The revamped Rockefeller drug laws have let hardened drug dealers escape jail by claiming they’re marijuana addicts, the city’s top drug prosecutor says. The goal was to help addicts who sold drugs or committed petty crimes to support their habits, but Special Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said dealers with multiple convictions for non-violent offenses are taking advantage of the reforms. A Bloods member with two felony drug convictions was charged last October with overseeing a cocaine operation in a Brooklyn housing project. Instead of prison he’s in a drug treatment program f ... Jump to full article >>

Lawyers acting for Jack Richard Foster claim the staff at High Down prison, Surrey, breached their client’s human rights by submitting him to ”cruel and unusual punishment”. They argued that, as a tobacco addict and habitual smoker, he should have been given nicotine skin patches, chewing gum or some other means to satisfy his nicotine craving during the period the smoking ban was in force. Philip Rule, appearing for Foster, said at the High Court in London today the case also raised concern over the adequacy of the guidance given by Justice Secretary Jack Straw concerning th ... Jump to full article >>

A Massachusetts man allegedly preparing for “Armageddon” is facing charges of having a stockpile of weapons and explosive devices, police say. Acting on a tip from a friend of the man’s wife, members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Boston arrested 45-year-old Gregory Girard Tuesday night at his home in Manchester, the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times reported. Girard was charged with four counts of possession of grenade-type explosive devices — including tear gas and explosive pepper ball canisters — and four counts of po ... Jump to full article >>

The Corrections Association is open to the idea of a smoking ban in prisons but warns the move would come with risks. The idea is being discussed following reports a tobacco ban at a new prison in the Isle of Man has led to a huge fall in crime rates. Corrections Association President Beven Hanlon says a similar ban could work here. But he says it could also raise risks for staff with prisoners coming off nicotine, which is a drug. Hanlon says staff could also face increased pressure from prisoners to bring cigarettes in. He says while prisons are about rehabilitation, their first and foremost ... Jump to full article >>

Two Ohio inmates working at the governor’s mansion planned to use their position of trust to smuggle contraband into the prison, officials say. The plan was discovered through routine monitoring of inmate telephone calls, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Tuesday. Julie Walburn, a spokeswoman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said the two inmates are now in segregation at the Pickaway Correctional Institution, along with a third man who allegedly worked out the plot with a female friend. She has been banned from making prison visits. Walburn said officials do not k ... Jump to full article >>

A brand new prison is taking credit for the plummeting crime rate in the Isle of Man. But it is not the fear of being locked up that is making criminals think twice before stealing, fighting or trading in drugs. The prospect of being forced to give up smoking is apparently far more frightening. The £42million jail, which opened last year, is Europe’s only non-smoking prison. Inmates and guards are not allowed to smoke either in or outside the buildings. With just under 100 prisoners, there is plenty of room for more, with at least 40 cells empty. Man, already one of the safest places in Bri ... Jump to full article >>

A group of inmates at the South Dakota State Penitentiary wants the Department of Corrections to reinstate their right to use tobacco during religious ceremonies after it was taken away because of concerns about addiction and abuse. A federally recognized inmate group called the Native American Council of Tribes says the way the change was made constitutes a violation of their right to religious freedom, but it is unclear whether the group’s federal complaint will be allowed to proceed. “They would normally need to exhaust all the administrative remedies before a lawsuit can be hea ... Jump to full article >>

Prisoners and workers at the Department of Corrections are about to deal with a big change. The Department is banning tobacco use at its 37 facilities. In 1995, they banned the use inside buildings and that led to a riot by state prisoners in Lee County. This time they hope phasing it out gradually will ease inmates into the transition. The state prison system is following the lead of facilities like the Dougherty County Jail that has been tobacco free for 15 years and Lee County Jail that went tobacco free nine months ago. Prison leaders say it’s counter productive for inmates to give u ... Jump to full article >>

A former worker at an Illinois federal lockup is now headed to federal prison for lying to investigators about a behind-bars tobacco-dealing operation that earned him $35,000. In addition to six months in prison, 45-five-year-old Kenneth White of Centralia also was ordered Friday in East St. Louis to spend two years on supervised release after his prison time. White pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal officer. Tobacco is a forbidden contraband at the southern Illinois prison in Greenville where White worked. But between October 2006 and August 2007, White deliv ... Jump to full article >>

MONTREAL – The Correctional Service of Canada will appeal a ruling making it legal to smoke outdoors at federal penitentiaries. A group of 19 prisoners challenged a ban on smoking on the grounds of any federal penitentiary, which was put into force in May 2008. Last week, a Federal Court judge in Montreal ruled the ban violated the charter rights of the plaintiffs because smokers weren’t able to smoke either indoors or out. The ruling gave the government 90 days to revise its rules on smoking, but the appeal means the ban can stay in place for now. source: montrealgazette.com ... Jump to full article >>

The union representing prison guards says it will keep a close eye on what develops in the wake of a Quebec court ruling that lifted the total ban on smoking in federal prisons. Last week, the Federal Court lifted the 17-month-old ban outlawing smoking outside federal prison buildings after a group of 19 inmates imprisoned in Quebec challenged the ban. The prisoners stated in their claim that they had experienced assorted physical and psychological problems — including increases in stress, anxiety, aggressiveness and nervousness — as a result of the butt ban. Before the ban, three ... Jump to full article >>