Private Jobs Going to Prisoners: Elizabeth Prann of Fox News reports that American Apparel and American Power Source, which makes military uniforms in Alabama, will be losing their government contract and cutting many jobs in October. The positions of making military clothing will be going to Federal Prison Industries, also called UNICOR. The uniforms will also come with a 15% increase in price. FPI argues that the prisoners that work for them are 24% less likely to reoffend and 14% more likely to find log-term employment upon release.
Taxpayers to Fund Killer's Sex Change and Attorney Fees: Fox News reports that U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf has ruled that convicted killer Michelle Lynne Kosilek, born as Robert Kosilek, will have both his sex change and legal fees covered by taxpayer dollars. Wolf ruled in favor of Kosilek's claim that his 8th Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment was violated, making him eligible to have not only his sex change covered but awarded his attorney's fees. Kosilek's lawyers will submit their bill to the court Thursday. The Mass. Department of Corrections has until Oct. 9 to appeal the decision.
En banc Review of California's DNA Law: A February 23 decision by a divided Ninth Circuit panel upholding California's law allowing DNA testing of arrestees is being reviewed by an 11 judge en banc panel of the court. AP writer Paul Elias reports that the panel will hear oral argument from the ACLU Wednesday claiming that the testing of arrestees is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy and that the cold cases solved through DNA matches resulting from testing arrestees comes at the expense of civil liberties. The California Supreme Court has already agreed to review a state Appellate Court ruling which voided the law for violating the Fourth Amendment. Last April the Maryland Court of Appeals held that Maryland's DNA collection law was unconstitutional. A petition for certiorari seeking review of that decision is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. (See prior post.)
Taxpayers to Fund Killer's Sex Change and Attorney Fees: Fox News reports that U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf has ruled that convicted killer Michelle Lynne Kosilek, born as Robert Kosilek, will have both his sex change and legal fees covered by taxpayer dollars. Wolf ruled in favor of Kosilek's claim that his 8th Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment was violated, making him eligible to have not only his sex change covered but awarded his attorney's fees. Kosilek's lawyers will submit their bill to the court Thursday. The Mass. Department of Corrections has until Oct. 9 to appeal the decision.
En banc Review of California's DNA Law: A February 23 decision by a divided Ninth Circuit panel upholding California's law allowing DNA testing of arrestees is being reviewed by an 11 judge en banc panel of the court. AP writer Paul Elias reports that the panel will hear oral argument from the ACLU Wednesday claiming that the testing of arrestees is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy and that the cold cases solved through DNA matches resulting from testing arrestees comes at the expense of civil liberties. The California Supreme Court has already agreed to review a state Appellate Court ruling which voided the law for violating the Fourth Amendment. Last April the Maryland Court of Appeals held that Maryland's DNA collection law was unconstitutional. A petition for certiorari seeking review of that decision is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. (See prior post.)
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