cruel and unusual punishment

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It's Time to Push Back Against the 'Inhumanity' in Our Prisons
Don't Ignore the Suffering
in America's Prisons
OPINION
Sep 11, 2022 5:00 PM CDT

Don't Ignore the Suffering in America's Prisons

Writing for 'Philly Inquirer,' Cheryl Smith slams 'soul-chilling inhumanity' toward incarcerated

(Newser) - The Eighth and 14th Amendments are meant to prevent cruel and unusual punishment, as well as discrimination and unequal treatment—including for the incarcerated. But that's not what's being applied in America's prisons, Cheryl Smith writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer , where she lays out the "soul-chilling...

Man Documents 8K-Mile 'Ride From Hell' in Prison Van
Man Documents 8K-Mile
'Ride From Hell' in Prison Van
in case you missed it
Apr 1, 2017 5:48 PM CDT

Man Documents 8K-Mile 'Ride From Hell' in Prison Van

David Hastings suing company for cruel and unusual punishment

(Newser) - A man accused of violating a protective order for his ex-wife and kids (he admits he and his teen daughter exchanged Facebook messages) was extradited from California to Florida to face those charges—but David Hastings says his 15-day, 8,000-mile ride across 31 states was the "ride from...

La. Has Spent $1M So Far to Fight a Cooler Death Row

Experts say it could cost the same or less for AC to protect inmates from dangerous heat

(Newser) - The state of Louisiana's refusal to install air conditioning on death row has already cost taxpayers at least $1,067,000 in expenses fighting a lawsuit filed on behalf of three inmates with medical problems, according to records obtained by the AP . Meanwhile the state could spend roughly the...

Ohio Wants to Kill a Man Who Survived His 'Execution'

Lawyers say 2nd attempt to kill Romell Broom in Ohio would be unconstitutional

(Newser) - Six years ago, the state of Ohio tried to execute Romell Broom for raping and killing a 14-year-old girl. That execution was unsuccessful—making Broom the country's only survivor of a botched lethal injection, the AP notes. Now his lawyers are trying to prevent him from having to go...

'Delusional' Texas Inmate Gets 11th-Hour Stay of Execution

Attorneys had sought reprieve for 'delusional' Scott Panetti, who killed his in-laws

(Newser) - No one disputes that Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti shot his second wife's parents to death in 1992 to rid them of demons. Or that during his trial, he represented himself dressed in a purple cowboy costume and tried to get 200 witness subpoenas, including ones for JFK...

California's Death Penalty Ruled Unconstitutional

Federal judge says systemic delays amount to cruel and unusual punishment

(Newser) - A potentially huge ruling on the death penalty out of California: A federal judge says the state's system of capital punishment is so inept that California must stop killing inmates, period, reports NBC Bay Area . The decision by US District Judge Cormac J. Carney isn't about the ongoing...

What the Botched Execution Means for the Death Penalty

Pundits think this is a turning point

(Newser) - Last night's ugly, bungled execution of Clayton Lockett has many wondering about the future of the death penalty in America. By rushing to execute Lockett with secretive, untested means, Oklahoma "elevated a convicted murderer to a status he surely did not deserve in life," writes Andrew Cohen...

Iran Rolls Out 'Finger-Chopping Machine'

New device an attempt to quell protest: activist

(Newser) - After publicly hanging two muggers , Iran has released photos of an apparent finger-chopping machine used for punishing criminals. The four images show a convicted robber and adulterer losing a finger before he is sentenced to 99 lashes and three years in prison, according to state media. But he shows no...

UN Torture Chief: Manning's Treatment Cruel, Inhuman

Juan Mendez accuses US of cruel and inhumane treatment

(Newser) - The UN's torture chief has officially accused the US government of cruel and inhumane treatment of suspected WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, the Guardian reports. The agency's special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, investigated Manning's treatment for 14 months and found that Manning's 11-month solitary confinement was...

Prisoner Lawsuit: Soy Diet 'Cruel and Unusual'

Sex offender says cheap meat substitutes endanger his health

(Newser) - The low-cost, soy-based diet served in Florida's prisons amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, says a 34-year-old lifer who is suing the state, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Eric Harris, who was convicted for sexual battery on a child, says the cheap meat substitute is causing painful cramps and gas,...

Inmate Sues Michigan Over Prison's No-Porn Policy

Calls lack of smut 'psychological warfare against prisoners'

(Newser) - No porn in prison? That's against the Constitution—or so says one brazen bank robber in Michigan, who's suing the governor and the state over Macomb Country Jail's no-porn policy, calling it cruel and unusual punishment. In a five-page, handwritten lawsuit, the 21-year-old prisoner says not having...

Why Is Manning Being Forced to Strip Each Night?

It all started with a 'sarcastic quip,' his lawyer writes

(Newser) - Bradley Manning has been forced to sleep naked for three consecutive nights, his lawyer wrote yesterday on his website , and the practice is expected to continue “indefinitely.” The official reason? Manning is on “prevention of injury” watch and must strip nightly for his own safety. The real...

Manning Forced to Strip in Jail: Lawyer

He alleges prison mistreatment, calls it purely 'punitive'

(Newser) - Bradley Manning’s lawyer is accusing the military of mistreating his client, saying that he was forced to spend two days virtually naked in his cell after the Army placed him on suicide watch against the recommendation of the jail’s forensic psychiatrist. Manning was confined to his cell around...

Bradley Manning Is Being Tortured
Bradley Manning
Is Being Tortured
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 19, 2010 10:06 AM CST

Bradley Manning Is Being Tortured

Glenn Greenwald takes a long look at 'inhumane' detention

(Newser) - With so much attention focused on Julian Assange, it’s easy to forget about the plight of accused leaker Bradley Manning—who has now been imprisoned for seven months without being convicted of any crime. In an extensive Salon piece , Glenn Greenwald lays out the case for why he believes...

Female Inmates Sue Over Shackles While Giving Birth

Say they endure labor with arms, legs cuffed

(Newser) - Twenty former inmates are suing the Cook County sheriff's office alleging that they had to give birth while restrained with handcuffs and leg shackles, reports the Chicago Tribune . The practice is illegal, though a sheriff's spokesman says women are allowed to be restrained until labor begins, and they rely on...

Prisoner Sues Over Smoking Ban

It's 'cruel and unusual' punishment, con claims

(Newser) - You can take his freedom but you can't take his cigarettes, a British inmate is arguing in court. Jack Richard Foster is suing prison authorities, claiming they violated his human rights and imposed cruel and unusual punishment when they took away his tobacco for a week as punishment for swearing...

Uganda Won't Sentence Gays to Death

Death penalty is dropped from proposed new law

(Newser) - Uganda still views homosexuals as "repugnant," but it won't execute them or send them to jail for life because of their sexual orientation. Those two punishments are being dropped from an anti-gay bill being readied for parliament, the nation's ethics and integrity minister said. The government approves of...

Teens Sentenced to Life: Cruel and Unusual?
 Teens Sentenced to Life: 
 Cruel and Unusual? 
SUPREME COURT DOCKET
Nov 8, 2009 11:05 AM CST

Teens Sentenced to Life: Cruel and Unusual?

High court will address sentences for kid convicts who didn't kill

(Newser) - Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13. Terrance Graham, implicated in armed robberies when he was 16 and 17, was given a life sentence by a judge who told the teenager he had thrown his life away....

Court Refuses Davis Case; 'Too Fat' Cooey Executed

Decision opens path to controversial Georgia execution

(Newser) - The Supreme Court refused today to decide whether executing an individual backed by a strong claim to innocence violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The rejection paves the way for the execution of Troy Anthony Davis, accused of murdering a Georgia policeman....

Justices Deny 11 Capital Appeals

Court passes on death-row cases following ruling upholding lethal injection

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today dismissed appeals from 11 death-row prisoners in seven states, including three who received last-minute stays of execution last year; the result was no surprise 1 week after the landmark ruling upholding lethal injection in Kentucky, the New York Times reports. The earlier opinion held that the...

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