Posts Tagged ‘Mental Health’
Judges Agree to Schwarzenegger’s Plan
In August federal judges ruled against the state of California in two lawsuits brought by prison inmates who argued that overcrowding led to poor medical and health care. After months of modifying proposals to reduce the California prison population, Governor Schwarzenegger’s latest plan has been accepted by a panel of judges.
Read more about the plan here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Crisis in New York Youth Prisons
A confidential draft report prepared by a task force appointed by Governor Patterson and led by John Jay College of Criminal Justice president Jeremy Travis states that the juvenile prison system in New York has reached a state of crisis. The juvenile system houses about 900 young people at 28 facilities across the state. The report found that excessive violence was used in dealing with the youth, and the facilities were ill equipped to deal with addiction and psychological illness.
The report states:
These institutions are often sorely underresourced, and some fail to keep their young people safe and secure, let alone meet their myriad service and treatment needs…In some facilities, youth are subjected to shocking violence and abuse.
Read more here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Execution in Texas
Bobby Wayne Woods was executed yesterday in Texas after serving on death row for the molestation and killing of his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. Lawyers fiercely debated the constitutionality of Woods’ execution because his IQ hovered around the range of a mentally retarded person. The Supreme Court refused to hear his case.
In 2002 the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Atkins vs Virginia that the mentally impaired could not be given the death penalty, however left the evaluation of this impairment up to the states. The IQ cutoff for mental impairment varies by state.
Read more here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Support for Those Working in Corrections
Many would agree that working in a prison is not easy and is a job fraught with challenges. And, the only way for a prison to run smoothly and safely is for correctional workers to take care of themselves emotionally. Click here for an informative article about ways that correctional workers can live happily adjusted.
The woman who wrote the article also runs an organization for correctional workers and their families. It’s called Desert Waters, and it aims to help people deal with the stress of working in the prison system. Learn more by visiting the Desert Waters website.
Posted by hcdmedia