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US Food Chain Rides Heavily on Backs of Prison Labor
US Food Chain Rides Heavily
on Backs of Prison Labor
INVESTIGATION
Jan 29, 2024 1:17 PM CST

US Food Chain Rides Heavily on Backs of Prison Labor

Major companies are making bank off forced labor: AP

(Newser) - In a sweeping two-year investigation, the AP found that goods linked to the forced labor of US prisoners wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products, from Frosted Flakes cereal and Ball Park hot dogs to Gold Medal flour and Coca-Cola beverages. They're on the...

UN Experts Call to Stop Alabama Inmate's Execution

Independent monitors with group are 'alarmed' nitrogen gas will be used to execute Kenneth Smith

(Newser) - An Alabama inmate's scheduled execution by nitrogen gas later this month, which would be the first-ever execution by this method in the US, is now receiving pushback from the United Nations. The Guardian reports that four independent UN monitors have issued a joint statement on the plan for Jan....

Solitary Confinement Is No More in NYC

NYC Mayor Eric Adams vows to veto City Council's ban on practice some call akin to torture

(Newser) - Lawmakers on Wednesday banned most instances of solitary confinement in New York City, over the protests of the city's mayor. The City Council's 39-7 vote greenlit the ban, which allows for inmates to be placed in isolation for "deescalation" purposes for no more than four hours at...

Venezuela Hands Over 'Fat Leonard' in Prisoner Swap

Former defense contractor is central figure in massive Pentagon bribery scandal

(Newser) - This file is updated throughout with new details. The US freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who is at...

Inmates Sue Alabama Over 'Modern-Day Slavery'

Current and former prisoners say the state is illegally profiting from their work

(Newser) - Current and former inmates announced a lawsuit this week challenging Alabama's prison labor program as a type of "modern-day slavery," saying prisoners are forced to work for little or no pay in jobs that benefit government entities or private companies. The class-action lawsuit also accuses the state...

Ex-Prison Transport Officer Admits Raping Detainees

Marquet Johnson faces maximum sentence of 30 years under federal plea deal

(Newser) - A former prison transport officer has pleaded guilty to raping detainees and will face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison under a plea deal. Marquet Johnson, 44, admitted that he raped two detainees while working for private prisoner transport company Inmate Services Corporation in 2019 and forced a...

Lawyer Accused of Bringing More Than Papers to Jail

Ronald Lewis, 77, is accused of smuggling drug-laced documents to inmates in Texas facility

(Newser) - A good attorney will have your back as you navigate all the legalities of your case. An even better attorney knows that "having your back" doesn't translate to sneaking narcotics into the facility where you're incarcerated. That's exactly what lawyer Ronald Henry Lewis is accused of...

Family: He Died in Prison Assault Weeks Before Release

Relatives say Daniel Williams was essentially kidnapped by inmates, though warden in Alabama claimed overdose

(Newser) - Daniel Terry Williams, serving a 1-year sentence for second-degree theft, was due to be released from Alabama's Staton Correctional Facility early this month. Instead, he left two weeks early because he'd been beaten so badly that he was brain dead, according to family, who claim he was tortured...

With Less Than 5 Hours to Go, Texas Court Halts Execution

Victim's sister asked state to spare the life of William Speer

(Newser) - Texas' top criminal appeals court stopped Thursday evening's scheduled execution of an inmate who had been condemned for killing another prisoner more than 26 years ago. The victim's sister and religious leaders had recently asked authorities to spare the life of William Speer, 49. His attorneys had asked...

Inmate's 'Relentless' Meth Operation Gets Him 27 More Years

Mexican gang member David 'Toro' Zavala is busted for running drug distribution from prison

(Newser) - A Mexican gang member already serving time in Georgia just got hit with a lot more time for distributing methamphetamine from behind bars. The Athens Banner-Herald reports that 30-year-old David "Toro" Zavala, who federal agents say is a known member of the Surenos 13 gang, received his additional prison...

Inmates Win $2K Each After Jail's Ivermectin 'Cocktail'

Arkansas prisoners received antiparasitic drug, which wasn't FDA-approved for COVID, in 2021

(Newser) - Five inmates at an Arkansas jail received a small settlement last month after being given ivermectin to treat their bouts with COVID. The Washington Post reports that the detainees involved in a lawsuit against Fayetteville's Washington County Detention Center were each awarded $2,000, in what ACLU Arkansas calls...

Massive Operation Clears Out Prison Run by Inmates

Venezuela's Tocoron prison had its own zoo, nightclub

(Newser) - Venezuela's government has congratulated security forces on clearing out a "center of conspiracy and crime"—the notorious Tocoron prison. The BBC reports that 11,000 security personnel took part in the clearing of the prison, which had been run by inmates for years and functioned more as...

How Prison Escapee Danelo Cavalcante Was Captured

Thermal heat technology, a US Border Patrol dog were key

(Newser) - The hunt for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante in Pennsylvania came to a close on Wednesday morning, with Chester County authorities announcing his capture in a broadcast radio call made at 8:18am. "I'm proud to announce the subject is in custody. Repeating, subject is in custody," said...

US Frees Up $6B in Frozen Iran Funds in Prisoner Swap Deal

Arrangement advances to free 5 Iranian prisoners in US in exchange for 5 American prisoners in Iran

(Newser) - Five American citizens detained in Iran are now set to be released, after the Biden administration agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States. Per the AP , the next step in the deal also included the US issuing a waiver to banks around the world to allow...

Murdaugh Lost a Lot of Prison Privileges This Week

Inmate can't use phone, tablet, or prison canteen after participating in Fox docuseries

(Newser) - Imprisoned double murderer Alex Murdaugh just lost his cell phone, tablet, and canteen privileges for breaking prison rules to participate in a Fox Nation docuseries. Murdaugh—a former high-profile lawyer who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the June 2021 killings of his wife, Margaret, and their...

Cops: We Found Escaped Inmate's Survival Cache

Murder suspect and survivalist Michael Burham thought to still be in woods near Warren, Pa.

(Newser) - Authorities believe they've found a hidden stash of supplies used by Michael Burham, a murder, kidnapping, burglary, and arson suspect who escaped from a Pennsylvania jail a week ago. A bag containing food, clothes, and "other materials that someone might need if they were trying to exist in...

'Please Call 911 Immediately If He Is Spotted'

Authorities say 'dangerous' homicide suspect Michael Burham broke out of Pennsylvania prison

(Newser) - Authorities were searching Saturday for an inmate described by police as "very dangerous" who escaped from a jail in northwestern Pennsylvania using bedsheets, officials said. Michael Burham was last seen wearing a blue denim coat from the Warren County Prison, white and orange pants, and orange shoes, Warren police...

Report: Ghislaine Maxwell Is the 'Prison Karen'

She's said to have made more than 400 complaints while behind bars

(Newser) - In the appeal of her conviction for helping Jeffrey Epstein traffic and sexually abuse underage girls, Ghislaine Maxwell complained of "inhumane" conditions inside the low-security prison in which she's serving a 20-year sentence. Now, a source is revealing more about what she finds so cruel, including standard-issue pillows...

Notorious SC Killer Cleans Up Her Act—With Eye on Parole

Susan Smith, who drowned 2 sons in 1994, will face a parole board in November 2024

(Newser) - Susan Smith was in her early 20s when she told police that a Black man had stolen her car, with her two young sons inside. Actually, she'd let her car roll into a lake, drowning the boys still strapped in their car seats. She was sentenced to life in...

This Is Among Worst Cases of Jail Abuse in US History: Suit

Family alleges Alabama man 'froze to death' while restrained in jail's walk-in freezer

(Newser) - The family of an Alabama man who died in police custody alleges he "froze to death" after he was restrained for hours in a jail's walk-in freezer. Anthony Mitchell, 33, was held at the Walker County Jail for 14 days before he was taken to a hospital on...

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