Under a policy unique to state prison systems, incoming mail to Pennsylvania inmates must be addressed to a Florida company, Smart Communications. From there, it’s scanned, digitally forwarded to printers at each state prison and stored indefinitely for ongoing surveillance purposes, Philly.com reports. The Department...
During my 20 consecutive years of incarceration within the Orwellian confines of the Texas prison system, illegal drugs were easily obtained for those who wished to use them. But if you ask any convict “who supplies most of the drugs and contraband in our prisons?” you’re...
Victims’ rights, firearms restrictions, civil rights for returning citizens, mandatory mental health training for police—and, once again, marijuana legalization— are all on state ballots for next month’s midterm elections. While the list of criminal justice issues represents a lower number than in previous election cycles—they make...
The government shutdown of Backpage.com this year sought to curtail the type of sex-for-sale classified ads that made the company infamous. Months later, the closure has prompted an increase in sex trafficking on San Francisco streets, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Reported crimes related to...
James Wolfe, the former security director of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pleaded guilty Monday to making a false statement to the FBI as part of an investigation into media leaks, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wolfe acknowledged making a false statement to FBI agents who...
Criminal convictions for police-involved deaths are rare. Each year, about 1,000 police shootings result in fatalities, says criminologist Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University. Between 2005 and 2017, just 82 police officers were charged with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting, and only...