Legislation signed by Governor Josh Shapiro will limit the circumstances under which a non-violent offender on probation can be sent back to jail and limit the length of probation, the Associated Press reports for WHYY. The legislation drew criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the law doesn’t fix the problems that plague Pennsylvania’s probation system and will do little to reduce the number of people under supervision. The bill also prohibits courts from extending someone’s probation … Read the rest
On July 28, 2023, in response to three separate fires at Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”) locations in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of an inter-agency fire safety working group. The Fire Safety Working Group, to be comprised of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Public Service, and the Department of … Read the rest
The Adnan Syed murder case in Maryland illustrates systemic problems in the American criminal justice system.
A March 28, 2023 decision by the Appellate Court of Maryland (previously the Special Court of Appeals of Maryland) continues the horrific saga of injustice that Syed has endured since his arrest for the murder of an 18-year-old high school student, Hae Min Lee, in Baltimore in 1999.
What happened in 1999?
Lee’s body was discovered in a shallow grave on February 9, 1999, … Read the rest
The commercial bail bond industry exploits the U.S. legal system to earn billions of dollars in profits while providing little benefit to the public, charges the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI).
Calling it a “broken system…in which bail bond companies extract money from defendants and waste court resources without providing meaningful services in exchange,” PPI, a nonprofit think tank which researches corrections, said the system was too entangled with state regulators, legislators and the courts to be fixed through reforms.
“Rolling … Read the rest
Groups have called for a system that monitors fatal allergic reactions in the United Kingdom to receive continued support.
The British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI) is leading the request for additional funding for the UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Registry (UKFAR). Anaphylaxis is a serious, and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
In 2020, BSACI and Manchester Foundation Trust received a one-off grant of £100,000 ($ 116,000) from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to support the Fatal Anaphylaxis Registry.
Fiona Rayner, BSACI … Read the rest