convict

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Barbour's Pardoned Convicts Go Missing

Mississippi AG seeks 5 men who didn't meet clemency requirements

(Newser) - First, Haley Barbour issued a spate of controversial last-minute pardons ; then, a judge rejected a number of them , calling back five men who'd been released from prison. But the dust still hasn't settled: Those five men, convicted of murder and robbery, are nowhere to be found. The Mississippi...

Killer Loses Bid for Prison-Paid Sex Change

San Francisco court throws out suit by Lyralisa Stevens

(Newser) - A transgender California prisoner has lost a bid to force the state to pay for a sex change operation. Lyralisa Stevens, who was born male but lives as a woman, sued the state, demanding that the public fund surgery to remove her male genitalia , at a cost of as much...

Bank Robber Suspected in Bomb Plot Near Columbine

65-year-old Earl Albert Moore seen in mall security footage

(Newser) - The FBI suspects a paroled bank robber, still at large, planted a pipe bomb at a mall near Columbine last week , Reuters reports. Earl Albert Moore “is considered armed and dangerous and has an extensive criminal background,” the FBI said. The 65-year-old had been a “person of...

Why I Married a Murderer
 Why I Married a Murderer 
essay

Why I Married a Murderer

Columnist Amy Friedman fell for man during jail visits

(Newser) - We hear stories about women who write love letters to convicted murderers, women in love with inmates—pieces that label the women “crazy ladies.” The fact is, you don’t have to be crazy to marry a murderer, writes Amy Friedman in Salon . She should know: she did...

Convict's Suicide Plan: 'Be Bear Food'

Fugitive Tracy Province aimed to overdose on heroin, get eaten

(Newser) - An escaped convict wanted to end his life in a less-than-usual way: by overdosing on heroin in Yellowstone National Park and then letting bears eat him. But before he injected the drug, a voice told him not to do it. Instead, he tried to hitchhike to Indiana to visit family,...

Murderous Cons Hiding Out in Yellowstone

Two fugitives, fiancee may be heading to Canada

(Newser) - The remaining two murderous cons who escaped from an Arizona prison and their female accomplice are hiding out in Yellowstone Park, police believe. The trio likely fled to the area after one of the escapees murdered an older couple in New Mexico and stole their pickup truck, according to law...

Texas Inmate Made 70 Trips to Wal-Mart

He dyed uniform with coffee, shopped for cigarettes

(Newser) - A convicted burglar slipped out of prison in Texas to make a late-night run to Wal-Mart for cigarettes, then slipped back in. About 70 different times. The 19-year-old reportedly dyed his prison uniform with coffee so he wouldn't raise eyebrows at the store, reports the Austin American-Statesman . It also helped...

Facebook Deletes Pages of 30 British Prisoners

They were taunting families of victims

(Newser) - Facebook has pulled down 30 pages belonging to British convicts after the Justice Secretary complained they were using them to taunt their victims’ families. Jack Straw made the request after meeting with victims and said the profiles were down within 48 hours. One gangster said he could not wait to...

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

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

(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...

Vick Plays Early, Gets Standing O in Philly Debut

He plays QB, receiver in Eagles offense; protests muted

(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...

Vick Looks Solid in First Practice

(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...

Record 10% of US Convicts Serving Life

(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. Two-thirds...

Saudi Arabia Displays Beheaded Convict

(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 "...

US Prisons Leave Driving to Greyhound

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

(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...

Greek Convicts Stage Daring Prison Break—Again

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

(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...

Killer Talks Up Prison Time on Facebook

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

(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...

Aussie PM Gains Cachet From Thieving Ancestors

Preteen convict adorns Rudd's family tree

(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...

Peterson Blog Sparks Outrage
 Peterson Blog Sparks Outrage 

Peterson Blog Sparks Outrage

Infrequent posts discuss his 'wrongful conviction' and support

(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 "wrongful...

State 'Exports' Ease Prison Overcrowding —At a Cost

Inmates shipped to long-distance exile

(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...

Send Cons Home to Do Time, Says Paris Sheriff

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

(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...

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