July 1, 2013
Prison Law Blog (US) – Dianne Frazee-Walker
The Power of Restorative Justice
Drafted by former RJ advocate, criminal defence lawyer and state representative Pete Lee, Colorado HB-13-1254 has sanctioned RJ approaches by allowing the district attorneys to elect an RJ process. This story is one of the earliest following the bill, a RJ encounter 17 years after the incident between a mother and brother of a three year old victim and his murderer. http://www.prisonlawblog.com/blog/power-restorative-justice Colorado State Bill HB-13-1254: http://openstates.org/co/bills/2013A/HB13-1254
RJ for All (UK) – Lesley Parkinson
Restorative Thinking Project Update June 2013
RJ for All delivered a parenting program for a group of inmates in HMP Forest Bank. The program was called Restorative Thinking Parenting Programme (Parenting without Conflict). The name of this new approach is Restorative Thinking! Here’s a summary of the post-course evaluation from the inmates.http://www.rj4all.info/content/restorative-thinking-project-update-june-2013 Tool-kit for the program in pdf format: (Cover only; Be in touch for the tool-kit) http://www.rj4all.info/system/files/rj_progressreports/RT_Prisons_Cover%20%281%29.pdf
Vancouver Sun – Kim Bolan
B.C. government pays out over $3.5 million to jailed crooks -Compensation awarded for incidents like assaults and falls, inadequate medical care
In the last four years the number of lawsuits has increased and so have the payouts. 34 prison inmates have collectively received $3.5 million, the average between $5,000 and $50,000 with the highest single settlement for $2.6 million. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/government+pays+over+million+jailed+crooks/8464654/story.html#ixzz2Xj4nRuaw Related article: B.C. government pays out millions to prisoners http://www.vancouversun.com/news/government+pays+millions+prisoners/8465928/story.html
Winston Salem Journal – Bertrand M. Gutierrez
Court ruling could have major impact for Winston-Salem couple
The consequences for the recent Supreme Court ruling on the legitimacy of gay marriages reaches into the immigrant issues here. A gay marriage partner, slated for deportation in 2012, is now eligible for the elusive green card. http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_51e06b90-deaf-11e2-976a-0019bb30f31a.html
Tucson Weekly – Tim Vanderpool
Cruel, But Not Unusual – State prisoners say lousy medical care is killing them
Arizona state prisons are also proving to be a hazard to an inmate’s health. Lawsuits are in progress for a lack of medical and mental health as well as dental services. “Dan Pochoda is legal director for the ACLU of Arizona. He calls health care in our state prisons “the worst I’ve ever seen, in terms of clearly increasing harm unnecessarily because of the inadequate care, and the absence of anything except trying to save money on the backs of the prisoners.”” http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/cruel-but-not-unusual/Content?oid=3823366
Reuters (Rome)
Italy passes bill to ease overcrowded prisons
It would seem that Italy has the same problem with overcrowded jails as we do in Canada and the US. There is a jail population of 67,000 for 45,000 capacity and the European Court of Human Rights has ordered a solution within one year. The Bill mandates a reduction in remand and alternatives sentences for minor alcohol and drug offences. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/26/us-italy-prisons-idUSBRE95P11520130626
The Age (Australia) – Natalie O’Brien
Real-life horrors haunt children held in detention
Australia has been rocked by problems around immigration detention of children, especially at one center on Manus Island where the experiences are said to be more like a script from a horror movie for almost 2,000 children still held in closed detention. http://www.theage.com.au/national/reallife-horrors-haunt-children-held-in-detention-20130629-2p48l.html
Australia – New Zealand No2Bullying Conference – The Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian
Commission shares its learnings on cyber bullying and youth suicide
The Commission uses evidence based research to set and advise on children’s policy. “The Commission supports the evidence that suicide deaths are characterised by a complex interplay of factors in a young person’s life.” http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/about/news/2013/june/commission-shares-its-learnings-on-cyber-bullying-and-youth-suicide.html Discussion Paper in PDF format: http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/pdf/publications/papers/trends-and-issues/Trends-and-Issues-Paper-5.pdf