Christie Thompson

How Bureaucrats Stand In The Way Of Releasing Elderly And Ill Prisoners

Prisons are struggling to cope with the growing number of elderly and ill inmates incarcerated in the U.S., yet many are unable to secure an early release.

December 05th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

How Bureaucrats Stand In The Way Of Releasing Elderly And Ill Prisoners

Former inmate Veronica Barnes had three years left to serve in federal prison when she found out in January 2011 that her husband John was dying of pancreatic cancer. Doctors said it was inoperable. They gave him less than a year to live. Barnes worried who would look after her children, who were four and five years old at the time. A social

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California Hunger Strike Raises Issue Of Force-Feeding On US Soil

Of the prison inmates now hunger-striking in California, none have yet been force-fed, but if they are, it won’t be without precedent.

July 17th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

California Hunger Strike Raises Issue Of Force-Feeding On US Soil

More than 12,400 inmates across California have been fasting since Monday, to protest solitary confinement and call for improved prison conditions. The strike, involving roughly two-thirds of the state’s prisons, is one of the largest in California

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To Cope With Sequester, The Justice Department Staffs Unpaid Attorneys

The Department of Justice currently employs 96 unpaid attorneys in U.S. attorney offices across the country.

June 28th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

To Cope With Sequester, The Justice Department Staffs Unpaid Attorneys

The Department of Justice has an opening for what could be a dream job for many newly minted lawyers: serving as a special attorney in the Office of Enforcement Operations. Among other responsibilities, the new hire could be helping the Electronic Surveillance Unit review

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The Best Stories On The Government’s Growing Surveillance

Following the revelation of the NSA’s access to Verizon users’ data, here are some equally damning reports that came out in the past few years.

June 07th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

On Wednesday, the Guardian published documents revealing the government has been collecting months’ worth of telephone “metadata” on millions of Verizon customers.

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Billions Proposed for New Border Security: Where Would the Money Go?

Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high—and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week, would allocate $4.5 billion in the next five years to tighten control of U.S. borders. The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement agencies last fiscal […]

April 29th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high—and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week,

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Six Claims About Detainee Torture — Skewered

Among the news that ended up being buried in the events last week: A nonpartisan think tank, the Constitution Project, released a scathing, 577-page report on the U.S.’s treatment, and torture, of detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The investigation began in 2009, after Obama opposed creating a “truth commission.” With a Senate investigation of detainee treatment still classified, the […]

April 23rd, 2013

By Christie Thompson

Among the news that ended up being buried in the events last week: A nonpartisan think tank, the Constitution Project, released a scathing, 577-page report on the U.S.'s treatment, and torture, of detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The investigation began in 2009, after

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Are CA Prisons Punishing Inmates Based On Race?

In several men’s prisons across California, colored signs hang above cell doors: blue for black inmates, white for white, red, green or pink for Hispanic, yellow for everyone else. Though it’s not an official policy, at least five California state prisons have a color-coding system. On any given day, the color of a sign could […]

April 12th, 2013

By Christie Thompson

In several men's prisons across California, colored signs hang above cell doors: blue for black inmates, white for white, red, green or pink for Hispanic, yellow for everyone else. Though it's not an official policy,

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