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5.85 Million People Disenfranchised in Supposedly Democratic America

By David M. Reutter The United States is billed as the world’s largest and greatest democracy. However, it is also “one of the world’s strictest nations when it comes to denying the right to vote to citizens convicted of crimes,” according to The Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that promotes sentencing reforms, advocates for

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Interview With Kyle

By Dianne Frazee-Walker 25-year-old Kyle has lived in Salida, Colorado most of life. He has also been involved with the court system for almost half of his life. His first brush with the law occurred at age 14 for just being a kid. Riding a dirt bike was the gateway to his path of being

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Ninth Circuit: Heck Allows Section 1983 Parole Condition Challenges

By Mark Wilson On July 31, 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals joined the Seventh Circuit in holding that the Heck doctrine does not bar all parole condition challenges brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. California’s Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act of 2006 – also known as Jessica’s Law or Proposition 83 –

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Brief Prison Stays

By CorrectionsOne.com

A law that allows brief jail stays for parole violations is getting mixed reviews from corrections officials and law enforcement agencies in Reno County, which has used the provision more than any other Kansas county.

The law enacted last July lets offenders avoid having their parole revoked if they spend a few days in jail. Reno County has made more use of the law than any other county per capita, Secretary of Corrections Ray Roberts said.

Roberts and other corrections officials say the law has helped reduce jail overcrowding, while some Reno County critics contend it is difficult to enforce and ineffective, The Hutchinson News reported.

The legislation allows judges to impose two- or three-day jail stays if an offender violates parole. If violations continue, judges can order a 120-day prison stay, followed by 180-day sentences. If the violations continue after that, offenders must serve the rest of their underlying prison sentences.

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The Pitfalls of Electronic Monitoring

By Dianne Frazee-Walker Prior to the March murder of Colorado corrections chief Tom Clements by parolee EvanEbel, there were many warning signs that monitoring bracelets were not properly functioning. Ebel was a parolee, who wore an ankle bracelet.  He tore off his ankle bracelet and went on a shooting spree killing Clements and Nathan Leon, an innocent pizza

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Denying Felons Food?: An Affront to Every American Citizen

The New York Times recently published an editorial piece in their Sunday Review entitled “Unfair Punishments: Denying ex-offenders food stamps and welfare encourages dangerous behavior like prostitution” (Sunday, March 17, 2013).  The editorial discussed the link between restricting food stamps and welfare from felons and their engaging in high-risk behaviors like prostitution in an attempt

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Colorado Cuts Response Time to Bracelet Alerts

By Dianne Frazee-Walker In response to the murder of Colorado Corrections Chief Tom Clements, the state’s parole director is scampering to incorporate a new policy that will require parole officers’ response to bracelet tampering alerts within two hours. According to bracelet alerts, parolee Evan Ebel removed his mentoring bracelet at 1:54 pm on March 14.

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