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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: convict

convict stories: 13 news summaries

At 'Felony Franks,' Ex-Cons Serve Dogs to Wary Populace

Chicago food stand under fire for name trumpeting workers' checkered pasts

Oct 13, 09 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - A snarkily named hot dog stand has its up-and-coming Chicago neighborhood sizzling. Felony Franks employs ex-cons to sling hot dogs with names like the “Misdemeanor Wiener” and the “Cellmate” (two dogs). Step up to the bulletproof serving window and an employee will ask you to “plead your... More »

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Chicago • hot dogs • convict • incarceration • ex-cons • food stand • Felony Franks • wiener

Vick Plays Early, Gets Standing O in Philly Debut

He plays QB, receiver in Eagles offense; protests muted

Aug 27, 09 7:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Though there was a smattering of protesters both for and against Michael Vick, the convicted dog-killer got a standing ovation from the Philadelphia fans when he made his Eagles debut on their first offensive series of tonight’s exhibition game, the Inquirer reports. Vick lined up at quarterback and wide... More »

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entertainment • Michael Vick • Philadelphia • convict • Philadelphia Eagles • quarterback • NAACP • protesters • dog fighting • wide receiver

(Newser) - Michael Vick returned with his No. 7 to the football field today, running the scouts' offense in practice with the Philadelphia Eagles. How'd he do? Apparently, not bad for an ex-con: "His first toss ... was a little wobbler over the middle to Danny Amendola," notes the Eagles blog... More »

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NFL • Michael Vick • football • convict • salary • Philadelphia Eagles • Andy Reid • dog fighting

(Newser) - Almost 10% of prisoners incarcerated in the US are serving life sentences, an all-time high, the New York Times reports. In California, which maintains the nation’s highest prison population, that number is 20%, says a report from the Sentencing Project, a group that wants to eliminate life-without-parole sentences.... More »

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prison • United States • convict • criminal • prisoner • incarceration • life sentence

(Newser) - Saudi Arabian authorities decapitated and publicly displayed a convicted killer last night, drawing fire from Amnesty International, CNN reports. A state press agency said Ahmed Al-Shamlani Al-Anzi was sentenced for murdering an 11-year-old boy and his father. The Saudis likely sewed Al-Anzi's head back on before his display, or "... More »

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Saudi Arabia • King Abdullah • murder • convict • beheading • criminal • decapitation

US Prisons Leave Driving
to Greyhound

Convicts unescorted
in transfers; feds say there's little risk

Apr 28, 09 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Federal convicts regularly transfer themselves between prisons unescorted, riding public transportation without a guard in sight, WFAA-TV reports. Some 5,300 have switched prisons on their own since April 2006; 54,000 have headed to halfway houses. And in 2003-05, 77 escaped while en route. “It’s an inherent... More »

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travel • prison • convict • prison system • transportation • Bureau of Prisons • buses • Greyhound

Greek Convicts Stage Daring Prison Break—Again

Fugitives use helicopter to escape Athens facility, as they did in 2006

Feb 22, 09 2:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Two Greek criminals escaped the most secure prison in Athens for the second time, the BBC reports. Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizai fled the Korydallos prison after accomplices picked them up using a helicopter they landed on the building’s roof. The escape is similar to their 2006 breakout, when... More »

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prison • convict • Greece • fugitive • escape • criminal justice • criminal justice system

Killer Talks Up Prison Time
on Facebook

'No stress just rest,'
UK convict posts while serving life sentence

Feb 16, 09 11:23 AM CST
(Newser) - A murder convict jailed for life is enjoying his “holiday” behind bars—and shares the news on his Facebook page. His British prison is “a place where men can come for a nice relaxin break from their moanin women and crying kids. No stress just rest,” wrote... More »

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social networking • Internet • prison • murder • Facebook • convict • jail • Britain • Bill Maher Grid

Aussie PM
Gains Cachet From Thieving Ancestors

Preteen convict adorns Rudd's family tree

Jul 31, 08 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Australia’s history as a penal colony is no laughing matter, but some Aussies have come to appreciate, and even relish, their hardscrabble beginnings. Case in point: PM Kevin Rudd, whose family tree includes ancestors convicted of stealing sugar (in 1801) and underwear (in 1788). The release of some details... More »

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Australia • convict • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints • Kevin Rudd • genealogy • penal colony • ancestry

 Peterson Blog Sparks Outrage 

Infrequent posts discuss his 'wrongful conviction' and support

Jul 18, 08 7:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scott Peterson has a blog—of sorts. The death row inmate, convicted for the murder of his wife Laci and the fetus she carried, is posting his thoughts on a website set up by a Canadian anti-death penalty group, Radar reports. The occasional postings concern his appeal, his "... More »

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murder • appeal • convict • blog • death row • murder of the unborn • Scott Peterson • Laci Peterson

State 'Exports' Ease Prison Overcrowding —At a Cost

Inmates shipped to long-distance exile

Jul 31, 07 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - States struggling with prison overcrowding are exporting inmates across borders to serve terms in far-flung private institutions, the New York Times reports. Thousands of prisoners from Hawaii are held in Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Kentucky. California plans to send 8,000 prisoners out of state. Critics say the policy disrupts... More »

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prison • US states • convict • overcrowding • rehabilitation • jail

Send Cons Home to Do Time, Says Paris Sheriff

Give 2,000 inmates
the Hilton treatment, Lee Baca urges

Jul 12, 07 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - The sheriff who put Paris Hilton on mansion arrest is now championing a bill that would curb the overcrowding in California jails by sending thousands of other Los Angeles County inmates home to carry out their sentences. Some 2,000 low-level offenders would be tracked via ankle monitoring devices under... More »

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California • prison • police • Paris Hilton • Los Angeles • Lee Baca • LA County Jail • convict • prison system • overcrowding • jail

Pay-to-Stay Prisons Have a Lock on Style

No price on freedom, but cash buys kinder incarceration in California jails

Apr 29, 07 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Californians convicted of minor, non-violent crimes can pony up to stay in jail cells that look more like college dormitories, the New York Times reports. For $75 to $127 a day these in-the-know inmates are separated from violent offenders and, in some cases, allowed a cell phone, laptop, or iPod. More »

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California • prison • self pay jails • convict • prison system • jail

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