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Suburban Chicago Couple Plead Guilty to Child Labor Trafficking and Are Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison
On April 28, 2023 CHICAGO — Two Aurora residents have pleaded guilty to two counts each of forced labor and have been sentenced to six and a half years in prison by a federal judge in Chicago. Per their plea agreements, between February 2019 and February 2020, SANTOS TEODORO AC-SALAZAR, 27, and OLGA CHOC LAJ,…
Read More10 Arrested in North Olmsted in Human Trafficking Sting – Sting Occurs as Man Investigated by Task Force in 2021 is Sentenced to Life in Prison
By Steve Irwin On May 12, 2023 (NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio) — On the same day that members of the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force arrested 10 men on sex charges in North Olmsted, a Lorain County man whom they investigated back in 2021 was sentenced to life in prison, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost…
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Immigrant who died in Louisiana ICE detention center had filed at least 29 grievances
By Bobbi-Jean Misick On July 13, 2023 In the months leading to his death in June, a 42-year-old man held in a privately run Louisiana immigration detention center submitted dozens of grievances alleging that he was refused medical care, denied access to his personal detention records and was subject to mistreatment and negligence by guards,…
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Texas prisons to phase out physical mail to reduce contraband despite advocate protests
By Sarah Asch On July 13, 2023 Advocacy groups say physical mail is an important part of contact between those behind bars and the outside world. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is planning to transition to a digital mail platform. The roll out will happen in phases starting next week. Once units switch to the…
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The Biden administration guaranteed attorney access for all migrant screenings. Most don’t have it
By Elliot Spagat On July 2, 2023 SAN DIEGO (AP) — As the Biden administration prepared to launch speedy asylum screenings at Border Patrol holding facilities this spring , authorities pledged a key difference from a Trump-era version of the policy: Migrants would be guaranteed access to legal counsel. Nearly three months and thousands of screenings later, the promise…
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Almost all Louisiana death row prisoners ask John Bel Edwards to spare their lives
By James Finn On June 13, 2023 Edwards recently said he opposes the death penalty and believes it should be banned in Louisiana. Nearly all of the 57 people on Louisiana’s death row have asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to spare their lives, a historic request made after Edwards broke his silence on how he views capital punishment and…
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Justice Department to investigate jail conditions in Georgia’s most populous county
By James Brumback On July 13, 2023 ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in Georgia’s most populous county, with officials citing violence, filthy conditions and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects. Investigators will look at living…
Read MoreGovernor Murphy Signs Bill Eliminating Public Defender Service Fees
On June 30, 2023 Continues Steps Towards Creating a Fairer Criminal Justice System TRENTON – In another monumental step for one of the most progressive criminal justice systems in the nation, Governor Phil Murphy today signed A5587/S3771, which eliminates fees, liens, and warrants issued for public defender services in New Jersey. Today’s bill signing not only…
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4 Reasons We Should Worry About Missing Crime Data
By Weihua Li and Jasmyne Ricard On July 13, 2023 The FBI’s crime data is still incomplete — and politicians are taking advantage. For more than 100 years, the FBI has been collecting crime data from local police departments across the country through the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which has been the gold standard of…
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