Informants — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Guest Commentary: Lying jailhouse informants shouldn’t put innocent Coloradans behind bars

“To a jury, it looked like the jailhouse informant was telling the truth. In reality, he never shared a room with Lawrence. His testimony was inconsistent with both the physical evidence and earlier statements he gave to law enforcement. The prosecution also denied that the jailhouse informant got a deal. However, his probation sentence for burglary was terminated shortly after he agreed to testify. The prosecution failed to meet its constitutional obligation to disclose this information to the defense. As a result, Lawrence’s lawyers could not adequately expose the jailhouse informant’s motivations and credibility to the jury.“

The Denver Post

November 4, 2019

InformantsPhillip ReevesNovember 4, 2019The Denver Post, DenverComment

Bailey: Corrections Department didn’t want to hear his story, Legislature and Warren Buffett should.

“Bryan Stirling, SCDC’s director, should want to hear out his critics, not shut them up. If he doesn’t, the Legislature should. Warren Buffett, too, might want to ask what’s going on in one of his companies, even one far from Omaha.“

Charleston Post and Courier

June 1, 2019

InformantsPhillip ReevesJune 1, 2019Charleston Post and Courier, South CarolinaComment

Is secret informant program putting Georgia inmates at risk?

“The plan — utilizing inmates as informants inside Georgia’s most dangerous prisons, supplying them with cell phones to provide intelligence — was ‘the most dangerous thing you could do,’ said a former Valdosta State Prison warden. Within four months of its implementation at Valdosta State, one informant nearly lost his life while the prison captain who supplied him with cell phones, despite objecting to the policy, would eventually lose his job because of it.“

Atlanta Journal Constitution

October 31, 2018

InformantsPhillip ReevesOctober 31, 2018Atlanta Journal Constitution, Georgia, Valdosta State PrisonComment

Protesters blame riot at Norco prison on new state reintegration policy

“Rubio is referring to a new policy by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in which the general prison population is being reintegrated with those with sensitive needs. In other words, the general prison population will be sharing facilities with those prisoners serving time for child molestation, or those who've cooperated with law enforcement.“

ABC 7 Southern California

October 4, 2018

Jail & Prison Conditions, InformantsPhillip ReevesOctober 4, 2018ABC 7 Southern California, CaliforniaComment

Is There a Right Not to Snitch?

"But this past May, in a decision that surely surprised court watchers, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided definitively with Burns, at least for now. The federal appeals court ruled that Burns had a constitutional right under the First Amendment not to be forced to snitch or to provide false testimony at the request of his jailers."

The Marshall Project

August 6, 2018

InformantsAnthony BradleyAugust 8, 2018Snitching, The Marshall Project