Latest Prisons News
Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
In the decades leading up to the Civil War, fearless throngs defied prison or worse to secretly shuttle as many as 7,000 slaves escaped from the South on a months-long slog through Illinois and on to freedom. On Tuesday, a task force of lawmakers and historians recommended creating a full-time...
Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A U.S. jury on Tuesday awarded $42 million to three former detainees of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, holding a Virginia-based military contractor responsible for contributing to their torture and mistreatment two decades ago. The decision from the...
Imprisoned Belarus activist resurfaces after no contact with her family for 20 months
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova has resurfaced after more than 20 months without any communication with relatives or friends and met with her father, a human rights group said Tuesday. Kolesnikova, one of the most popular and...
Judge moves to slash $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The judge who oversaw a landmark civil trial over abuse at New Hampshire’s youth detention center has issued a preliminary order slashing the $38 million verdict against the state to $475,000. Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman previously said reducing...
Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine gets 45 days in prison for probation violations
NEW YORK (AP) — Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in prison by a federal judge who said repeated violations of his probation after his cooperation against a violent gang won him leniency in a criminal case show that he doesn't have sufficient respect for judicial...
Ecuador prison violence kills at least 15
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A fight among inmates has left at least 15 people dead and 14 injured at Ecuador's largest prison, authorities said Tuesday. The Litoral Penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil has been the site of frequent riots and mass killings, including one in 2021...
Minnesota county to pay $3.4M to end lawsuit over detainee's death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota's most populous county will pay $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged jail workers ignored the pleas of a 41-year-old man who died of a perforated bowel after spending days begging to be taken to a hospital. The lawsuit was filed in January by...
Board approves Arkansas site for planned 3,000-inmate prison despite objections
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Board of Corrections on Friday approved an 815-acre site for a planned prison to hold 3,000 inmates, despite objections from residents and local officials that they were blindsided by the state's purchase of the land. The board voted to accept...
Moroccan journalist sentenced to 1.5 years after remarks about politician
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan journalist who accused a prominent politician of fraud was sentenced to prison Monday in a case that has sparked international condemnation from press freedom advocates. Hamid Mahdaoui will serve a 1.5-year sentence and be fined an equivalent of...
California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters have rejected a measure on the November ballot that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor. The constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude, but an exception allows it to be used as a...
