Alabama Plan to Relieve Prison Overcrowding: Tap COVID-19 Funds to Build “Mega-Prisons” by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott When Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed legislation in October 2021 to take $400 million of the state’s pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan to build a trio …

Prison Overcrowding Continues During COVID-19 Pandemic by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon While problematic at any other time, prison overcrowding has proven deadly during the global COVID-19 pandemic because social distancing is one of the main weapons epidemiologists recommend to combat the spread of this highly contagious, often fatal disease. …

Women, Incarceration, and Violent Crime, MA, 2021 Women,‌‌Incarceration,‌‌and‌‌Violent‌‌Crime:‌‌A‌‌Briefing‌‌in‌‌Response‌‌to‌‌ Plans‌‌for‌‌Building‌‌a‌‌New‌‌Women’s‌‌Prison‌‌in‌‌Massachusetts‌1‌ ‌ ‌ “[T]he‌‌effort‌‌to‌‌divide‌‌up‌‌the‌‌world‌‌into‌‌the‌‌violent‌‌and‌‌the‌‌nonviolent,‌‌or‌‌into‌‌any‌‌other‌‌sharply‌‌ drawn‌‌dichotomous‌‌categories,‌‌blinds‌‌us‌‌too‌‌often‌‌to‌‌the‌‌gradations‌‌that‌‌actually‌‌characterize‌‌ our‌‌collective‌‌life”‌‌(Sklansky,‌‌2021,‌‌p.‌‌5).‌ ‌ ‌ Introduction‌ ‌ The‌‌Massachusetts‌‌Department‌‌of‌‌Correction‌‌(DOC)‌‌has‌‌announced‌‌its‌‌intention‌‌to‌‌close‌‌ MCI-Framingham,‌‌the‌‌oldest‌‌functioning‌‌women’s‌‌prison‌‌in‌‌the‌‌country,‌‌by‌‌2024‌‌(Williams,‌‌ 2020).‌‌The‌‌primary‌‌state‌‌prison‌‌for‌‌women,‌‌MCI-Framingham‌‌currently‌‌houses‌‌fewer‌‌than‌‌200‌‌ women.‌2‌‌ ‌This‌‌number‌‌includes‌‌women‌‌awaiting‌‌trial‌‌as‌‌well‌‌as‌‌women‌‌sentenced‌‌on‌‌a‌‌wide‌‌ range‌‌of‌‌governing‌‌charges‌‌(Cannata‌‌et‌‌al.,‌‌2021).‌ ‌ To‌‌replace‌‌MCI-Framingham,‌‌Governor‌‌Baker’s‌‌administration‌‌plans‌‌to‌‌build‌‌a‌‌new‌‌women’s‌ prison‌‌or‌‌substantially‌‌renovate‌‌an‌‌unused‌‌men’s‌‌prison‌‌at‌‌an‌‌estimated‌‌cost‌‌of‌‌$50,000,000.‌ That‌‌sum‌‌is‌‌in‌‌addition‌‌to‌‌the‌‌operating‌‌cost‌‌of‌‌$162,000‌‌per‌‌woman‌‌per‌‌year‌‌(Cannata‌‌et‌‌al.,‌‌ 2021).‌‌ ‌ In‌‌response,‌‌coalitions‌‌of‌‌community‌‌organizations,‌‌academics,‌‌social‌‌workers,‌‌and‌‌attorneys‌‌ argue‌‌that‌‌the‌‌time‌‌has‌‌come‌‌to‌‌end‌‌the‌‌punitive‌‌policies‌‌that‌‌gave‌‌rise‌‌to‌‌mass‌‌incarceration;‌‌that‌‌ $50,000,000‌‌could‌‌be‌‌put‌‌to‌‌better‌‌use‌‌supporting‌‌housing,‌‌families,‌‌education,‌‌parks,‌‌local‌‌ businesses‌‌and‌‌services‌‌that‌‌build‌‌up‌‌people,‌‌not‌‌prisons‌‌(Building‌‌Up‌‌People‌‌Not‌‌Prisons,‌‌n.d.).‌‌ ‌ The‌‌population‌‌of‌‌women‌‌incarcerated‌‌for‌‌crimes‌‌labeled‌‌as‌‌violent‌‌has‌‌emerged‌‌as‌‌a‌‌sticking‌‌ point‌‌in‌‌efforts‌‌to‌‌balance‌‌concerns‌‌for‌‌public‌‌safety‌‌with‌‌the‌‌rights‌‌and‌‌well-being‌‌of‌‌women‌‌ and‌‌communities‌‌most‌‌impacted‌‌by‌‌pro-incarceration‌‌policies‌‌of‌‌the‌‌late‌‌20th‌‌and‌‌21st‌‌centuries.‌‌ ‌ To‌‌help‌‌ground‌‌these‌‌concerns‌‌in‌‌research,‌‌this‌‌briefing‌‌presents‌‌an‌‌overview‌‌of‌‌the‌‌scholarly‌‌ literature‌‌on‌‌women,‌‌violence,‌‌and‌‌crime.‌‌That‌‌literature‌‌is‌‌illustrated‌‌through‌‌the‌‌stories‌‌of‌‌real‌‌ women‌‌who‌‌have‌‌been‌‌incarcerated‌‌for‌‌crimes‌‌classified‌‌as‌‌violent‌‌in‌‌Massachusetts.‌ ‌ ‌ T ‌ his‌‌briefing‌‌was‌‌written‌‌by‌‌Rebecca‌‌Stone,‌‌Susan‌‌Sered,‌‌Amanda‌‌Wilhoit,‌‌and‌‌Cherry‌‌Russell‌‌together‌‌with‌‌ members‌‌of‌‌the‌W ‌ omen‌‌and‌‌Incarceration‌‌Project‌‌‌at‌‌Suffolk‌‌University.‌‌ …

Catchings v. Wilson, MD, Settlement, Covid Response, 2021 Case 1:21-cv-00428-TSE Document 70-1 Filed 04/15/21 Page 1 of 11 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE DIVISION SEDRIC CATCHINGS et al., Plaintiffs, * * v. Case No.: 1:21-cv-00428-TSE * CALVIN WILSON et al., Defendants. * SETTLEMENT …

COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna COVID-19’s impact on American society has been dramatic, but no more so than in prisons and jails. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended maintaining “social …

ICE Detention Facility Deaths Now Highest Since 2005 by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss The number of people who died in federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) detention centers during its fiscal year that ended September 30, 2020 — 21 in all — was more than double the previous years’s …

Catchings v. Wilson, MD, Class Action Complaint, Covid Response, 2021 Case 1:21-cv-00428-TSE Document 1 Filed 02/20/21 Page 1 of 64 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE DIVISION SEDRIC CATCHINGS, CHARLES COUSER, COLLIN DAVIS, ALLEN LAMIN, SIRRON LITTLE, TAIWO MOULTRIE, JOSEPH SPEED, and HOWARD THOMAS, …

DOJ Report: Carceral Population Falls, 2017-2018 by Matthew Clarke By Matt Clarke According to a report by the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics published in August 2020, the number of people in the U.S. under carceral supervision—prison, jail, probation, or parole—declined 2.1% from 2017 to 2018. …

Sixth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Sheriff in Tennessee Prisoner’s Assault Case by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on August 10, 2020, reversed a Tennessee federal district court’s order denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment on a claim that a sheriff was deliberately …

U.S. Prisons Originally Designed to Prevent Spread of Disease Become Breeding Ground During Pandemic by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon In precolonial days, U.S. jails and prisons were nothing like today’s in concept, practical use or design. Lengthy sentences and pretrial detentions for those pending trial were the exception rather …

How Jails Became a Breeding Ground for the Coronavirus by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders Back in August 2020, “things at Waseca were calm,” recalled Channing Lacy. Like many other women incarcerated in the low-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Waseca, Minnesota, the 33-year-old considered herself lucky that the prison …

Glenewinkel v. Carvajal, TX, First Amended Class Action Complaint, Covid Response, 2020 Case 3:20-cv-02256-B Document 72 Filed 12/09/20 Page 1 of 16 PagelD 309 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT' FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS DALLAS DIVISION Jay E. Glenewinkel et. al. Plaintiffs, § § § § v. Carvajal et. al, …

Nebraska Declares Overcrowding Emergency in State Prisons by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) was forced to declare an overcrowding emergency on July 1, 2020. Capacity in the state’s 10 prisons was at 151%, exceeding the 2015 mandated 140% threshold. In an effort to help …

The Prison Was Built to Hold 1,500 Inmates. It Had Over 2,000 Coronavirus Cases by Dara Lind Prison overcrowding has been quietly tolerated for decades. But the pandemic is forcing a reckoning. by Dara Lind, ProPublica This article was originally published June 18, 2020, by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates …

Jones v. Hill, GA, Plf. Response in Opposition to Def. Motion to Dismiss, COVID-19 Release, 2020 Case 1:20-cv-02791-JPB-CCB Document 37 Filed 08/17/20 Page 1 of 48 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA ATLANTA DIVISION RHONDA JONES et al., Plaintiffs, CIVIL ACTION v. VICTOR HILL …

Mississippi Prisons in Crisis by David Reutter Prisons beset with gang-related violence, overcrowding, understaffing and weak funding. by David M. Reutter Between late last year and early April 2020, more than 30 Mississippi prisoners died due togang violence, suicide or illness – over 10 times the average of 3.4 prisoner …

ACLU v. FL Dept of Corrections, FL, Motion for Summary Judgment, Public Records, 2020 Filing # 109468561 E-Filed 06/26/2020 01:59:43 PM IN THE FLORIDA SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR LEON COUNTY, FLORIDA AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF FLORIDA, INC., Plaintiff, Case No.: 37 2020 CA 000854 Judge Flury v. …

Report: Tennessee Prison Population Climbs, Bucks Nationwide Trend by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Incarceration is not the answer to crime, concludes a December 19, 2019 report by the Tennessee Criminal Justice Investment Task Force (CJITF). “Despite incarcerating more people and spending over $1 billion annually on corrections in …

Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic by "They’re literally leaving us in here to die,” said a prisoner live-streaming on Facebook in a plea for help April 3, 2020. The now-viral online video captures the desperation of prisoners during the coronavirus pandemic. The 31-year-old, wearing …

Fernandez-Rodriguez v. Licon-Vitale, NY, Class Action Petition, Covid Response, 2020 Case 1:20-cv-03315-ER Document 1 Filed 04/28/20 Page 1 of 29 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK CESAR FERNANDEZ-RODRIGUEZ, ROBER GALVEZ-CHIMBO, SHARON HATCHER, JONATHAN MEDINA, and JAMES WOODSON, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Petitioners, …