Sept 16, 2014
Globe and Mail – Allan Maki
Report offers rare peek into Canadian gang life and high-risk youth
A refugee from Vietnam, Hieu Ngo walks through the gang infested parts of Calgary hoping to be stopped by youth proclaiming a violation of their turf. But Hieu is also a professor at the University of Calgary who has written a report garnering all sorts of attention entitled The Unravelling of Identities and Belonging: Criminal Gang Involvement of Youth from Immigrant Families. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/report-offers-rare-peek-into-canadian-gang-life/article20611745
Toronto Star – Jesse McLean
Drug-testing rules broken by Canadian researchers
The information is not available in Canada but the US Food and Drug Administration continues to be source for some very risky practices by well reputed doctors running clinical trials that are shrouded in secrecy in Canada. At any time, there may be as many as 4,000 drug trials but the prospect of selling in the US market makes them subject to inspection by the US FDA. Some doctors have been repeatedly taken to task for omissions in reporting side-effects and health risks. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/09/16/drugtesting_rules_broken_by_canadian_researchers.html Related article: Toronto Star – Editorial (Sept. 15, 2014) Canadians deserve to know about side effects in drug trials http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2014/09/15/canadians_deserve_to_know_about_side_effects_in_drug_trials_editorial.html
Canadian Families and Corrections Network –
Family Members as Direct Victims of Crime Research Newsletter – Summer 2014
Smart Justice would like to introduce you to a unique and perhaps often forgotten side of corrections: those who are victims of family violence and those who are victimized when spouses are sentenced to jail time. This edition of the Newsletter offers some insight in the dynamics and impact of family violence when it is perpetrated by family members, the extent of the problem and some response. The research was with Sir Wilfred Laurier University (Brantford Campus) led by Dr. Stacey Hannem. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/1487f3922b76207b?projector=1 Canadian Families and Corrections Network website: www.cfcn-rcafd.org
Globe and Mail – Matthew Braga
The covert cell phone tracking tech the RCMP and CSIS won’t talk about
Nobody in Canada is talking but the US Civil Liberties are suggesting that Stingray technology is operating in 43 agencies and 18 states. Stingray is an eavesdropping device enabling operators to monitor all sorts of electronic communication without revealing its presence. All such communications are identifiable by an ID code known as the International Mobile Subscriber Identity. The monitoring captures all the information indiscriminately in a certain geographic area and is not targeted to one individual or device. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/digital-culture/the-covert-cellphone-tracking-tech-the-rcmp-and-csis-wont-talk-about/article20579947
The Star Phoenix – Tristin Hopper, Postmedia News
Multiple murderer claims prison term ‘unlawful’
Originally a youth sentenced 13 years ago as an adult after three second degree murder convictions, eligible for parole in 2009, yet recently transferred from minimum to medium security after being found with a contraband cell phone, 30-year-old Daniel Tuckanow is taking his prison to court claiming habeas corpus and that he should have been already paroled. http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Multiple+murderer+claims+prison+term+unlawful/10207173/story.html
Desertpeace
A Look inside the US Immigration Detention System
A detention centre was built in what is essentially a ghost town in Georgia by the Corrections Corporation of America. Capable of holding 2,000, the centre has an average stay – mostly single males – of 38 days. The US response to delays in immigration policy from President Obama is to contract services for detention to private agencies at considerable costs. The article offers a clear picture of life at the centre. http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/a-look-inside-the-us-immigration-detention-system Related article: NewsJournal.com (TX) – San Antonio Express News – Questions arise over contract for detention center in South Texas http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/questions-arise-over-contract-for-detention-center-in-south-texas/article_637fe177-5631-52b3-8b47-2b179a920ac3.html
Washington Post – Keith Humphreys
The U.S. imprisonment rate has fallen for the fifth straight year. Here’s why.
The falling rate of imprisonment is in part due to the falling crimes rates – fewer convictions, fewer locked up. 2013 marks a ten year low for inmate population. Humphreys offers five reasons why the decline in numbers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/16/the-u-s-imprisonment-rate-has-fallen-for-the-fifth-straight-year-heres-why