Tag: prison

 Trans-Identified Male Who Strangled His Mother to Death Serving Sentence in Women’s Prison with Mother-Baby Unit

A trans-identified male serving a 22-year sentence for the violent murder of his own mother was quietly transferred into a minimum-security Illinois women’s prison with a mother-baby unit. John Wesley Finnegan began calling himself “Hannah Dagny” in 2014, approximately five years into his prison term, and was transferred to Decatur Correctional Center within the past five years.

Finnegan pleaded guilty but mentally ill to strangling his mother in 2008. After entering his plea to first-degree murder, the then 20-year-old Finnegan was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Prosecutors said 43-year-old Mary Finnegan was found dead at her home on Friday, July 24, 2008. Her other son, David, found her body, which had been stripped naked and wrapped in bed sheets. The murder had occurred sometime the day before when John Finnegan entered his mother’s room, found her sleeping, and “swiftly killed her emotionlessly,” according to Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons. Lyons told the court he was quoting from a statement Finnegan gave to law enforcement.

Lyons noted that Finnegan claimed to have been in a “peculiar” incestuous sexual relationship with his mother that had been ongoing for about four years, and that Finnegan told investigators he had had intercourse with his mother the day before he killed her.

Keep reading

ACLU Files Motion to Have Even More Male Convicts Moved to Women’s Prison After Securing Transfer of 4 Trans-Identified Male Killers and Sex Offenders

At least four trans-identified male convicts were transferred into an Illinois women’s prison after being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Now, the ACLU is requesting that the court issue an order prohibiting those men from being transferred to Menard Correctional Center, the state’s largest maximum security male facility, and demanding that an additional group of men in Menard be offered a transfer to a women’s prison.

For nearly a decade, the Illinois ACLU has acted as legal counsel on behalf of a group of male criminals who claim to be transgender, of whom at least four have been confirmed by Reduxx to be currently housed at Logan Correctional Center – a women’s facility.

In January 2018, the ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit against Department of Corrections (DOC) officials on behalf of six male inmates requesting a transfer to a women’s prison. In legal documents, all of the men were identified by a feminine alias: Andre C. Patterson, or “Janiah Monroe”; Eric D. Padilla, or “Lydia Helena Vision”; Diego R. Melendez, or “Marilyn”; Jordan Kuykendall, or “Sora”; Fadell Reed, or “Sasha”; and Gregory Stamps, or “Ebony.”

The initial suit, Monroe v. Rauner, accused then-mayor Bruce Rauner and DOC Director John Baldwin of “cruel and unusual punishment,” an eighth amendment violation, for not providing the convicted criminals with feminizing hormones.

The complaint argues that “the IDOC systematically fails to provide necessary medical treatment for gender dysphoria… Among other common and medically necessary treatments, IDOC routinely fails to provide adequate hormone therapy and to accommodate social transition so that a prisoner can live consistently with his or her gender identity.”

It continues: “And while gender affirming [genital] surgery also is medically necessary for some patients with gender dysphoria, IDOC has adopted a policy that such surgery can be approved only in ‘extraordinary circumstances,’ which in practice means that IDOC never has approved any prisoner for surgical gender dysphoria treatment.”

The suit has been ongoing for the past eight years. Earlier this year, the ACLU filed a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent the DOC from ever transferring Padilla, Patterson, Kuykendall, Melendez, or Reed from being transferred to male prison Menard.

Keep reading

‘More Horrific Than Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo’: The Unsalvageable Depravity of Israel’s Prisons for Palestinians

On June 19, 2024, Khaled Mahajneh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, became the first lawyer to visit a notorious detention facility for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, located inside the Sde Teiman military base in the Negev Desert, one of several detention facilities established after October 7, 2023 to hold Palestinians seized in Gaza.

Speaking to +972 Magazine a week after his visit, Mahanjeh drew a pertinent comparison with the treatment of Muslim prisoners in the US’s post-9/11 “war on terror”, but concluded that Israel’s behavior was even worse.

“The situation there is more horrific than anything we’ve heard about Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo”, he said, adding, “I have been visiting political and security detainees and prisoners in Israeli jails for years, including since October 7. I know that the conditions of detention have become much harsher, and that the prisoners are abused on a daily basis. But Sde Teiman was unlike anything I’ve seen or heard before.”

Mahajneh “was initially approached by Al Araby TV, which was seeking information about Muhammad Arab”, also identified as Mohammed Saber Arab, “a reporter for the network who was arrested in March while covering the Israeli siege of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.”

Keep reading

Prison Staffers FIRED After Illegally Breaking Into Maxwell’s Attorney-Client Emails and Handing Them to Rep. Raskin — Who Then Leaked the Stolen Material to Media Under a Fake ‘Whistleblower’ Label

Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney, Leah Saffian, has confirmed that multiple federal prison staffers have been FIRED for illegally breaking into Maxwell’s privileged attorney-client emails, emails that were then leaked straight to Democrat Congressman Jamie Raskin, who blasted them to the media like political propaganda.

Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, apparently believes his lofty position as a former law professor grants him the license to trample on the Bill of Rights.

By leaking Maxwell’s privileged correspondence to the media, he’s not just undermining the legal process, he’s trampling her constitutional rights, including the First Amendment’s protection of confidential communications, the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of effective counsel, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of due process that applies to every American, inmate or not.

According to Saffian:

  • Prison employees at FPC Bryan broke into Maxwell’s email system
  • They stole confidential attorney communications
  • They passed them to a federal official—Raskin
  • Raskin then leaked them to the press under the fake label of ‘whistleblower’

According to the press release:

“The release to the media by Congressman Raskin (Dem., Maryland), of Ms. Maxwell’s privileged client-attorney email correspondence with me is as improper as it is a denial of justice.

Congressman Raskin is a Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, an attorney and law professor. He must be aware that his conduct undermines the whole legal process. His action should be a matter for professional disciplinary action.

There have been appropriate consequences already for employees at Federal Prison Camp Bryan. They have been terminated for improper, unauthorized access to the email system used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to allow inmates to communicate with the outside world.

The provision of those emails to a federal official who then caused them to be shared with the media is a breach of constitutional protections including the First, Sixth and Fourteenth amendments afforded to all prisoners.

Dressing the improper action up as ‘Whistleblower Information’ does not mitigate the fact that the mails were both illegally obtained and put to unconstitutional purpose. It is clear that no effort to fact check the credibility or veracity of the so called “whistleblower” was made by the Representative or his offices. For Rep. Raskin to seek to make political capital from such publication and from the content of personal emails between Ms. Maxwell and a family member is both shocking and reprehensible.”

Maxwell’s attorney directly called out Raskin for falsely implying Maxwell was angling for a pardon.
That was a lie.

Saffian said Maxwell has never sought a pardon. She has not asked Trump or anyone else to intervene. Her petition is about exposing misconduct, not seeking clemency.

Keep reading

Unmasked, the most prolific sex offender in British history who raped HUNDREDS of boys in paedophile ring ‘involving a magistrate and police officer’- at borstal where abuse of 2,000 victims was covered up

Britain’s most prolific sex offender was able to rape and torture boys at a borstal where abuse was ‘ignored and dismissed’ by the prison service, police and the Home Office. 

Neville Husband led a reign of terror where he and other staff systematically raped and abused hundreds of young men and boys who they were supposed to be helping.

A damning report released today lays bare the horrors which took place at Medomsley Detention Centre – where Husband worked as a caterer – in County Durham between 1961 and 1987.

The report today brands Husband – who died in 2010 – ‘possibly the most prolific sex offender in British criminal history’. 

The scale of offending would surpass even the likes of Jimmy Savile, with the prison ombudsman’s investigation revealing that the ‘voracious’ sexual predator would often target two or three young men every day during his 16 years at Medomsley. 

More than 2,000 young men and boys say they were sexually and physically abused at the former Victorian orphanage over nearly three decades. 

And the appalling crimes were covered up to such an extent that Husband was even given the Imperial Service Medal for his role in prison services and was welcomed into a church as a minister.

Victims also claimed they were taken to a ‘posh house’ to be abused by Husband and several other men. One claimant said the magistrate who sent him to Medomsley was present at the house. It is alleged a local serving prison officer was also involved in the abuse. 

The scathing report from the Prisons Ombudsman, Operation Deerness, unearthed the ‘widespread physical and sexual abuse’ at the facility, which was fuelled by ‘a familiarity with violence’ towards young offenders.  

From the moment detainees arrived at the centre, they were physically abused and introduced to the ‘short, sharp, shock’ punishment that became embedded as practice at the facility.

Keep reading

China Tops US With The World’s Biggest Prison Population

America has one of the world’s largest prison populations, with an estimated 1.7 million people in confinement.

Going further, America’s incarceration rate is the fourth-highest in the world. Despite being a developed economy, its prison population is more than double that of Russia, India, and Brazil combined.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the countries with the most prisoners, based on data from the Prison Policy Initiative.

Keep reading

Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy to be released from prison less than 3 weeks into 5-year sentence

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be released from prison and placed under judicial supervision, a Paris appeals court ruled Monday, less than three weeks after he began serving a five-year sentence over a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.

Sarkozy, 70, was expected to leave Paris’ La Santé prison in the afternoon.

He will be banned from leaving the French territory and from being in touch with key people including co-defendants and witnesses in the case, the court said. An appeals trial is expected to take place later, possibly in the spring.

Sarkozy became the first former French head of state in modern times to be sent behind bars after his conviction on Sept. 25. He denies wrongdoing. He was jailed on Oct. 21 pending appeal but immediately filed for early release.

Keep reading

Judge Orders Bureau of Prisons to Provide Sex Change Surgery to Transgender Pedophile Inmate

A federal judge has ruled that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must provide sex change procedures to a convicted pedophile who recently began identifying as transgender.

Brian Buckingham, 47, is serving more than 21 years in prison for sexually abusing his 10-year-old son and producing child sex abuse images. Shortly before sentencing, Buckingham began identifying as “Nani Love” and claimed to be female, Reduxx reported. 

In court filings, Buckingham claimed that being unable to access previously provided “gender-affirming” treatments, like hormone therapy, had worsened his depression and suicidal thoughts, The Post Millennial reported. Attorneys for Buckingham argued the sex change procedures were “medically necessary” to treat gender dysphoria and that denying Buckingham access to them is a violation of his Eighth Amendment rights.

Magistrate Judge David Christel ruled in September that Buckingham is “likely to succeed” on his claim that the BOP’s denial of sex change procedures is cruel and unusual punishment. In his ruling, Christel cited evidence that the BOP first acknowledged Buckingham’s requests for sex change procedures but then “discontinued them without reason.” 

Christel’s recommendation was ultimately adopted by U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez who ordered the BOP to provide consultations to Buckingham within 30 days for laser hair removal, facial feminization surgery, and voice therapy. 

Keep reading

Prosecutor Who Exposed Sde Teiman Rape Video Missing After Netanyahu Calls It ‘Israel’s Most Dangerous Attack’

Israeli police have launched a search for outgoing military prosecutor Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, who admitted leaking a video showing Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian hostage at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility in the occupied Negev.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Yerushalmi has been missing for several hours. Police found her car abandoned near a Tel Aviv beach early Sunday morning. Israel Hayom reported that she left a farewell letter inside the vehicle, while Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, said she also left a suicide note at her home.

A senior police source told Haaretz there are serious concerns for her life.

The disappearance comes a few hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the video leak as “the most dangerous propaganda attack in Israel’s history.”

Speaking at Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the footage caused “massive damage to Israel’s image, its army, and its soldiers.” He called for an independent investigation into the leak, which has deeply shaken Israel’s political and military establishment.

The leaked video shows Israeli soldiers torturing and raping a Palestinian hostage at the Sde Teiman base, often referred to by Israeli activists as a “human slaughterhouse.” The recording, from July 2024, spread widely online, sparking outrage abroad but mainly panic within Israel’s leadership over reputational damage and the risk of international prosecution.

Following the leak, right-wing activists, including several Israeli ministers, stormed the base to show support for the soldiers, who committed the assault, denouncing their arrest and framing them as heroes.

A Haaretz investigation published Sunday revealed that Yerushalmi, who was dismissed last week by Defense Minister Israel Katz, had for months avoided launching probes into incidents in Gaza that could constitute war crimes.

Military correspondent Yaniv Kubovich reported that Yerushalmi deliberately froze several sensitive cases due to threats and incitement from Israel’s far-right circles following her involvement in the Sde Teiman affair.

“She felt threatened and stopped making decisions out of fear of personal attacks,” a senior army source told the paper.

Among the cases she ignored was the killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in Deir al-Balah in April 2024. An internal field investigation found that the strike violated operational orders, but Yerushalmi chose not to refer it to military police.

A reserve officer told Haaretz that Yerushalmi also refused to open investigations into the killing of 15 medical staff members in Gaza in March 2024, despite documented evidence and calls from inquiry committees.

According to sources quoted by Haaretz, Yerushalmi had received direct threats at her home and workplace.

Keep reading

Supreme Court STRIKES DOWN mandatory jail for child exploitation

Reaction has been swift and angry after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the one-year mandatory minimum sentence for possessing or accessing child-sexual-abuse material. In a narrow 5-4 decision, the court ruled the punishment unconstitutional, calling it cruel and unusual under the Charter.

Conservative justice critic Larry Brock called the decision “a disgusting and cruel insult to victims,” warning it will weaken deterrence for child-sex offenders and further erode confidence in the justice system. Critics say the ruling reflects a court increasingly out of touch with public safety concerns.

Also, Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms president John Carpay joins Marc Patrone to warn that Canada’s endorsement of the World Health Organization’s new pandemic regulations hands power to unelected foreign officials and undermines national sovereignty. Carpay also sounds the alarm over Ottawa’s latest surveillance and censorship bills, calling them “a roadmap to a police state by Christmas.”

Plus, the Bank of Canada confirms the country is in recession. Tiff Macklem warns of falling living standards, and Prime Minister Mark Carney returns from South Korea empty-handed after failing to secure any progress on China’s trade tariffs.

Keep reading