Prison Population

Fla. prisoners deal crime-solving tips

By: Stateline staff - July 27, 2007 12:00 am

Some 100,000 Florida inmates can now enjoy a game of poker using free playing cards distributed by the state. Adorned with photos of homicide victims and missing persons in the state’s cold case files, the cards were designed to encourage prisoners to call a Crime Stoppers hotline printed on the cards with tips for cracking unsolved cases, The Miami Herald reported

As of August 1, anyone visiting a Tennessee prison could be turned away for wearing “arousing undergarments” such as thong underwear or bust enhancing bras. Prisoners “don’t need any help getting turned on,” The Tennessean reported Correction Commissioner George Little saying of the underwear rules. The new dress code is meant to clamp down on inappropriate romantic liaisons.

Lindsay Lohan isn’t the only one sporting a cell phone-sized, alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet. Like Hollywood celebrity Lohan – who was recently released from a rehab facility for alcohol and drug abuse – about 150 Nebraskans with drinking problems are wearing the high-tech gear so probation officers can remotely monitor their alcohol intake, the Omaha World Herald reported.

The California Supreme Court banned the sale of products made of kangaroo hide, upsetting soccer players who wear kangaroo leather shoes and puzzling Australians who commonly cook up the meat on the barbie, according to The New York Times . The once endangered species is now overrunning the continent.

Suggesting another use for the marsupial, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) said to Australian business executives attempting to acquire one of the state’s electric utilities: “Pack your bags and ride a kangaroo because you’re not going to be in Montana.” The company — Babock & Brown Infrastructure – has waged a massive media campaign in the state to win over Montanans and the Public Utility Commission, which must approve the proposed takeover, according to the Great Falls Tribune .

A California business man told a computer magazine he easily found the Social Security number of former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman on the Texas secretary of state’s Web site. Stephen D. Peisner, whose company helps protect against identity theft and other fraud, said Texas should follow California’s example and take official documents offline until sensitive personal information can be deleted, The Houston Chronicle reported.

Don’t try wooing Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) with baked goods. A group of kids seeking money for their school was shooed away from the governor’s office by a “rude” security guard, despite their offering of doughnuts and cookies. A Blagojevich spokeswoman apologized and said she would invite the kids back to meet the governor when his schedule is free, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

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