Monthly Archives: January 2014

Lawsuits Claim Cover-Up at Private Youth Prison

Youth prison scandal

There is a growing nationwide trend of prisoners being placed in facilities run by for-profit companies, such as Youth Services International. Florida is at the forefront of this trend, and has elected to privatize all of its youth prisons across the state. “A pair of recent lawsuits against a private youth prison operator in Florida amplify claims that the company, Youth Services International, has frequently covered up reports that staff sexually abused young people held inside its facilities”. In one instance, an administrator at one YSI facility, repeatedly made advances toward adolescent males, and supposedly brought inmates home with him to his personal residence. A second allegation states that a guard at a separate YSI facility began an intimate relationship with a 14-year old prisoner. Read More

Traffic Trouble: Lawsuit Filed Against NJ Gov

Water under the bridge?

Any commuter in the tri-state area is well aware of how much of a pain the George Washington Bridge can be.  Frustrated people stuck in traffic will often wonder why there is construction or delays at a certain time.  Now, it appears they have an answer.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration is coming under fire due to a controversial lane closure situation with political ties.  A federal investigation into the matter has opened up, which also sparked a number of residents to file suit against their own state leader.  Christie, who had previously been seen as a hardball, no-nonsense politician, is now at the center of a major controversy. Read More

Ninth Circuit Authorizes Questionable Traffic Stop

Obey the rules of the road

A recent opinion out of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stated that a series of legal actions can collectively create the necessary suspicion needed to justify a vehicle stop and search. The case, U.S. v. Valdes-Vega, was decided by the full Ninth Circuit earlier last week and authorized a widely criticized traffic stop by Border Patrol agents that led to the discovery of drugs and the arrest of a Mexican man, Rufino Ignacio Valdes-Vega. Read More