Free The Angola 3
Facing the US Prison Problem 2.3 Million Strong: An Ex-Con’s View of the Mistakes and the Solution
The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture?
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Moorebey’z Blog- Maskot #1: “They sure do love them some black pain.” moorbey
- Revolutionary Daily Thought moorbey
- The Abandonment moorbey
- A History of the Omaha Black Panthers moorbey
- FRAMED: Chapter 2 by Michael Richardson moorbey
- Revolutionary Daily Thought moorbey
- Brazil’s hidden slavery moorbey
- The history of British slave ownership has been buried moorbey
- 5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire moorbey
- Haiti, stop the repression! No impunity! NO NEW ARMY! moorbey
Awards
- Wrongful Convictions
- UK: Reports Point to Ongoing Disclosure Failings – Cause of Miscarriages of Justice July 18, 2017Two very interesting reports have been published in the UK, both detailing the continuing crisis in disclosure, which is key to a just criminal process and crucial in ensuring a fair trial and preventing miscarriages of justice. Yet numerous reports and reviews always find disclosure … Continue reading →
- DNA convicts killer of 1976 murder previously ‘solved’ by police coerced confession that sent wrong man to prison. July 18, 2017A man has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for the 1976 rape and manslaughter of Janet Commins, a 15 year old girl, a crime that made national news at the time. Stephen Hough was interviewed along with all local men aged … Continue reading →
- Richard Leo on False Confessions July 15, 2017Here is a great article that interviews Professor Richard Leo about false confessions. Check it out. As you may know, Richard is one of the world’s leading experts on false confession, and his body of work can be found here … Continue reading →
- Blind Injustice Facebook Group July 10, 2017As social media platforms like Facebook seem to be supplanting blogs to some extent in terms of activity and relevance, please visit and join the Blind Injustice Facebook group here, for ongoing, daily discussions of wrongful conviction issues. This blog … Continue reading →
- 4th of July Quick Clicks… July 4, 2017A nice radio piece about the recent LeDura Watkins exoneration in Michigan Recent eyewitness ID reforms in NY state Florida searching for someone to run its first Conviction Integrity Unit Family of man convicted in Lockerbie bombings makes third attempt … Continue reading →
- Breaking News: Osaki Case Wins a Retrial! June 28, 2017Kagoshima District Court granted a retrial for Ayako Haraguchi, who always maintained her innocence. She was convicted for a 1979 murder case, and served 10 years in prison. She filed her first request for a retrial in 1995. This was … Continue reading →
- Appeals Court Concurs: Brendan Dassey’s Confession Was Involuntary June 23, 2017Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal magistrate judge’s ruling that Wisconsin inmate Brendan Dassey’s confession in the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach (featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer”) … Continue reading →
- Tyrone Noling Case in Ohio Supreme Court Today June 20, 2017Tuesday June 20th, Ohio Innocence Project attorney Brian Church Howe will be arguing in the Ohio Supreme Court on behalf of Tyrone Noling, an innocent death row inmate. Even though the witnesses against him have recanted and said they were pressured by … Continue reading →
- Weekend Quick Clicks… June 17, 2017Exonerated father reunites with children In Michigan, man exonerated after 41 years in prison due to faulty hair match In Sweden, man exonerated due to podcast about his case Article on confirmation bias and desirability bias
- Wednesday’s Quick Clicks… June 14, 2017Puerto Rico Innocence Project wins new trial in murder case In Philly, Shaurn Thomas officially exonerated after prosecutor declines retrial and vacates all charges Spotlight on West Virginia Innocence Project Florida exoneree James Bain discusses hope, persistence
- UK: Reports Point to Ongoing Disclosure Failings – Cause of Miscarriages of Justice July 18, 2017
- Unlikely Friends
- Can Forgiveness Help? October 16, 2014Talking about the latest shooting tragedy in Santa Barbara with Living Your Inspired Life host, Susan Burrell. I’ve learned from others I interviewed that rarely is forgiveness immediate. We need to grieve and anger and frustration often come along with that. But sometimes, thru the pain, we arrive at forgiveness as the choice that heals Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Jackson Hole News & Guide – Crook, Cop He Shot Are Now Friends October 27, 2013“In the three decades after Jackson Hole resident Mark Farnham shot state trooper Stephen Watt five times the two have become fast friends. Now their story is making it to television. Farnham was living in Jackson in 1982 when, motivated by deep debt, he decided to rob a bank in Craig, Colo. During Farnham’s escape, Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Science of the Mind Coverage – Crossing the Chasm: Radical Forgiveness in Action October 21, 2013“When we go beyond ideas of right and wrong, as Rumi says, we enter a “field.” That field is oneness. Its seeds of peace, renewal, and love find fertile ground in our souls. To forgive is to allow these seeds to grow. Unlikely Friends, a documentary film by acclaimed director leslie Neale, presents remarkable stories Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Huffington Post Coverage – The Other F Word October 16, 2013Unlikely Friends director, Leslie Neale, write a blog on forgiveness in the Huffington Post: “No, not that F word! I’m talking about forgiveness — letting go, turning the other cheek. That thing our predominantly Judeo/Christian society teaches us to do but rarely means for us to practice, especially when we or our loved ones have Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- An Editor Reflects: Paul Westmacott September 9, 2013I have often wondered where my film career would take me. So many times, I feel that the project picks me rather than me picking the project. It’s sometimes a vulnerable feeling, as an editor, to think that one is not necessarily in control of their career path. But I have been very fortunate thus Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Shift Network Features Unlikely Friends August 28, 2013“I think it was selfishness that brought me to make films about criminal justice reform. I was eight months pregnant when I witnessed a program of transformational healing for inmates at a Louisiana State Penitentiary. While sitting in a circle with hardened criminals, I immediately realized that the “monsters” I sat with could have been Continue Reading […]Unlikely Friends
- Summer of Peace Interview August 12, 2013This interview is part of the Summer of Peace Summit a free global telesummit featuring interviews of many of the world’s leading peace builders! The Summer of Peace is a call to action – inviting us all and providing specific actions and steps we can take to create both inner peace in our own lives Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Reaction to San Francisco Screening July 17, 2013What an amazing film. It was my story. I was nearly killed 7 years ago in a robbery by 4 guys on the street, one of whom was most responsible and got the biggest rap, attempted murder. I spent four years trying to find a way to meet him when I finally met Rochelle Edwards Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- CBS Los Angeles April 30, 2013Andrea Fujii gives the full report on the L.A. Benefit screening of Unlikely Friends.Unlikely Friends
- LA Progressive April 30, 2013Unlikely Friends: When Victims and Perpetrators Meet A few years back, after I spent an evening at a halfway house for men on parole, Sister Mary Sean Hodges challenged me. She has worked tirelessly through the Office of Restorative Justice, LA Archdiocese, on behalf of incarcerated men and women and those seeking to reenter society. Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Can Forgiveness Help? October 16, 2014
- Texas Prison Bid’ness
- A diabetic migrant's medication trashed while held for ICE in CCA custodyA diabetic woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in a Corrections Corporation of America (now called CoreCivic) detention center had her medication thrown away, Rewire reports. Brenda Menjivar Guardado, from El Salvador, was detained in June at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center, which is used to detain asylum-seeking women as […]
- Private prison is up for saleReeves County is thinking of selling their detention center, News West 9 reports. Reeves County announced at the end of May that they would be permanently shutting down two corrections units as a part of the the Reeves County Detention Center complex operated by private prison corporation GEO Group, following the loss of a contract with the Bureau of Prison […]
- One private prison company replaces anotherOne private prison company is taking a contract away from their competition, reports the Longview News-Journal. Management and Training Corporation (MTC) is a Utah-based private prison company that recently was contracted to CoreCivic, another for-profit prison company. CoreCivic had operated the Bradshaw State Jail for 13 years, but recently lost their bid […]
- Reeves County is in negotiations to keep a private prison open Reeves County is negotiating with the Bureau of Prisons to how they can keep one unit of the Reeves County Detention Center open, reports CBS 7. Last week, Reeves County announced the closing of two units of the Reeves County Detention Center. The closures follow the loss of a contract the county had with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to detain prisoners. The […]
- Another death in ICE custodyA Salvadoran immigrant died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reports the Huffington Post.Carlos Mejía Bonilla of El Salvador was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 1. He was taken to Jersey City Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit for gastrointestinal bleeding on June 8. He died two days later, accordi […]
- Former GEO guard given jail time over sexual abuseA former GEO Group prison guard has been given jail time after sexually abusing a prisoner, reports KSAT 12 out of San Antonio. Barbara Jean Goodwin was sentenced to five months in jail, followed by five months of home confinement. She will also serve a two-year supervised-release, and must register as a sex offender. She could have served up to 15 years in […]
- Immigration shuts down alternative to detention program for asylum seekersImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is shutting down a program designed as an alternative to detention for asylum, reports KristTV. The Family Case Management Program was an alternative to detaining families in detention centers, two of which are located in Texas. There were 630 families enrolled as of April 19. The program connected asylum seeking fa […]
- Family detention centers receive good reports—what did they miss?Two South Texas family detention centers have received good marks from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Inspector General, reports the San Antonio Express. The report was done in response to criticism by RAICES, a San Antonio non-profit that works with families in the two detention centers, and other groups who said sexual assaults inside g […]
- The Brownfield state prison is closing!The state prison in Brownfield is being closed after losing funding in the state budget, reports KCBD 11. During the past legislative session, the Texas House and Senate passed a budget that will will result in four state prisons being closed, including the West Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF) in Brownfield. Following the closing of the West Texa […]
- Texas family detention centers violate federal law by holding families for too longFamily detention centers in Texas are violating federal law for holding minors in detention, reports the Associated Press. Some families have been detained in detention centers for more than six months, even after Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would license family detention centers as child care facilities. The passage of the bill would have op […]
- A diabetic migrant's medication trashed while held for ICE in CCA custody
- The Prison Enquirer
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Category Archives: Solitary Confinement
Report Shows Even More Evidence Of The Misuse Of Solitary Confinement
WASHINGTON — A report released this week by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonpartisan nonprofit based in New York, provides yet more evidence of the misuse of solitary confinement. The researchers add to a growing body of evidence that … Continue reading
Is Solitary Confinement a Form of Torture? Q&A with journalist James Ridgeway
“Obama says we don’t torture, but a lot of this is straight-up torture,” says journalism legend James Ridgeway. “We call Guantanamo and Afghanistan torture and we never look at our own stuff.” Ridgeway is talking about the growing use – … Continue reading
Posted in Angola 3, Control Unit, History, Insanity, Mental Health, Sensory Deprivation, SHU, Solitary Confinement, Solitary Watch, Torture
Tagged abuse, Angola Three, lockdown, Mental health, SHU, Solitary confinement, Solitary Watch
‘It’s Torture’: Pirate Bay Founder Kept In Solitary Awaiting Hacking Trial
Published on Dec 17, 2013 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has slammed Sweden over Gottfrid Svartholm’s case. Since his transfer to a Danish prison, the Pirate Bay founder has been kept in solitary confinement and denied access to mail and reading material. … Continue reading
RIP Herman Wallace – The “Muhammad Ali of the Criminal Justice System”
This morning we lost without a doubt the biggest, bravest, and brashest personality in the political prisoner world. It is with great sadness that we write with the news of Herman Wallace’s passing. Herman never did anything half way. He embraced his many … Continue reading
Free At Last! Herman Wallace Has Finally Been Released
After a long, dramatic day, we are humbled to report that the indomitable, irrepressible Herman Wallace has just been released after spending over 4 decades in solitary confinement. Even after Judge Jackson’s late evening ruling denying the State’s attempt at a stay and again ordering … Continue reading
Solitary confinement for students will continue: Oregon schools easily bypass ban on “isolation booths”
“You have two adults dragging you into a room and locking the door behind you and you’re just a little kid and you don’t know what’s going on…” via Police State USA – PORTLAND, OR — Last year, a parent’s … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Confined Kids, Ethics, Insanity, Public Safety, Reform, Solitary Confinement, Torture
Tagged Isolation booth, Oregon, PORTLAND, Solitary confinement, State school
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Opening the Box: Sarah Shourd on Herman Wallace, California Hunger Strikers and the Horror of Solitary Confinement
Last month, we were devastated to learn that the Angola 3’s Herman Wallace had been diagnosed with liver cancer, and that he was continuing to be held in isolation in a locked room at Hunt Correctional Center’s prison infirmary. Reflecting on … Continue reading
The Horrible Psychology of Solitary Confinement
“You can’t starve people. You can’t put them into a hotbox or maim them,” she continued. “If you could do brain scans to show that people suffer permanent damage, that could make solitary look less like some form of distress, … Continue reading
California Prisoners Launch New Hunger Strike to Protest Solitary Confinement
Solitary Watch – “Hundreds of people held in California prisons are expected to launch their third large-scale hunger strike in two years today. The current strike, announced by leaders at Pelican Bay State Prison on February 14th, is seen as a resumption … Continue reading
Petition | California State Assembly: Pass SB 61 to Limit Solitary Confinement of Youth in California | Change.org
Dear Friends, We urge you to take a moment for California’s youth. One final hurdle remains for passage of Senate Bill 61, a bill to limit the harmful practice of placing young people in solitary confinement in California. Your support … Continue reading
Spirituality In Dark Places
Spirituality in Dark Places explores the spiritual consequences and ethics of modern solitary confinement. Jeffreys emphasizes how solitary confinement damages our spiritual lives, focusing particularly on how it destroys our relationship to time and undermines our creativity. Solitary inmates experience … Continue reading
ACLU Demands DHS End Solitary Confinement of Children | ACLU – Colorado
ACLU Demands Department of Human Services End Solitary Confinement of Children in Pueblo Residential Treatment Center Prolonged seclusion of children at El Pueblo Boys and Girls Ranch violates Department’s child care regulations DENVER – In a letter sent today, the … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, ACLU, Colorado, Confined Kids, Solitary Confinement
2 Comments
Colo. governor orders audit of sentence records as Investigators search for links in three killings
By Erica Goode and Dan Frosch | NEW YORK TIMES APRIL 05, 2013 When Tom Clements, the head of Colorado’s prison system, was shot to death at his front door last month, the killing seemed a planned assassination … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Colorado, Control Unit, SHU, Solitary Confinement, Solitary Watch, Surviving Solitary, Torture
1 Comment
The Horrifying Existence Of Solitary Confinement
“If we believe in basic human rights and dignity for all human beings, then we surely must object to solitary confinement.” Excerpts, SFBay View – “Imagine being locked in a cage alone for 22 ½ hours a day, sometimes for … Continue reading
Solitary confinement isn’t the solution for immigrant detainees – latimes.com
Solitary confinement in immigration detention centers across the nation is often overused and arbitrarily applied. According to data obtained by the National Immigrant Justice Center, as many as 300 immigrants, or about 1% of all detainees in the 50 largest … Continue reading
Former juvenile prisoner fights against locking away teens in solitary confinement
Rock Center Teens held in adult jails and prisons are often kept in solitary confinement for their own protection. On Friday’s edition of Rock Center, Ted Koppel investigated the mental health risks of solitary confinement on teenagers. Ted Koppel sat … Continue reading
Posted in Confined Kids, Control Unit, Mental Health, Solitary Confinement, Surviving Solitary
Tagged Juvenile Solitary
6 Comments
Criminal Justice System’s Dark Secret: Teenagers In Solitary Confinement
“For each of the past five years, roughly 100,000 juveniles have been held in adult jails and prisons, according to data from the Department of Justice.” ~~ “Ninety-one percent of the children who are serving time in adult jails and … Continue reading
New Mexico Man “Forgotten” In Solitary Confinement For 2 Years Gets $15.5 Million Dollar Settlement
This is a story from right here in our home county. Notice the slant of this article…starting with the original title, “New Mexico inmate left in solitary confinement for 2 years gets $15.5 million” which implies he had been convicted … Continue reading
Posted in New Mexico, Solitary Confinement, Torture
Tagged $15.5 million, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Slevin, Solitary confinement
5 Comments
MisBehavedWoman
Steve McFarland
