A Staten Island robbery suspect walked out of a courtroom a free man after he impersonated a detainee facing lesser charges. Freddie Thompson—who was supposed to be arraigned for five robberies—pretended to be a suspect held on marijuana possession charges and was sentenced to time served. Authorities apparently didn't realize the gaffe until 90 minutes later, when the other prisoner asked officials why his name hadn't been called. more ›

A state judge ruled that New York's juvenile corrections system regularly breaks the law by shackling young detainees any time they leave a detention center—even if the children don't pose a physical threat. According to the Times, the ruling should bring an end to a policy that mandated the use of shackles whenever detainees leave state facilities, despite other laws on the books permitting shackles only as a last resort for "youth who are out of control and dangerous, and then only for half an hour." A 15-year-old plaintiff said he was kept in feet and handcuffs connected to a belly chain for roughly 15 hours on a single day. Lawyer Nancy Rosenbloom said the case revealed "a culture of abusive practices that is not rehabilitative." She added: "We had evidence of kids not being able to drink their milk on the way to court because of the chains." more ›

As more and more people are held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as authorities decide whether to deport them, the issue of detainee treatment is becoming a bigger issue as some are dying during their waits. Today, the NY Times has the harrowing details of one man's death while in custody for over a year--it turned out he had cancer and his lawyers and family contend officials refused to believe he was sick. more ›