by Anthony W. Accurso
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the State of New York released a report on January 4, 2022, concluding its “Investigation of New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision [DOCCS] Incarcerated Individual Drug Testing Program,” following reports that DOCCS punished 1,600 prisoners ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
In an opinion reached on December 6, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld a district court’s ruling that a federal prisoner’s disciplinary sanctions were valid so long as there was “some evidence” to support the underlying violations. Importantly, where the evidence ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
Prison phone services provider Global*Tel Link (GTL) agreed to a settle a long-running class-action on December 20, 2021, with changes to company policies and up to $67 million to compensate customers for seizing funds in any account that remained inactive for 90 days. Though the amount ...
How Unchecked Power and No Oversight Gives Rise to Abuses
by Anthony W. Accurso
On December 15, 2000, Derwin Brown was returning from a party when he was gunned down. He was holding flowers he had purchased for his wife, Phyllis, when assailants opened fire, striking him at least 10 ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
Despite an urgent and growing need for maintenance in Minnesota’s prisons, the governor and legislature are proposing a token amount be spent while deferring the vast majority of the growing problem.
Traditionally, the state of Minnesota passes a bonding bill, which funds the state’s expenditures not ...
by Anthony Accurso
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced on February 9, 2021, that the state Department of Correction (DOC) would permanently close its Northern Correctional Institution (Northern) in Somers by July 1.
The announcement came just days after a lawsuit was filed on February 4, 2021, by Disability Rights Connecticut ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
A new study using data from the Houston, Texas area shows that the use of diversionary programs results in overall lower crime, including among high-risk demographic groups.
The study, “Diversion in the Criminal Justice System,” authored by Michael Mueller-Smith and Kevin T. Schnepel and published ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
Reform groups in Connecticut have been riding the wave of protests in America to pressure the Connecticut Legislature into making lasting reforms and addressing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the results have been underwhelming.
On September 29, 2020, two prison reform advocacy groups held ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act filing, which wrote about its findings in an October 29, 2020 story, filed by Buzzfeed, we now know that more than 40 immigrants have died while in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), often because of neglect ...
by Anthony W. Accurso
A Congressional caucus was announced on August 14, 2020 whose purpose is to shed light on management of the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and to bring accountability to decisions made by its executives.
House Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) announced the formation of the BOP Reform ...
