Rough justice in America
Too many laws, too many prisoners
Never in the civilised world have so many been locked up for so little

Jul 22nd 2010 | Spring, Texas

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 July 2010 16.37 BST

Cuba has signalled that it will free all its political prisoners and let them stay on the island in a bold attempt to repair Havana's ties with the international community.

Senior officials said the recent release of 15 prisoners would be followed by dozens more and the dissidents would be free to stay, should they wish, or they could emigrate.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

OAKLAND, CA (KGO) -- The city of Oakland has agreed to pay out millions of dollars because of mistakes made by the police force. In some cases, those mistakes were outright lies.

The $6.5 million settlement is the result of lawsuits over cops who reportedly gave false information in order to get search warrants.

23 July 2010 Last updated at 19:13 ET

Ex-US judge pleads guilty to child prison scam
Michael Conahan Conahan received bribes from a for-profit juvenile detention centre after closing a county-run facility

Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan has pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge for helping put juvenile defendants behind bars in exchange for bribes.

He is accused along with former judge Mark Ciavarella of taking $2.8m (£1.8m) from a profit-making detention centres. Mr Ciavarella denies wrongdoing.

BP Hires Prison Labor to Clean Up Spill While Coastal Residents Struggle
Abe Louise Young | July 21, 2010

Texans wonder if they executed an innocent man
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 23, 2010 8:12 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- A Texas state board is set Friday to revisit questions surrounding a controversial 2004 execution, with supporters of the man's family warning the panel is trying to bury its own critical review of the case.

"...Olson said he was upstairs at the three-level duplex when he heard a pounding or kicking on the door.

“They said they were police officers, open the door, with a few expletives in there,” Olson said.

Kemp went to the doorway, engaged the officers in a verbal back-and-forth, yelling out, “Get a search warrant,” among other demands, Olson said.

Last Updated: Friday, July 23, 2010 | 8:38 AM PT
CBC News

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is demanding an explanation from the Vancouver Police Department after a surveillance video showed an officer pushing a disabled woman to the ground.

The video was taken at the beginning of the month on the sidewalk on Hastings Street, near the crowded United We Can recycling centre.

The woman, who has cerebral palsy, appears to brush an officer who is walking with two others.

"... lawmakers who wish to sound tough must propose laws tougher than the ones that the last chap who wanted to sound tough proposed. When the crime rate falls, tough sentences are hailed as the cause, even when demography or other factors may matter more; when the rate rises tough sentences are demanded to solve the problem. As a result, America’s incarceration rate has quadrupled since 1970... "

A police officer who was filmed pushing a man to the ground during the G20 protests will not face charges over his death. Ian Tomlinson, 47, died after being caught up in the clashes on 1 April 2009 in the City of London.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said there was no prospect of conviction because experts could not agree on how Mr Tomlinson died.

Full story here