Justice Newzzz
Chauvin faces a longer sentence due to judge's ruling; NJ women's prison faces reform after decades of rape and abuse of inmates, advocates say it's not enough — your weekly justice news
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neglected: Washington prisons were issued another warning to improve their mental health facilities after a second inmate’s suicide in 2020. A Corrections Ombuds’ investigation showed mental health care is not prioritized by the system and is often denied to inmates with serious symptoms. KUOW | NPR (May 10, 2021)
disproportionate: The Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that roughly 760,000 of the national incarcerated population have a disability. These rates are even higher among imprisoned women. Inmates with intellectual disabilities are often subject to increased, and cruller punishments. The Crime Report (May 10, 2021)
lethal violence escalates: Violence against inmates by their peers in Alabama prisons is well-documented by the DOJ; since the state began to investigate whether inmates are protected from harm, Jody Potts is the 57th person killed by a fellow inmate. Alabama Political Reporter (May 12, 2021)
dignity for women: Mississippi introduced legislation to provide incarcerated women with personal care items and protection for pregnant inmates. This new legislation comes at a time when the number of female inmates is rising nationally. Natchez The Democrat (May 11, 2021)
watch: the pervasive mistrust between incarcerated people and the jailers and prison staff and its impact on vaccinating one of the most vulnerable populations against covid. The Marshall Project (May 14, 2021)
not enough: After decades of rape and abuse of women in a New Jersey prison, reformers are trying to stave off a federal takeover of the facility, but advocates say not nearly enough is being done. NJ Spotlight News (May 10, 2021 )
‘particular cruelty’: A judge’s ruling on the murder of George Floyd, paves the way for a longer sentence for former police officer Derek Chauvin citing egregious mistreatment. AP (May 12 , 2021)
compensation: After 31 years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit, two North Carolina brothers were awarded $1 million each for every year spent wrongfully incarcerated. The News & Observer (May 14, 2021)
listen: Before Floyd, the shooting by a police officer of Michael Brown catalyzed a mass reform movement in Ferguson, Missouri. Reveal dives into how and why those reforms didn’t work - St. Louis still leads the nation in police killings per capita. Reveal (May 8, 2021)
I am free of prison, but parole doesn’t mean I am free | incarcerated people react to the Derek Chauvin verdict | incarcerated mothers photo project | May 24, incarcerated write night with Free Minds Book Club | new NY prosecutorial accountability project launches | Human Rights Watch’s film festival features multiple films on justice in America: watch May 19-27
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