Latest Prisons News

Cases affected by California county's illegal use of jail informants jumps to 57, new analysis finds

Oct. 03, 2023 21:25 PM EDT

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The California public defender who sounded the alarm about Orange County’s illegal use of jailhouse informants says the number of major criminal cases that have unraveled because of the scandal has jumped from about a dozen to 57. A new analysis by...

Man who killed 2 women he met a day apart in north Florida bars in 1996 is put to death

Oct. 03, 2023 18:37 PM EDT

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man who killed two women after meeting them a day apart in north Florida bars in 1996 was put to death Tuesday evening. Michael Zack III, 54, was pronounced dead minutes after 6:14 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke. ...

Pennsylvania inmates sue over 'tortuous conditions' of solitary confinement

Oct. 03, 2023 13:58 PM EDT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Solitary confinement conditions in a Pennsylvania state prison are unconstitutional, worsening and creating mental illness in those held there, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of five inmates who say they have spent long periods in “torturous...

Today in History: October 3, jury finds O.J. Simpson not guilty of murder

Oct. 03, 2023 00:02 AM EDT

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2023. There are 89 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 3, 1995, the jury in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles found the former football star not guilty...

A Florida death row inmate convicted of killing a deputy and 2 others dies in prison, officials say

Oct. 02, 2023 20:34 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida death row inmate convicted of killing a deputy and two other people more than 40 years ago has died in prison, officials said. Paul Beasley Johnson, 74, died Saturday while receiving ongoing medical treatment while in the custody of the Union...

Man convicted of stealing $1.9 million in COVID-19 relief money gets more than 5 years in prison

Oct. 02, 2023 16:50 PM EDT

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man was sentenced Monday to more than five years in federal prison for organizing a scheme that stole nearly $2 million in government aid intended to help businesses endure the coronavirus pandemic. A U.S. District Court judge in Brunswick sentenced...

8-year prison sentence for New Hampshire man convicted of running unlicensed bitcoin business

Oct. 02, 2023 15:00 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday sentenced a New Hampshire man to eight years in prison for running an unlicensed bitcoin exchange business and fined him at least $40,000, although a hearing will be held to determine how much money multiple people who said they were victimized by...

Massachusetts exonerees press to lift $1M cap on compensation for the wrongfully convicted

Oct. 02, 2023 13:12 PM EDT

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts residents who have been freed after a wrongful conviction are pressing lawmakers to overhaul what they describe as the state's inadequate laws addressing compensation for those who have been unjustly imprisoned. The bills would take a series of steps...

Parents in Pakistan could face prison time for not vaccinating their kids against polio

Oct. 02, 2023 11:47 AM EDT

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Authorities in one Pakistan province are turning to a controversial new tactic in the decades-long initiative to wipe out polio: prison. Last month, the government in Sindh introduced a bill that would imprison parents for up to one month if they fail to...

Editorial Roundup: Nebraska

Oct. 02, 2023 07:19 AM EDT

Lincoln Journal Star. September 28, 2023. Editorial: Prison changes mark progress, can’t end there Nebraska’s prison system has made progress over the past eight years in reducing the number of incarcerated persons in “restrictive housing,” better known as...