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Articles by Matthew Clarke

Nevada Ramps Up Prisoner Deportations – Even Those Ineligible for Early Release

Nevada Ramps Up Prisoner Deportations – Even Those Ineligible for Early Release

by Matt Clarke

In an attempt to reduce prison overcrowding and save money, Nevada has expanded its efforts to deport incarcerated non-citizens, including those not eligible for early release.
Nevada began its deportation program in 2007 when 100 ...

Texas Lawmakers “Surprised” Over Hiring of Non-Citizen Prison Guards on Work Visas

by Matt Clarke

Texas has 112 prisons and employs 23,700 guards – which is 2,600 shy of the number authorized by the state legislature. The shortage of prison staff is not new and neither is the state’s use of non-citizens as guards. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has ...

Madoff Fraud Bankrupts JEHT Foundation, Hurts Criminal Justice Reform Efforts

Madoff Fraud Bankrupts JEHT Foundation, Hurts Criminal Justice Reform Efforts

by Matt Clarke

Wall Street mogul Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion Ponzi scheme has led to the closure of a New York-based charity devoted to reducing the booming prison population while maintaining public safety. The Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance ...

Michigan DOC Rehabilitation Programs Emphasize Education, Reentry Support

Michigan DOC Rehabilitation Programs Emphasize Education, Reentry Support

by Matt Clarke

In 1998, Michigan passed a law requiring most prisoners without a high school diploma to earn a GED before being released on parole. That law has since been copied by other states, but most merely purport to give enhanced ...

State Auditor: Texas Prisoners Face Retaliation for Airing Grievances

State Auditor: Texas Prisoners Face Retaliation for Airing Grievances

by Matt Clarke

In September 2008, the Texas State Auditor released a report on the investigation and resolution of complaints in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The report found that while grievance administrators filled out investigation forms properly and ...

Caging Kids for Cash: Two Pennsylvania Judges Guilty of Selling Out Juvenile Justice System

Caging Kids for Cash: Two Pennsylvania Judges Guilty of Selling Out Juvenile Justice System

by Matt Clarke

Judges are supposed to be the protectors of our constitutional rights. They are expected to be fair and impartial, and to safeguard vulnerable members of society who are unable to protect themselves. Admitting ...

Conditions in Maricopa County, Arizona Jails Still Unconstitutional

by Matt Clarke

On October 22, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake issued an 83-page order with findings of facts and conclusions of law in a long-running civil rights lawsuit against Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other county officials. The order held that conditions of confinement ...

Study Shows Treating HCV in Prisons with Pegylated Interferon Is Cost-Effective

Study Shows Treating HCV in Prisons with Pegylated Interferon Is Cost-Effective

by Matt Clarke

A new study published in the November 2008 issue of the medical journal Hepatology found that treating hepatitis C-infected prisoners with the standard therapy of pegylated interferon and ribavirin was cost-effective. Savings were as high as ...

Private Prison Company Cleans Up Texas Creek, Finally Gets Prisoners

by Matt Clarke

In July 2008, Louisiana-based private prison company LCS Corrections Services agreed to remove junked cars, appliances and other debris inhibiting the flow of Petronila Creek, which runs close to LCS’s newly-built 1,100-bed Coastal Bend Detention Center near Robstown, Texas.

The company had applied to the Texas Commission ...

Prisons and Jails Preparing for Switch to Digital TV Broadcasting ... or Not

Prisons and Jails Preparing for Switch to Digital TV Broadcasting ... or Not

by Matt Clarke

On February 17, 2009, over-the-air television broadcasters were scheduled to complete the switch from analog to digital signals. Following the changeover, analog televisions will no longer receive over-the-air stations without a converter, as all ...