Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ananova - Escaped criminal taunts police on Facebook

Escaped criiminal taunts police on Facebook

"An escaped prisoner has celebrated his first Christmas on the run by taunting police with photos of himself on Facebook..."

Ananova - Escaped criminal taunts police on Facebook

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Thomson Prison to Hold Gitmo Detainees

Thomson Prison to Hold Gitmo Detainees

"A northwestern Illinois prison will become the new home for dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainees..."

Thomson Prison to Hold Gitmo Detainees

Friday, December 11, 2009

Matthew Eric Wrinkles executed for 1994 triple murder

Matthew Eric Wrinkles executed for 1994 triple murder

"An Indiana death row inmate who refused to request clemency has been executed for killing his estranged wife and two of her relatives more than 15 years ago..."

Matthew Eric Wrinkles executed for 1994 triple murder

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Accused Strangler Andrew Conley Says He Identified with TV Serial Killer Dexter

Teen Charged With Stranglin Brother, 10

"An Indiana 17-year old who told authorities he identified with a television serial kiler said strangling his 10-year-old brother satisfied a craving like a hungry person eating a hamburger, according to court documents..."

Accused Strangler Andrew Conley Says He Identified with TV Serial Killer Dexter

Monday, December 7, 2009

Interesting Article 12/7/09 - CNN.com

Texas Escapee recaptured

"A Texas inmate who escaped last week-on foot even though he was thought to need a wheelchair-has been recaptured, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a posting on its Web site..."

Texas escapee recaptured - CNN.com

Friday, December 4, 2009

Court of appeal frees man convicted for LG Brown’s murder - JamaicaObserver.com

Court of Appeal Frees Man Convicted for LG Brown's Murder

"The Court of Appeal on Wednesday quashed the conviction and sentence of 40-year-old Donald Whyte, who was in 2007 found guilty of the murder of businessman LG Brown and his lady friend Sandra Campbell..."

Court of appeal frees man convicted for LG Brown’s murder - JamaicaObserver.com

Thursday, December 3, 2009

News from Forensic Mental Health Association of California

Forensic Mental Health Association of California


 
December 2, 2009

Dear FMHAC members,

 
FMHAC has initiated an internship with Helen Huynh, a Masters student at Argosy University, to begin to build a map of the forensic mental health system in California.

 
Helen is starting from scratch to document the agencies and organizations that comprise the forensic mental health system, including notes on the types of staff positions involved. I imagine it as a map of the places and people encountered by a mentally ill person after being arrested as they move through the system in any particular region of California.

 
You Can Help In order to start, it would be immensely helpful if you would take a moment to send a brief email with the following information about your organization. You can send the information to Helen at helenhuynh81@gmail.com.

  • Organization name
  • Organization address
  • Organization website
  • Organization telephone
  • Organization email (if available)
  • Some basic information regarding what your organization does
  • Organization staff positions
  • Other organizations you work with

This information will greatly help Helen complete the map and we appreciate your time in doing this. Please feel free to contact Helen (helenhuynh81@gmail.com) or me (director@fmhac.net) if you have any questions about this project.

 
Thank you for your efforts,

Molly Willenbring

 
Forensic Mental Health Association of CA

 

 

 

Interesting Article 12/04/09

'Bug guy' faces grisly task in Cleveland case

(CNN) -- As part of the investigation into the remains of 11 women found inside and outside the Cleveland, Ohio, home of a registered sex offender, police have turned to the self-described "bug guy."...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/18/ohio.bodies.bug.man/index.html

Monday, November 30, 2009

Developmental Science and Youth Justice ::

Youth Criminal Justice System Survey from McGill University

A research group of Dr. Amir Raz at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) is looking at the scientific evidence in support of reduced culpability in adolescents. They have created a brief web-based survey and obtained ethics approval to conduct the study. Their anonymous and confidential survey aims to assess knowledge, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about recent scientific findings and their implications for the Youth Criminal Justice System. If interested in participating, please click the link below, then click next in the bottom right hand corner.

Developmental Science and Youth Justice ::

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

From Change.org Take Action

Overturn the Texas Prison Book Ban

"A prison advocacy group is suing the Texas prison system over prisoners' rights to order two books on prison conditions and the American criminal justice system..."

Actions Criminal Justice Change.org

Monday, November 16, 2009

Interesting Article 11/16/10

Deadline looms for new crime bill

The Manx public has two weeks to give their opinions on a new Criminal Justice Bill which will give heavier penalties to child sex offenders.

BBC NEWS Europe Isle of Man Deadline looms for new crime bill

Friday, November 13, 2009

Organization Activities 11/13/09

10th ANNUAL CENTERFORCE “INSIDE/OUT” SUMMIT
Richard Althouse, Ph.D., President, IACFP

I was privileged to attend the 10th annual Centerforce Summit, held at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel October 25th through the 27th. It was one of the best and emotionally intense three-day conferences I’ve been to in quite some time!


The conference, organized by Carol Burton, executive director of Centerforce, and her staff, focused on a number of pressing challenges to politicians, correctional administrators and staff, incarcerated individuals, their families, and communities in California and elsewhere. While it was not possible to attend all the sessions, the ones I was able to attend focused on program, sentencing, and reenty issues (including health and mental health care) familiar to anyone working in the corrections field, and particularly in California, a state facing serious financial and corrections stresses.


Despite the economy, Ms. Burton and her staff pulled together a group of outstanding speakers who presented both individually and as panelists. Among them were Elizabeth Siggins, Acting Chief Deputy Secretary of Adult Programs for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reporting on the status of California’s corrections rehabilitation programs in the face of severe budget cuts, Ann Adalist-Estrin presenting “leading edge” brain research on the relationship of childhood trauma Carol Burton and Dr. Althouse

and adult addiction, Henry Steadman and staff reporting on the use of

S.O.A.R. to facilitate reentry in Florida, Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, Deputy State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a panelist discussing approaches to addressing California’s corrections crisis, Brian Fisher, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections, and Rev. Eugene Williams III, both on a panel discussing policies and practices that shift the culture of corrections. Other outstanding panels addressed topics including restorative justice, the death penalty, the impact of incarceration and crime, and sensible sentencing. The stories of those impacted by corrections, either as inmates or family members, were very moving, and provided deeper insight into the political processes and unfortunate side-effects of our country’s “rush to incarcerate.”

I was grateful for the opportunity to talk with a number of other speakers as well as attendees, all of whom had politically knowledgeable and insightful grasps of the topics discussed at the conference and whose energy I found quite infectious. They included Dr. Julie Lifshay (left), a social epidemiologist and one of the Centerforce staff , Gail Patrice-Brown (Inmate Family Council), Mark Koffman (Chicago) , Cameron Holmes from the Pennsylvania Prison Society (right), Joshua Mason (Palo Alto), and Maureen Nelson, a counselor from the Oakland Private Industry Council.
We will certainly hear more from this group! I am already looking forward to next year’s conference, and I hope to stay in contact and work with many of them between now and then. I also encourage IACFP members to watch for and attend next year’s conference if at all possible!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Interesting Article 11/11/09

From Change.org

"This Veteran's Day is a chance to honor the hundreds of thousands of military veterans among us, including those servign today at home and overseas.

It should also serve as a day to remember the 140,000 veterans in American state and federal prisons. Many of them served our country at wartime, and many shouldn't be behind bars..."

With 140,000 Veterans in Prison, We Can Do Better Criminal Justice Change.org

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Interesting Article 11/10/09

Justices debate life sentences for juveniles

"The Supreme Court wrestled in often emotional terms Monday over whether sentencing juvenile criminals to life in prison without parole is 'cruel and unusual' punishment, especially when their crime is not murder..."

Justices debate life sentences for juveniles - CNN.com