This is an Annotation for Transparent Inquiry (ATI) data project. The annotated article can be viewed on the publisher's website here. Project Summary Scholarship on human rights diplomacy (HRD)—efforts by government officials to engage publicly and privately with their foreign counterparts—often focuses on actions taken to “name and shame” target countries, because private diplomatic activities are unobservable. To understand how HRD works in practice, we explore a campaign coordinated by the US government to free twenty female political prisoners. We compare release rates of the featured women to two comparable groups: a longer list of women considered by the State Department for the campaign; and other women imprisoned simultaneously in countries targeted by the campaign. Both approaches suggest that the campaign was highly effective. We consider two possible mechanisms through which expressive public HRD works: by imposing reputational costs and by mobilizing foreign actors. However, in-depth interviews with US officials and an analysis of media coverage find little evidence of these mechanisms. Instead, we argue that public pressure resolved deadlock within the foreign policy bureaucracy, enabling private diplomacy and specific inducements to secure the release of political prisoners. Entrepreneurial bureaucrats leveraged the spotlight on human rights abuses to overcome competing equities that prevent government-led coercive diplomacy on these issues. Our research highlights the importance of understanding the intersection of public and private diplomacy before drawing inferences about the effectiveness of HRD. Data Generation We generated four sources of data for this project: 1. A dataset of political prisoners from 13 countries based on Amnesty International Urgent Action reports between 2000 and 2015. 2. Arrest and release information for a dataset of female political prisoners 3. A dataset on media attention based on both news articles from LexisNexis and online search trends from Google Trends 4. Interviews conducted with U.S. government officials and other human rights advocates involved in the #Freethe20 campaign to free political prisoners launched in September 2015 We used two sources of data for each of our two research questions. Our first research question was: Did the #Freethe20 campaign have an impact on the release rate of political prisoners? In an ideal world, we would have a comprehensive set of female political prisoners to compare with #Freethe20 prisoners. However, as we explain in the manuscript, in countries with more dire human rights situations, arrests often go unreported. In some cases, the sheer volume of political prisoners makes chronicling information about them challenging, if not impossible. Therefore, in order to construct a comparable set of cases, one strategy we used was to collect information from Amnesty International’s “Urgent Action” campaigns. To our knowledge, Amnesty International has the most comprehensive, publicly available list of contemporary political prisoners globally. Their records are public and searchable, which allowed us to construct a population of political prisoners from the countries targeted by the #Freethe20 campaign. We began our data collection with a base set of Urgent Actions metadata generated by Judith Kelley and Dan Nielson via webscraping from the Amnesty International website. Using a list of URLs that linked to each Urgent Action Report, we coded the name and sex of individuals featured in each Urgent Action Report from 2000 through September 2015 (the start of the #Freethe20 campaign) in the 13 countries featured in the campaign (Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam). Instructions about how we coded this information and sample documents are available in the QDR repository (QDR: MyrickWeinstein_codebook_urgentaction.pdf). After compiling a base dataset of individuals featured in Urgent Action reports, we identified the women in the dataset (~17% of entries) and conducted additional research about (1) whether these women could be classified as political prisoners, and (2) whether and when these women were released from prison, detention, or house arrest. Here, we relied on both follow-up reporting from Amnesty International as well as a variety of online news sources. We deposited the coding instructions for this process (MyrickWeinstein_codebook_releaseinfo.pdf) and also include documentation on additional online news sources that we used to make a judgment on a particular case. Our second question was: How and under what conditions did #Freethe20 affect the release rate of female political prisoners? To answer this question, we look at strategies of both public pressure and private, coercive diplomacy. For the former, we collected data on media attention and online search trends. We searched for newspapers and news articles that featured...

Summary Since 2017, GEO shares have fallen sharply from $30 to ~$8.50 per share, at one point below even the book value of $8.19 per share. President Biden recently signed an executive order that banned the renewal of Department of Justice contracts with private prisons, but the effect on GEO is way way less than the market thinks. The border crisis renders ICE dependent on GEO for capacity, making it near impossible for ICE to cut ties in the near future. With a market cap of just $1.02 Billion, GEO has the potential to increase 2-3x in the next 6-12 months. cropped image of african american prisoner reading book LightFieldStudios/iStock via Getty Images Thesis GEO Group (GEO) is a deeply mispriced provider of privately-owned prisons, falling from a price of $30+ in early 2017 to the current price of $8.50 per share. GEO has fallen primarily as a result of concerns about legislation regarding private prisons, a canceled dividend, the likely shift away from a REIT structure, and high levels of debt. These overblown concerns have created a pretty solid structural opportunity. kmosby1992@gmail.com password kmosby1992@gmail.com Subscribe Company overview GEO operates in several segments, such as GEO care, International services, and U.S. Secure Services. Source: Annual report 1 - U.S. Secure Services U.S. Secure services account for the majority of their revenue, 67%, and includes their correctional facilities and processing centers. Secure services manage 74,000 beds across 58 facilities as of the 2020 annual report. GEO transport is included in U.S. secure services, but we felt it warranted its own paragraph. GEO transport provides secure transportation services to government agencies. With 400 customized, U.S. Department of Transportation compliant vehicles, GEO transport drove more than 14 million miles in 2020. 2 - GEO Care GEO care is a series of programs designed to reintegrate inmates and troubled youth into society. They operate through reentry centers, non-residential reentry programs, and youth treatment programs. GEO care operates approximately 4-dozen reentry centers, which provide housing, employment assistance, rehabilitation, substance abuse counseling, and vocational and education programs to current and former inmates. Through their reentry segment, they operate more than 70 non-residential reentry programs that provide behavioral assessments, treatment, supervision, and education. GEO care made up 23% of total 2020 revenue. Geo monitoring is included in GEO care. Through a wholly-owned subsidiary, BI Inc., GEO offers monitoring technology for parolees, probationers, pretrial defendants, and individuals involved in the immigration process. As of the 2020 annual report, BI helps monitor ~155,000 individuals across all 50 states. 3 - International operations International operations made up only 10% of revenue in 2020, but it is showing signs of growth. GEO recently landed a 10-year contract with the United kingdom, which they expect to total $760 million in revenue over the course of the contract. They also landed an 8-year contract with the Scottish Prison Service, which grants an annualized revenue of $39 million and has a 4-year renewal period. Why is GEO Mispriced? While there are several reasons for the dramatic reduction in share price over the last 4 years, the main reason was the looming fear of legislation destroying privately owned prisons. To a degree, this fear materialized on January 26th, 2021, when President Biden signed an Executive Order ordering the Attorney General not to renew any Department of Justice contracts with "privately operated criminal detention facilities." At face value, this order seems as though it would have a devastating impact on GEO. However, only ~25% of total revenue is impacted in any form by this order. The executive order only concerns branches of the Department of Justice. Only 2 DOJ branches have business connections with GEO, the US Marshals (USMS), and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Source: Annual report It is imperative to note that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is not a branch of the DOJ and is therefore unaffected by this order. Individual states, as well as other countries, are unaffected by this order Bureau of Prisons GEO currently holds several agreements with the BOP relating to operations of prisons across the country. As of year-end 2020, agreements involving the BOP accounted for 14% of total revenue. All revenue from the BOP will not disappear, as the executive order does not impact reentry facilities. In 2Q21, after the executive order was made, GEO renewed 5 BOP reentry contracts. GEO even scored a new contract with the BOP, regarding the construction and operation of a new facility in Tampa. United States Marshal Service The United States Marshal Service does not own o... Visit https://dataone.org/datasets/sha256%3A900514e651e0d2c774ad90f358c9db90884c2baf98c068f470b290b3c4b3103a for complete metadata about this dataset.

ObjectivesTo systematically review recidivism rates internationally, report whether they are comparable and, on the basis of this, develop best reporting guidelines for recidivism.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, Google Web, and Google Scholar search engines for recidivism rates around the world, using both non-country-specific searches as well as targeted searches for the 20 countries with the largest total prison populations worldwide.ResultsWe identified recidivism data for 18 countries. Of the 20 countries with the largest prison populations, only 2 reported repeat offending rates. The most commonly reported outcome was 2-year reconviction rates in prisoners. Sample selection and definitions of recidivism varied widely, and few countries were comparable.ConclusionsRecidivism data are currently not valid for international comparisons. Justice Departments should consider using the reporting guidelines developed in this paper to report their data.

ObjectiveWe aimed to systematically review recidivism rates in individuals given community sentences internationally. We sought to explore sources of variation between these rates and how reporting practices may limit their comparability across jurisdictions. Finally, we aimed to adapt previously published guidelines on recidivism reporting to include community sentenced populations.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SAGE and Google Scholar for reports and studies of recidivism rates using non-specific and targeted searches for the 20 countries with the largest prison populations worldwide. We identified 28 studies with data from 19 countries. Of the 20 countries with the largest prison populations, only 2 reported recidivism rates for individuals given community sentences.ResultsThe most commonly reported recidivism information between countries was for 2-year reconviction, which ranged widely from 14% to 43% in men, and 9% to 35% in women. Explanations for recidivism rate variations between countries include when the follow-up period started and whether technical violations were taken into account.ConclusionRecidivism rates in individuals receiving community sentences are typically lower in comparison to those reported in released prisoners, although these two populations differ in terms of their baseline characteristics. Direct comparisons of the recidivism rates in community sentenced cohorts across jurisdictions are currently not possible, but simple changes to existing reporting practices can facilitate these. We propose recommendations to improve reporting practices.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. Before the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, it was not clear the extent to which state departments of corrections (DOCs) were addressing sexual violence in systematic ways. In fact, little information existed about what strategies were being put into practice in prison systems across the country. PREA changed the way DOCs addressed prison sexual violence (PSV). Mandatory recordkeeping and a push for eliminating such incidents moved many DOCs to develop specific responses to PSV or to further refine approaches already in place. The purpose of this project was to provide a national snapshot of DOC initiatives to address PSV, as well as to identify specific practices that seemed to be, in the absence of formal evaluations, particularly promising or innovative in nature. Researchers conducted three tasks: (1) The Survey of State Correctional Administrators (SSCA) involving written surveys and follow-up phone interviews with leaders of state DOCs. During the survey, state administrators described the state's overall approach to PSV and nominated specific strategies as particularly promising; (2) The Survey of Promising Practices (SPP) involving phone interviews with DOC representatives who spoke about promising practices nominated during the SSCA. Interviews were conducted with facility directors, service providers, or other state personnel affiliated with nominated approaches; and (3) Case studies involving site visits to states that researchers determined could provide the most informative lessons on addressing sexual violence in prison to the largest audience of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. The collection includes 2 Access databases, one each for the SSCA (ASCA_4_6_2006.directors.mdb) and the SSP (ASCA_FAC_4_6_2006.prompractices.mdb). The data related to the Case Studies are not available at this time.

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) has a high incidence in several countries and is even more severe in prisoners. We evaluated the completeness of prisoners TB notifications in the Notifiable Disease Information System (SINAN) carried out by prison primary care teams (eAPP) or by other health facilities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). This descriptive cross-sectional study used prisoners data notifications in the SINAN TB by the eAPP or other health facilities from January 2014 to November 2018. We analyzed the percentage of completeness of the variables: gender, ethnicity, schooling, HIV, entry type, sputum smear, sputum culture, AIDS, ART during TB treatment, directly observed treatment (DOT), sixth-month smear, and closure status. Around 52.9% of TB cases in prisoners were reported by eAPP, and other health facilities reported 47.1% of the cases. Eighty percent of the variables were classified in category 4 (75.1% to 100% completeness). However, the DOT and sixth-month smear variables were classified into category 3 (50.1% and 75% completeness). While it does not compromise the notification of TB in the SINAN, the lack of data can impair the quality of information about the disease.

BackgroundPregabalin is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analog that was approved in the EU in 2004 for the treatment of neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder and epilepsy. Since its introduction, pregabalin abuse and misuse has increased significantly. In Switzerland, clinical reports suggest that pregabalin misuse is common among patients in forensic hospitals and prisons. However, data on pregabalin use is scarce, especially in these settings. Therefore, we conducted a study to explore patterns of pregabalin use among prison and forensic patients.MethodsWe used a questionnaire to survey physicians working in prison and forensic medicine in German-speaking countries. A total of 131 responses were received.ResultsAccording to the physicians' subjective assessment, 82.5% of them had observed a recent increase in pregabalin use by their patients and 89.1% of them reported that their patients requested pregabalin without a clear medical indication. Patients misusing pregabalin in combination with other illicit substances were observed by 93.3% of the physicians surveyed. According to 73.5% of the physicians surveyed, they had already encountered patients on pregabalin doses of more than 600 mg/day (the maximum recommended daily dose); the highest dose reported was 4,200 mg/day. According to 85.0% of physicians surveyed, they have observed patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms from pregabalin, with the most commonly reported symptoms being displeasure and high aggression. Regarding the nationality of pregabalin-misusing patients, 58.3% of the interviewed physicians reported to be rather in contact with foreign patients, mainly from Northwest Africa (Maghreb). Only 45.0% of the surveyed physicians prescribe pregabalin. Among patients who developed behavioral problems while taking pregabalin, none of the physicians (0.0%) showed a tendency to continue pregabalin at the same dose; all respondents chose to reduce/substitute/discontinue.ConclusionOur study has provided confirmatory evidence that the use of pregabalin presents a significant issue in forensic and prison medicine across German-speaking countries. Prescribing pregabalin in this field can compound use disorder problems and exacerbate challenges in daily life for those in forensic institutions or prisons. It is necessary that all physicians who prescribe pregabalin are clearly informed about the management (including the risks) of this drug.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. Within the past fifteen years, policymakers across the country have increasingly supported criminal justice reforms designed to reduce the scope of mass incarceration in favor of less costly, more evidence-based approaches to preventing and responding to crime. One of the primary reform efforts is the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), a public-private partnership through which state governments work to diagnose the primary drivers of their state incarceration rates, reform their sentencing policies to send fewer nonviolent offenders to prison, and reinvest the saved money that used to go into prisons into alternatives to incarceration, instead. This mixed-methods study sought to assess public opinion about the justice reinvestment paradigm of reform and to determine whether exposure to racialized and race-neutral cues affects people's willingness to allocate money into criminal justice institutions versus community-based social services in order to reduce and prevent crime.

Strangers to Justice is an outcome of CHRI’s experience of working on issues of detention and repatriation of foreign nationals in Indian prisons for nearly ten years. CHRI took up the issue of foreign nationals in 2009, starting with Bangladeshi nationals lodged in prisons across West Bengal and working with partner organisations in Bangladesh. Simultaneously, it also began to facilitate the repatriation of Indians in Bangladeshi prisons back to the country. In due course, it started providing assistance to prisoners of other nationalities as well. As more cases were received, hitherto unknown issues began to come to our attention. Over the years, we have visited and interacted with a large number of foreign nationals confined in the prisons of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Assam.

IntroductionSexually transmitted infections (STIs) cause considerable morbidity worldwide and, depending on the specific pathogen, may lead to serious complications in the female reproductive tract. Incarcerated women are particularly vulnerable to health problems with a disproportionate high rate of STIs, including infections with human papillomavirus (HPV).MethodsHere, cervical swab samples collected from 299 women (18 to 64 years) living in one of the women’s prisons of São Paulo, Brazil were submitted for liquid-based cytology to determine the prevalence of precancerous lesions. Furthermore, direct detection of 30 genital HPV genotypes (18 high-risk and 12 low-risk types) and 11 additional STIs (Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, Haemophilus ducreyi, Mycoplasma genitalium and hominis, Treponema pallidum, Trichomonas vaginalis, Ureaplasma parvum and urealyticum) were performed by molecular typing using two PCR-based DNA microarray systems, i.e., EUROArray HPV and EUROArray STI (EUROIMMUN), respectively.ResultsThe overall prevalence of cytological abnormalities was 5.8%, including five women with low-grade and five women with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. The overall prevalence of HPV was 62.2, and 87.1% of the HPV-positive women were infected with oncogenic high-risk (HR) HPV types. HPV types 16 (24.1%), 33 and 52 (both 10.4%) were the most frequently detected. The prevalence of the other STIs was 72.8%. Up to four different pathogens were found in the infected women, the most frequent being Ureaplasma parvum (45.3%), Mycoplasma hominis (36.2%) and Trichomonas vaginalis (24.8%).ConclusionThe high number of HR-HPV infections and other STIs described here highlights the fact that the Brazilian female prison population requires more attention in the country’s health policies. The implementation of screening programs and treatment measures might contribute to a decrease in the incidence of STIs and cervical cancer in this vulnerable population. However, for such measures to be effective, further studies are needed to investigate the best practice to get more women to engage in in-prison prevention programs, e.g., through offering further sexual health education and self-sampling.

Previous studies have suggested high Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence in prisons in Ghana. However, this study was part of a nationally representative bio-behavioural survey and determined the prevalence of HIV and HBV among prison inmates and identified factors associated with these infections. Both biomedical and behavioural data were collected from a total of 2,443 prison inmates from 19 prison stations during 2013 in Ghana; 12 male prisons and 7 female prisons selected across the country. The national HIV screening algorithm was used for HIV testing while two rapid detection tests were used to confirm HBV infections. HIV and HBV prevalence among prisoners in Ghana were approximately 2.34% and 12.38% respectively. Only 5 inmates, had co-infection with both viruses. The prevalence of HIV was significantly lower among male inmates (1.5%) compared to the female inmates (11.8%). Age, sex, and marital status, were significantly associated with both HIV and HBV infections. However, BMI category, IDU, and time spent in prison were associated with HIV infections. The educational level was significantly associated with HBV infections. After binary logistic regression, being female (AOR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.07–0.45, p<0.001) and having a stay of 5 years or more (AOR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01–0.60, p = 0.016), increased the risk of having HIV infection. While, those with no formal education (AOR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.45–0.95, p = 0.024) and are underweight (AOR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27–0.99, p = 0.046), were more likely to have HBV infection. Forced penetrative sex may be a problem in the prisons. The need to have and strengthen an integrated screening, treatment and vaccination plan for the prison is emphasized. The prison does not serve as an exceptionally high risk to the general population. The findings support a critical look at the issue of forced penetrative sex in the prisons.