Latest Prisons News

Man executed for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student

Sep. 21, 2023 11:40 AM EDT

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed an inmate Thursday for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student, in a case that went unsolved for years until DNA from the crime scene was matched to a man serving prison time for burglary. Anthony Sanchez, 44, was...

Indonesia imprisons a woman for saying a Muslim prayer before eating pork in a TikTok video

Sep. 21, 2023 10:13 AM EDT

PALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — A court in Indonesia has convicted a woman of inciting religious hatred and sentenced her to two years in prison for saying a Muslim prayer and then eating pork — considered forbidden in Islam — on a TikTok video. Judges at Palembang court in South...

A British ex-soldier pleads not guilty to escaping from a London prison

Sep. 21, 2023 08:27 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — A former soldier who allegedly snuck out of a London prison by strapping himself under a food delivery truck has pleaded not guilty to escaping custody. Daniel Khalife, 21, appeared at London's Central Criminal Court on Thursday by video link from the high-security...

A leader of Cambodia's main opposition party jailed for 18 months for bouncing checks

Sep. 21, 2023 07:59 AM EDT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A prominent leader of Cambodia’s political opposition was convicted and sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for issuing worthless checks four years ago, in a case that his party has called politically motivated. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court...

Oscar Pistorius is eligible for parole after serving half of his murder sentence, new documents say

Sep. 20, 2023 22:42 PM EDT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius was eligible for parole in March under South African law and the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic runner may have been wrongly denied early release from prison because of a miscalculation over when he began serving his sentence for murder, court...

Sheriff says 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail

Sep. 20, 2023 21:43 PM EDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Nine Memphis jail deputies have been indicted in the death of a Black man who was having a psychotic episode and died in custody last fall after jailers punched, kicked and kneeled on his back during a confrontation, a sheriff said Wednesday. Shelby County...

Prosecutors seek life in prison for man who opened fire on New York City subway train, injuring 10

Sep. 20, 2023 21:02 PM EDT

Federal prosecutors have recommended life sentences for the man who opened fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway train last year, injuring 10 people. In a memo addressed to leading Judge William F. Kuntz II on Wednesday, prosecutors said there was overwhelming evidence that shows Frank...

Jimmy Lai's son fears Hong Kong media mogul may die in detention while awaiting trial

Sep. 20, 2023 20:30 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai said Wednesday he did not want to see his father die in detention, as his lawyers raised the prospect that his long-delayed trial may be pushed back indefinitely. Sebastien Lai also...

Father and son sentenced to probation for fire that killed 2 at New York assisted living facility

Sep. 20, 2023 17:25 PM EDT

NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) — A father and son were sentenced Wednesday to probation after reaching a plea deal for starting a fire that killed a firefighter and a resident at an assisted living facility in suburban New York. Rabbi Nathaniel Sommer, 71, and his 29-year-old son Aaron Sommer...

Maryland apologizes to man wrongly convicted of murder, agrees to $340K payment for years in prison

Sep. 20, 2023 13:58 PM EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A man wrongly convicted of two separate violent crimes will be compensated by the state of Maryland after spending years behind bars, including over a year after he had been proven innocent. A Maryland board approved more than $340,000 for a settlement on...