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Medical experimentation of a drug designed for parasitic infections used by doctor in an AK jail; AG in OK calling for the return of executions after five-year hiatus — your weekly justice news
News
strike underway: Employees of Montana State Prison are considering a union strike amidst the ongoing negotiations with the state Corrections Department. Reasons for the strike include insufficient pay, poor and hazardous working conditions , and long hours. The Montana Standard (August 24, 2021)
return of executions: The Attorney General of Oklahoma, John O’Connor, requested to resume to death row executions after a five year hiatus due medical negligence. O’Connor proclaims further prolonging of executions dates will only “perpetuate injustice.” Tulsa World (August 27, 2021)
foreseeable guilt: On January 11, 2019, the Phoenix police pulled over a vehicle that was suspected of being involved in an armed robbery. One teen fled from the vehicle. Officers fatally struck the teen in the back. The teen’s death was ruled a fault of those remaining in the car not the police who shot him. BuzzFeed News (August 24, 2021)
alternative barrier: In Denver, the Crime Prevention and Control Commission is designed to fund, inspect, and approve jail alternatives depending upon their effectiveness. However, the commission believes the mayoral administration is hindering their initiatives by limiting the city partnership. Denverite (August 26, 2021)
careless transfers: The family members of San Quentin State Prison correctional officer, Gilbert Polanco, are suing state prison officials for his death from COVID-19 last year. The family blames prison officials for a “culture of callousness” relating to transport of COVID-19 patients. The Mercury News (August 24, 2021)
uptick of COVID-19: Oahu Community Correctional Center in Honolulu, Hawaii has found itself at the center of yet another surge in COVID-19 cases since little adjustment to protocol and practices following last year’s outbreak. Honolulu Civil Beat (August 26, 2021)
unknown key witness: Luis Vives has spent the past 12 years in upstate New York’s Attica Correctional Facility. The key witness in his case is a NYPD officer named Michael Gross, who Vives has nicknamed The Ghost because he has never seen him, never heard him and cannot even prove the officer’s existence. The News Station (August 26, 2021)
experimental subjects: Despite FDA advisory warnings to not prescribe ivermectin for COVID-19, a drug most commonly used to treat parasitic infections, one doctor did so anyway. Many people are now at risk after drug was administered to people in an Arkansas jail. The Washington Post (August 25, 2021)
bodycam captured: The D.C. police department has released the bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Antwan Gilmore, a Black man shot last week in Washington by police. An eyewitness who captured the incident on video spoke to DCist reporters where she describes her view of the police shooting. DCist (August 25, 2021)
insufficient transparency: The sheriff-run jails are failing to provide conclusive reports to family members and the public on causes of death within their walls. Posse Comitatus (August 24, 2021)
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