Report: Wide racial disparity in New York prison discipline
December 1, 2022 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Black and Hispanic people incarcerated in New York state prisons are more likely than white people to face further punishment once they wind up behind bars, according to a state inspector general report released Thursday.
Australian jailed in Myanmar applauded in Parliament
December 1, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Sean Turnell, an Australian economist who spent almost two years imprisoned in Myanmar, received a hero’s welcome Thursday at Australia’s Parliament House where lawmakers rose in a standing ovation and the prime minister praised his courage, optimism and resilience.
South Africans protest pending release of Hani’s killer
November 30, 2022 GMTPRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — More than a thousand people gathered outside the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in South Africa on Wednesday to protest against the pending release of Janusz Walus, the convicted killer of anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani.
Freed Japan-China friendship group head says charges false
November 30, 2022 GMTTOKYO (AP) — The former head of a Japan-China friendship group who recently returned to Japan from six years in a Beijing prison for what he said were false spying charges said he still hopes to see China become a global leader but with better treatment of human rights.
Mayor says NYC will treat mentally ill, even if they refuse
November 29, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor on Tuesday said he was directing police and city medics to be more aggressive about getting severely mentally ill people off the streets and subways and into treatment, even if it means involuntarily hospitalizing some people who refuse care.
Report: Many female Israeli conscripts suffer sexual abuse
November 29, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Roughly one in four women performing compulsory national service in Israel’s police force and prison service have suffered sexual abuse on the job, according to a report by Israel’s official government watchdog agency.
Connecticut facing growing cost of pandemic bonus pay
November 29, 2022 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut program that offered “hero pay” to essential workers at the peak of of the coronavirus pandemic got so many applicants that state lawmakers had to go back into session Monday to provide extra funding and put new limits on who could get the biggest bonuses.
Appeals panel rules in favor of former Delaware inmate
November 28, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel has ruled in favor of a former Delaware prison inmate who claimed he was deprived of his constitutional rights by being placed into solitary confinement for a long period despite his mental illness.
South Carolina hospital wing becomes new inmate hospital
November 26, 2022 GMTCHESTER, S.C. (AP) — A wing of an abandoned rural hospital in South Carolina's Chester County has been transformed into a health facility for inmates that could start accepting patients before the end of the year.
Wave of sex abuse lawsuits seen as NY opens door for victims
November 22, 2022 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Sexual assault victims in New York will get a one-time opportunity to sue over their abuse starting Thursday, under a new law expected to bring a wave of allegations against prison guards, middle managers, doctors and a few prominent figures including former President Donald Trump.
Tenn. inmate’s mutilation highlights prison mental care woes
November 20, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee death row inmate Henry Hodges' fellow prisoner Jon Hall warned long ago that he was at risk due to severe neglect by prison authorities, having spent three decades in solitary confinement with very little human contact or interaction.
EXPLAINER: What Griner may endure in Russian penal system
November 18, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a remote Russian penal colony that human rights advocates say is known for harsh conditions and violent criminals.
Judge dismissed mistreatment claims at Oregon federal prison
November 18, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A judge has dismissed the claims of about 200 current and former people in custody at an Oregon federal prison. They argued that the prison’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was so inhumane that the only solution is to reduce their sentences or to release them.
Feds look into treatment of mentally ill adults in Oklahoma
November 17, 2022 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A civil rights investigation into the treatment of people with mental illnesses by the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City police was announced Thursday by the U.S.
Mississippi county balks at oversight for troubled jail
November 16, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's largest county says it will appeal a federal judge's appointment of a public safety consultant to manage its jail where the judge found “ongoing unconstitutional conditions," including short staffing levels that allowed some inmates to assault others.
Russia’s top opposition figure loses fight over prison terms
November 10, 2022 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, lost another court fight to protest his prison conditions Thursday.
A judge in the Vladimir region's city of Kovrov dismissed Navalny’s protest against his confinement in a punishment cell, at least the second time it has rejected such a complaint from the dissident.
Palestinian seeks early release in case that shook Jerusalem
November 10, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — It was a crime that convulsed Jerusalem.
On a fall day seven years ago, 13-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Manasra and his 15-year-old cousin tore through the streets of a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem, armed with knives.
Slavery, involuntary servitude rejected by 4 states’ voters
November 9, 2022 GMTVoters in four states have approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fifth state rejected a flawed version of the question.
Putin-linked businessman admits to US election meddling
November 7, 2022 GMTKremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.
Libyan commander Hifter deposed in US civil lawsuit
November 7, 2022 GMTALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Libyan military commander who once lived in Virginia sat for a deposition Sunday in a U.S. lawsuit in which he is accused of orchestrating indiscriminate attacks on civilians and torturing and killing political opponents, according to an advocacy group that supports the lawsuit.
Pope in Bahrain: Treatment of prisoners a measure of society
November 6, 2022 GMTMANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up the first-ever papal trip to Bahrain on Sunday by encouraging priests and nuns to keep ministering to the Gulf kingdom’s tiny Catholic flock. He specifically mentioned its prisoners, saying “the way in which these ‘least ones’ are treated is a measure of the dignity and the hope of a society.”
Former officer: Alabama ‘not in control’ of state prisons
November 5, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former corrections officer on Friday compared Alabama prisons to a “third world country with a concrete floor” and said he believes federal officials should intervene in the system.
Prison-like center puts focus on UK’s response to migrants
November 5, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Behind wire fences in southeast England, children wave their arms and chant “freedom” to grab the attention of people on the other side. A young girl throws a bottle with a message inside.
US jails rife with violence, abuse and overcrowding
November 4, 2022 GMTIn California, lawyers accused staff at the Los Angeles County jail of chaining mentally ill detainees to chairs for days at a time.
Judge blasts treatment of mentally ill at Louisiana prison
November 3, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana prison's treatment of its mentally ill prisoners — including inadequate care, incomplete medical records and prolonged stints in solitary confinement — violates federal law and the Constitution, a federal judge has ruled.
Pope urges end to death penalty as he arrives in Bahrain
November 3, 2022 GMTAWALI, Bahrain (AP) — Pope Francis urged Bahrain authorities on Thursday to renounce the death penalty and ensure basic human rights are guaranteed for all citizens as he arrived in the Sunni-led kingdom that has been accused by rights groups of systematic discrimination against its Shiite majority.
Federal judge appoints receiver to manage Mississippi jail
November 1, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a receiver to temporarily manage a jail near Mississippi's capital city to improve conditions.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Monday selected Wendell M.
Federal prison worker pleads guilty to inmate sex abuse
October 27, 2022 GMTOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — One of five workers accused of sexually abusing inmates at a federal women's prison in California pleaded guilty on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Enrique Chavez entered a plea to one count of abusive sexual contact with a prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institute, Dublin in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Federal judge lifts court order on Mississippi youth jail
October 26, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss (AP) — A federal judge has lifted a decade-long federal consent decree governing a youth jail in Mississippi's capital city.
The original court order was handed down in 2012 and extended several times.
San Diego doctor charged in death of inmate in county jail
October 26, 2022 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego doctor was charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 24-year-old female inmate who collapsed in front of a nurse, who was also charged in the case.
New US prisons chief pledges truth, reform for ailing system
October 25, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The outsider brought in to reform the ailing federal Bureau of Prisons pledged Monday to hold accountable any employees who sexually assault inmates, reform archaic hiring practices and bring new transparency to an agency that has long been a haven of secrecy and coverups.
Prison deaths mount in El Salvador’s gang crackdown
October 24, 2022 GMTSAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Jesús Joya says his brother was “special” -- at 45, he was childlike, eager to please. He was as far from a gang member as anyone could be. And yet the last time he saw Henry, he was boarding a bus to prison.
Georgia sheriff testifies to dispute civil rights charges
October 20, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia sheriff standing trial on federal charges that he abusing detainees' rights by strapping them into restraint chairs as a form of punishment denied wrongdoing Thursday, insisting the chairs are safe as long as jailers follow provided rules.
Russian official says ‘practical’ issues delay visit to POWs
October 20, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross has conducted at least five visits to Ukrainian prisoners of war since Russia invaded Ukraine, a Russian diplomat said Thursday while insisting that “practical arrangements” were holding up a trip to a prison where dozens of POWs died.
Death sentence upheld for killer with gender dysphoria claim
October 19, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the death sentence Wednesday for an inmate who argued her attorneys didn’t properly raise in her defense trauma she experienced, including gender dysphoria.
Detainees testify in rights abuse trial of Georgia sheriff
October 19, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Two former jail detainees testified that deputies of a Georgia sheriff charged with violating their civil rights kept them in restraint chairs for hours, causing them to urinate on themselves while they were bound.
Senator’s human rights objections block some US aid to Egypt
October 18, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran senator's objections over Egypt's human rights record, including its holding of an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, have compelled the Biden administration to trim a symbolically significant $75 million off its planned annual military aid to that country.
Relatives fear for lives of jailed Nicaraguan opponents
October 17, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Families of four well-known opposition figures jailed in Nicaragua fear for their relatives’ lives because of bad conditions at the infamous El Chipote prison.
The four prisoners began a hunger strike in September to protest a lack of medical care, bad food and mistreatment after they were arrested and placed on trial for vague charges akin to treason.
California guard gets 12 year prison term for killing inmate
October 17, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California correctional officer was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison on Monday for causing the death of an inmate in 2016 and pepper-spraying another because he thought it was “funny."
Satellite photos show damage at Iran prison amid protests
October 17, 2022 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A weekend fire at Iran's notorious Evin Prison damaged one of the largest buildings in the complex, according to satellite photos analyzed Monday. Authorities raised to eight the number of inmates killed, doubling the initial toll.
Iranian officials say Tehran prison blaze killed 4 inmates
October 16, 2022 GMTCAIRO (AP) — A towering blaze at a notorious prison housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran's capital killed four inmates, the country's judiciary said Sunday. The dramatic scenes of the nighttime fire have reverberated across Iranian social media.
South Dakota inmate’s escape try foiled within 10 minutes
October 15, 2022 GMTYANKTON, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a South Dakota inmate who tried to escape from a hospital where he was receiving treatment was caught within 10 minutes.
The 26-year-old man who was housed at the Yankton County Jail had been taken to Avera Sacred Heart Hospital for a medical issue Thursday evening when he ran away from a correctional officer, the Yankton Press and Dakotan reported.
Families protest prison conditions at Alabama Capitol rally
October 14, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY (AP) — People with relatives and loved ones in Alabama prisons rallied outside the state Capitol Friday to decry what they described as inhumane conditions behind bars and a parole process that sees few inmates released.
Feds: California’s Orange County misused jail snitches
October 14, 2022 GMTSANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that the Sheriff's Department and prosecutors in Orange County, California, ran an extensive jailhouse informant program for years that violated the rights of criminal defendants.
Pakistani senator arrested for anti-army chief tweet
October 13, 2022 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani senator said Thursday he was arrested, stripped and tortured for tweeting about the country's army chief.
Azam Khan Swati, a senior member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, was taken into custody in the early hours of the morning.
Sheriff charged with civil rights violations to stand trial
October 12, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — An Atlanta-area sheriff stands accused of punishing detainees by having them strapped into a restraint chair for hours even though they posed no threat and obeyed instructions.
Concerns grow as cholera spreads through Haiti’s prisons
October 12, 2022 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A nonprofit organization on Tuesday called on Haiti’s government to release certain inmates amid a swift rise in cholera cases throughout the country’s severely crowded prison system and dwindling supplies of clean water.
Report: Federal officials investigating West Virginia jail
October 11, 2022 GMTBEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating complaints about conditions at a West Virginia jail, according to a published report.
Prison reform advocate gets 40-year sentence in jail scheme
October 6, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A longtime prison reform advocate was sentenced to 40 years behind bars on Thursday following his conviction for hiding guns, ammunition, handcuff keys and hacksaw blades inside the walls of Nashville's new jail while it was being built.
Transgender inmate who sued Idaho to get $2.5M in legal fees
October 3, 2022 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Idaho and its prison medical care provider to pay more than $2.5 million in legal fees to a transgender inmate who sued after she was denied gender confirmation surgery.
Man in work release program dead in police shooting on bus
October 3, 2022 GMTAURORA, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of causing a disturbance at a work release program for jail inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues died after being shot by police on a public bus in suburban Denver on Sunday, police said.
Nevada prison escape, resignation raises political stakes
October 1, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — The head of Nevada’s Department of Corrections resigned Friday at the request of Gov. Steve Sisolak in the wake of a prison escape by a convicted bombmaker that went unnoticed for four days.
Groups: Retaliation after migrants report detention center
September 30, 2022 GMTESTANCIA, N.M. (AP) — Migrants held by U.S. authorities at a detention center in rural New Mexico have endured retaliation rather than aid after reporting unsanitary conditions at the government-contracted jail, a coalition of civil rights advocacy groups said Wednesday.
Alabama prisons reduce meals, nix visits amid inmate strike
September 29, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Thousands of inmates in Alabama's overcrowded prison system are receiving only two meals a day during a prisoner work stoppage that was in its fourth day Thursday, and the agency said weekend visitation also was being canceled.
Senators push new oversight to combat federal prison crises
September 28, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons following reporting from The Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny.
Lawsuit says woman gave birth alone on Maryland jail floor
September 28, 2022 GMTA woman who said she was left to give birth to her baby alone on the dirty, concrete floor of her jail cell in Maryland filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging that jail nurses ignored her screams and pleas for help for six hours.
Alabama prisoners refusing to work in 2nd day of protest
September 27, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala (AP) — Alabama inmates were in their second day of a work strike Tuesday, refusing to labor in prison kitchens, laundries and factories to protest conditions in the state’s overcrowded, understaffed lock-ups.
UN rights team: Ukrainian POWs face systematic mistreatment
September 27, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. human rights investigators say Ukrainian prisoners of war appear to be facing “systematic” mistreatment — including torture — both when they are captured and when they are transferred into areas controlled by Russian forces or Russia itself.
Lawsuit cites complaints about conditions at W.Va. jail
September 26, 2022 GMTBEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed against a West Virginia jail on behalf of current and former inmates who have described conditions at the facility as inhumane.
Alabama eyes fentanyl penalties; critics say they won’t work
September 26, 2022 GMTMOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers may consider harsher penalties for traffickers and distributors of illicit fentanyl next year, but some say a comprehensive approach should also include more health services and helping drug users reduce overdoses.
Trial of corruption case against California sheriff to begin
September 21, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A longtime San Francisco Bay Area sheriff heads to trial on public corruption allegations involving her office’s granting of concealed-carry weapons permits and costly jail mismanagement.
France probes threats against Russian prison rights activist
September 20, 2022 GMTPARIS (AP) — French authorities are investigating death threats against a Russian rights activist who exposes abuses in Russian prisons and says he was the target of a possible assassination attempt at his home in France.
Video appears to show corrections officer beating inmate
September 19, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama corrections officers has been placed on leave following a video that appears to show him beating a distressed inmate who had climbed to the edge of a roof.
The video, circulating on social media, shows what appears to be a distressed inmate on the edge of a roof at a building at Elmore Correctional Facility, while a group of prison staff look at him from the ground.
‘Torment of hell’: Ukraine medic describes Russian torture
September 16, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A volunteer Ukrainian medic held captive three months by Russian forces in Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol told U.S.
Egypt orders release of 46 detainees in latest pardons
September 15, 2022 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities announced Thursday the release of 46 detainees, including a prominent human rights lawyer, the latest to be freed from jail amid intensifying international attention.
US frees some aid for Egypt, claiming progress on abuses
September 14, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Wednesday it will again give Egypt much of a $300 million tranche of annual military aid that's conditioned on human rights improvements, saying the U.S.
Six detainee deaths in St. Louis prompt investigation demand
September 14, 2022 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — Civil rights advocates in St. Louis on Wednesday demanded an investigation into the conditions at the city jail, where six detainees have died since April.
A coalition made up of the ArchCity Defenders law firm, Action St.
2 decades later, 9/11 self-professed mastermind awaits trial
September 9, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Hours before dawn on March 1, 2003, the U.S. scored its most thrilling victory yet against the plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks — the capture of a disheveled Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, hauled away by intelligence agents from a hideout in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Ex-warden gets 2 years; beat inmate when he was a guard
September 2, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former deputy warden at the Mississippi State Penitentiary has been sentenced to two years in prison for beating an inmate in 2016, when he was a K-9 officer, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Oregon psychiatric hospital must cap stays for defendants
September 1, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the Oregon State Hospital must limit the amount of time it can hold patients charged with crimes, in a bid to create space at the overcrowded hospital for criminal defendants who need mental health treatment but are housed in jails.
Palestinian detainee ends hunger strike, expects release
August 31, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian detainee held by Israel without charge or trial said Wednesday that he is ending his nearly six-month hunger strike after reaching an agreement that will see him released in October.
Israeli Supreme Court rejects hunger striker’s petition
August 30, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition for the release of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for nearly six months and whose lawyer says is in danger of “sudden death.”
New Mexico Supreme Court dismisses inmates’ COVID lawsuit
August 26, 2022 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is upholding a lower court decision to dismiss a lawsuit that sought to release prison inmates because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chauvin moved to Arizona federal pen in George Floyd killing
August 26, 2022 GMTDerek Chauvin has been moved from a Minnesota state prison where he was often held in solitary confinement to a medium-security federal prison in Arizona, where the former police officer convicted in George Floyd's killing may be held under less restrictive conditions.
Philippines inmates protest on prison roof over food, warden
August 26, 2022 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — About 100 inmates in an overcrowded jail climbed atop the roof of a prison building in the central Philippines and noisily protested with raised fists and placards, saying they were not being fed well and demanding the removal of the jail warden, who was immediately suspended, jail officials said Thursday.
California may allow more ill, dying inmates to leave prison
August 25, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would allow more ill and dying inmates to be released from state prisons under legislation that cleared the state Senate without opposition on Thursday and heads to the Assembly for final approval.
Black August uplifted as alternative Black History Month
August 25, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — For Jonathan Peter Jackson, a direct relative of two prominent members of the Black Panther Party, revolutionary thought and family history have always been intertwined, particularly in August.
NC transgender inmate’s suit may be likely to proceed
August 25, 2022 GMTASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge indicated Tuesday that the case of a transgender inmate suing North Carolina for gender affirming medical care may be likely to proceed.
Kanautica Zayre-Brown sued North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety in April, claiming the prison system has failed to regularly dispense Zayre-Brown’s prescribed hormones and has denied her request for surgical procedure to construct a vagina.