Civil Rights | Incarceration Trends

2010-03-18: Headlines

2010-03-17: Headlines

  • Contra Costa Times: Layoffs, closures for court system 2010-03-17
    Without these employees, Espinoza said criminal cases and trials will be delayed, further contributing to jail overcrowding and ultimately more early ...
  • truthout: Guantanamo: Obama's Crockery 2010-03-17
    That decision - a major rebuke to the administration of then-President George W. Bush - parted the seas for a flood of habeas corpus petitions.
  • Trinidad & Tobago Express: Verna in tearful plea for better conditions for prisoners 2010-03-17
    Not urgent were the Children's Authority, Children's Act, Gender Policy, places of safety, implementation of the Task Force Report on Prison Reform ...
  • UN News Centre: Guatemala and UN launch scheme to fight organized crime 2010-03-17
    ... capacity in the areas of criminal justice, police reform, anti-corruption, firearms control, prison reform, cybercrime, and human trafficking.
  • Scoop.co.nz: Rahui Katene: Imprisonment in the 21st Century 2010-03-17
    And I worry that little has changed in the profile of women entering prison. Most enter prison with a range of problems. The Howard League for Penal Reform ...
  • The News International: Two drug pushers convicted 2010-03-17
    In his habeas corpus petition, Asif had alleged the Nadarabad police station SHO had illegally detained his two relatives Shahid and Maqbool.
  • The News International: Illegal shifting of detainee: DJ calls report from CCPO 2010-03-17
    Earlier, Liaquaat had filed a habeas corpus application under Section 491 of the Criminal Procedure Code against the SHO and the duty officer of the Kalri ...
  • The News International: Missing person case 2010-03-17
    The bench was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by one Tasleema Begum. She stated that her son Samad Ayaz was rounded up from his vegetable shop on May ...
  • Before It's News: HR 646: U.S. Preparing for Civil Unrest? 2010-03-17
    ... fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.
  • Leagle.com: LEDBETTER v. COMMONWEALTH 2010-03-17
    211, § 3, or as attempts to obtain habeas corpus relief, see GL c. 248, the single justice correctly denied relief. With respect to general superintendence ...
  • New York Magazine: In John Roberts, Obama finds the perfect enemy. 2010-03-17
    ... question of the president's power over the Court: He flouted and denounced Chief Justice Taney's opinion challenging his suspension of habeas corpus.
  • JURIST: Philippines Supreme Court rules president can appoint new chief justice 2010-03-17
    Following the killings, Arroyo imposed martial law [JURIST report] and suspended habeas corpus in the province. She later lifted the conditi ...
  • Salon: Jeff Goldberg's blood-and-soil Israeli nationalist fantasy 2010-03-17
    More recently I have provoked the ire of a burly former Israeli military prison guard at the notorious Ketziot detention camp during the first Intifad ...
  • Telegraph.co.uk: General Election 2010: The history of British democracy 2010-03-17
    Photo: PA The 'great charter' is most famous for consolidating judicial rights, notably habeas corpus, the right not to be unlawfully imprisoned.
  • Jackson Clarion Ledger: Miss. ends segregation of HIV-positive prisoners 2010-03-17
    ... HIV-positive inmates in segregated units, a practice prison reform advocates say prevents those inmates from receiving job training and other services.
  • Atlanta Journal Constitution: Health care debate brings out the best in America … or not 2010-03-17
    They might send me to prison if they do. “I wonder if that is the same way he distributes his largess at the local strip club.” That's why I choose not ...
  • Business Spectator: Europe's China blindness 2010-03-17
    ... accusations over Tibet, lack of civil liberties, and capital punishment with counter accusations over prison overcrowding in the European Union.
  • The Truth About PLAs: Rendell Administration Love Affair With Big Labor Stalls Prison Constructi ... 2010-03-17
    Despite the obvious need to get this construction underway, both due to prison overcrowding and to help with the staggering unemployment in the constructi ...
  • Gazette Newspapers: Prosecutorial Candidates Take Gloves Off At Debate 2010-03-17
    I went from a mild-mannered Long Beach lawyer to running a federal prison holding detainees (enemy combatants).” O'Reilly returned to his former life ...
  • World Socialist Web Site: France: teachers, students march against education cuts 2010-03-17
    The reform is designed to rearrange high school curricula with a reduction of hours of instruction in mathematics, physics and chemistry for scientific ...
  • KNX1070: Dennis Kucinich to Vote Yes on Health Care 2010-03-17
    With so much at stake, lawmakers, lobbyists and voters are all giving a final push either for or against reform in the final hours before the House puts ...
  • Charleston: Daily scoreboard - Daily Mail 2010-03-17
    Dennis Kucinich, a fierce critic of the health care reform bill from the Democrats' left, relented Wednesday and said he would vote for it.
  • istockAnalyst.com: A *Very Serious* Warning To Nancy Pelosi 2010-03-17
    They have watched banksters do everything in their power to imprison them in debt, including bribing Congress to remove usury laws, "reform" bankruptcy so ...
  • Jamaica Gleaner: Extradition and ministerial discretion 2010-03-17
    ... order is made for the extradition of the accused person, who then has 15 days within which to apply to the Supreme Court for an order of habeas corpus.
  • MiamiHerald.com: Gallagher changing plea to guilty 2010-03-17
    The admission will likely send Gallagher to prison and officially end a decade-long career that saw her rise from activist PTA mom and substitute teacher ...
  • WBUR: How High Court Could Change If Stevens Retires 2010-03-17
    They are under total American control, so they have the right to file habeas corpus. In response to that, the Bush administration set up certain procedure ...
  • Northfield News: Writings beyond the prison walls 2010-03-17
    Appleman says the book is not about prison reform, but about giving a voice to inmates who are afraid they will be forgotten in the outside world.
  • Leagle.com: CEASAR v. GRONDOLSKY 2010-03-17
    We will summarily affirm because we agree that Ceasar cannot challenge his conviction by means of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 USC ...
  • Leagle.com: IN RE MOSES 2010-03-17
    Moses filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus with the Alameda County Superior Court. The court granted the petition, vacated the Board's October 2007 ...
  • Politico: To fight terrorism, follow the money 2010-03-17
    Unfortunately one of the results of allowing habeas corpus writs on behalf of Guantanamo detainees is that known Al Qaeda financiers have been released ...
  • Sunday Leader: SF's Habeas Corpus Case to be Heard on Friday 2010-03-17
    You can leave a response or trackback to this entry from your site The Habeas Corpus application filed by Anoma Fonseka on Thursday at the Court of Appeal ...
  • Khaleej Times: 'Trial and Error' in Sri Lanka 2010-03-17
    A habeas corpus petition has already been filed, arguing that his detention is illegal and that his rights are being infringed. Fonseka is gaining sympathy ...
  • Eurasia Review: Bosnia: Ban On Convicts Holding Public Office Urged 2010-03-17
    Tihic, detained in May 1992 by Serb forces and held in several prison camps until August the same year, has testified about war crimes in Bosanski Samac ...
  • Leagle.com: SMITH v. McKEE 2010-03-17
    This case comes to us on appeal from a denial of a petition for habeas corpus. On March 9, 1995, an Illinois jury found petitioner, Joseph Smith ...
  • Grand Junction Sentinel: A prison peak? 2010-03-17
    For now, however, we'll simply say that sentencing reform — and reductions in prison populations — should be driven by what's in the best interest ...
  • Express Buzz: may be tried in absentia 2010-03-17
    One student spent time in a military detention camp on suspicion of being an LTTE cadre. "For a month, I was tortured; hung up-side down, my head was tied ...
  • Gotham Gazette: Fewer Prisoners, Fewer Prisons? 2010-03-17
    The Correctional Association is also pressing the legislature to reform parole so that minor violations would not land an offender in prison.
  • Canada Views: Cuba urged to revoke repressive laws and release prisoners of conscience 2010-03-17
    One of those arrested in March 2003, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, died on 22 February 2010, having spent several weeks on hunger strike in protest at pri ...
  • Tribune: Census resisters cite distrust of government - Chicago Breaking News 2010-03-17
    An employee who shares information is subject to five years in prison and a $250000 fine. Still, some organizations are using the census to send a message.
  • Leagle.com: U.S. v. LIVESAY 2010-03-17
    ... has stressed that nothing in § 4243 precludes a committed insanity acquittee from establishing the illegality of his detention by writ of habeas corpus.
  • Leagle.com: U.S. v. O'NEAL-SLOANE 2010-03-17
    ... motion as a petition for habeas corpus under 28 USC § 2241 and the "safety valve" clause of 28 USC § 2255(e), which we interpreted in In re Dorsainvil.
  • The Associated Press: State prison numbers drop for 1st time since 1972 2010-03-17
    A look at developments in some key states: _ California: A new law, created to ease prison overcrowding and help close the budget deficit, enables inmate ...
  • Irish Times: Ahern to propose blasphemy amendment 2010-03-17
    At the time, Mr Ahern wrote in The Irish Times : “My intention is to remove the possibility of prison sentences and private prosecutions for blasphemy ...
  • Leagle.com: IN RE JUAREZ 2010-03-17
    Petitioner Ernesto Rangel Juarez petitions this court for a writ of habeas corpus releasing him from prison after the Board of Parole Hearings (Board)
  • Marietta Times: EXTRA: Men sentenced; Health care; Jobs bill 2010-03-17
    This afternoon, Lane sentenced Thomas G. Robison II, 19, of Apple Creek, to five years in prison for the Sept. 27 stabbing of a Marietta man.
  • Ghana News: Allow Our Institutions To Work! 2010-03-17
    The occasion was the FNF/CDD lecture series on the topic “Strengthening the Liberal Roots of the 1992 Constitution: An Agenda for Reform” and the date w ...
  • Daily Report: Life sentences for teens are losing some appeal 2010-03-17
    Now a growing number of states are rethinking the wisdom of sentencing teenagers to life in prison. Two states have recently passed and at least 11 state ...
  • Ocala: Florida's prison population grew in last year 2010-03-17
    In a press release, Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States, attributed the overall decline in reform ...
  • Leagle.com: BOWEN v. SHELDON 2010-03-17
    {¶ 1} This cause is before the court upon a petition for a writ of habeas corpus of Dusten I. Bowen. Sua sponte, the cause is dismissed.
  • Leagle.com: REEVES v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION 2010-03-17
    At the outset of the proceedings, the court denied the petitioner's motion for permission to file a third amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
  • The American: Obama as Bush Redux: White House Threatens Veto of Intelligence Bill 2010-03-17
    ... it has argued against expanding habeas corpus rights to captured Taliban and al Qaeda members under US military control in Afghanistan.
  • Politics in Minnesota: Smith: Let's try to stop 'bowling in the fog' 2010-03-17
    ... its research and notes that its work recently showed the state how to avoid the cost of building a new prison, saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
  • Waikato Times: Convicted fraudster fights on 2010-03-17
    In an earlier matter, Slavich made an application for a writ of habeas corpus, a legal action in which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention.
  • Leagle.com: ARMENTA v. CHATMAN 2010-03-17
    In a letter dated July 12, 2007, he was told that his application for a writ of habeas corpus was dismissed as a subsequent application on June 28, 2006.
  • Norwalk Plus Magazine: Fedele: Cutting spending and shrinking the bureaucracy 2010-03-17
    For example, Corrections Re-entry programs to reduce recidivism enabled the closing of one prison. Connecticut still has statutory authority to send ...
  • MiamiHerald.com: Florida's inmate population rises 2010-03-17
    Advocates for prison reform say the need is obvious. Florida can't pay to build additional prisons, especially in the current economy.
  • CTV.ca: Jail guard undergoes surgery after inmate attack 2010-03-17
    Overcrowding at a Vancouver Island prison is to blame for a vicious attack against one of its guards Tuesday afternoon, according to the union th ...
  • Providence Journal: Senate commission recommends decriminalization of marijuana 2010-03-17
    Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, voted Tuesday to approve the contents of a 24-page final report that concludes that “marijuana law reform” would save Rhode ...
  • 13wmaz: Houston Public Defender Argues Former District Attorney's Claims 2010-03-17
    Sanders said he asked the judges to release more non-violent criminals on bond to relieve jail overcrowding, but did not try to influence the judicial ...
  • New York Times: Report Finds States Holding Fewer Prisoners 2010-03-17
    State prison populations, which have grown for nearly four decades, have begun to dip, according to a new report, largely because of recent ...

Background Briefing: Sentancing and Drug Laws

Human Rights Watch: California: Repeal Law Jailing Children for Life 2008-01-14

Senate Should End Life Without Parole for Juvenile Offenders | Californias State Senate should pass a law this month to end the sentencing of children to prison for life with no possibility of parole, Human Rights Watch said today in a report on a practice outlawed in most of the world.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Girls Abused in New Yorks Juvenile Prisons 2006-09-25

Violent Restraints, Sexual Abuse Must Stop | Girls in New Yorks juvenile prisons are being abused and neglected by state authorities, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union charged in a report released today.

 

Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch Submission to the Human Rights Committee 2006-07-12

Human Rights Watch Supplemental Submission to the Human Rights Committee During its Consideration of the Second and Third Periodic Reports of the United States | In January 2006, Human Rights Watch submitted a list of issues for the Human Rights Committees reference while posing questions to the United States about its adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the ICCPR). Since that submission, the United States has enacted or begun to undertake new laws, policies, and practices that reflect the continuing failure of the U.S. to fulfill its obligations under the ICCPR. Oulined here are some of those developments, as well as some additional issues that HRW believes are central to the Committees work.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: House Amendment Tilts Playing Field for Death Penalty 2005-10-27

Radical Changes to the Federal Death Penalty May Soon Be Law | The House has slipped an amendment into the Patriot Act Reauthorization Act that would dramatically skew federal death penalty cases in favor of the prosecution.

 

Human Rights Watch: United States: Thousands of Children Sentenced to Life without Parole 2005-10-12

National Study by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Finds Majority Face Life for First Offense | There are at least 2,225 child offenders serving life without parole sentences in U.S prisons for crimes committed before they were age 18, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a new joint report published today.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Supreme Court Ends Child Executions 2005-03-01

With the Roper v. Simmons Supreme Court ruling abolishing the execution of child offenders, the United States joins the international consensus rejecting this cruel and inhuman punishment.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Children Are Collateral Casualties of N.Y. Drug Laws 2002-06-18

Excessively severe drug laws have deprived thousands of children of their parents, Human Rights Watch said today. Governor Pataki and New York politicians in Albany are now debating legislation to reform these drug laws

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Incarceration Rates Reveal Striking Racial Disparities 2002-02-27

Human Rights Watch today released the first state-by-state incarceration rates for whites, blacks and Latinos based on actual correctional facility counts. The figures, compiled from census data for the year 2000, reveal the high percentage of blacks that are behind bars and dramatic racial disparities in the incarcerated population.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Pataki Drug Reform No Improvement 2001-07-16

New York Governor George Pataki's proposed drug law reforms would leave drug offenders vulnerable to excessive prison sentences and maintain prosecutors' undue power over sentencing decisions, Human Rights Watch charged today.

 

Human Rights Watch: US: A Human Rights Agenda for the Justice Department 2001-03-29

In a letter released today, Human Rights Watch called on the Bush Administration's Justice Department to promote and protect human rights in the United States. The letter outlines a human rights agenda for the new U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, on such issues as prisoner abuses, police brutality, sentencing, the mistreatment of immigrants, the federal death penalty, and the poor U.S. record on ratifying international human rights treaties.

Background Briefing: Prison Conditions in the United States

Human Rights Watch: Scores of Muslim Men Jailed Without Charge 2005-06-27

Justice Department Misused Material Witness Law in Counterterrorism Efforts | Operating behind a wall of secrecy, the U.S. Department of Justice thrust scores of Muslim men living in the United States into a Kafkaesque world of indefinite detention without charge and baseless accusations of terrorist links, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a report released today.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Maryland Death Penalty Moratorium Applauded 2002-05-09

Human Rights Watch applauded Maryland Governor Paris N. Glendening's decision today to impose a moratorium on executions in Maryland. Citing the need "to be absolutely sure of the integrity" of the death penalty process, Governor Glendening announced the moratorium would continue until an ongoing University of Maryland study on racial bias and the death penalty is completed and reviewed and acted upon by the state legislature.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Illinois Commission Highlights Death Penalty's Inherent Flaws 2002-04-17

Human Rights Watch welcomed the unanimous conclusion of the bi-partisan commission, appointed by Governor George H. Ryan to examine the administration of the death penalty in Illinois, that no system of criminal justice can guarantee absolutely that innocent persons will not be sentenced to death.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Incarceration Rates Reveal Striking Racial Disparities 2002-02-27

Human Rights Watch today released the first state-by-state incarceration rates for whites, blacks and Latinos based on actual correctional facility counts. The figures, compiled from census data for the year 2000, reveal the high percentage of blacks that are behind bars and dramatic racial disparities in the incarcerated population.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Bush Urged to Stop Federal Execution 2001-06-18

Human Rights Watch urged President Bush to halt Tuesday's scheduled federal execution of Juan Raul Garza. Citing continuing concerns over racial and geographic disparities in the application of the federal death penalty, HRW called for a stay of execution until the government can guarantee that race plays no role in the federal death penalty.

 

Human Rights Watch: US: Clinton Urged to Impose Moratorium on Executions 2000-12-12

Human Rights Watch commended President Clinton for staying the execution of Juan Raul Garza. The group urged the president to impose a moratorium on federal executions.

 

Human Rights Watch: U.S.: Florida Ex-Offenders Barred from Vote 2000-11-08

31% of State's African American Men Denied Vote | The permanent disenfranchisement of over 400,000 ex-offenders in Florida is likely to have determined the outcome of the presidential election, two non-partisan research and advocacy groups said.

 

Human Rights Watch: United States: Stark Race Disparities in Drug Incarceration 2000-06-08

Some states send black men to prison at rates 27 to 57 times greater than whites | The U.S. war on drugs has been waged overwhelmingly against black Americans, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released "Punishment and Prejudice: Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs".

 

Human Rights Watch: Felon Laws Bar 3.9 Million Americans from Voting 1998-10-22

A stunning proportion of black men in the United States will not be able to vote in the November elections because they have been convicted of a felony, according to a new report released today by Human Rights Watch and The Sentencing Project. In seven states, a staggering one in four black men is permanently disenfranchised. In two states, Alabama and Florida, the ratio is one in three
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