Thursday, February 24, 2011

Criminal Justic Dept. to cut 550 jobs | KXAN.com

Criminal Justic Dept. to cut 550 jobs KXAN.com: "AUSTIN (KXAN) -

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice will lay off some 550 positions due to budget cuts mandated by Gov. Rick Perry because of the state's budget shortfall.
TDCJ announced Wednesday it will seek to cut $40 million from their fiscal year 2011 operating budget including the layoffs of 400 administrative and support positions.
“Among the actions we will take is the reduction of our administrative work force by 400 positions,” said public information director Michelle Lyons with TDCJ. “Please note that these are administrative positions, no correctional officers or parole officers will be affected.”"

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Security system management - Nick Herbert: a vision for restorative justice

Security system management - Nick Herbert: a vision for restorative justice:


"Speaking before the joint Association of Chief Police Officers/Restorative Justice Council Conference in Manchester, Herbert said: “Restorative justice must be robust and effective in terms of victim satisfaction… and contribute to the Government’s key goal of breaking the cycle of crime and high rates of reoffending.”
The minister added that restorative justice’s full potential in the criminal justice system was, as yet, “unfulfilled”...."

Read the entire article at info4security.com.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Victims get less than a penny for every pound spent on offenders - Telegraph

Victims get less than a penny for every pound spent on offenders - Telegraph: "The stark contrast will further fuel concerns that the criminal justice system is weighted in favour of the offender and ignores those they prey on.
It comes as it emerged compensation for victims of crime could be slashed under a review of the criminal injuries awards scheme.
The Ministry of Justice yesterday climbed down over feared cuts for families bereaved by murder or manslaughter but other victims are still facing reductions.
Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: “Many victims and witnesses feel that the criminal justice system is focused more on the needs of the offender."

Criminal justice students at Beckfield College will get to hear from some local celebrities today.

From Fox19.com

"FLORENCE, KY (FOX19) - Criminal justice students at Beckfield College will get to hear from some local celebrities today.


Two of the police officers featured on TLC's "Police Women of Cincinnati" will speak to nearly 50 students at Beckfield College in Florence. Officers Colleen Deegan and Rose Valentino will talk about their experiences on the job as officers with the Cincinnati Police Department.

Students will also have an opportunity to ask the officers questions in the interactive session from 8:30 until 9:30 this morning.

Ric Robinson, a 21-year State Police veteran and Beckfield College's Criminal Justice Instructor, says he's glad the students will get to hear a first-hand account of the job. "There is no better teaching environment than to hear about the job from those in the thick of it every day," he says.

Officer Deegan is one of the only women in the Cincinnati Police Department's elite Central Vice Control Section, and participates in strategic undercover operations.

Officer Valentino, a Cincinnati native, works the midnight shift in Over-the-Rhine."

Friday, February 18, 2011

Texas Considers Early Prison Release for Nonviolent Foreigners - FoxNews.com

Texas Considers Early Prison Release for Nonviolent Foreigners - FoxNews.com: "Texas Considers Early Prison Release for Nonviolent Foreigners
Published February 17, 2011| FoxNews.com Print Email Share Comments (22) Text Size Nonviolent foreign citizens in prison and eligible for parole and old, ill convicts could be released early as Texas lawmakers try to close a projected $15 billion budget shortfall.
Other proposed budget cuts include closing at least two prisons and slashing rehabilitation programs.
John Whitmire, chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said the state does not have the resources to continue business as usual in Texas.
'Everything is on the table for discussion this year. Everything,' said Whitmire, whose panel oversees Texas prisons.
Texas House Corrections Committee chairman Jerry Madden said any decision should not compromise public safety."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

State may have missed chance to save girl found dead in truck

From the Miami Herald:

State may have missed chance to save girl found dead in truck

"Florida child welfare administrators may have missed two opportunities to save a 10-year-old twin girl who was found dead and covered in acid in the back of a pickup truck Monday off Interstate-95 in Palm Beach County.

About eight months before Nubia's Doctor death, the state Department of Children and Families received a report that something may not have been right in the girl's foster home in Miami.

The June report to DCF's abuse hotline said Nubia had been acting out inappropriately, suggesting she might have been experiencing difficulties..."

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Computer+Forensics+Degrees+In+Demand+As+US+Seeks+Cyber+Attackers

Computer+Forensics+Degrees+In+Demand+As+US+Seeks+Cyber+Attackers


From Criminaljusticedegreeschools.com

"The American public has known for quite some time that the journey on the Internet Superhighway is a precarious one. There is no denying that for many of us, if the correct combination of ones and zeroes are locked into place, our most coveted personal and financial secrets can be known.

The prominence of WikiLeaks has reinforced this notion, not only for Internet followers but for the US government. US and international agencies tirelessly work to root out supporters of the whistleblower Web site to stem the tide of information it distributes.

WikiLeaks, though, “only” distributes information that others have provided. The press is fond of pointing out weaknesses in curbing said distribution, and others strongly advocate it as a necessary freedom..."

Monday, February 14, 2011

Two on Texas death row scheduled for execution - TheRecordLive.Com

Two on Texas death row scheduled for execution - TheRecordLive.Com: "Two on Texas death row scheduled for execution
Larry Johnson, The Record Newspapers
Published 02/13/2011 - 4:08 p.m. CST Michael Wayne Hall Slide Show
Larry Johnson

Two Texas death row inmates are scheduled for execution this month according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Convicted murder Michael Wayne Hall, 31, will be put to death on Feb. 15. Timothy Wayne Adams, 41, convicted of shooting his child, will receive lethal injection on Feb. 20.

Hall, of Dallas, and an accomplice were both convicted of murdering a mentally challenged Amy Robinson, 19, on February 15, 1998. The accomplice, Robert Neville, has already been executed.

Robinson was riding her bicycle to her job at a grocery store in Arlington when Hall and Neville lured her into their car. They then drove her to a remote Fort Worth location and first tortured her by shooting her repeatedly with a pellet rifle. They then used a .22 caliber rifle before eventually shooting her in the head.

They were caught at the border when they were attempting to leave the state..."

Houuse Republicans Seek Deeper Criminal Justice Spending Cuts

From TheCrimeReporter.org

Houuse Republicans Seek Deeper Criminal Justice Spending Cuts


"After some House Republicans demanded further cuts in the current appropriations funding the federal government's operation, the House Appropriations Committee issued a proposal calling for even deeper cuts in criminal justice programs and federal agencies across the board. Among the new proposals are a $581.3 million reduction in state and local law enforcement grant programs, $191 million from juvenile justice aid, and elimination of the COPS hiring program and the Weed and Seed program.

The proposal apparently will be sent to the House floor early in the week of February 14, just when the Obama administration is issuing its budget proposal for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The House committee proposal is subject to amendment on the House floor and consideration by the Senate, so it is far from clear that any of the cuts sought by House Republicans will occur. The current "continuing resolution" keeping the federal government in operation expires in early March, but it is not certain that the new proposal can make its way through the congressional process by then..."

Read the original HERE

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The conservative case for criminal justice reform : KALW

The conservative case for criminal justice reform : KALW: "The conservative case for criminal justice reform
0 KALWNews.org
By Rina Palta
Listen: 6:32 min

(Download Audio) The financial crisis has made Californians think hard about priorities. Whether it's rethinking homeownership, or deciding which state programs to keep and which to cut. The upcoming state budget is full of such compromises, including a $530 million cut to services for the disabled. Yesterday, outside San Quentin State Prison, groups of disabled citizens picketed outside the prison's gate."

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Budget cuts slice programs for ex-inmates - USATODAY.com

Budget cuts slice programs for ex-inmates - USATODAY.com: "Cuts in probation and parole programs to reconcile state budget deficits could undermine recent successes in shrinking bloated prison populations, criminal justice officials say.

"In some states, the number of people committing new felonies while on probation or parole has inched up, in part because of cuts to programs that helped former inmates stay out of prison. Other states are weighing substantial budget cuts to all parts of their criminal justice systems, including probation and parole programs.
Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Center's Public Safety Performance Project, says some of the most successful criminal justice programs launched in recent years are at risk. 'The (financial) hole is so deep,' says Gelb, whose non-partisan group has helped develop state programs for managing offenders outside prison. 'Programs for convicted felons are an easy target.'"

Criminal Justice System Linked to Suicide Risk | Psych Central News

Criminal Justice System Linked to Suicide Risk Psych Central News: "Home » News » Suicide News » Criminal Justice System Linked to Suicide Risk

Criminal Justice System Linked to Suicide Risk
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor

"Men and women who have had contact with the criminal justice system appear to have a significantly higher rate of suicide than the general population, according to a new study. And the higher suicide rate occurs even if an individual has never received a jail or prison sentence or a guilty verdict. The report is posted online and will appear in the June print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."

From Psych Central News

Monday, February 7, 2011

Pay-to-stay in jail raises funds -- and questions | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Interesting article from the Detroit Free Press. Click through to read the entire article, written by Christina Hall :

Pay-to-stay in jail raises funds -- and questions Detroit Free Press freep.com:

"If you do the crime and you do the time, you're also supposed to pay for it in many Michigan county jails.
But sheriff's officials say too many former inmates aren't paying for their stays.State law allows sheriffs to charge a $12 fee when people are booked. Also, counties may seek reimbursement for up to $60 a day for the time people are sentenced to the jail. But many former inmates don't pay or don't have the money to pay, and if they do pay, sheriff's officials say, it doesn't cover the cost of their stay"