Jurors find an ex-warden guilty of assaulting and molesting female prisoners. Ray Garcia, who ran the troubled federal prison for women in Dublin, California, was convicted on Thursday of sexually assaulting at least three prisoners there between December 2019 and July 2021. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Four other prison employees there were also charged with abusing women. The Associated Press More: The trial gave incarcerated women at the prison a rare chance to speak publicly about the assaults and harassment they endured. Many were afraid to testify for fear of retaliation. Mother Jones
Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout walked past each other on an airport tarmac yesterday as U.S. and Russian officials made a landmark prisoner exchange. Griner, a star athlete, has been imprisoned in Russia since February. Politico Once called the “Merchant of Death” by federal law enforcement officials, Bout had served 10 years of a 25-year federal sentence. He would have been eligible for release in five years. NBC News More: Russian officials have protested the treatment of Bout since 2008, so it’s no surprise they wanted him in exchange for Griner. Bout served time in a federal penitentiary in Illinois. The Washington Post
Vulnerable and in need of help. Like every other state, California has failed to provide long-term medical and mental health care to people suffering from schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. The CARE Act, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, mandates treatment and housing for at least 12,000 of the state’s most vulnerable residents, including patients like Anthony Mazzucca, a loving brother and son who has been detained, hospitalized and confined at least five times in the past decade. Los Angeles Times TMP Context: When going to the hospital is like going to jail. The Marshall Project
More Black children in Maricopa County, Arizona, will face a child welfare investigation than won’t. Between 2015 and 2019, one in three Black children in metro Phoenix saw their parents face a neglect or abuse investigation. A study last year projected that 63% of Black children will endure such an investigation by the time they turn 18. State officials say they’ve tried to rectify the problem since they first became aware of it in 2020, but have only worsened racial disparities. ProPublica TMP Context: He didn’t abuse his daughter. The state took her anyway. The Marshall Project
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Corrections officials in California announced this week they will begin the process of closing Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Riverside County. State officials say they are planning to reduce populations in six other prisons. Sacramento Bee
The Oregon Supreme Court this week refused to overturn a lower court ruling that blocked a new voter-approved gun safety law from taking effect. The Associated Press
Doug Baldwin, a retired Seattle Seahawks star, now serves on the Clemency and Pardons Board in Washington, where he’ll soon help decide the fate of six prisoners seeking mercy from the state. Seattle Times
Children as young as 10 can still be tried as adults in Wisconsin. A new case, in which a young boy is accused of killing his mother, illustrates the shortcomings in the policy state lawmakers chose. Reason
A former Minnesota police officer who maced protesters and bystanders during the justice reform protests of 2020 now runs a frozen banana truck in Arizona. Minnesota Reformer
Easier said than done. “If the problem on the left is refusing to take violence seriously, the problem on the right is a steadfast refusal to take government seriously; that is, the positive role that government can play in reducing violence.” Niskanen Center
The problem is obvious. The solutions aren’t. “In nearly 20 years as a medical responder, I’ve never witnessed a mental health crisis like the one New York is currently experiencing.” The New York Times
Burdening sexual assault victims further. “Allowing women the chance to prove to the satisfaction of authorities that they became pregnant as the result of rape or incest is not reproductive freedom.” The Bulwark TMP Context: An unbelievable story of rape. The Marshall Project
The lesson of Iowa’s Pieper Lewis. “The logic of community supervision as an ‘alternative to incarceration’ is irrational and relies on the subjective paternalism of judges and prosecutors.” The Appeal
A simple and humane cost-benefit analysis. To prevent further tragedy, Texas should eliminate medical co-pays for incarcerated people, help them get better healthcare and take meaningful steps to reduce the number of people behind bars. Austin American-Statesman
He unlocked cell doors to allow racist attacks. Matthew Ware, a former jailer at the Kay County Detention Center in Oklahoma, was sentenced this week to 46 months in federal prison for failing to protect Black prisoners from beatings by white supremacists behind bars. KOCO More: How the feds announced the news. Justice Department
The costs of ending prison education programs. Dozens of incarcerated students suffered when a prison in Washington closed. Open Campus Media TMP Context: Silencing Arthur Longworth. The Marshall Project
Welcome to Trash Valley. Two dozen people in Valley, Alabama, have been arrested for failing to pay garbage fees required under a contract that criminalizes debt for the benefit of a private company. CBS42.com
Don’t fall for the “relative in trouble” scam. Federal law enforcement officials call it “virtual kidnapping for ransom.” It’s an extortion scheme. Los Angeles Times
Try harder. Hertz, the rental car giant, agrees to pay $168 million to settle hundreds of cases brought by customers who were falsely accused of stealing rental cars. The New York Times
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