Yury Kalinen, Russia’s deputy justice minister who has been harshly criticized by human rights groups and the media, has been fired by Russian President Dimtry Medvedev, with no reason provided in the announcement. Kalinen is widely considered to be the man who created a prison system noted for its violence and lack of respect for the justice system. A dozen top prison officials were fired in November 2009 by the president after a Moscow lawyer died in prison while awaiting trial. Kalinen was chief of the prison system from 2004-2009.
Links to other sites: Moscow Times, Ria Novosti
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Canton Geneva will get 500 new prison places, chiefly by building extensions near the existing prison facility, the two cantonal government ministers in charge of institutions and construction and information technology announced 15 September. The canton is set to increase the number of prison places from 440 today to 940 by 2017. In part this reflects the increase in the general population since the 1970s.
Convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff, widely reported 24 August to be dying of cancer in prison, is not being treated for cancer and is ot!! close to death, US Bureau of Prisons officials have told Reuters.
Update 4 April Prisoners in Zimbabwe are dying from malnutrition and disease due to lack of supplies and inhumane conditions, reports a documentary by the South African Broadcasting Association, released Tuesday 31 March. It shows images of men too emaciated to stand or bring food to their mouths. “Zimbabwe is undergoing an humanitarian crisis, with a dearth of food for the majority of the country’s population, a collapsed economy and uncontrolled inflation,” says Al Jazeera, which features the Zimbabwe prison story, saying that “the prison service remains low on the [new unity government's] list of the priorities.” Its article includes an interview with a government official whose calls the prison situation “desperate.” Ed. note: the broadcast is not available for Internet viewing.
Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland (RSR, Fre) – Geneva, Vaud and Ticino cantons say they are happy with their trial systems of electronic bracelets for prisoners who serve short sentences at home, and police groups are backing them, but this might not be enough for them to get the backing of the Swiss Federal Council. The cabinet will make a final decision once the public consultation process on the bracelets ends, in two days. First indications are that the cabinet believes the prison-at-home system does not fit a new penal code which proposes alternatives to short-term sentences, such as community work.
