Latest news with #inmatevisits
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong plans to update prison rules to better guard national security
Hong Kong's security and prison agencies plan to update the current prison rules to tighten visiting criteria for specific lawyers, doctors and chaplains to ensure they safeguard national security, prevent crime and maintain order and discipline of those behind bars. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Thursday, the Security Bureau and the Correctional Services Department laid out five 'key purposes' that would form the grounds for prison staff to impose additional restrictions, conditions or prohibitions on inmates. The proposed rules would also require correctional officers to apply for court warrants to be able to restrict visits to inmates from designated lawyers and doctors on the grounds of safeguarding national security. 'There were cases in the past where the visiting mechanism was abused by some people using 'humanitarian relief' as a pretext to visit for [the purpose of] influencing persons-in-custody with soft tactics,' authorities said in the paper. However, authorities said that inmates would still be able to have access to confidential legal advice and consult other lawyers of their own choice under the new changes. Inmates could also lodge an appeal over the warrant. Government sources said that the aim of amending the prison rules through subsidiary laws would be to update 'outdated' rules and plug national security loopholes in legal and medical visit arrangements, adding that officials were keenly aware of the need to balance inmates' rights with the new restrictions.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Allegheny County corrections officers to bring back use of leg shackles during for hospital visits
Corrections Officers at the Allegheny County Jail are pushing to bring back the use of leg shackles during hospital visits. The restraints were banned as part of a ballot referendum in 2021. Officers used to use them during hospital visits to prevent inmates from trying to escape. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates: Ban on use of leg shackles during inmate hospital visits leads to safety concerns 'Every arresting authority in the state of Pennsylvania can use these except for us,' Brian Englert told Channel 11. He's the president of the prison employees union. 'Thirteen escape attempts over the last 12 months. The most high profile was in May. A gentleman convicted of third degree homicide tried to escape from our custody.' 'I have personally had two escape attempts,' Mike Arnold said. He's a CO at the jail and was there during the attempt Englert mentioned. 'This inmate was able to grab the firearm and turn the first stage of the safety off,' he said. 'With the shackles in place, that did not have to happen.' The group still needs at least 500 signatures before the council can vote on it. 'This was something passed by the voters,' Council-at-large Bethany Hallam said. She is against the effort. 'That's my biggest concern; sending a message we're trying to undo the will of the voters with some back-door, undemocratic process.' Englert and his group believe the voters were deceived. 'When you look at the ballot referendum, the language behind the question is over 850 words. Only 13 words deal with [it],' he said. Channel 11 re-read the ballot language. The word 'shackles' is used just one time out of nearly 900 words. Hallam says there is another solution to the problem. 'I think if the corrections officers are worried they cannot do their jobs keeping the public safe, maybe we should have the conversation about another law enforcement entity taking over that process,' she said. That entity would be allowed to use the shackles. Englert says it wouldn't work. '911 is an emergency. You don't wait 5, 10, 20 minutes.' There is no timetable for the vote. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
