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.

Double shifts, overtime common as Maine jails, prisons face staffing shortage

“The administrator of the Cumberland County Jail said overtime and double shifts are typically required of corrections officers twice a week as the jail faces a staffing shortage. The case of a corrections officer who police said had just come off a 16-hour shift at the jail before causing a crash in Gorham that killed a 9-year-old girl, is raising questions about the work load for officers. Police said Kenneth Morang, 61, admitted that he fell asleep before the July 21 crash on Route 25.“

ABC 8 Maine

July 30, 2019

UnderstaffingPhillip ReevesJuly 30, 2019ABC 8 Maine, MaineComment

Booker’s right: Paying $60,000 a year to jail one geriatric inmate deserves ‘a second look’ | Editorial

“Consider how likely you were to make reckless decisions in your 20’s, and compare that to your 50s: The difference, science tells us, is about impulse control and brain development. A study last year from the Justice Policy Institute found that only 3 percent of elderly prisoners are arrested again after their release. Most people age out of crime. Yet we pay as much as $60,000 annually – twice the cost of the average prisoner – to keep older felons behind bars.“

NJ.com

July 28, 2019

End of Life CarePhillip ReevesJuly 28, 2019NJ.com, New Jersey, Cory BookerComment

(Can't) book 'em! Florida's banned reading list

“Prominent on the list of censored publications are titles with relevance to the experience and needs of people who are incarcerated in Florida. As this list demonstrates, prisons improperly broaden the use of “threats to security” to include information that could help prisoners understand their experiences with incarceration or seek political or legal help. Moreover, books that discuss or criticize brutality, corruption, misconduct and racism in the criminal justice system in general and prisons in particular are singled out for censorship.“

The Arcadian

July 25, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJuly 25, 2019The Arcadian, FloridaComment

Inmate deaths at state prisons are unconscionable

“The DOC found six Monroe Correctional Complex inmates, three of whom died, suffered under negligent care by the center’s head doctor, as The Times’ Jim Brunner reported. While Dr. Julia Barnett has been fired for misconduct and investigators are working to determine if she bears responsibility for four additional inmate deaths there, the agency must undertake broader reforms.“

Seattle Times

July 23, 2019

Death in PrisonPhillip ReevesJuly 23, 2019Seattle Times, WashingtonComment

Michigan prison inmates need job skills, but technology books are banned

“Inmates in Michigan state prisons who want to learn how to design a website, code a computer program or wire a house may find themselves a little light on reading material. At least 60 books related to computers, electronics and other technology are banned from state prisons for security reasons.“

Bridge Magazine

July 18, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesJuly 18, 2019Bridge Magazine, MichiganComment

Stillwater prison newspaper sheds light on life behind bars

“Since 1887, the paper has acted as a vehicle for criminal justice reform, an outlet for prisoners to air grievances and rally against injustices — both real and perceived. Over the last 132 years, contributors have covered labor strikes, deadly prison riots and technological advancement. Now, the longest continuously running prison newspaper in the United States is thriving among a dying breed of penal periodicals.“

Minnesota Star Tribune

July 15, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJuly 15, 2019Minnesota, Minnesota Star Tribune, Stillwater prison, Prison MirrorComment

What Do People in Solitary Confinement Want to See?

“According to many human-rights organizations, the prolonged lack of human contact and sensory deprivation that inmates experience in solitary confinement qualifies as torture. The legislative campaign that Tamms Year Ten spearheaded succeeded in closing the prison. The photo-request project continued, in affiliation with the watchdog group Solitary Watch. Now known as Photo Requests from Solitary, it is run by Reynolds, Jean Casella, a co-director of Solitary Watch, and Jeanine Oleson, a professor of photography at Parsons School of Design. According to Casella, in six years, the program has received a few hundred requests for people imprisoned in Illinois, New York, California, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.“

The New Yorker

July 8, 2019

Solitary ConfinementPhillip ReevesJuly 8, 2019The New Yorker, Photo Requests from SolitaryComment

Spotlight: Fighting Against a New Prison--and Winning--in Eastern Kentucky

“From the beginning, the project faced significant pushback. There were locals who questioned the environmental impact and risks of a prison in a region already ravaged by decades of coal mining and challenged the notion that their area’s economic well-being should be reliant on incarceration.“

The Appeal

July 1, 2019

Prison DesignPhillip ReevesJuly 1, 2019The Appeal, KentuckyComment

Need a job? Texas prisons have vacancies, pay raises pending

“After a 28% officer turnover rate and 14% vacancy figure raised red flags in late 2017, TDCJ officials implemented a 12% increase in starting pay and poured more than $9 million into $4,000- and $5,000-hiring bonuses at a couple dozen particularly understaffed units. Still, by the end of 2018, turnover soared past 29%, and by April vacancy rates hit nearly 15%.“

Longview News Journal

June 29, 2019

UnderstaffingPhillip ReevesJune 29, 2019Longview News Journal, TexasComment

Reminder: It's 2019 and Most Florida Prisons Still Aren't Air-Conditioned

“Despite this, most Florida prison inmates spent the day locked in dorms that have no air-conditioning. That's right — it's 2019, and the vast majority of state prisons are still not fully air-conditioned. The Prison Policy Initiative (PPI), a nonpartisan advocate for reform, drew attention to the issue last week with a report showing Florida is among at least 13 states that lack universal AC inside correctional facilities. The organization says inmates exposed to extreme heat can experience dehydration and heat stroke, which can be deadly. Those on blood pressure medications or psychotropic drugs, who already have a hard time regulating their body temperatures, are particularly vulnerable.“

Miami News Times

June 25, 2019

Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesJune 25, 2019Miami News Times, FloridaComment

Arizona Prisons Lift Ban On Book About Mass Incarceration

“The book's author, Georgetown University Professor Paul Butler, said he never understood why his book was considered contraband, but he is grateful the pressure campaign caused Arizona corrections officials to rethink their position.“

NPR

June 21, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJune 21, 2019NPR, Arizona, Choke HoldComment

It's Risky Brewing Prison Hooch. I Learned the Hard Way.

“Later that day, I found the dorm wino and let him know that it was over. When he asked why, I told him what had happened. He laughed at me for a minute and said, ‘Now you see why I don’t make it’.“

The Marshall Project

June 20, 2019

Food ConditionsPhillip ReevesJune 20, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment

ACLU: Ga. sheriff revises policy on ban of jail books

“In a statement Thursday, the ACLU says the new policy allows incarcerated people to order books and publications directly from publishers and vendors. The ACLU says it's pleased with the change, but remains concerned that incarcerated people are deprived of reading opportunities.“

Corrections One

June 8, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJune 18, 2019Corrections One, Georgia, ACLUComment

Texas prison guards to get a small raise, but some doubt it will help with chronic understaffing

“Prison guards start at about $36,000 and receive a maximum of about $43,000 after 7.5 years. As the agency struggles with a 15% vacancy rate of its guard jobs, officers have been required to work mandatory overtime for more than a year at some prisons and often rotate from one prison into more drastically understaffed units for short stints.“

Texas Tribune

June 18, 2019

UnderstaffingPhillip ReevesJune 18, 2019Texas Tribune, TexasComment

Cruel and unusual punishment: When states don’t provide air conditioning in prison

“Air conditioning has become nearly universal across the South over the last 30 years, with one exception: in prisons. Although 95% of households in the South use air conditioning, including 90% of households that make below $20,000 per year, states around the South have refused to install air conditioning in their prisons, creating unbearable and dangerous conditions for incarcerated people.“

Prison Policy Initiative

June 18, 2019

Prison DesignPhillip ReevesJune 18, 2019Prison Policy InitiativeComment

When America had an open prison – the story of Kenyon Scudder and his ‘prison without walls’

“Many Scandinavian countries even have open prisons – minimum security institutions that rely less on force and more on trust. Some don’t even have a locked perimeter, and they emphasize rehabilitation and preparation for a return to society. Back in the U.S., this might seem like an unattainable ideal. But in California, nearly 80 years ago, there was an open prison.“

The Conversation

June 14, 2019

Prison DesignPhillip ReevesJune 14, 2019The Conversation, CaliforniaComment

There Has Been an Explosion of Homicides in California’s County Jails. Here’s Why.

“Some California county jails saw their rate of inmate-on-inmate homicides triple or quadruple, and statewide the number rose 46% after 2011 prison reforms shifted responsibility from state prisons to county lockups. As sheriffs and jail staffs strain, some inmate crimes go undetected for hours.“

ProPublica

June 13, 2019

Death in PrisonPhillip ReevesJune 13, 2019ProPublica, CaliforniaComment

San Francisco Mayor London Breed to Eliminate Jail Phone Call Fees

“San Francisco will stop charging jail inmates for phone calls and stop marking up the cost of items in the jail store, Mayor London Breed and Sheriff Vicki Hennessy told KQED, a change that will save inmates and their families about $1.7 million a year and, city officials hope, make it easier for them to keep in touch with their families.“

KQED San Francisco

June 12, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJune 12, 2019KQED San Francisco, San FranciscoComment

Main Water Supply Out Indefinitely At Douglas Prison

“As temperatures approach 100 degrees, the water system is not working at an Arizona state prison housing more than 2,000 people. The Douglas prison is located next to the Bisbee-Douglas International Airport, which is owned by Cochise County. A well on that property, which is about 10 miles north of the border with Mexico, supplies water to the prison. Cochise County Public Information Officer Amanda Baillie said on late Friday afternoon that the Arizona Department of Corrections notified the county that the water supply had stopped.“

KJZZ Arizona

June 10, 2019

Food ConditionsPhillip ReevesJune 10, 2019KJZZ Arizona, Arizona, Douglas PrisonComment

The Underground Art of Prison Tattoos

“Body artists and the people who manufacture tattoo machines are highly respected by other inmates, but they are viewed warily by guards and corrections officials who say tattoos carry health risks. (Nobody in prison has access to a sterilized tattoo parlor.) As a result, inmates who are caught freshly inked or making tattoo machines can be disciplined and put into solitary confinement, sometimes for days.“

The Marshall Project

June 7, 2019

Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesJune 7, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment