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Isolation Cells Empty After Change in Solitary Confinement Use

Picture solitary confinement — a.k.a. “the SHU.” Isolation, loneliness, deprivation. A place where a prisoner might be alone for up to 23 hours per day, in a windowless room, with non-contact visits from behind glass. You might imagine that this form of punishment is used only when absolutely necessary for the worst offenders and rule breakers

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Executions in U.S. This Year Have Reached Multi-Decade Low

This year to date, nationwide executions are on a pace to reach their lowest level in 25 years. Capital punishments have been carried out only 15 times in 2016 and only twice since the start of May. If that rate persists through the remainder of this year, the nationwide total of 19 executions will be the

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Last Act in Office – Maryland Governor Commutes Four Death Row Prisoners

In a highly controversial decision, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D) commutes the sentences of four death-row prisoners to spend the rest of their lives in prison without the possibility of parole. An opponent of the death penalty, O’Malley has been fighting to abolish the death penalty for years. “In my judgment, leaving these death sentences

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Pfizer Deals Blow to Lethal Injections

By Christopher Zoukis Pfizer, Inc., the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, recently announced new restrictions on the distribution of drugs used to execute prisoners. The May 13, 2016 announcement detailed “distribution restrictions” that the company is placing on certain drugs used in lethal injection protocols, including pancuronium bromide, potassium chloride, propofol, midazolam, hydromorphone, rocuronium bromide and

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White House Pledges to Invest Millions in Prison Reform

The Obama administration has announced plans to spend millions to address many of the facets of a life of incarceration, from mentoring at-risk youth and helping families with incarcerated parents to addressing employment and re-entry issues. Referencing several studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of education and re-entry programs at reducing recidivism, the President noted the

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“Devastating” Effects of Conviction Bring Minimal Sentence

Because he viewed what he called the “devastating” consequences of being convicted of a felony were sufficient punishment, a federal judge in Brooklyn has chosen to ignore federal sentencing guidelines and impose just a year of probation as the sentence for a woman convicted of smuggling cocaine in this country and possessing the drug with

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Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners

The U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), an independent agency within the judicial branch that writes federal sentencing guidelines and studies federal crime and sentencing policies, on March 9 released a major new study, ‘Recidivism Among Federal Offenders: A Comprehensive Overview’. Drawing on data on more than 25,400 former inmates who were either released outright from federal

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Commutations cannot end with the holiday season

Christmas came early for some prisoners this past Friday when President Obama commuted the sentences of 94 prisoners, nearly all of whom were incarcerated for drug-related offenses. It brings the total of commutations to 184 during his presidency—bested only by Lyndon B. Johnson’s 226. We must remember, however, that these commutations are largely symbolic in

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