Prison reform /tags/prison-reform Prison reform en-US SAąúĽĘ´«Ä± Thu, 20 Oct 2022 19:05:44 GMT Civil rights groups demand voter verification system as 'fraud' arrest footage stokes outrage /local-news/2022-10-20/civil-rights-groups-demand-voter-verification-system-as-fraud-arrest-footage-stokes-outrage Impactful footage obtained by the Tampa Bay Times showing perplexed Florida felons being arrested on voter fraud charges in August — on orders from Governor Ron DeSantis' elections crime unit — reignited the debate over the troubled implementation of Amendment 4. Civil rights groups including the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition are demanding a statewide voter verification system, calling out officials’ “outrageous negligence” on the matter. Thu, 20 Oct 2022 19:05:44 GMT /local-news/2022-10-20/civil-rights-groups-demand-voter-verification-system-as-fraud-arrest-footage-stokes-outrage Wilkine Brutus Biden takes his first actions on clemency with 3 pardons and 75 commutations /news/npr-breaking-news/2022-04-26/biden-takes-his-first-actions-on-clemency-with-3-pardons-and-75-commutations Tuesday's pardons and commutations are part of a broader White House effort to make the criminal justice system more fair – a goal Biden made part of his 2020 presidential campaign. Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:24:47 GMT /news/npr-breaking-news/2022-04-26/biden-takes-his-first-actions-on-clemency-with-3-pardons-and-75-commutations Ayana Archie, Carrie Johnson COVID precautions put more prisoners in isolation. It can mean long-term health woes /news/npr-breaking-news/2021-10-04/covid-precautions-put-more-prisoners-in-isolation-it-can-mean-long-term-health-woes An estimated 300,000 people were held in solitary confinement in the U.S. at the height of the pandemic. Advocates are pushing to limit the practice, citing lasting harm to prisoners' health. Tue, 05 Oct 2021 11:17:50 GMT /news/npr-breaking-news/2021-10-04/covid-precautions-put-more-prisoners-in-isolation-it-can-mean-long-term-health-woes Katja Ridderbusch Some Older Prisoners Aren't Eligible For Compassionate Release. Lawmakers Want Change /news/national-politics/2021-08-06/some-older-prisoners-arent-eligible-for-compassionate-release-lawmakers-want-change Relatively few people in federal prison have been approved for compassionate release during the pandemic. Lawmakers are trying to make that option a reality for more sick and elderly people. Fri, 06 Aug 2021 09:00:55 GMT /news/national-politics/2021-08-06/some-older-prisoners-arent-eligible-for-compassionate-release-lawmakers-want-change Carrie Johnson New Jersey Prisoners Will Be Placed Based On Gender Identity Under A New Policy /news/2021-06-29/new-jersey-prisoners-will-be-placed-based-on-gender-identity-under-a-new-policy As part of civil lawsuit settlement, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has agreed to make it customary for prisoners to be assigned a prison stay in line with their gender identity. Tue, 29 Jun 2021 10:48:43 GMT /news/2021-06-29/new-jersey-prisoners-will-be-placed-based-on-gender-identity-under-a-new-policy Jaclyn Diaz An Effort To Help Ex-Prisoners Gains Momentum With Bipartisan Lawmakers' Support /news/2021-05-20/an-effort-to-help-ex-prisoners-gains-momentum-with-bipartisan-lawmakers-support The Senate and House lawmakers are reintroducing legislation to create "one stop" shops for formerly incarcerated individuals to reduce crime and keep people out of prison once they leave. Thu, 20 May 2021 16:14:39 GMT /news/2021-05-20/an-effort-to-help-ex-prisoners-gains-momentum-with-bipartisan-lawmakers-support Claudia Grisales Forgetting And Forgotten: Older Prisoners Seek Release But Fall Through The Cracks /news/national-politics/2021-05-11/forgetting-and-forgotten-older-prisoners-seek-release-but-fall-through-the-cracks Prisoners like Kent Clark who broke the law before 1987 should have a chance at parole, unlike more recent inmates. But there are dozens of men in their 60s and older who have little hope of release. Tue, 11 May 2021 09:00:00 GMT /news/national-politics/2021-05-11/forgetting-and-forgotten-older-prisoners-seek-release-but-fall-through-the-cracks Carrie Johnson Federal Order Takes Aim At Retaliation Against Inmates In Florida Prisons /news/2021-02-09/federal-order-takes-aim-at-retaliation-against-inmates-in-florida-prisons Magistrate Judge Martin Fitzpatrick issued a 53-page order Monday that said testimony and evidence showed “actual overt retaliation by prison officials, as well as threats of retaliation.” Tue, 09 Feb 2021 23:01:00 GMT /news/2021-02-09/federal-order-takes-aim-at-retaliation-against-inmates-in-florida-prisons Jim Saunders / News Service of Florida Lawmakers Seek Reforms After Report Of Abuse At Women's Prison /news/2021-01-07/lawmakers-seek-reforms-after-report-of-abuse-at-womens-prison Four Democratic legislators called for the removal of some upper-level administrators and for mental-health evaluations of staff at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, which was the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Florida federal prosecutors. Thu, 07 Jan 2021 23:17:34 GMT /news/2021-01-07/lawmakers-seek-reforms-after-report-of-abuse-at-womens-prison Jim Turner / News Service of Florida Congress Poised To Simplify FAFSA, And Help People In Prison Go To College /news/2020-12-21/congress-poised-to-simplify-fafsa-and-help-people-in-prison-go-to-college In a bipartisan effort, Congress is close to a deal to simplify the federal financial aid form, or FAFSA, a major policy goal of retiring Republican senator Lamar Alexander. Mon, 21 Dec 2020 12:09:02 GMT /news/2020-12-21/congress-poised-to-simplify-fafsa-and-help-people-in-prison-go-to-college Cory Turner, Elissa Nadworny