Prisons

The attorney representing incarcerated women filmed while being strip-searched will appeal their lawsuit after it was thrown out of court. The case involves incidents at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

No matter who you are or where you come from, building a happy, successful life and career will present its fair share of challenges. Now imagine taking on that task having just been released from prison. It can be daunting and overwhelming. A Brighter Way is an Ypsilanti-based non-profit that provides support and mentorship to returning members of our community. Organization deputy director LaQuan Hill joined WEMU's David Fair to share his story of imprisonment, release and working the path to a better future. Now, he's dedicated to passing along the lessons he’s learned to others in search of "A Brighter Way".

Nine incarcerated men at the Washtenaw County Jail now have high school diplomas or GED’s. They are the first graduates through a program with the Sheriff’s Office and the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

It’s now easier for jail inmates in Michigan’s largest county to get IDs upon release. Colin Jackson has more.

It’s been more than a year since Manchester resident Paul Whelan returned home after being imprisoned by Russia on what he and U.S. officials call bogus espionage charges. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor talked to Whelan about his experience and difficulties assimilating back into the U.S. since his release.

The University of Michigan arts program, or the post-incarcerated Linkage Community, is going independent. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

A Michigan Department of Corrections report says the rate of repeat offenders being returned to prisons is at an all-time low. We have more from Rick Pluta.

A state House committee voted along party lines Wednesday for a bill to blunt the effects of a Michigan Supreme Court decision. The ruling says 19- and 20-year-olds cannot be automatically sentenced to life-without-parole. Rick Pluta has more.

Corrections departments across the country are seeing an increase in the use of contraband cell phones and, subsequently, a direct correlation to an increase in organized crimes in prisons. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor chats with MDOC Director Heidi Washington about calls for state legislation to pass signal jamming technology to detect and disrupt contraband cell phone use in correctional facilities.

The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on whether the state’s felony murder standard is constitutional. We have more from Rick Pluta.