Receivership Update: Major Challenges Outlined at SF Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO — A who’s who of California prison architects and construction managers filled the downtown headquarters of architectural firm HOK for an update on the federal receiver’s plan to add several thousand medical beds and other services to the state prison system.

Nearly 40 people from a variety of firms attended the event, organized by the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

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Cornerstone Web Site Wins International Award

TANNER, Ala. — Cornerstone Detention Products Inc. received the 2008 Standard of Excellence award for its Web site from Web Marketing Association.

Cornerstone’s site was recognized in the institutional services category of the award program for its copywriting, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation and use of technology. It also received points for ease of use.

The award is part of WebAwards, an annual international competition that judges company Web sites from 96 industries in 45 different countries.

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Florida Deploys Tents at State Prisons

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Corrections officials are preparing to house crowded inmates in military-style tents as the department faces record prison population levels and deep budget cuts.

Florida Department of Corrections erected almost 40 of the temporary housing structures at nine of the state’s 139 facilities and has an additional 20 tents, each of which can house up to 22 inmates, in reserve. State legislation mandates that the prison system maintain a buffer of excess bed space and the department is also building four permanent 68-bed dormitory units.

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E.U. Rights Commissioner Demands Education not Punishment

STRASBOURG CEDEX, France — The efficacy of the youth justice system in Britain and adult system in France fell under scrutiny this fall following recent reports by the Council of Europe’s human rights watchdog.

Thomas Hammarberg, COE commissioner for human rights, strongly urged British and French officials to overhaul detention policies regarding confinement, punishment and rehabilitation in order to protect the human rights of both youth and adult detainees.

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Maricopa Webcam Offline

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal court affirmed a previous ruling saying the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s live jail Webcam violated the Constitution, but Sheriff’s officials said the cameras were already off.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco recently affirmed a U.S. District Court ruling that live Internet images of inmates in holding cells violate the 14th Amendment protection against punishment of those not convicted of a crime.

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NIST Seeks Standardization for Electroshock Weapons

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology are attempting to develop a standardized method for assessing the electrical output of stun guns and other electroshock weapons that can form the basis of a future industry-wide standardized testing regimen.

NIST researchers at the Office of Law Enforcement Standards have developed methods for calibrating the high-voltage and current measurement probes used by the industry, as part of the NIST characterization program for conducted energy devices.

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More Than 8,000 Texas Inmates Diagnosed With Major Psychiatric Disorder

GALVESTON, Texas — Authorities should expand specialized interventions and programming to reduce the higher recidivism rates that exist among inmates with major mental illness, according to a University of Texas Medical Branch study.

Inmates with major psychiatric disorders — an estimated 10 percent of the Texas state prison population — are more likely to be incarcerated repeatedly than offenders without mental health issues, according to the study published in the American Psychiatric Association’s Journal of Psychiatry.

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CCA Halts Construction of 2,040-bed Tennessee Facility

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. — Corrections Corporation of America announced the suspension of work on the new $143 million correctional facility in Trousdale County that would have created more than 2,000 new beds.

CCA halted construction of the 2,040-bed Trousdale project, which was scheduled for completion during the fourth quarter of 2009, amid uncertainty over the demand for additional bed space, according to the company.

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Florida Tackles Prison Crowding With Tent City

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Corrections officials are preparing to house inmates in military-style tents as the department faces record prison population levels and deep budget cuts.

Florida Department of Corrections erected almost 40 of the temporary housing structures at nine of the state’s 139 facilities and has an additional 20 tents, each of which can house up to 22 inmates, in reserve. State legislation mandates that the prison system maintain a buffer of excess bed space. The department is also building four permanent 68-bed dormitory units.

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States Struggle As Sex-Offender Deadline Looms

WASHINGTON — A federal law designed to standardize national sex-offender tracking has states scrambling to fund minimum requirements or face noncompliance this July.

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, passed in 2006, sets minimum standards for public sex offender registries in every state: who must register, the duration of registration and what information is made public.

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