out of 3,000 cases reviewed, when doctors' offices mistakenly used a patient's Social Security number as the account identifier. He said there was no evidence to suggest inmates even noticed the numbers, and he stressed that there was "strict security in the room where this data entry took place," including four cameras and supervisory staff. |
| Metal Thieves In Sacramento Getting Prison Terms in New Crackdown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jeffrey Wadleigh of Sacramento is charged with a variant of the hot new crime trend for 2012: metal theft, says the Sacramento Bee. Last month, he was caught at 1:30 a.m. with $2,000 worth of copper wiring that belonged to a construction company. Wadleigh, 48, a self-admitted methamphetamine addict, instead pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years behind bars. If metal thieves such as Wadleigh used to slide in and out of the system with little or no attention, they have become a top priority. Metal thefts these days are almost sure to produce relatively lengthy periods of incarceration. "In light of the damage they're doing and the problems they're causing, they need to be punished, and the word needs to get out that if you get caught, you're going to get punished," said Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Grippi. Public defenders say about 10 metal thievery cases are coming in each week. |
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