prison

Stories 361 - 380 | << Prev   Next >>

Guard Killed, 19 Injured in Mississippi Prison Riot

Officials battle to bring privately run facility under control

(Newser) - A 23-year-old guard has been killed and 16 workers injured in a riot by hundreds of inmates at a private Mississippi prison. Three inmates were also hospitalized, though one has since been returned to prison. The riot broke out at the Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez at around 2:...

10 Facts About That Imprisoned Candidate

Keith Judd is a big fan of Nixon

(Newser) - The imprisoned felon who challenged President Obama for the Democratic nomination in West Virginia's primary and won an impressive 40% of the vote remains the bizarre political story of the day. Politico rounds up 10 facts about the locked-up candidate, Keith Judd, including:

Taliban Prison Break Frees 380 in Pakistan

20 escapees called 'very dangerous' insurgents

(Newser) - Taliban militants battled their way into a prison in northwest Pakistan today, freeing close to 400 prisoners, including at least 20 described by police as "very dangerous" insurgents, authorities and the militants said. The raid by more than 100 fighters was a dramatic display of the strength of the...

Inmate Busted in Taxi After Helicopter Escape

Russian's freedom short-lived after dramatic jailbreak

(Newser) - Freedom only lasted a couple of hours for a Russian murderer who made a Hollywood-style helicopter escape from prison. Alexei Shestakov's two accomplices hijacked a rented helicopter at gunpoint and lowered a rope ladder into the prison yard for the 34-year-old, who is halfway through a 24-year sentence, the...

Woman Fights to Get Kids Out of Jail in Nepal

They sometimes go to prison with impoverished parents

(Newser) - Nepal's extreme poverty rate leads to an unusual prison situation: Kids sometimes go to jail with their incarcerated parents because there's no alternative—it's that or the streets. CNN profiles a 28-year-old woman who has made it her life's mission to get these kids out of...

Prison-Bound Blagojevich Gets Lost, Grabs Lunch

Last meal before jail: fast food

(Newser) - As Rod Blagojevich's car headed to prison from the Denver airport yesterday, it didn't stop at the entrance of the correctional facility. Then it passed by again. Turns out the former Illinois governor and his lawyer got lost, then opted to grab Blago's last lunch before serving...

44 Dead in Mexico Prison Riot
 44 Dead in Mexico Prison Riot 
UPDATED
Feb 20, 2012 8:07 AM CST

44 Dead in Mexico Prison Riot

Rival drug gangs probably contributed to violence

(Newser) - The death toll in yesterday's riot inside a Mexican prison has now climbed to 44, officials say. No guards were among the dead, but MSNBC reports that corrupt ones may have helped enable the brawl. All the Apodaca prison's guards are reportedly being held for questioning. The clash...

Most Inmates in Honduras Fire Hadn't Been Convicted

Overcrowded prison was disaster waiting to happen

(Newser) - Of the 856 souls crammed into a Honduran prison that became a fiery inferno Tuesday night, more than half had never been charged, let alone convicted. Under the country's strict anti-gang laws, a simple tattoo was cause for incarceration, a practice the UN calls a violation of international law....

Toll in Honduras Prison Fire Rises Past 300

About 500 inmates escaped

(Newser) - The numbers are settling in the horrific fire inside a packed Honduras prison: Authorities say 356 inmates are missing and presumed dead, many of whom were trapped inside their cells, reports the AP . About 475 escaped, with 21 reported injuries. According to some survivors, the blaze began when an inmate...

'Hellish' Honduran Prison Fire Kills 272

Many left to burn in their cells as guard could not be found

(Newser) - At least 272 inmates are dead after a devastating blaze swept a federal prison in central Honduras overnight, officials say. A fire department spokesman in Comayagua described a "hellish" scene in which many prisoners "burned to death or suffocated in their cells." Many were apparently left to...

Shots Fired to Quell San Quentin Riot

Dozens injured as new arrivals brawl

(Newser) - Guards used pepper spray, rubber projectiles, and live ammunition to quell a huge riot at California's San Quentin prison yesterday. Prison authorities say between 150 and 200 inmates were involved in the riot in an exercise yard used by new arrivals, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dozens were slashed...

Top 10 Magazine Articles of 2011

From Paul Haggis to the weirdest movie ever

(Newser) - The year's best magazine articles cover everything from Scientology to conjoined twins to religious slavery in a Louisiana prison. Slate lists 10 favorites via Longform.org , including:
  • "The Apostate," The New Yorker. Famed Hollywood screenwriter Paul Haggis reveals his falling out with the Church of Scientology. "
...

Secret Gitmo Punishment Block Cost $700K

Inmate's lawyer rips 'cruel, prolonged' solitary confinement

(Newser) - A once-secret Guantanamo disciplinary cell block was built for a whopping $700,000, reports the Miami Herald . The existence of "Camp Five-Echo"—intended as a grim punishment section for "uncooperative" detainees—was only confirmed last week, even though it was built by the military in 2007. The...

Inside the World of Terror Convicts —Who Aren't at Guantanamo

Many terrorists serving time at US federal prisons

(Newser) - Scores of convicted terrorists are serving time in US prisons that are far from the public eye—and public outcry—of Guantanamo Bay, the New York Times reports. Aggressive prosecutors nailed most of them after 9/11, often with a preemptive strategy that relied on informants to troll for terrorists. Officials...

Prison Shrink Accused of Faking Rape

Calif. woman sought move to better nabe, police say

(Newser) - A Sacramento prison psychologist faked her own rape in the hope her husband would move them to a safer neighborhood, authorities say. Laurie Ann Martinez even allegedly cut her lip with a pin, had a friend punch her with boxing gloves, and peed her pants to make the attack seem...

Prisoner Lawsuit: Soy Diet 'Cruel and Unusual'

Sex offender says cheap meat substitutes endanger his health

(Newser) - The low-cost, soy-based diet served in Florida's prisons amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, says a 34-year-old lifer who is suing the state, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Eric Harris, who was convicted for sexual battery on a child, says the cheap meat substitute is causing painful cramps and gas,...

Vegas Prisoners Restore Classic Cars

It's an 'amazing' program, says one inmate

(Newser) - When it comes to behind-bars occupations, it’s not all license-plate-making anymore: At the Southern Desert Correctional Center, near Las Vegas, some 33 medium-security inmates show up Monday through Friday to restore vintage cars. "We've got a '56 Jaguar, a '48 Rolls Royce, and a Studebaker...

Texas Prisons Cut Lunch on Weekends

Measure is designed to save money

(Newser) - Texas prisons are taking some heat over a decision to keep cooks out of their kitchens. Since April the state has been serving prisoners just two meals a day on weekends in some prisons, in an effort to cut food service costs, the New York Times reports. (Amusingly, the meal...

UN: Solitary Confinement Amounts to Torture

Isolation longer than 15 days should be banned, says lead investigator

(Newser) - Solitary confinement doesn't just sound like torture—it literally can be torture, according to the UN's lead investigator on the topic. Juan Mendez has called for a ban on solitary confinement in excess of 15 days, and a total ban on the practice when juveniles or people with...

Accused Pentagon Shooter Tries to Dig Out of Cell

Yonathan Melaku charged with trying to escape

(Newser) - 10:1 odds he's a big fan of Shawshank Redemption: The Marine Reservist accused of shooting at the Pentagon and other military sites last year tried to dig his way out of jail, reports the Washington Post . He didn't come close. Officials at the Loudoun County Adult Detention...

Stories 361 - 380 | << Prev   Next >>