Former Evansville addiction counselor has license revoked following prison sentence
An Evansville addiction counselor who illegally dealt drugs to his patients will no longer be licensed in Indiana to provide counseling.
Prisons
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A piece of history: DOC inmates craft new Supreme Court table spotlighting justices past, present
When Vince Stanley and a group of inmates started a project to build a new table for the Indiana Supreme Court’s conference room, they had to figure out how to make it functional for the court’s five justices while adding unique details.
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Web Exclusive: Indiana incarcerated women research, publish historical book on Indiana Women’s Prison
A group of incarcerated women at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis has researched and gathered information on the origins of the facility. That research will soon become public via a book set to release this month.
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Web exclusive: SCOTUS decision ‘shuts door’ on ineffective counsel claims brought in federal court
In the winter of 2021, two death row prisoners raised claims in habeas corpus proceedings that their trial attorneys were constitutionally ineffective. But the nation’s highest court split in a decision last month ruling that they could not introduce evidence outside of the state court record due to restrictions imposed by a federal law.
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Inmates seeking COVID compassionate release face higher hurdle with 7th Circuit ruling
Since March 2020, attorney Kathryn DiNardo has taken up dozens of cases through the Indiana Federal Community Defenders from inmates hoping to be released early because of the pandemic. Those cases are but a drop in the bucket of inmates who have applied for compassionate release, and a July ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has seemingly further dwindled their chances of success.
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Articles
Inside the federal jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is locked up: violence, squalor and death
Combs, 54, was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday — a place that’s been described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy” — after pleading not guilty in a case that accuses him of physically and sexually abusing women for more than a decade.
3 people charged after death of federal prison worker who opened fentanyl-laced mail
According to prosecutors, Jamar Jones, a prisoner at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, California, plotted with Stephanie Ferreira, of Evansville, Indiana, and Jermen Rudd III of Wentzville, Missouri, to send him drugs that he could sell at the prison.
Congress OKs bill overhauling oversight of troubled federal Bureau of Prisons
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons following reporting from The Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny.
An Indiana man gets 14 months after guilty plea to threatening a Michigan election official in 2020
An Indiana man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to making a violent threat against a local election official in Michigan soon after the 2020 election.
Jeffersonville man sentenced to prison for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A Jeffersonville man faces more than five years in prison after he was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Inmate charged with fatal stabbing at federal prison in Terre Haute
A grand jury indicted 42-year-old Otha Don Watkins III of Illinois with possessing contraband in prison and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Carlos Shelton.
South Carolina bans inmates from in-person interviews. A lawsuit wants to change that
A South Carolina prison policy banning inmates from speaking to reporters in person or having their writings directly published violates the First Amendment free speech rights of prisoners, a civil rights organization said in a federal lawsuit Thursday.
Inmate placed in disciplinary segregation for 2 years loses summary judgment appeal
An inmate alleging his constitutional rights were violated in a prison disciplinary process that put him in segregation for two years has failed to find relief at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
Intricate, invisible webs link some of the world’s largest food companies and most popular brands to jobs performed by U.S. prisoners nationwide, according to a sweeping two-year AP investigation into prison labor that tied hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural products to goods sold on the open market.
Portage man serving 20-year sentence dies at federal prison in Michigan
An Indiana man serving a 20-year sentence for producing child abuse images died at a federal prison in Michigan, authorities said Tuesday.
Central Indiana man gets 16 years for trying to provide guns to Islamic State group
A central Indiana man has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to provide guns to the Islamic State group, prosecutors said Thursday.
High-profile attacks on Derek Chauvin, Larry Nassar put spotlight on violence in federal prisons
The assaults of two notorious, high-profile federal prisoners by fellow inmates in recent months have renewed concerns about whether the chronically understaffed, crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons is capable of keeping people in its custody safe.
Formerly incarcerated seeing more options to vote: Advocates say educational efforts are still necessary
Some states, including Indiana, automatically restore voting rights upon release from incarceration. But that doesn’t mean everyone with a felony conviction understands that their voting rights have been restored upon release.
Terre Haute prison officials move to dismiss solitary confinement lawsuit
Prison officials at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute are asking a federal court to dismiss a complaint alleging the prison violated the civil rights of death row inmates by holding them in isolated conditions.
Indiana governor breaks ground on $1.2 billion state prison that will replace 2 others
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb broke ground Thursday on a $1.2 billion prison in northern Indiana that will replace two others in the state’s costliest building project ever.
State to break ground on new northwest Indiana prison
Gov. Eric Holcomb will join other state officials Thursday to break ground on a $1.2 billion correctional facility in northwest Indiana. The prison, funding for which was approved last month, will be built near the existing Westville Correctional Facility.
Former U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana sentenced to 22 months in prison for insider trading
A former U.S. congressman from Indiana was sentenced Tuesday to 22 months in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information while working as a consultant and lobbyist after he left office.
7th Circuit splits in upholding denial of habeas relief after revocation of 5,700 days of good time credit
A split 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of a prisoner’s habeas petition after 5,700 days of accrued good time credit were revoked and his prison release date was extended by more than 15 years following his assault of a correctional officer.
Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times at Florida federal prison: AP sources
Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts including Olympic medalists, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida.