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Laredo attorney is Trial Lawyer of the Year

By John MacCormack
Express-News Web
Posted: 07/21/2010 12:38 CDT

A Laredo lawyer who won a $47.5 million verdict against one of the country's largest private prison companies over the beating death of an inmate has been named the 2010 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation. Ron Rodriguez received the award, which is bestowed annually in recognition of noteworthy legal victories in socially significant cases, last week in Canada. Four years ago, he represented the family of Gregorio de la Rosa of Laredo, who was killed in 2001, days before he would have completed a six month sentence in a privately run prison in Willacy County. At trial, Rodriguez argued that Wackenhut Correction Corp. officials condoned the fatal beating of de la Rosa by two other inmates, which was similar to other assaults at the prison. In 2009, the verdict was upheld on appeal.

Scott unveils economic plan

July 21, 2010

GOP front-runner Rick Scott unveiled his jobs plan Wednesday, his first major policy proposal in the race for the governor's mansion. The plan promises 700,000 jobs in seven years. (And it's seven steps, so it's called the 7-7-7 plan.)

“As governor, I’ll be Florida’s Job Creator-in-chief. I’ll be focused on putting Floridians back to work not securing my next political job and I’ll be accountable to taxpayers not beholden to special interest,” said Scott. “My 7-7-7 Economic plan will grow the economy, create jobs and increase wages.”

The seven tenets: Accountability Budgeting; Reduce Government Spending;Regulatory Reform; Focus on Job Growth and Retention; World Class Universities; Reduce Property Taxes; Eliminate Florida’s Corporate Income Tax.

Among the ideas: cut state employee workforce by 5 percent (saving $300 million); veto all pork barrel spending; "market-based salaries" for corrections staff; a freeze on all new regulations; reduce property taxes by $1.4 billion, but protect school funding; and eliminate the corporate income tax.

Posted by John Frank

Matt Puckett
Deputy Executive Director
Florida Police Benevolent Association

TN DOC Correctional Officer Stabbed in Serious Condition


Situation: Corrections Officer Stabbed

Time of Report- - 07.14.10 - 10:35:05 hrs EST

A correctional officer was stabbed by an inmate at Riverbend Maximum Security prison Tuesday night. It happened around 8 p.m. at the prison on Cockrill Bend Boulevard in West Nashville.
The correctional officer was taken to the hospital. He was alert when he was transported however it has been confirmed by hospital and department staff that the CO was in serious condition.
TDOC has not confirmed what kind of weapon was used but it was most likely a "shank".
Inmate suspected of the attack was placed into ADSEG while an internal investigation was being conducted.

Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI) opened in 1989 and replaced its 100 year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Even today, it's billed as one of the state's most high-tech facilities. RMSI, which is made up of 20 different buildings with approximately 320,000 square feet of operating space, sits on 132 acres located off Cockrill Bend Boulevard. Riverbend's designated capacity is 714 offenders. Of that number, 480 are classified as high risk.

In addition to housing the majority of the state's male death row inmates, Riverbend is also home to approximately 600 maximum and medium security inmates. The overall mission of the institution is to house and manage high-risk male offenders, including those sentenced to death, to ensure the safety of the public, departmental employees and inmates while providing rehabilitative programs.

Source: CORSPECOPS.Com | P.O. Box 5445 | Williamsburg | VA | 23188

Study: Privatizing prisons has questionable benefits
Friday, April 9, 2010 - South Florida Business Journal

Privatizing Florida’s prison system has done little to lower costs or reduce recidivism rates compared to prisons operated by the state, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy.

"Florida's experience with privatized prisons raises serious questions about whether the taxpayers are getting their money's worth," FCFEP Executive Director John Hall said in a news release.

Privatization gained momentum in the last 20 years, with six of the state’s 62 prisons run by two private companies – Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corp. of America (NYSE: CXW) and Boca Raton-based The Geo Group (NYSE: GEO).

Florida law requires that the use of private contractors to operate prisons must result in a cost savings of at least 7 percent over a state-operated facility. However, the report noted that the state uses a “complex and problematic process” to determine actual cost savings because of the difficulty in comparing public and private prisons.

The report notes that prisoners who are more costly to handle, such as those who are high security risks and those with extensive medical issues, are usually housed in public prisons. In addition, most of the public prisons were built a long time ago and don’t provide the kind of architectural advantages to supervision and custody that the newer, privately operated prisons do.

“Even the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability, which is charged in state law with determining cost savings, warns that its figures are problematic because of the difficulty in finding comparable public and private prisons,” the report notes.

Also, while private prisons are required to provide education, behavioral and substance abuse programs to help reduce recidivism, there is no data to indicate they work, the report states.

The report comes at a time when prison occupancy rates are on the rise. Florida has seen prison occupancy more than double between 1992 (47,012) and 2008 (98,192).

Florida’s rate of incarceration was 3.6 inmates per 1,000 residents in 1992 and 5.4 per 1,000 in 2008, according to the report.

The report concludes that several steps need to be taken, including an analysis by an objective research organization, to determine whether a prison should be operated by a private or public organization.

It also recommends that the procurement process be examined and that comparable cost information be developed, along with follow-up audits. Click here to read the full report.

 

CUSA's Buffie McFadyen appointed COLORADO's Speaker Pro Tem

Buffie McFadyenSTATE BILL COLORADO
There’ll be no Michael Bennet, out-of-the-blue style appointments for Colorado’s House speaker. Terrance Carroll today picked Pueblo Democrat Buffie McFadyen as speaker pro tem, succeeding Kathleen Curry, who affiliated away from the Democratic Party last week.

It’s a safe choice, based on a State Bill Colorado analysis published early today. To read that analysis, click here. As expected, Carroll elevated current agriculture committee vice chair Randy Fischer to the chairmanship, also previously held by Curry. In a second big appointment for Pueblo, Sal Pace was handed Fischer’s vice chair spot. Curry gets to keep her committee seats: ag and appropriations.

The speaker pro tem job technically is the No. 2 job in the House, but it has relatively few political duties and/or requirements and is seen as largely ceremonial. A bigger office is part of the lure. Bennet is the now U.S. senator whose appointment in early 2009 by Gov. Bill Ritter shocked Dem insiders.

REGIONAL: Somerset County, Md., bids for 1,500-bed federal prison

December 31, 2009

By Liz Holland / Staff Writer
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Somerset County officials could find out soon whether a proposed facility to house federal prisoners will be built on the Lower Shore or in North Carolina.
The announcement is expected sometime after the first of the year, said County Administrator Sam Boston.
"They’ve indicated it would be in early January,” he said.

If Somerset County is selected as the site for the facility, Community Education Centers Inc. of West Caldwell, N.J., will be awarded a contract for a 1,500-bed minimum security prison in Princess Anne. Another site in Winton, N.C., also is under consideration by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Education Centers has been working to get zoning and other approvals prior to the selection.

Last month, the proposed facility got green lights from two Somerset County boards, which granted rezonings, a special exception and a set-back variance on the 86-acre Miller farm on Market Lane just south of Princess Anne. The county’s Board of Zoning Appeals approved a request for a special exception for the proposed facility - something that is required because it would be a privately owned venture rather than a government prison.

The board also granted a variance to the set-back requirements. Also in November, the Somerset County Commission-ers approved the rezoning of the land with three conditions attached. If the conditions are not met, the land will convert back from an industrial zone to a combination of commercial and residential.

The facility proposed for Somerset County is designed as a minimum security prison. Inmates would likely be released near their homes or sent to re-entry programs, company officials said during public meetings in August. The proposal received positive feedback from most during public meetings last summer.

Corrections USA Demands Justice for Fallen Officers Family

Highland Hills, Ohio: William Hesson, a 39 year old hero-Correctional Officer, military personnel, and dedicated family man was murdered in the line of duty at Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility in Highland Hills, Ohio. He is the first officer to be killed during an assault in the 28 year history of the juvenile detention facility. His murder was the result of a severe beating at the hands of inmates.

The county and administration have added to the trauma of the family by refusing to pay any death in the line of duty benefits to his surviving pregnant spouse and three children. It is the administration's position that Officer Hesson had not served as a Correctional Officer long enough for his family to be entitled to these benefits.

Corrections USA Chairman, Jim Baiardi, called the actions of the administration despicable and incomprehensible. "When Officer Hesson was asked to wear a badge to protect public safety, he was never told that seconds, minutes, or days mattered, he was just told to do his job. Correctional Officers are heroes the minute they put on their badge. The Officers deserve to be treated as heroes and their families deserve to be compensated for their loss, regardless of how long the officer has been on the job. Officer Hesson died a hero, doing his job while protecting the public."

Corrections USA has vowed to provide assistance to the Hesson family and call on the administration and county government to do the right thing. They should take care of Officer Hesson's family because he paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life protecting the public. Corrections USA is spearheading a national campaign amongst Corrections groups to assist the family of Officer Hesson and to right this wrong.

Request for Assistance for Fallen Officer Family!

I received a request for assistance from Ohio. Correction Officer William Hesson, a 39 year old corrections officer at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Correctional Facility, recently lost his life during the performance of his duties. Officer Hesson tragically lost his life in the line of duty after being beaten to death by three inmates. He is survived by three children ages 18, 15, and 2 and his expectant wife due to give birth to his fourth child in September.

The Ohio Department of Corrections is not going to give this family any death benefits. Ohio DOC said the length of his employment was not long enough to qualify for death benefits. This is just plain wrong! Adding to the pain of this tragedy is the time it took to discover Officer Hesson's death. Correctional Officer Hesson was not found until 6 or 7 hours after the beating took place. This is the worst nightmare for a correctional family.

I believe we should assist this family. What does everyone else think?

Woody Groner,
National President Pride

Want to Help!

Donations can be sent to Bill Muncy:
Warthogs Rubber City, Chapter Treasurer,
1177 Woodland St., Hartville, OH 44632

Newspaper Article Concerning Officer's Death:
Offender charged with killing youth corrections officer at Highland Hills facility An 18-year-old from Erie County has been charged with the death of a corrections officer at a state youth facility in Highland Hills. William "Bill" Hesson, 39, died from a blunt impact to his abdomen that disturbed his heart rhythm, Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller said Friday. He ruled the death a homicide.

The youth kneed him in the area of the liver, said Michael Horn, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor in charged of the juvenile division. Horn said the April 29 assault took place in the laundry room at the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility. He said other youths were present, but that the suspect, who was 17 when the incident occurred, is the only one facing charges. Horn could not say what led up to the assault.

The youth, who was sentenced to the department after being found delinquent of gross sexual imposition, is charged with murder and felonious assault in Hesson's death. The charges require he be tried in adult court. He is already facing charges involving an assault on deputies during his sentencing in Erie County, when he threatened public officials and lunged for a deputy's gun, according to published reports and Erie County records. The 130-pound teen was shot with a Taser after wrestling with two deputies.

Leaders of the union that represents Hesson and other state civil service employees said they were saddened but not surprised by the coroner's ruling. "Unfortunately, this is what we anticipated," said Eddie L. Parks, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employee Association, which has blamed what it says is an increase in violence at Department of Youth Services facilities since the agency instituted reform measures. The reforms include the reclassification of more than 1,000 youths who are being transferred around the state to new institutions.

"You can't make the kind of major reforms DYS is making, then suddenly close an institution and move youth and staff around the system without experiencing some kind of disruption," he said. "This was a disaster waiting to happen." The union is calling on the department to slow down its massive reform efforts and transfers. Many of the moves were in preparation for the June closing of the Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility, which held many of the state's most serious youth offenders.

Union spokeswoman Sally Meckling said members have worked to help the reform effort but feel that the changes that benefit youths cannot sacrifice the safety of staff in the facilities. "Staffing issues are critical," Meckling said. She said staff members in some institutions are now dealing with more dangerous youths than before the moves and need more training. Meckling noted the assault of a corrections officer in an institution in Circleville this week by a youth who had been transferred from Marion.

Department of Youth Services spokeswoman Andrea Kruse said the agency is conducting an internal investigation to determine if procedures need to be adjusted. She said if changes are warranted to ensure safety, they will be made. "It just takes time to get all the details," she said.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: rdissell@plaind.com, 216-999-4121

Corrections USA Recognizes Two of It’s Own for Their Heroic Actions in Saving the Life of a Fellow Officer

Corrections USA, the National Voice of Corrections Professionals, is recognizing Correctional Officers Anthony Valasa and Anthony Sanchez of Monmouth County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s Office and has awarded them their Valor Award on this date. This award is given out yearly to the Correctional Officer/Officers who have acted bravely in the line of duty across the nation.

In November of 2008, Correctional Officers Valasa and Sanchez responded to an incident at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where a violent career criminal was attempting to murder a Correctional Officer Poplawski, who foiled his plot to escape.

Officers Valasa and Sanchez, with total disregard for their own well-being, interceded in the assault of Officer Poplawski, saving him from significant injury or death.

Corrections USA Chairman James Baiardi said: “The career criminal involved in this incident had a long history of violent assaults against the law abiding members of the community. Correctional Officers Valasa and Sanchez extraordinary heroism at the risk of their own lives, above and beyond the call of duty, was in keeping with the highest standards of their profession, and reflects great credit on them, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Officers in the USA.”

“Every year hundreds of Correctional Officers are the victims of violent crimes perpetrated by career criminals confined in this nation’s jails and prisons. And every year thousands of acts of heroism by these nations Correctional Officers go unnoticed by the public and politicians. As the National Voice for the Corrections Professionals, Corrections USA is duty-bound to educate the public about the most difficult and complex job in public safety”.

Corrections U.S.A. Urges Full Federal Funding to Reimburse States for the Costs of Incarcerating Criminal Aliens

Today, leaders of Corrections U.S.A. (CUSA), an association representing over 80,000 professional correctional officers nationwide, expressed disappointment at the Obama Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2010, which fails to properly fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).

CUSA is asking Congress to fully fund the SCAAP program in the Appropriation bill for 2010, as authorized in public law 109-162. The SCAAP program was enacted as part of the Crime Act of 1994, to ensure that state and local governments are not financially responsible for housing immigrants that enter this country and commit crimes in our communities. Criminal aliens place a huge burden on scarce state and local resources. It has been estimated that state and county governments face more than $16 billion a year in incarceration costs alone for criminal aliens. However, SCAAP has only provided between $250 million and $585 million in reimbursement funding annually from 1996 to 2006. These amounts are well short of the amounts paid by state and local governments and do not even come close to the amounts authorized for the SCAAP program under federal law.

According to CUSA Chairman Jim Baiardi “We are not asking for a government hand out. We are asking for the federal government to step up to the plate and reimburse state and local government for the costs associated with housing criminal aliens, as authorized under federal law. State and local resources need to be devoted to state and local responsibilities and not on paying the tab for failed federal policies.”

Approximately 110,000 criminal aliens are currently housed in state and local correctional facilities. Baiardi said criminal immigrants are sentenced to serve time in state and local correctional facilities for murder, rape, drug offenses, burglary, aggravated assault, and other crimes. They contribute to overcrowding, gang violence and a host of other problems that threaten the security and safety of correctional facilities and communities across this country.”

“We are overwhelmed at the state and local level with prison overcrowding, violence, understaffing, and escalating costs to run our prison systems,” said Baiardi. “If the federal government would do its job and prevent the illegal entry of criminals, this part of the problem would be solved. Short of that, we are asking the federal government to fully offset the costs of incarcerating these criminal aliens and allow state and local governments to use their limited resources addressing local priorities, instead of paying for failed federal policies,” Baiardi concluded.

CUSA joins IAWIC in Calling NY’s Training Manual For Female Correctional Officers Garbage; Commissioner Pulls Booklet From Training Program.

Today, the New York State Department of Correctional Services informed IAWIC and CUSA that the booklet entitled the “Orientation Handbook for Female Officers Graduating from the New York Department of Correctional Services Academy” is no longer being used in the State’s training program.  
 
Here is a sampling of the advice the booklet offered female correctional officers:

  • Women should avoid gossiping at work, being too bossy at home, and should eat ice cream to avoid burnout
  • Women shouldn’t use profanity “to be one of the boys.”
  • “The strong assertive role you play at work may not be appreciated by your friends or spouse.”
  • “Monitor your own behavior and eliminate flirtatious mannerisms while on the job.”

CUSA Chairman Jim Baiardi joined IAWIC President Tamara Bartel:  “These booklets are nothing short of an outrage and it is a slap to the face of every female officer in the world that New York’s Department of Correctional Services was distributing this garbage to women who risk their lives to keep the public safe from criminals.”

Female correctional officers, like all correctional officers, work in an extremely dangerous environment that is understaffed and overcrowded.  Added to the stress of being underpaid, overworked, assaulted by inmates with prison made weapons, and gassed routinely, female officers are subjected to poor management practices, discrimination, and harassment.

CUSA is committed to doing everything possible to support female correctionalofficers. For more information on the International Association Of Women In Corrections, please visit their website: http://www.iawp.org

Newsletter:

CUSA's "On The Tier" is the newsletter for CUSA members. For more information please Click Here.

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E-Newsletter:

CUSA's e-newsletter is a periodic electronic newsletter delivered to members via e-mail. For more information please Click Here.

  • CUSA October 2007 E-Newsletter

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    Assaults:

    There are no accurate statistics on the number of correctional officers assaulted by inmates. Some Department of Corrections do not keep records and others under-report. Correctional officers are routinely gassed, assaulted, injured, and sometimes killed in the line of duty.

    To see a glimpse of the dangerous environment we work in behind the walls, please read the following news accounts:


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