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Reported and written by Fresno State journalists Sam LoProto, Damian Marquez, Angel Moreno, Jacob Rayburn, Brianna Vaccari, Liana Whitehead and their professor Mark Arax.
For the past six years, in an effort to cut costs, the Fresno County Jail has repeatedly denied mentally ill defendants the anti-psychotic medications prescribed to them by their outside doctors—medications needed to keep them sane.
As a result, according to Fresno County judges, former nurses, correctional officers, doctors, lawyers and the families of the defendants, the jail medical staff is triggering psychotic breakdowns in people suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The Fresno …[Read the details]
Boston Woodard
By Boston Woodard
A highly respected independent progressive recently returned to San Quentin. Peter B. Collins is an American radio host and media consultant from the San Francisco area. Collins spoke at San Quentin to about 30 prisoner writers.
Until 2009, Collins hosted The Peter B. Collins Show, which was “infused with dangerous San Francisco values like compassion, justice, and a living wage.” His show was based at KRXA in Monterey. Collins’ show continues on the Internet by means of listener-supported podcasts. He can also be heard on San Francisco’s KGO-AM intermittently.
Collins hails from Cincinnati, …[Read the details]
By Maria Telesco
Lynne Stewart is serving a 10-year prison sentence for the “crime” of effectively representing her client in a terrorism case.
If you were in serious trouble, maybe accused of terrorism, the best court-appointed lawyer you could hope for would be Lynne Stewart. A criminal defense attorney for more than 30 years, judges would often assign Stewart to represent those who were accused of crimes so outrageous that other attorneys wouldn’t touch them with a 10-foot pole.
Stewart has dedicated her life to defending the oppressed. Now, at age 74, her reward for a lifelong career …[Read the details]
By Jesse C. Gonzales
“Pintos” The tag or label pinto when referring to a current prison inmate has been handed down through the decades. Although of European roots, it has evolved in meaning to identify beyond jail or prison enclosures, the members of American society who have served time in prison. At one time, the term was used exclusively in the Southwest among the Hispanic/Chicano population to slur or profane the ex-offender upon his release into the community.
The term became so offensive and hateful that “pintos” often sought each other out as a method of support, and formed …[Read the details]
Boston Woodard
By Boston Woodard
California prisons are still plagued with numerous problems, and the state needs to take steps to solve serious issues, according to a recent protest rally at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) near Chowchilla opposing the living conditions at a women’s prison.
Rally speakers decried Gov. Jerry Brown’s claim that “the prison crisis in California is over” within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Julien Kiemle wrote in a commentary on the governor’s assertion, “Brown boasted that California has one of the finest prison systems in the United States. The mendacity …[Read the details]
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