Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Jail and Prison Conditions

Even if an inmate's sentence is not oppressively long, their treatment while incarcerated can still constitute subhuman treatment. Prisons are not medical facilities, but they regularly are forced to deal with mental health problems and care for elderly and terminally ill inmates. Food, if it's even edible, usually lacks enough nutrition for inmates' health to not deteriorate. Plus, with a lack of opportunities to see family, read, or gain skill sets, inmates are placed in buildings which lack any resemblance of the civilized world.

Posts in Access to Outside World

Prisons across the U.S. are quietly building databases of incarcerated people's voice prints

“In New York and other states across the country, authorities are acquiring technology to extract and digitize the voices of incarcerated people into unique biometric signatures, known as voice prints. Prison authorities have quietly enrolled hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people’s voice prints into large-scale biometric databases. Computer algorithms then draw on these databases to identify the voices taking part in a call, and to search for other calls where the voices of interest are detected. Some programs, like New York’s, even analyze the voices of call recipients outside prisons to track which outsiders speak to multiple prisoners regularly.“

The Appeal

January 30, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJanuary 30, 2019The AppealComment

Oregon’s prison commissaries offer Amazon-like array of goods, rack up $17 million in sales

“In Salem, the commissary warehouse is staffed by state employees and inmates from Oregon’s women’s prison, Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville. It’s a coveted assignment that goes to women who have clear disciplinary records for six months. They can’t have any major misconduct within the past year. The state requires that commissary workers have a high school diploma or general education diploma. “

The Oregonian

January 7, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJanuary 7, 2019The Oregonian, OregonComment

As holidays approach, Delaware inmates' families distraught about out-of-state moves

“Joseph Crumpler is one of 330 inmates being moved by the Delaware Department of Correction into Pennsylvania prisons in an attempt to reduce the millions of dollars spent on correctional officer overtime each year. The transfer process has left Delaware families distraught about how far away their loved ones are headed and largely in the dark about what is to come.“

Delaware Online

December 10, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesDecember 10, 2018Delaware, Delaware OnlineComment

Who’s really bringing contraband into jails? Our 2018 survey confirms it’s staff, not visitors

“I reviewed news stories of arrests made in 2018 of individuals caught bringing contraband into jails and prisons. What I found wouldn’t surprise any person in jail, but it’s a truth that sheriffs prefer to avoid: Almost all contraband introduced to any local jail comes through staff. This year alone, 20 jail staff members in 12 separate county jails were arrested, indicted, or convicted on charges of bringing in or planning to bring in contraband. “

Prison Policy Initiative

December 6, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesDecember 6, 2018Prison Policy Initiative, ContrabandComment

This Appalachian Nonprofit Puts Books In The Hands Of Inmates Who Need Them

‘‘The Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) is a nonprofit organization based in Morgantown, West Virginia, that sends free books to incarcerated people across six states in Appalachia: Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Founded in 2004 by Ryan and fellow professor (and recently elected Morgantown deputy mayor) Mark Brazaitis, APBP was born out of a class Ryan taught on the literature of incarceration.“

Buzzfeed News

November 12, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesNovember 12, 2018Buzzfeed News, Appalachian Prison Book ProjectComment

After pushback, Pennsylvania changing approach to books in prisons

“Since late summer, Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections has been rolling out enhanced security measures designed to stop the flow of drugs into prisons. One of those changes included restrictions on book gifts and donations. But after pushback from several inmates’ rights groups and book donors, the department is making changes once again.“

WHYY Pennsylvania

November 4, 2018

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 4, 2018WHYY Pennsylvania, PennsylvaniaComment

Prisons Are Using Video Visitation as Punishment

“Video visitation services like the ones used in Orleans Parish have been steadily spreading through the criminal justice system, leading some to suggest that this might be a cheaper, easier way to encourage people in prison to keep connected to loved ones. But cautionary tales from as far back as the 1970s show that it could instead make prison a much more difficult experience for those inside by limiting their emotional connections with people on the outside, exposing them to serious privacy risks, and costing them a great deal of money.“

Slate

October 29, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesOctober 29, 2018SlateComment

Will the Supreme Court Strike a Blow Against Prison Censorship?

“Since 2009, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) has banned every issue of PLN, claiming that the advertisements in the magazine raise security concerns. FDOC’s blanket ban on PLN makes Florida an outlier. No other state, county or even our federal government has a de facto ban on PLN because of its ads. Nevertheless, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld the ban. Soon, the Supreme Court will have a chance to weigh in.“

The Crime Report

October 29, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesOctober 29, 2018The Crime Report, Florida, Prison Legal NewsComment

Clinic Presses Government to Release Documents About Prison Email Monitoring

“‘Federal monitoring of email messages makes it excessively difficult for inmates to communicate confidentially with their lawyers,’ said Megan Graham, a teaching fellow with the Samuelson Clinic. ‘It places these inmates at an unfair disadvantage if their lawyers must rely on more costly or time-consuming methods of communications, while federal prosecutors face no such obstacles’.“

Berkeley Law

October 18, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesOctober 24, 2018Berkeley LawComment

The Love Story that Upended the Texas Prison System

“In 1967, a 56-year-old lawyer met a young inmate with a brilliant mind and horrifying stories about life inside. Their complicated alliance—and even more complicated romance—would shed light on a nationwide scandal, disrupt a system of abuse and virtual slavery across the state, and change incarceration in Texas forever.“

Texas Monthly

October 11, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesOctober 16, 2018Texas Monthly, TexasComment

Pennsylvania Prisons Hired a Private Company to Intercept and Store Prisoners' Mail

“A new policy has put Pennsylvania prisoners’ communications under intense surveillance in the name of stopping contraband drugs. On Sept. 5, the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) announced that it would be largely restricting mail to prisoners. Effective immediately, all incoming mail would be sent to a private company in Florida, Smart Communications, for scanning into a searchable database. Prisoners would then receive photocopies of the incoming mail—and the originals would be shredded.“

The Appeal

September 24, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 25, 2018The Appeal, Pennsylvania, Private PrisonsComment

Current Pa. inmate: Punitive policy changes make it clear that staff lives are more important than ours

“Gov. Wolf, I urge you to visit another prison. Talk with those who have to live in these places for years and decades. Take a ride to Philadelphia, from where most of the DOC's population is drawn, and meet the families who already suffer enough and would break under any additional hardship. Meet with the legal community. Hear about the years of litigation Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to pay for because of these new, unnecessary violations of attorney-client privilege.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

September 21, 2018

Jail & Prison Conditions, Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 21, 2018Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, Tom WolfComment

After Pa. prisons crack down on books to stop drug smuggling, Twitter calls BS

“In the past few weeks, protesters have assailed the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' strict new policies on inmate mail and books, including a $4 million contract with a Florida company to scan and forward incoming mail, and the prohibition of direct donations from organizations like Books Through Bars.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

September 18, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 18, 2018Philadelphia Inquirer, PennsylvaniaComment

Restrictive state prison visitation policies spur outrage, lawsuits

“Until March, state prisoners could have an unlimited number of visitors during set visiting days and hours. Under the new rules, they are restricted to a list of five to 10 visitors, depending on their security classification. The list can be updated twice a year. Prisoners can apply for exceptions to the cap only if every person on their list is immediate family and they want to add another immediate family member. “

The Massachusetts Republican

September 17, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 18, 2018The Massachusetts Republican, MassachusettsComment

A Banned Magazine Is Trying to Take Florida Prison System to the Supreme Court

“In that petition, Prison Legal News calls the 11th Circuit decision ‘an outlier ruling upholding an outlier policy.’ As it notes, Florida is alone in its position. Although the publication has battled censorship in 29 states, making it perhaps the most frequently banned magazine in the country, neither the federal prison system or any other state prison systems bans the magazine in its entirety.“

Reason Magazine

September 17, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 18, 2018Reason Magazine, Prison Legal News, FloridaComment

'Safer to Leave Them There'

“‘Historically prisoners have not been part of hurricane planning,’ Mazurek said, ‘until it comes time to use them as cheap labor to help with disasters.’ The same prisoners forced to endure Florence may well be made to do unpaid labor cleaning up its damage, like prisoners in Florida after Irma.“

The Appeal

September 14, 2018

Access to Outside World, Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesSeptember 18, 2018The Appeal, Hurricane FlorenceComment

Prison Legal News v. Secretary, Florida Dept. of Corrections Petition for Writ of Certiorari

Prison Legal News is petitioning the Supreme Court to take up their case against the state of Florida for censoring the distribution of Prison Legal News in state prisons. If the case is taken, it would be an attempt to reverse the decision of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prison Legal News

September 14, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 17, 2018Florida, Prison Legal News, Supreme CourtComment

Insight Denton: Why don’t inmates at least have the option for in-person visitation?

"County officials have maintained that the reason why they ever wanted to include video visitation was to cut down on how often people were using the county’s assets — namely the county buildings and parking lots."

Denton Record Chronicle

September 1, 2018

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesSeptember 4, 2018Denton Record Chronicle, Texas, Denton

Department of Corrections Orders Immediate Lock Down of All State Prisons

"'The safety and security of our employees is my number one concern,' Secretary Wetzel said. 'Our state prisons, especially those in the western part of the state, have experienced recent incidents in which employees have been sickened and we need to get to the bottom of this issue now'."

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

August 29, 2018

Access to Outside World, Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyAugust 31, 2018Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Prisons are censoring publications that challenge state power

"The concept of banned books and magazines—reading materials deemed too dangerous or subversive—may seem anachronistic and even Orwellian. But prisons across the United States have long attempted to restrict what prisoners can read, and some are currently attempting to limit inmates’ access to a particular magazine."

Freedom of the Press Foundation

August 28, 2018

Access to Outside WorldAnthony BradleyAugust 29, 2018Freedom of the Press Foundation, Prison Legal News