Latest Prisons News
California to apologize for state's legacy of racism against Black Americans under new law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will formally apologize for slavery and its lingering effects on Black Americans in the state under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday. The legislation was part of a package of reparations bills introduced this year that seek to offer...
Federal government to roll back oversight on Alabama women's prison after nine years
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The federal government will roll back almost all oversight over an Alabama women's prison on Thursday, according to court filings, nine years after the Department of Justice found chronic sexual abuse at the facility and accused the state of violating the constitutional...
Joker is back, this time with Lady Gaga — and songs
VENICE, Italy (AP) — “ Joker ” is a hard act to follow. Todd Phillips’ dark, Scorsese-inspired character study about the Batman villain made over a billion dollars at the box office, won Joaquin Phoenix his first Oscar, dominated the cultural discourse for months and created a new movie...
Judge directs NYC to develop plan for possible federal takeover of Rikers Island jail
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday directed New York City officials to begin developing a plan for a possible federal takeover of Rikers Island, following a hearing in Manhattan in a long-running case over abuse, mismanagement and other chronic problems at one of the nation’s largest...
Alabama Jailer pleads guilty in case of incarcerated man who froze to death
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A former corrections officer at an Alabama jail pleaded guilty to criminal charges for his role in the death of a man who died of hypothermia after being held naked in a concrete cell for two weeks. Joshua Conner Jones pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count...
Resentencing for Lee Malvo postponed in Maryland after Virginia says he can't attend in person
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — A Maryland judge on Wednesday indefinitely postponed a resentencing hearing for convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, after Virginia rejected a request to temporarily let him out of prison to attend a court session in Maryland. Malvo and his partner, John Allen...
Protesters in Congo call for the release of political prisoners, including 3 top opposition figures
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Hundreds protested in front of Congo's top court Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures imprisoned on charges the opposition says are politically motivated. Felix Tshisekedi,...
Sudan’s jailed former strongman Omar al-Bashir is taken to a hospital in the north for better care
CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's former autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years before he was toppled in a popular uprising and then jailed by the country's military rulers, has been transferred to a medical facility in northern Sudan, his lawyer said Wednesday. Since war...
Tren de Aragua gang started in Venezuela's prisons and now spreads fear in the US
MIAMI (AP) — Former federal agent Wes Tabor says his phone has been lighting up with calls from police departments around the U.S. for advice on how to combat the growing threat from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Tabor was in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement...
US appeals court says man can sue Pennsylvania over 26 years of solitary confinement
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man who spent 26 years in solitary confinement despite a history of mental illness can sue Pennsylvania prison officials for alleged cruel and unusual punishment, a U.S. appeals court said in reviving the man’s lawsuit. Roy Lee Williams spent nearly all of...
