JANUARY 2005

January 31, 2005 - Political winds shift yet again for local prison Bakersfield Californian While California's prison population continues to grow, a minimum-security correctional facility on Golden State Avenue in Bakersfield has sat empty for more than a year. (Click here for more)

January 29, 2005 - Lee dropped from lawsuit filed by former jail inmate Naples Daily News Lee County has been dropped from a federal lawsuit filed in fall by a former Lee County Jail inmate who said unnecessary delays in medical help there caused her to miscarry. (Click here for more)

January 26, 2005 - CCC bed expansion hotly debated in Helena Shelby Promoter The option of an expansion of the Crossroads Correctional Center (CCC) prison is being hotly debated in the 2005 legislature. (Click here for more)

January 26, 2005 - Metro inmate dies after not getting meds Tennessean Police and health-care officials are investigating the death of a Metro Jail inmate who died last week hours after requesting medical attention that he never received, authorities said yesterday. (Click here for more)

January 26, 2005 - Two make plea agreements Las Vegas Review-Journal A former prison guard and the inmate he is accused of impregnating at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center entered into plea agreements Tuesday in District Court. (Click here for more)

January 25, 2005 - CCA points to other jail costs Tulsa World Efforts to reduce the jail budget have mainly focused on CCA's contract to operate the Tulsa Jail. (Click here for more)

January 25, 2005 - Legislature wants inquiry into plan to reopen prisons LA Times State Sen. Gloria Romero on Monday called on the Bureau of State Audits to investigate the Schwarzenegger administration's decision to reopen two private prisons, one of which employed a consultant and lobbyists close to the governor's inner circle. (Click here for more)

January 24, 2005 - Murderer receives five more years Cushing Daily News A convicted murderer who is serving a life sentence in Cushing's private prison was given five more years Friday after pleading guilty to having a $100 bill in the Cimarron Correctional Facility. (Click here for more)

January 24, 2005 - Injured hostage talks News Herald Former jail nurse Ann Marie "Amie" Hunt was a bundle of emotions Friday as she talked about the night she almost died during an inmate standoff at the Bay County Jail. (Click here for more)

January 22, 2005 - No room for conflict Press Telegram The prison guard's union is predictably infuriated with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to reopen two private, nonunion prisons that were shut down during the Davis administration. (Click here for more)

January 22, 2005 - County wins Press Enterprise A dispute between the state Department of Corrections and the operator of a private prison in Adelanto opened a window of opportunity for San Bernardino County. (Click here for more)

January 21, 2005 - S.A. man faces jail for aiding breakout Express-News A San Antonio man admitted Thursday that he helped five federal inmates escape from Frio County Jail last summer. (Click here for more)

January 21, 2005 - Governor moves to reopen Kern private prisons Bakersfield Californian Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly taken steps to reopen two privately run prisons in Kern County -- with no-bid contracts -- that were shut down as a cost-saving move barely a year ago. (Click here for more)

January 21, 2005 - US crash victim gets $105 mln from concessionaire Reuters The family of a girl paralyzed in a car crash caused by a drunken football fan won $105 million in damages from the concessionaire that sold him beer, and the girl's father said on Thursday the case should have far-reaching effects. (Click here for more)

January 21, 2005 - Family releases details of inmate's death, files lawsuit The Advocate The family of an inmate who died in prison held a news conference Thursday to release the details of his death. (Click here for more)

January 21, 2005 - As private jails reopen critics see long arm of the lobbyists LA Times The Schwarzenegger administration has quietly moved to reopen two private prisons a year after mothballing them — and after a company that stands to profit retained consultants close to the governor and his inner circle. (Click here for more)

January 20, 2005 - Corrections plan for expanding Shelby prison hits snag AP A Corrections Department plan for coping with the growing number of inmates hit a snag Thursday when skeptical lawmakers questioned whether it was the best deal for the state. (Click here for more)

January 20, 2005 - Jail costs under the microscope Hernando Today The county's $8 million annual payment to a private vendor for operating the county jail has become enough of a burden that the county should consider ways of lightening the load. (Click here for more)

January 20, 2005 - Lucio suspends consulting work with Willacy County firms Brownsville Herald State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. on Tuesday temporarily suspended his consulting work for three companies involved with constructing and managing a Willacy County federal detention center — the focus of a federal bribery investigation.  (Click here for more)

January 20, 2005 - Reeves prison gets new warden Odessa American GEO Group, which manages Reeves County Detention Center, has hired a former member of the Texas Boards of Pardons and Paroles as the new warden for Reeves County Detention Center 1 and 2. (Click here for more)

January 19, 2005 - Avalon shares fall on Nasdaq listing concerns Reuters Shares of Avalon Correctional Services Inc. (CITY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) fell 8 percent on Wednesday after the company said it received a notice of delisting or transfer from the Nasdaq stock exchange. (Click here for more)

January 19, 2005 - Lawmakers weigh public funding of private jail Great Falls Tribune A state senator Tuesday raised questions about Montana's contract with the company owning the 560-bed private prison in Shelby — and whether it's wise for the state to finance another 500-bed expansion at the site. (Click here for more)

January 18, 2005 - Jury awards $60M to paralyzed girl's kin AP A jury awarded $60 million Tuesday to the family of a girl paralyzed in a car wreck caused by a drunken football fan. (Click here for more)

January 18, 2005 - Woman in detention alleges rape San Diego Union Tribune A female inmate at a Department of Homeland Security detention facility in Otay Mesa has filed a lawsuit against the company that operates it under contract, alleging that a correctional officer employed by the company raped her twice. (Click here for more)

January 17, 2005 - HIV-positive inmate sues Lee sheriff, medical provider Naples News An HIV-positive prison inmate is suing the Lee County Sheriff's Office and jail's medical care provider, saying it took too long to receive the life-sustaining drug cocktail his doctors prescribed. (Click here for more)

January 17, 2005 - Donors get good seats, great access this week USA Today This week's presidential inauguration marks more than the start of a new term. (Click here for more)

January 15, 2005 - Prison sued in dispute over pay Bakersfield Californian A Bakersfield company that runs a private prison in Adelanto is being sued over a pay dispute, the second such lawsuit the company has been hit with. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - A tale of two inaugurations Reformer Vermont Gov. James Douglas held his inaugural ball last Saturday at Norwich University's Plumley Armory. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - Woman held on sex charge Sun-Sentinel A 25-year-old woman working at a residential facility for troubled teenagers in northeast Lake County was arrested Thursday on charges of having sex with a minor at the complex. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - Jury deliberations start in injured girl's lawsuit against beer vendor WNBC News Jury deliberations have begun in a civil lawsuit filed by the family of a 7-year-old girl who was paralyzed when a drunken football fan on his way home from a New York Giants game crashed into the family's car. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - Jail bosses deny 'rape is rife' claim Ayrshire.co.uk A 40-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with an alleged indecent assault on a teenager inside Kilmarnock Prison. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - Private prison at Pueblo Airport aiming at 2006 opening Pueblo Chieftain GEO Group Inc. hopes to have its new 700- to 1,000-bed prison completed at Pueblo's Airport Industrial Park by mid-2006, if the permit and construction process stays on schedule, a company official said Thursday. (Click here for more)

January 14, 2005 - Record number in jail, Carr boasts Sidney Morning Herald Longer sentences, tougher bail laws and higher police numbers have boosted NSW's prison population to 9000 for the first time, the Premier, Bob Carr, boasted yesterday. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - No action: DSS says it won't intervene in Stoughton girl's drug overdose case Patriot Ledger The state Department of Social Services will not take action against the parents of a 16-year-old girl who suffered a heroin overdose and was abandoned on the side of the road by the Vermont man who allegedly gave her the drugs. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - Mental health care at the Alachua County Jail WCJB TV20 An Alachua County inmate was still warm to the touch Wednesday when Alachua County Sheriff's deputies found him dead in his cell. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - County braces for budget shortfall Del Rio News-Herald With nearly three-quarters of the fiscal year still ahead, Val Verde County officials already have been warned to expect a significant shortfall in the county budget. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - Willacy sheriff: Lucio opened doors Valley Star State Sen. Eddie Lucio on Wednesday stood behind his work as a consultant for a company involved in a $14.5 million federal prison project in Willacy County. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - U.S. attorney seeks source of bribes Brownsville Herald Three companies with ties to state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, worked on the construction of the federal detention center in Willacy County, which is now the subject of an federal investigation into bribes. (Click here for more)

January 13, 2005 - Suit: Stripped inmates were not a threat Albuquerque Journal Among the former Santa Fe County jail inmates who were forced to strip naked under the jail's former blanket strip-search policy, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday, was 49-year-old Kristi Siebold. (Click here for more)

January 12, 2005 - Expert backs beer vendor NewJersey.com An admitted alcoholic who slammed his truck into a Cliffside Park family's car, paralyzing their 2-year-old daughter, wasn't visibly drunk when he bought beer at Giants Stadium earlier that day, an alcohol expert told jurors Tuesday. (Click here for more)

January 9, 2005 - Inmate deaths increase Tulsa World At least 17 Tulsa Jail inmates have died since Corrections Corporation of America took over operations, four times the number who died in the jail the previous five years, a review by the Tulsa World has found. (Click here for more)

January 9, 2005 - Con moved after sex abuse claim Sunday Mail CLAIMS that a teenager with learning difficulties was raped in Scotland's private prison are being investigated. (Click here for more)

January 8, 2005 - Willacy considers hiring attorney to weigh lawsuit Valley Morning Star Willacy County commissioners will consider hiring attorney Ramon Garcia, Hidalgo County’s judge, to investigate whether there are grounds to sue companies involved in a federal prison project that paid kickbacks to two former commissioners.  (Click here for more)

January 8, 2005 - Commission OKs settlement of detention center assets with Cornell News-Bulletin The Valencia County Commission approved the settlement of assets with Cornell Companies as the final act of transferring management of the adult detention center to the county. (Click here for more)

January 7, 2005 - Some local ministers call for a more 'pastor-friendly' Tulsa Jail Tulsa World Current access to the inmates is criticized, but Sheriff Glanz says he would improve conditions. (Click here for more)

January 6, 2005 - Torrance eyes jail in Cibola Mountain View Telegraph San Miguel and Cibola counties need more inmates. Torrance County needs financial breathing room in its inmate incarceration fund. (Click here for more)

January 6, 2005 - Jail guards resign after sex charges Odessa American Two Reeves County corrections officers have resigned over sexual molestation charges. (Click here for more)

January 6, 2005 - No charges filed in death of inmate Charlotte Observer No criminal charges will be filed in the death last year of a 21-year-old Gaston County Jail inmate who collapsed in his cell and died of a seizure disorder. (Click here for more)

January 6, 2004 - Man says he was raped in Santa Fe Jail Albuquerque Journal A 31-year-old man who was arrested on prostitution charges on Cerrillos Road New Year's Eve has alleged that he was raped by an unknown assailant while in custody at the Santa Fe County jail early Sunday morning. (Click here for more)

January 5, 2005 - Ex-workers at prison to share in judgment Lexington Herald Leader More than 750 former employees of U.S. Corrections Corp. will share in a $20.7 million damage award because they paid too much for company stock, a federal judge said this week. (Click here for more)

January 5, 2005 - Jail cook admitted sex with inmate Sarasota Herald Tribune A cook at the county jail was arrested Monday after she admitted having sex with an inmate in a kitchen closet, sheriff's detectives said. (Click here for more)

January 4, 2005 - Judge: 'Forgiveness' rule covers official Odessa American Under Texas’ “Doctrine of Forgiveness,” Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo can’t be removed from office for acts he supposedly committed before his re-election in 2003, a district court judge has ruled. (Click here for more)

January 4, 2005 - Boot camp instructor convicted Arizona Republic Charles Long, who operated a tough-love boot camp in the desert near Buckeye, was convicted Monday of reckless manslaughter in the 2001 death of a 14-year-old camper. (Click here for more)

January 2, 2005 - Counties ask Ky. for jail help News Enquirer For years, Northern Kentucky's county governments have been trying to be heard. They want more money from Frankfort to house state prisoners in county jails. (Click here for more)

January 2, 2005 AP The number of potential private jail operators has more than tripled since officials shopped for someone to run the Tulsa Jail six years ago. (Click here for more)

January 1, 2005 - Former jailer faces prison sentence Del Rio News-Herald A former jailer at the Val Verde County Jail spent a night locked up there recently and faces up to 10 years in prison after he admitted to sheriff’s office investigators he smuggled marijuana into the jail to give to an inmate – for a fee of $30. (Click here for more)

January 1, 2005 - Trouble behind bars News Herald On the evening of Sept. 5, four inmates at the Bay County Jail broke free from their third-floor cells, subdued a guard and took four people hostage. (Click here for more)

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