Jezebel: Prison

'Lululemon Killer' Brittany Norwood Gets Life in Prison

Doug Barry — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:45:00 EST

Brittany Norwood, the woman who was charged last March with murdering her Lululemon co-worker Jayna Murray at the Maryland store where the two women worked, was found guilty this Saturday of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The March 11 murder occurred as the result of an argument between the two women that erupted after Murray, a then graduate student at Johns Hopkins Univeristy, caught 29-year-old Norwood stealing a pair of yoga pants. Norwood then attacked and killed Murray, delivering 330 blows with five different weapons to Murray's body. In attempt to cover up the murder, Norwood inflicted minor wounds on her own body, bound her limbs, and fabricated a story about two third-party attackers, which investigators believed for a few days before unravelling the truth. More »

Are Male Teen Sex Offenders Just Misunderstood Romeos?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

Parents of young men who have been busted and sent to jail for having sex with underage girlfriends are fighting anti-sex offender laws on their sons' behalf. Sex offender registry standards are unfair, they say, and enforcing statutory rape laws when the two people involved are just two kids in love is unjust. Is it? More »

Now You Can Get Married In A Haunted Prison

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:55:00 EST

Recently Ohio's Mansfield Reformatory hosted its fifth annual Glamour in the Slammer Bridal Show. About 500 people showed up to the most haunted former prison in the country, but if they're hoping to get married there they have a bit of a wait — the venue is already booked through the end of 2012. Operations Manager Susan Nirode explains the appeal, saying, "From the outside, it looks like a castle. On the inside, the Central Guardroom is just beautiful." (Presumably guests won't be roaming through the abandoned cell block, which is pictured above.) She adds, "It's just nice to see something that was once a dark spot in peoples' lives be turned into something bright. And we're not taking away from the history of the place." Plus, getting married at the Reformatory gives your guest an opportunity to spend the entire night making absolutely hilarious jokes likening marriage to being incarcerated. More »

Prisoners Threaten Legal Action Over Impending Porn Ban

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:15:01 EDT

Dozens of inmates have started a letter writing campaign against a new policy that would ban pornographic materials from inside Connecticut prison walls, and some have even threatened legal action. More »

Texas Teaches Death Row Inmates A Lesson: No More Last Meals

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EDT

Officials in Texas realized that they've been going way too easy on death row inmates, so they'll no longer be offering a last meal before execution. Lawrence Russell Brewer, who was convicted of the racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr., enraged State Senator John Whitmire by ordering this meal before he was put to death on Wednesday: More »

Non-White Lady To Marry Dude With White Supremacist Tattoos

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:35:00 EDT

Erica Herrera recently appeared on TV defending her fiancé. "He's a really kind-hearted, good person," Herrera told Salt Lake City's KTVX-TV. On August 8, Herrera plans to marry Curtis Allgier, despite the fact that he stands accused of killing a corrections officer. And despite the fact that Allgier's face is covered with tattoos, including swastikas, the words "Skin Head" and, um, "Property of Jolene." More »

Denied Gender Reassignment, Inmate Tries To Castrate Herself

Anna North — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:05:55 EDT

Ophelia De'lonta needs gender reassignment surgery. But the Virginia prison where she's an inmate won't pay for it. So she's been trying to do it herself. More »

Former Israeli President Sentenced To Seven Years For Rape, Sexual Harassment

Irin Carmon — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:02:18 EDT

Former Israeli president Moshe Katzav, who in December was convicted of two counts of rape, sexual harassment, committing an indecent act while using force, witness harassment and obstruction of justice, will serve seven years in prison and two year's probation. More »

New UK Guidelines Allows Transgender Prisoners To Wear Bras, Makeup

Sadie Stein — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:10:00 EST

Those prisons who fail to abide by the edict could face jail time. More »

Women Who Marry Prisoners Aren't Just "Crazy Ladies"

Anna North — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EST

Amy Friedman was married for seven years to a convicted murderer. Her account of their love shows why we shouldn't dismiss "those crazy ladies" who fall in love with convicts. More »

Alleged Cartel "Queen" Gets Botox In Prison, Maintains Youthful Visage

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:45:00 EST

So, you've been incarcerated in a Mexican prison for allegedly running an international drug cartel. That's no reason to have frown lines on your face! More »

Sisters Starting Over

Lauri Apple — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST

[Jackson, Mississippi, January 7: Gladys (left) and Jamie Scott wave during a news conference held after their release from prison. Their life sentences for armed robbery were suspended after Gladys agreed to donate a kidney to Jamie. Image via AP.]

Sisters Win Freedom In Exchange For Kidney

Anna North — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:42:00 EST

In an unusual deal, two sisters will be released from prison as long as one donates a kidney to the other. More »

Cross-Sex Strip Search Ruled Unconstitutional

Sadie Stein — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:08:00 EST

A strip-searches by a prison guards has been ruled unconstitutional after an inmate awaiting trial described his search at the hands of a female guard as "a humiliating event." More »

Prison Inmates Rescue Injured Kitten

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:15:33 EDT

After inmates at a prison in Gowanda, N.Y. freed a three-month-old kitten from a barbed wire fence, they gave him to the SPCA for treatment, then donated $1,000 to the organization. "Rocky" has been adopted by an inmate's family. More »

Prison Guards Make Lawyers Remove Their Bras

Anna North — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:33:00 EDT

Some Belgian lawyers allege that the "sensitive" metal detectors at one jail are just an excuse to get female visitors to take off their bras. More »

Being A Trans Woman In A Men's Prison

Irin Carmon — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:40:00 EDT

"There are already two strikes against you because you're black or Hispanic and gay or transsexual. They feel like they can do whatever they want to you, and many times they can." That's Kira, a transsexual, on her prison experience. More »

Detained American Hikers To Wed

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:40:00 EDT

Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, two of the American hikers being held in Iran on suspicion of spying, have just gotten engaged. According to their moms, Bauer proposed in the prison exercise area with a ring made from thread. [AP] More »

Widespread Sex Abuse At Juvenile Centers: "It's Not Something That We're Proud Of."

Sadie Stein — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST

A report released today reveals shocking levels of abuse at juvenile detention centers around the country: More »

A Peek Inside A Transgendered Prisoner's Cell

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:20:00 EST

During a Lockup marathon on MSNBC, one story featured an unlikely, touching story between two inmates at a maximum security prison: Terry, a transgendered MTF serving time for prostitution, and Clarence, a Crip serving life for first degree murder. More »

Shaniya Davis' Aunt Speaks Out • Teacher Sues After Slipping On Condoms

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST

• Carey Lockhart-Davis, aunt of murdered North Carolina 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, is furious that the alleged rapist and murderer is being treated decently in prison. She told the Early Show: More »

Polanski To Remain In Prison

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:20:00 EDT

Roman Polanski has lost his first bid for freedom. Swiss courts have just ruled that Polanski will stay behind bars. "We continue to be of the opinion that there is a high risk of flight," said a ministry spokesperson. [WWLTV] More »

Sherry Johnston To Serve Time For Oxycontin

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:20:00 EDT

Sherry Johnston, mother of aspiring model Levi, pled guilty in court on Wednesday to a charge of possession of Oxycontin with intent to deliver. The terms of her plea deal may place her behind bars for five years. [People, AnchorageDailyNews] More »

Iranian Protesters Assaulted In Prison • Women Bullied For Taking Maternity Leave

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EDT

• According to candidate Mehdi Karroubi, some protesters of the Iranian elections were raped in prison. Karroubi wrote: "Some young male detainees were raped [and] some young female detainees were raped in a way that have caused serious injuries." • More »

Women Who "Looked Gay" Segregated At Virginia Prison

Anna North — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT

A Virginia women's prison has come under fire for moving inmates to a special wing if they "had loose-fitting clothes, short hair or otherwise masculine looks." More »

Orobator And Mother Deny Prison Rape

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:20:00 EDT

The mother of Samantha Orobator, the pregnant Briton being held in a Laos jail for heroin smuggling, has denied that her daughter was raped. More »

Trapped Cat Begs For LOL Treatment • Orobator To Serve Sentence In UK

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:30:00 EDT

• Pictured at left is Casper, a very flexible cat that somehow managed to get himself wedged in a spare tire. Firemen spent an hour cutting Casper free, and he survived the incident unscathed. • More »

Recovering Otter Cuddles Teddy Bear • Russian Baby Born With Two Penises

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:40:00 EDT

• This poor otter was near death when Camilla Ravenshear found him wandering alone on the road. He is now feeling much better, and is now taking comfort in his new teddy bear friend. • More »

Retiree Builds Sanctuary For Cats • New Details Released In Fritzl Case

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EST

• Meet Craig Grant, founder of Caboodle Ranch. The 30-acre property is home to 500 unwanted felines. Using money out of his own pocket, Grant built an entire kitty-town, complete with lakefront cabins. • More »

"Modern Love" Provides A Helpful Post-Valentine's Reality Check

Sadie Stein — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

For anyone who's wondered about the psychology of women who fall in love with prisoners, this week's "Modern Love" tells us that it's sometimes like the psychology of any woman in love! More »

"They Dropped Off The Deep Edge": Women On Death Row

Anna North — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Debra Schaefer, warden at the SCI Muncy correctional facility in Pennsylvania, treats the inmates like she treats her children. "Some days I go in there and I feel like I’m a foster mother," she says — "the only difference is I show my children love." Debra is one of three women profiled in a Times of London piece on SCI Muncy. The prison has three people on its death row (including Shonda Walter, who drew the image at left and the one after the jump) and over 1,300 inmates — all of them female. Working with these women requires constant vigilance — inmates sometimes throw urine or feces, which may be infected with disease — but Debra and her fellow coworkers also develop a relationship with their charges that's both poignant and chilling. More »

Flavor Of Love

Maria — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:40:00 EDT

A prison in the Australian state of Queensland has a pulled out of a study comparing the sexual behaviors of prisoners after discovering that inmates were using state-distributed flavored condoms to sweeten their milk. (In the words of one Australian paper: "Ewww." ) [Times of India,Daily Telegraph] More »

A new report by Human Rights Watch called...

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:45:00 EDT

A new report by Human Rights Watch called "Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United States," found that blacks are arrested and imprisoned for drug-related crimes at a much higher rate than whites, although whites commit more drug offenses. According to the report, a black man is 12 times more likely to be sent to prison for a drug offense than a white man. A black woman is five times more likely to go to jail than a white woman. A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts also found that one in 15 black men are locked up in the U.S. compared to one in 106 white men. What's wrong with this picture? [Concrete Loop] More »

Prisoner 57

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EDT

Wesley Snipes was sentenced today to a whopping three years in prison for tax evasion. We guess those character-building testimonials he submitted from Denzel Washington, Woody Harrelson and Judge Joe Brown didn't carry so much weight. (Whose idea was it to get the pothead to keep him out of jail?) Neither did Snipes' defense for not paying taxes from 1999 - 2004: He didn't file returns because he "was personally not subject to taxation because he was a 'stateless person' or 'nonresident alien,'" or a 'nontaxpayer.' [ABC News] More »

Foxy Is Free!

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:50:00 EDT

Siberian Inmates Compete For Prettiest Prisoner

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EDT

"A woman should always be beautiful," says Natalya Khapova, 26 (pictured at left). "Not just outside the fence. Even if she's in here, she should show her beauty. A woman is everything gentle and wonderful - or she should be." The "fence" Khapova speaks of? The one separating her from the population at large. See, Khapova has six-and-a-half years left of her eight-year sentence for assault. She lives in an all-women's prison. In Siberia. Since 1990, the jail has an annual beauty pageant with its own rules and three categories: Greek Goddesses, Flower Gowns and "Imaginary Uniforms," which lets inmates design their ideal prison getups. Guards and unit chiefs judge the contestants on their appearance and creativity, crowning the winner "Miss Spring." Runners-up are "Miss Charm" and "Miss Grace". Russia has 35 women's prisons and the female incarceration rate is almost five times as high as Britain's. Half of the women at UF 91/9 are doing time for narcotics. Does that mean it's OK for them to play dress-up? More »

Angelina Jolie Backs The Troop Surge!?

Moe — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:30:53 EST

"As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq." From a thoughtful opinion piece written by...Angelina Jolie? Ummmm, does this mean she's joining her estranged dad in support of McCain? (Oh, and in case you were wondering, that's her with Gen. David Petraeus and some other broad earlier this month in Baghdad, where she supposedly did all the "observing" and "interviewing" she talks about in the column. ) [Washington Post]

Comfort Food: Great For Stress, Except When It's Not

dodai — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

Yum, here's a "no shit" study that hits the spot: Researchers have discovered that junk food lowers stress levels! Go get a cookie, we'll wait. So, yeah. University of New South Wales pharmacology professor Margaret Morris took lab rats away from their mothers as babies and divided them into groups. One group was on a "lard-laden junk food diet", including cakes, chips and pies. The other was on a low fat diet. Then all the rats went through different behavioral tests, like being exposed to really bright light. Apparently the fat rats weren't fazed by the glare, like, "Dude. It's kinda like, bright in here? Burp." And the thin rats were mega-tense; all, "OMG WTF! What is that?!??!" Anyway, there could be something for humans to learn from this about stress and appetite and why you eat high-calorie food when you're freaking out. Great, right? Except not so much if you're in jail. More »

Mo'Nique Makes Prison Look Kinda Fun

Slut Machine — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:40:00 EST

Last year, Showtime ran a special called Mo'Nique: Behind Bars, in which the comedienne performed at a maximum security women's prison. It's really fucking funny, more so because the ladies watching her — most of whom are in there as a result of a crime they committed because or for a man — don't get much entertainment, so they were having the time of their lives. Defamer Videographer Molly McAleer compiled the top eight moments. We dare you to try not singing "Diiiiiiiiiiiiick is good to me" after watching this. More »

The Department of Justice has released...

Jessica — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:45:00 EST

The Department of Justice has released a study showing that American women are being incarcerated at record high rates. "The female jail and prison population has grown at double the rate for men since 1980; in 2006 it increased 4.5 percent, its fastest clip in five years," says the New York Times. The rate of black women in the clink has declined, but rates for white women are on the rise. [New York Times] More »