Crime victims tour Supermax prison

April 11, 2008

Not exactly your average launch party.

This morning, the Dept. of Correctional Services hosted its eighth annual crime victims’ prison tour at the state’s Supermax prison. The tour was part of National Victims’ Rights Week, which begins nationally on Monday.

The invite list was exclusive: about 40 crime victims and victim advocates were expected to attend.

According to the release, “victims who have attended past prison tours have remarked that they have been very beneficial in allowing them to see that offenders are not ‘treated to a life of luxury’ or ‘coddled.’”

They also claim:

“At the same time, victims are often gratified to know that the 98% of inmates who will one day be released are offered numerous programs and services designed to help them break their addictions and turn their lives around for a successful return to society.”

On Monday morning, there will be a kickoff ceremony for victims’ rights week at the Public Safety Education and Training Center in Sykesville.

Supermax houses 160 state-sentenced men and 120 federal detainees.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Posted by The Daily Record | Filed Under Baltimore, advocacy, crime, law | Leave a Comment 

Verizon gets message on users’ right to choose

September 27, 2007

Reversing an earlier decision, Verizon Wireless announced today that it will allow NARAL Pro-Choice America to send text messages to Verizon customers who sign up on the advocacy group’s Web site for the messaging service.

The New York Times reported this morning that the telecommunications company had a policy against carrying messages from any group that promotes an agenda or distributes content that, in Verizon’s opinion, can be seen as “controversial or unsavory” to its users. The “unsavory” issue in this case was abortion itself, not necessarily NARAL’s pro-choice position.

Verizon’s ban sparked a debate about the rights of a private company to effectively censor certain messages. In response, NARAL launched a Web campaign today where people can sign a form letter asking Verizon to “end this ill-advised policy and reassure its customers that they can receive the legal information in the form they have asked.”

Now, according to the Associated Press, Verizon has “reviewed the decision and determined it was an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy.”

What do you think? Is Verizon putting itself at risk by carrying advocacy messages from a third party, or are they simply supporting free speech?

-LIZ FARMER, Legal Affairs Writer
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Posted by The Daily Record | Filed Under advocacy, technology | Leave a Comment 

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