Inmate found dead at Mississippi prison

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — An inmate was found dead inside his cell at a Mississippi prison, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of the state's capitol, authorities said Friday. This is the third death this month at the East Mississippi Correctional facility in Meridian. ...

Former lawmaker sentenced to year in prison for role in kickback scheme

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A former Alabama lawmaker was sentenced Friday to a year in federal prison for his role in a kickback scheme involving state grant funds. U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler sentenced former state Rep. Fred Plump to 12 months and a day in prison and three...

Family sues after teen's 2022 death at Georgia detention center

ROME, Ga. (AP) — The family of a 16-year-old girl who died at a Georgia youth detention center in 2022 are suing over her death, contending she was denied care that would have saved her life. Melanie Hogan Sluder and Ricky Shawn Curtis filed the federal complaint Tuesday in the...

A missing 12-year-old Georgia girl is found in Ohio after her community galvanized to locate her

ATLANTA (AP) — A 12-year-old girl whose disappearance galvanized a Georgia community has been found in Ohio. Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said Friday that Maria Gomez-Perez was found Thursday in Dover, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Cleveland, in the company of a...

Paris prosecutor opens investigation into pre-Olympics rail arson, saying crime carries up to 20 years' prison

Brazil apologizes for post-World War II persecution of Japanese immigrants

Sao Paulo (AP) — The Brazilian government on Thursday apologized for human rights violations in the persecution and incarceration of Japanese immigrants in the years after World War II. “I want to apologize on behalf of the Brazilian state for the persecution your ancestors...

Harvey Weinstein hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia

NEW YORK (AP) — Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been transferred from a New York City jail to a hospital to undergo treatment for a variety of health problems including COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs, his representatives said Thursday. Weinstein, who is awaiting trial...

Missouri judges have overturned 2 murder convictions in recent weeks. Why did the AG fight freedom?

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man who was on the verge of walking out of prison this week after a judge found evidence of “actual innocence" and overturned his murder conviction now faces a fresh legal hurdle. The person blocking Christopher Dunn's freedom is Missouri Attorney General...

Alabama prison chief responds to families' criticism

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Department of Corrections, which faced pointed criticism this week from families of inmates during an emotional public hearing, issued a statement Thursday saying the department is working to address ongoing challenges in the state prison system. ...

Man dies at 27 from heat exposure at a Georgia prison, lawsuit says

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia sun scorched the slab of concrete beneath Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano’s body when nurses found him in a puddle of his own excrement, vomiting, according to a complaint. Officers left Ramirez in an outdoor cell at Telfair State Prison on July 20,...