- The housing slump taking its toll in the states. According to Stateline, almost half report being affected, 19 are below their revenue forecasts for the year, and 4 are specifically already facing shortfalls in corrections spending. And most credible analysts are predicting the housing problems to go for at least another year or more.
- And, of course, as reality hits, our policymakers decide to fiddle. CT legislators are jawing about a special session while contesting over three strikes and plans to make all burglaries eligible to be counted as violent offense strikes, which will basically explode their prisons. (Did I mention that CT was one of the 4 states already with corrections spending problems above?) And VT leaders [sic] are battling over demon weed penalties, with the enormously disappointing gov there arguing that a pro-sense state's attorney's treatment of defendant diversion encourages drug abuse . . . while conveniently ignoring that he's favored a very similar diversion in the past. (Did I mention that VT is named as a state facing severe Medicaid budget problems in that post above?) Meanwhile, is that smoke we're smelling?
- USA Today is reporting that theft of personal data has tripled in the last year, which is a major concern that could be controlled by users and providers, not prisons. That self-government thing, you know.
- Part two of that excellent series the Boston Globe is now running on the increase of suicides in prison and the difficulties (self-imposed or not) that the prisons have in getting it stopped.
- "Alterations in the genetic coding for a nerve cell receptor, which detects a chemical signal that is key to behavioral change, could point the way to designing therapies most effective for patients suffering from schizophrenia, drug addiction and other mental illnesses." TECHNOCORRECTIONS!!!
- Finally, we often talk about those offenders who get put on sex registries who really aren't a threat and get hammered anyway. Well, here's an interesting article about folks in UT who probably should be on a registry but didn't get there because of pleas or different charges. Just proof that leaping before looking goes both ways in what we do in corr sent.
Monday, December 10, 2007
News of the Day, Monday, December 10, 2007
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