Prison Population
A leftover pandemic restriction in New Jersey prisons deprives some of ‘lifeline’ family visits
More than three years after the state closed New Jersey prisons to visitors as a pandemic precaution, they’ve opened them up again — but a lingering requirement to schedule visits has kept visiting rooms at many facilities largely empty. While research shows outside visits help ensure order behind bars by bolstering the morale and mental health of […]
Q&A: States and Drug Prices
© AP Demonstrators march in front of Gilead Science’s Foster City, California, headquarters protesting the $28,500 price per patient for its AIDS treatment Stribild. The company is hearing similar complaints now over the $84,000 price tag for a course of treatment for its new hepatitis C treatment, Sovaldi. (AP) The new hepatitis C drug Sovaldi […]
With Governor’s Signature, New Jersey Expands Drug Courts
Governor Chris Christie signed a bill Thursday (July 19) that expands New Jersey’s drug court program and mandates treatment rather than jail time for drug abusers convicted of non-violent crimes. That makes New Jersey the first state to require drug treatment for certain offenders. For months, the governor has championed the bill, which the legislature […]
Calif. legislators looking out for stars behind bars
Somebody has to look out for celebrities. In the wake of media frenzy over Paris Hilton’s jail term, lawmakers are considering a bill to make it illegal for law enforcement or court employees to profit from leaked photos of people in custody or confidential information, according to the Los Angeles Times . News associations say […]
Fla. prisoners deal crime-solving tips
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 […]
Prison-Population Boom Means Added Costs for States
The U.S. prison population rose 2.6 percent to 2,166,260 inmates during 2002, according to a recently released U.S. Justice Department report. The increase comes at a challenging time for states mired in a deep fiscal crisis, since 55 percent of all inmates are housed in state prisons. According to The Sentencing Project, a non-profit research […]