Total Criminal Defense Blog

FresnoBee.com reports that an Italian man in a California prison for assaulting an ex-girlfriend has begun fasting to protest the health care he’s received in prison. The man claims he’s gotten insufficient treatment for hepatitis C, a potentially cancerous lungspot and spinal cord problems. Prison officials contradict his claims, but with prison crowding in the United States being what it is, it’s hard to know who to believe.

Inmates in Connecticut have reportedly contracted bladder infections after being denied regular access to bathroom facilities and recent reports show that more than 1% of the US population is now behind bars.

Since 1993, 120 Americans have been taken off Death Row because of DNA evidence that cleared them of the crimes they’d been found guilty of in court, according to an article released by the Associated Press. That number doesn’t include the many innocent people who have been convicted of crimes and freed from lesser sentences.

Last week, Marvin Anderson, who was cleared of charges against him after serving 15 years of a 210 year prison sentence, called for Attorney General Michael Mukasey to begin giving federal funds to state programs investigating cases for which DNA evidence has become available.

Though nearly $14 million was set aside ago by the federal government, that money has not yet seen its way to state programs aimed at investigating convictions involving new DNA evidence. Anderson, along with others who have been cleared of convictions thanks to DNA evidence, plan to speak out against this withholding.

Bobby Joe Helms, known in Florida as the “Hyde Park Rapist,” was cleared for release from civil custody months ago, according to tampabay.com. But he was only just recently released for good. After seven attempts to find Helms suitable housing arrangements, he found a place to stay in Melbourne, FL.

The first place that rejected Helms was a trailer park that housed several other sex offenders. But the management rejected Helms after learning how extensive his criminal record was.

Basically, Helms ended up spending three extra months in custody because of his difficulties finding a place to live. And he isn’t the first. Because sex offenders have very limited options for living and working (proximity to a school or other children’s gathering place is often a consideration), reentering the community successfully can be a challenge. And people who have been convicted of a variety of crimes frequently face difficulties finding legitimate work once they’re released.

A Columbus, OH robbery was thwarted last week when the would-be robber raised his voice a little too high, reports MSNBC.com. Keith Sturgill entered a Wendy’s restaurant with a gun and threatened employees and patrons while waiting for the contents of a safe.

When an employee’s phone rang, Sturgill shouted that he would fire his gun at anyone who answered. What he didn’t count on was that the employee’s headset was voice-activated, and was triggered by his aggressively loud voice. The caller overheard the commotion and called the police.

Sturgill surrendered shortly after police circled the restaurant. He was on parole for a rape and robbery in 1993, and is being held in jail.

Two inmates in the most secure part of an Elizabeth, New Jersey prison escaped this week and are currently at large, reports the New York Times. The convicts, 32-year-old Otis Blunt and 19-year-old Jose Espinosa, dug away at the mortar surrounding a cinderblock, removed that cinderblock, and wriggled through the hole. They then jumped from the roof over a fence and made their way to freedom.

If this sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen “The Shawshank Redemption,” in which Tim Robbins plays a character who does exactly that. And here’s the kicker: Blunt actually attempted a similar getaway in September of this year!

After his first escape attempt, he was placed in a more secure cell but, apparently, it wasn’t secure enough. Now, I’ve never run a prison myself, but I would think that, given Blunt’s record for attempting to escape by chiseling through walls, oh, I don’t know–SOMEONE WOULD HAVE MONITORED THAT.

The two men have not been found, and investigators are broadening their search area in hopes of catching the men, whom they believe to be still in New Jersey.

And they say you can’t learn anything from watching movies.

After a 90-minute hearing in Virginia Monday morning, Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison after being found guilty of financing a dogfighting ring and assisting in the execution of dogs that didn’t fight aggressively, reports CNN.com.

The 27-year-old Vick was one of the best-paid NFL players, but is now on the brink of financial ruin and facing state charges related to dogfighting in addition to his federal charges. The state charges, all felonies, could mean up to five more years in prison if he’s convicted.

In addition to the criminal charges, Vick is facing millions of dollars in debt for various loans and credit lines, since the Atlanta Falcons are trying to collect some of the bonus money he made on his ten-year, $130 million contract.

The former quarterback agreed to pay $928,000 for the care of the 54 pitbulls found on his property. He turned himself in last month to begin serving his sentence early.

David Glaspie of Oxford, Indiana was recently elected to the position of member-at-large on his town’s council, reports the Lafayette Journal & Courier. But, thanks to two felony convictions from 1993 (for intimidation with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness), he may never get a chance to serve.

The application to run for office contains specific questions about prior convictions, but Glaspie says he was advised by unnamed sources that, because his convictions were irrevelant at the local level, he shouldn’t worry about including them. Now, though, local councilmen are expressing concern about his criminal past.

One councilman suggested that Glaspie should not only be denied his seat on the town’s council, but dismissed from his job with the town’s street and sewer department. No mention was made of any behavior during Glaspie’s employment that would lead to such a termination.

The town of Oxford is in an uncomfortable situation, since the deadline to contest the election has expired and Glaspie is technically ineligible to serve.

In New Jersey, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) devices have proven successful for tracking sex offenders after their release from prison, according to an article on nj.com. The use of GPS devices to track sex offenders has gained popularity in the past few years; New Jersey’s program has has been in place since October, 2005.Of the 124 offenders currently monitored by GPS devices, only one has been connected with a sex crime since release from prison. In states where GPS is not used, the average re-offending rate is 15%, reports show.

Only 19 of the 124 monitored offenders have been conneceted to crimes of any sort–including violations of the terms of the GPS monitoring–since the program was instituted. According to officials from the Parole Board, these results make the use of GPS devices a success story.

Reports indicate that Malcolm Kysor, a 53-year-old man from Erie, PA escaped from a Pennsylvania prison on Sunday by hiding himself in a trashcan. Kysor’s absence was discovered Sunday evening, after he was apparently carted away with the garbage.

Another convict allegedly helped Kysor escape by concealing him in trash bags and assuring his container landed on the truck.

Kysor had been serving a life sentence since 1988 for a murder committed in the early 1980s. The last time a convicted murder escaped from the prison was in 1999.

Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Terrye Cheathem has developed a new line of greeting cards, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. But hopefully, you won’t need to buy one of them on an annual basis.

Her cards are specifically designed for the recently incarcerated, reports indicate. So now you can find the perfect way to say you care to the criminals who have been taken out of your community. The cards, which range from purely sympathetic to apolegetic (for not visiting someone in prison, presumably), have apparently not been selling very well.

Who would have thought Americans didn’t want to celebrate getting arrested?