The PA DOC Monitor

If anyone can assist the individual below please contact him, us, or the inmate directly.

"In May 2009 my fiancee was granted parole from SCI-Muncy and the board of parole to go to renewal in Pittsburgh. On June 19 she was transferred to SCI-Cambridge Springs for holding until her June, 25 release date. On the 24th, one day before her release, they told her that would not be leaving tomorrow, claiming that she did not take a required class. So just like that a holding prison takes away her parole and release date.

Below is a letter concerning an inmate with mental illness who is allegedly not receiving proper care. If anyone can assist this individual please contact us or the inmate directly.

"Hardy Lloyd Doc #101182 is currently at the allegheny county jail on
detainer due to a probation violation. He has been diagnosed with Autism,
Asberger's syndrome. The Allegheny County Jail put him in DHU detention housing and he did nothing wrong in the ACJ to be placed in the hole. Due to his mental illness he can not handle being in the hole yet they keep him there. "

I am writing this letter on behalf of the thousands of men and women who are currently incarcerated within the PA DOC. The advertisement I read said the purpose of your website was to re-evaluate the direction of the PA DOC. I would say it is pretty obvious that it is all about warehousing inmates. If it weren’t then they would be doing something more to release those who have completed the recommended programs and who have remained free of misconduct. Currently, the DOC rarely gives their support for parole.

U.S. prisons are too punitive and often fail to rehabilitate, but targeting prisoners' behavior, reducing prison populations and offering job skills could reduce prisoner aggression and prevent recidivism, a researcher told the American Psychological Association on Saturday.

"The current design of prison systems don't work," said criminal justice expert Joel Dvoskin, PhD, of the University of Arizona. "Overly punitive approaches used on violent, angry criminals only provide a breeding ground for more anger and more violence."

By Maia Szalavitz
Time Magazine

Parents have always warned teenagers against falling in with the wrong crowd, those kids they consider bad influences. Now a new study of juvenile detention in Montreal adds to the evidence that Mom and Dad may have a point.

By Bill Mears
CNN Supreme Court Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former death row inmate in Tennessee has been cleared of murder, three years after the Supreme Court raised repeated questions about his conviction.

State prosecutors on Tuesday asked a judge to drop all charges against Paul House, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to die in 1986. Special Judge Jon Blackwood accepted the request.

While we try to address reader mail, it's not quite so easy. While we realize it's impossible for inmates to use the Internet, we'd like to encourage many family members or other readers to submit their requests and information on-line. It is much easier for us to work electronically. You can send any info to editor@pa-doc-monitor.org.

Published on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 by TruthDig.com
by Amy Goodman