Private Prisons in the United States

twenty eight states and the federal government use private prisons to incarcerate 126,272 people in america. in 2000, private prisons incarcerated 45% less people. today's figure represents eight percent of the total u.s. prison population. 

states vary significantly in their use of private prisons. montana and new mexico have over 40% of their prisoners in private facilities. illinois and new york are two of 19 states in the united states with no private prisons.

the federal prison system leads the nation with the largest number of people, 34,934, incarcerated in private prisons. this number is expected to increase. despite former president obama's plan to phase out prison contracts, attorney general jeff sessions decided to renew the (current) department of justice's commitment to private facilities.

"the prison population decline in recent years provides an opportunity for new thinking about advancing justice and ensuring safety. streamlining this country's prison infrastructure, including terminating wasteful private prison contracts, should be an important part of this new strategy," said nicole porter, director of advocacy for the sentencing project in washington, dc. 

Trump Pardons Former Arizona Sheriff and Convicted Criminal Joe Arpaio

president donald trump on friday pardoned joe arpaio, the notorious former arizona sheriff. arpaio wilfully violated a federal judge's order by unlawfully detaining individuals his officers claimed might be in the country illegally.

arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt last month for violating 2011 order barring him and his office from detaining people solely based on his suspicions about their legal status. he proclaimed himself, "america's toughest sheriff." arpaio, 85, was scheduled to be sentenced october 5.

"throughout his time as sheriff, arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. sheriff joe arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, is worthy of a presidential pardon," said the white house in a statement.

arpaio's officers called latinos, "fucking mexicans," "mexican bitches," "stupid mexicans," and "wetbacks." a report by the u.s. department of justice's civil rights division in 2011 concluded arpaio and his officers engaged in racial profiling and unlawful policing. they also found latino drivers were four to nine times as likely to be stopped by his officers than non-latino drivers.

"with his pardon of arpaio, trump has chosen lawlessness over justice, division over unity, hurt over healing. once again, the president has acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and have been struck down by the courts. his pardon of arpaio is a presidential endorsement of racism," said cecilia wang, deputy legal director of the american civil liberties union.

normally, it can take a few years before a pardon is granted. the process is controlled by the justice department's office of the pardon attorney. background checks are conducted, character affidavits get notarized, federal prosecutors are consulted, letters are solicited and petitions are prepared as part of the arduous process.

but trump defiantly ignored the protocol. vanita gupta, the former chief of the justice department's civil rights division said, "if president trump uses his power to pardon a discredited law enforcement official who persistently engaged in illegal racial profiling of the latino community, it will not be a dog whistle to the so-called 'alt-right' and white supremacists, but a bull horn."   

     

Public comments are welcome on proposed Medical Marijuana regulatory changes in NY

starting wednesday august 23, and for the next 30 days, the public can make comments on the draft rules to make significant improvements to new york's medical marijuana program. the department of health wants to hear the voices of the community before they implement their initiatives.

some of the proposed changes would include:

allow more cannabis preparations, including chewable preparations, ground, whole plant (flower) cannabis and topical treatments.

reduce the burden on doctors by halving the length of the medical marijuana course from four hours to two.

revising unnecessarily onerous security requirements that drive up prices.

  

Michael Bennett and other NFL players are protesting the national anthem this season

seattle seahawks all-pro defensive end michael bennett has decided to sit during the national anthem for the upcoming football season. bennett, on sunday, during the team's preseason opener against the san diego chargers, sat alone to protest racial and social injustice.

bennett said he'd been considering protesting the national anthem for awhile. but the recent events in charlottesville, virginia - where a man drove his car, killed a woman and injured counterprotesters at a "unite the right" rally - fueled his decision to act with courage, faith and passion.

bennett said, "first of all, i want people to understand i love the military. my father was in the military. i love hot dogs like any other american. i love football, like any other american, but i don't love segregation. i don't love riots. i don't love oppression. i don't love gender slander."

"i just want to see people have the equality they deserve, and i want to be able to use this platform to continuously push the message of that, you know, and keep journeying out and keep finding out how unselfish we can be as a society," bennett said.

former san francisco 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem last season to raise awareness for mass incarceration, police oppression and racial inequality towards people of african descent. bennett's former teammate marshawn lynch sat during the national anthem of the los angeles raiders' preseason game sunday, but didn't say why.

rams defensive end robert quinn and eagles safety malcom jenkins raised a fist during anthems this week in protest of police brutality and police oppression. seahawks head coach pete carroll said he "plans to support bennett in anyway possible, " but also said, "we should all be standing for the national anthem." 

seahawks wide receiver doug baldwin said he "absolutely considered" joining bennett and supporting his cause. baldwin also said he plans to sit during the national anthem throughout the entire regular football season. 
  

Serena Williams Tops Highest Paid Female Athletes in 2017

tennis player serena williams (of the united states) is the highest paid female professional athlete in 2017. her total earnings of $27 million includes $19 million in endorsements and $8 million in prize money. listed below are the female athletes who comprise the top 10 this year:

#2 - angelique kerber, tennis player, germany: $12.6 million in total earnings; $7.6 in salary and winnings; $5 million in endorsements.

#3 - daniica patrick, race car driver, united states: $12.2 million in total earnings: $7.2 million in salary and winnings; $5 million in endorsements.

#4 - ronda rousey, ucf fighter, united states: $11 million in total earnings; $8 million in salary and winnings; $3 million in endorsements.

#5 - venus williams, tennis player, united states: $10.5 million in total earnings; $3.5 million in salary and winnings; $7 million in endorsements.

#6 - garbine muguruza, tennis player, spain: $7.7 million in total earnings; $4.2 million in salary and winnings; $3.5 million in endorsements.

#7 - caroline wozniacki, tennis player, denmark: $7.5 million in total earnings; $2.5 million in salary and winnings; $5 million in endorsements.

#8 - agnieszka radwanska, tennis player, poland: $7.3 million in total earnings; $3.3 million in salary and winnings; $4 million in endorsements.

#9 - eugenie bouchard, tennis player, canada: $7.1 million in total earnings; $0.6 million in salary and winnings; $6.5 million in endorsements.

#10 - simona halep, tennis player, romania: $6.2 million in total earnings; $4.7 million in salary and winnings; $1.5 million in endorsements.