Jail might need expansion; 7/29/2008
Victim Safety First Uses Omnilink’s Offender Monitoring Solution for Alternative Sanctions Programs; 7/29/2008 BUSINESS WIRE: ATLANTA - With one of the largest prison systems in the U.S., Texas, like many other states, faces prison overcrowding issues. To alleviate the strains on the system, Victim Safety First provides alternatives to incarceration in several Texas counties. Today, the organization announced that it is using Omnilink’s (www.omnilink.com) offender monitoring solution to track the movements of participants in the program. Rachele Smith, Ph.D, who has 24 years of mental health, substance abuse and criminal justice experience, founded Victim Safety First to create incarceration alternatives for offenders while keeping the communities in which they live safe. Pilot Program for Mental Health Court Approved; 7/28/2008 Electronics recycling may be hazardous labor for prison inmates, workers; 7/28/2008 COMPUTER WORLD: Breaking rocks is one thing, but breaking monitors is a potential health hazard for federal prisoners and prison employees, according to a government review that faulted safety practices at one correctional facility where electronics equipment is recycled. For years, according to an initial report written by staffers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), inmates at the federal prison in Elkton, Ohio, recycled monitors, computer chips and other electronics gear used by government agencies without respiratory protection or environmental controls to limit their exposure to lead and cadmium. Dollars and Sentences: Prisons more than just an issue of economics; 7/26/2008 DAILY SENTINEL: Local officials have boiled down the complicated tangle of concerns surrounding a proposed private prison in Nacogdoches to one issue — the bottom line. "In my heart, the biggest thing is that the cash it would bring into our system will later be reflected in sales tax and perhaps some home sales," said Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn. The prison, operated by the firm Management Training Corp. could bring in nearly $1 million per month in salaries, he said, with starting wages for correctional officers likely to be around $30,000 to $32,000 per year. However, recent research shows that prisons aren't necessarily the economic boon they were once thought. And in rural areas, prisons have, in some cases, proven to be more of a hindrance to economic development than a help. Madden joins group of leaders to discuss Justice issues; 7/21/2008 Where to Change the Criminal Justice System? 7/21/2008 KTRH: They're pushing for change at the Harris County Jail, in the District Attorney's Office, and inside the Houston Police Department's Crime Lab. Those calling for major reform of the criminal justice system in Harris County have even enlisted House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers to help spread their message. "We have so much work to do, unfinished business to clean up that you hardly know where to begin" Said Conyers Friday at a hearing sponsored by Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. She still has some questions of her own about the Grand Jury that investigated the Joe Horn case. "The question of how you process a particular case where two deaths occurred-and the ultimate result was a no bill," Jackson Lee said in expressing her frustration. Private Prison In Henderson May See More Expansion Soon; 7/20/2008 Jackson Lee calls for inquiry into Harris County; 7/06/2008 DALLAS MORNING NEWS: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called Sunday for a congressional inquiry into what she believes is a state of crisis within the Harris County legal system. The Houston Democrat primarily cited a recent grand jury decision not to indict suburban homeowner Joe Horn, the retired grandfather who shot to death two men he suspected of burglarizing a neighbor's home. "As far as many are concerned, justice was not rendered," said Jackson Lee, speaking at news conference. "There needs to be a question about how the case was presented. Was there no basis for this individual to be tried by a jury of his peers?" Continental Prison Systems Attends Texas Jail Conference; 7/02/2008 STOCKHOUSE: Continental Prison Systems, Inc. (Pink Sheets:CPSZ): a leader in Prison kiosk technology to streamline the inmate release process and a growing provider of the cost reducing process for loading funds onto an inmate's account over the internet or through a kiosk announced today that the EZ Kiosk and EZ Card divisions of Continental Prison Systems, Inc. have completed a successful product showing at the recent Texas Jail Association Conference. Ron Hodge, President and CEO of Continental Prison Systems, Inc. recently attended the Texas Jail Association Show. Vendors that visited CPSZ's booth all showed strong interest in each of our Prison programs. They included commissary vendors, facility payphone providers, and vendors that provide Jail facilities with their Jail Management System (JMS) software.
TYLER PAPER: Smith County commissioners today laid the groundwork for a pilot mental health court, which will seek to divert non-violent mentally ill arrestees from the criminal justice system. “It’s a crisis every county in Texas is facing now,” said Dr. David Self, chief forensic psychiatrist for the Rusk State Hospital. “Far too many mentally ill people are finding their way into the criminal justice system. ”Budget cuts at the state and federal levels have reduced resources for care for those with serious mental illnesses, he said. “If they’re not being served in mental health system, they’re finding their way into the criminal justice system,” Self said. “Jail populations are typically 25 to 33 percent persons who are experiencing mental illness. Smith County falls right in there.”
STAR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS: Representative Jerry Madden (R-Plano) met with a group of leaders to discuss critical criminal Justice issues. A group of state and local leaders from across the country including respected legislatures, court and law enforcement officials, cabinet secretaries and other governor appointees were brought together in Washington D.C. by the Council of State Governments Justice Center. They discussed the latest thinking on such issues as prisoner reentry, the response to people with mental illnesses in contact with justice professionals, state spending on corrections and public safety, high users of emergency services and other issues at the intersection of the criminal justice system and the public health or other systems.
TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH: HENDERSON — Barely a year old, a privately owned correctional facility on Henderson’s Industrial Drive has added a major expansion and another could be on the way. Management & Training Corporation, owner and operator, submitted a bid last week for a new Texas Department of Criminal Justice contract to house about 500 more state inmates and plans to construct three more structures at a cost of $8 to $10 million to accommodate them if awarded the contract. Warden Michael Bell expects it could be up to four months before the department decides which bidder will get the contract.
Criminal Justice Solutions in the News - July 2008
KERRVILLE DAILY TIMES: The county soon might have to shell out millions to expand the current jail or build a new one — and the commissioners learned a “tent city” isn’t a long-term answer. Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said overcrowding is becoming a problem. As of Monday, the jail had 192 inmates. The average daily population of the jail is supposed to be 153. Hierholzer told Kerr County commissioners last month that they “need to seriously look at the possibility of having to expand the jail.” Seeking to avoid the cost of a new or expanded jail facility, commissioners wanted to scope out other options. One option commissioners considered was building a tent city like the one found in Maricopa County, Ariz.