How Many Cigarettes for a Cell Phone?

Lyralisa Stevens sues for surgery to move to safer women's prison

(NEWSER) - A murderer is suing California, demanding the state pay for her sex change operation and move her from a men's prison to a safer women's prison. The state has provided Lyralisa Stevens, who lives as a female, with sex hormones since 2003 when she began a 50 year-to-life sentence for shooting a woman in a dispute over clothing. But officials say they are not responsible for financing and arranging an operation to remove her male genitalia. Stevens has had silicone injections in her hips and breasts, and is in constant fear of attack, according to the suit. "The male inmate is not expecting to see breasts in the shower next to him," wrote Stevens. More»

Calif. prison phone problem out of control, lawmakers say

(NEWSER) - California prison authorities are having a hard time keeping cell phones out of the hands of even the most notorious inmates. The number of phones confiscated in the state since officials started keeping track has jumped from 1,400 in 2007 to 8,675 so far this year, and prisoners who've had phone seized include Charles Manson. He made calls and sent texts to people in California, New Jersey, Florida, and British Columbia before guards found the LG flip phone stashed under his mattress the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Upholds federal panel's decision on poor prison conditions

(NEWSER) - In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has upheld a panel’s order that California release 46,000 inmates over the next two years to reduce overcrowding in state prisons. In 2009, a three-judge panel called on the state to reduce its prison population to 137% of capacity; overcrowding was resulting in poor medical care for inmates, which violated the Constitution, the panel said. The high court was faced with the question of whether the panel had the authority to issue such an order regarding state prisoners. More»

(NEWSER) - California violates inmates' constitutional rights by cramming them into overcrowded and unhealthy prisons, three federal judges ruled today. They ordered the state to reduce its inmate population of 158,000 by 43,000 over two years, the Los Angeles Times reports. No word yet on whether California will appeal to the Supreme Court, but the ruling might actually mesh with various inmate-reduction proposals being floated to help the state's shaky finances. More»

(NEWSER) - Some state lawmakers have proposed a novel solution for California's budget problems: sell San Quentin Prison, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Experts estimate the 435-acre site, picturesquely situated on a peninsula overlooking San Francisco Bay, could go for more than $2 billion. About half of that would go toward building a replacement prison—for some 5,300 inmates, including Death Row—and the rest could help stem the state’s ballooning budget gap. More»