EDITOR'S CORNER

We kick off our legal focus with an interesting exploration of organ donations. As offbeat as this may sound, inmates in need of organ transplants are raising difficult questions that society and the corrections industry must soon face.

Do the sick have the right to be placed on a waiting list for something that can save their lives? Of course. But what if the infirmed is an inmate? What if that offender’s place on an organ donation list lessens the chance of someone who hasn’t committed a crime from receiving what they need to continue living? Finally, should society bear the burden of the offender’s costly transplant procedure? Now things get interesting.
Jim

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FEATURED STORY

The waiting list for life

By Ann Coppola

Should who you are determine what you get?

There are currently more than 98,000 people waiting for an organ donation in the United States. With so many individuals awaiting a life saving surgery, the thought of an inmate rising to the top of that list tends to strike a collective nerve among the American public. Allowing people serving time in prison access to the most complex and costly of medical procedures is a heated legal and ethical debate that is driving its way to the forefront of correctional policy issues.

“People say, ‘Why should a prisoner get a new heart when there are people in the free world who can’t?” says Dr. William Winslade, director of the Program for Legal and Ethical Issues in Correctional Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Winslade and a team of researchers are about to release a lengthy report detailing why prisoners should be eligible for organ transplants. Full Story

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READER FEEDBACK

Regarding Terrorism in corrections, a ticking time bomb, 11/7/07

As an ERT Team Leader and trainer, this article peeked my interest. As you may or may not know, Michigan is the home to the largest population of Arab people outside the Middle East. This could be translated to say we may have the largest population of incarcerated Middle Eastern people.

I know for a fact that we have at least one inmate at my facility that is in prison for what I see as a terrorist act; the inmate killed his best friend for being an infidel. His friend joined the U.S. Military to become a translator in Iraq. I am sure we have more examples of this throughout our system not only here in Michigan, but nationally.
Officer Scott Snediker, Macomb Correctional Facility, Michigan

This is certainly an issue that should not be ignored. If we learned anything from 9/11, it's that our very survival depends on us becoming more proactive in dealing with security threat groups. Prisons have become an environment that terrorists and gangs see as ideal for recruiting and planning. We must be proactive in dealing with them.
Deloris Glymph, SCDOC

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LOOKING AHEAD

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Focus Issues 2007 November Legal roundup/review of current cases December The corrections impact on the community We are currently accepting articles. Click here to submit your article Submit an idea for a focus issue

CORRECTIONS.COM FEATURE STORIES

Till death be there justice

When it comes to an issue as deeply divisive as the death penalty, the American Bar Association (ABA) is a surprising anomaly. The legal institution, with more than 400,000 attorneys as its members, does not take a position as to whether or not the United States should utilize capital punishment. Even though the ABA doesn’t have an answer to the question of “should we or shouldn’t we?” they certainly have an opinion as to how we are handling the issue. Full story

Gang Culture: From the Inside & Out

As the nation begins to become more proactive toward suppressing criminal street gangs, it is important to understand that street gangs within the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania region first emerged within the steel and concrete jungles of correctional facilities. The Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation, (ALKQN), originated in 1986 by Luis “King Blood” Felipe within New York’s Collins Correctional Facility. Full story

A taste of the Kiwi spirit

There are many things Americans might not know about New Zealand, like the fact that it was the last landmass on the planet to be discovered, or that it was first country in the world to grant women the right to vote, or even that the country’s inhabitants proudly refer to themselves as Kiwis, after the flightless bird with hair-like feathers native only to New Zealand. As rare as this knowledge may be in the United States, it’s probably rarer still to find an American with an understanding of how the New Zealand corrections system operates. Full story

BUSINESS NEWS

Bob Barker Company appoints Jeff Hale as Chief Operations Officer

Bob Barker Company recently announced the appointment of Jeff Hale to the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO). Jeff comes to the Bob Barker Company with more than 20 years of experience in operations involving purchasing, information technology, inventory control, distribution, manufacturing, transportation and logistics. More

Bob Barker Company appoints Greta Roach as marketing manager

Bob Barker Company recently announced the appointment of Greta Roach to the role of marketing manager. Greta will be responsible for developing marketing strategies and executing the production of the company’s extensive product catalog. More

Allen County Sheriff's Dept. signs 5-year phone contract with PCS

Public Communications Services, Inc. (PCS) a leading provider of inmate communications services to the corrections industry, is pleased to announce that Allen County, Fort Wayne Indiana Sheriff's Department has signed a 5-year contract with PCS for their inmate telephone services. More

CAREER WATCH

N.H. graduates thirty-six Thirteen COs and 23 non-uniformed employees graduated from the New Hampshire Department of Corrections’ academy program earlier this month. The 36 new hires attended an eight-week pre-service training, which included offender management, inter-personal communication, CPR, ethics, basic New Hampshire law, health and fitness, emergency preparedness, and other skills. Full story

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EVENTS

CISM: Advanced Group Crisis Intervention

Date: 12/4 - 12/5/07
This program has been designed to provide participants with the latest info on critical incident stress management techniques and post-trauma syndromes. More

Emotional Survival for Public Safety Personnel

Date: 12/10/07
This course addresses the dynamics of a public safety career. We enter as idealistic and committed employees and along the way have to find ways to avoid becoming cynical, angry and self destructive. More

The Problem Student Problem-Solver Workshop Phoenix AZ

Date: 12/13/ - 12/14/407
Got Problem Kids? Here's your Problem Student Problem-Solver Conference. You name the problems and this workshop delivers hundreds of immediate, problem-stopping answers. More

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"One reason I don't drink is that I want to know when I am having a good time."
- Nancy Astor (1879 - 1964), British politician

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