Category Archives: US prisons

Michael Cohen to be released from prison over coronavirus fears – report

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Trump’s ex-fixer will remain under quarantine for 14 days before he is released to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement

Donald Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen will reportedly be released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cohen is currently locked up at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. Cohen began serving his sentence last May and was scheduled to be released from prison in November 2021.

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‘Everyone will be contaminated’: prisons face strict coronavirus controls

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New WHO guidelines are aimed at protecting one of the most vulnerable sectors of society from the spread of Covid-19

Prisons around the world can expect “huge mortality rates” from Covid-19 unless they take immediate action including screening for the disease, the World Health Organization has warned.

All visitors to prisons along with staff and new admissions should be subject to airport-style temperature testing and health assessments at point of entry, the agency has recommended under new guidelines published today.

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Harvey Weinstein begins 23-year sentence at New York state prison

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Convicted rapist will be evaluated to determine which state prison facility meets his security, medical and other needs

Harvey Weinstein was transferred to a state prison in New York on Wednesday as he begins to serve a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in his landmark #MeToo case.

The disgraced film mogul, who will turn 68 on Thursday, is locked up at the maximum security Wende correctional facility near Buffalo, according to state prison officials. He is known behind bars as inmate No 20B0584.

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Call to free low-risk inmates to curb coronavirus impact on US prisons

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The vast incarcerated population is uniquely vulnerable to the pandemic as experts urge release of cash bail prisoners and others

To curb the spread of coronavirus, doctors and advocates are calling on the US to temporarily forgive bail and to clamp down on other programs that keep low-risk offenders imprisoned.

Jails and prisons remain uniquely vulnerable to coronavirus outbreaks, experts say, potentially leaving a major hole in America’s defenses against the outbreak.

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Vulnerable prisoners ‘exploited’ to make coronavirus masks and hand gel

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Inmates making masks and hand sanitiser to ease shortages are among most vulnerable to Covid-19, prison reformers warn

Prison labour is being used to shore up supplies of face masks and hand gels in Hong Kong and the USA as campaigners warn that inmates are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections.

Women inmates at the Lo Wu prison in Hong Kong have reportedly been asked to work night shifts to make 2.5m face masks a month after a huge rise in demand according to Reuters.

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US states move to stop prisons charging inmates for reading and video calls

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Draft bill aims to curb rise of pay-per-minute ebooks and costly facetime calls in prisons where visits are banned or restricted

Lawmakers in three US states are drafting a bill that they hope will end the growing trend of prisons charging inmates high fees for reading ebooks or making video calls to their families, while paying under a dollar an hour for prison labour.

State prisons in nine states have struck deals with private equity telecom companies to introduce pay-per-minute reading and video conferencing services in their facilities.

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Trump lashes out at Kamala Harris after senator protests criminal justice award

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After Kamala Harris pulled out of a South Carolina criminal justice forum because its organizer gave Donald Trump an award, the president duly lashed out.

Related: Springing the 'rat' trap: how Baltimore fought back against Trump's insults

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Woman who gave birth alone in Denver jail cell sues city authorities

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Lawsuit alleges prison staff and nurses ignored Diana Sanchez’s pleas while she was in labour

A woman who gave birth alone in her jail cell in Denver is suing the city after deputies and nurses allegedly ignored her pleas for help during about five hours of labour.

Surveillance video released by her lawyer show Diana Sanchez lying down on a narrow bed, crying out in pain, before she gives birth to a baby boy on 31 July 2018. An absorbent pad is slid under her door for her to put on her bed about 45 minutes before she gave birth. After she gives birth, a nurse walks in and picks up the baby.

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Inside the guest house for loved ones of prisoners: ‘We’re one big family’

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For 15 years, Mesha Maren has volunteered at a bed-and-breakfast where the patrons are united by the pain that brings them there

By five o’clock on a Saturday evening, the parking lot outside the Hospitality House in Alderson, West Virginia is filling up fast. From my car, I watch as little girl in a pink jacket jumps from a New Jersey plated van.

“But why can’t Mom come stay with us here for just one night?” she asks.

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Vehicle drives into protesters outside US detention centre – video

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A vehicle drove into a line of protesters outside a detention centre in Rhode Island on Wednesday. Dozens of people were protesting against the contract between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Wyatt detention facility when a correctional officer swerved into the crowd. Officers at the scene then pepper sprayed the demonstrators. At least one person was taken to hospital with a broken leg

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Canada pension fund quietly divests from US migrant detention firms

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  • CPPIB pulls investments in CoreCivic and Geo Group
  • Unannounced move follows Guardian report on holdings

One of Canada’s biggest pension funds has quietly divested from two private prison operators responsible for the detention of thousands of migrants along the US-Mexico border.

Late last year, the Guardian reported that the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) held nearly US$8m in stock in Geo Group and CoreCivic, which between them hold the lion’s share of contracts to manage Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facilities in the US.

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New York prisoners’ protest at no heating heard from outside – video

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Prisoners at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York have been banging on the walls and windows of their cells to get attention from people on the street in protest against conditions inside. The facility has not had any heating in the last week despite the freezing temperatures

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