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Deported Venezuelan describes ‘hell' at El Salvador prison

Deported Venezuelan describes ‘hell' at El Salvador prison

CNN2 days ago
Jerce Reyes spent months at El Salvador's CECOT maximum security prison after he was deported from the US and accused of being a gang member. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon reports.
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'Missed opportunities' in case of man who took his own life at HMP Liverpool
'Missed opportunities' in case of man who took his own life at HMP Liverpool

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

'Missed opportunities' in case of man who took his own life at HMP Liverpool

Prison staff "missed opportunities" to help a suicidal man at HMP Liverpool in the weeks before he took his own life. Daniel Edwin Fielding, 38, was found hanged in his cell on the morning of January 19 last year. The dad-of-one, who arrived at the prison on remand on October 13 2023, was known to suffer from mental health problems, and was on mood-stabilising medication. He had been placed on an emergency Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) twice due to incidents of self harm - once on December 13, and again on December 30 - but these were closed following further assessments. At a five-day inquest in June, coroner Johanna Thompson said: "Danny had a history of problems with his mental health and some illicit drug use, and he had made attempts to end his life and to harm himself in the past. READ MORE: Liverpool street where residents put up a chain to keep people out READ MORE: Large emergency response after object spotted next to railway tracks "He was sadly found in his cell on the morning of January 19 2024." A jury handed down a unanimous conclusion of suicide. Following his death, an independent investigation was carried out by the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman. A report published on Friday, July 25, said Mr Fielding "had several risk factors including an extensive history of deliberate self harm and suicidal thoughts, mental illness diagnosis, personality disorder diagnosis, recent contact with psychiatric services, impulsiveness, relationship difficulties, and drug use." It found there had been "missed opportunities" in dealing with the ACCT plans - both of which were put in place after Mr Fielding's mother left voicemails reporting her son had self-harmed. A PPO spokesman said: "We have some concerns about the management of these ACCTs. Given Mr Fielding was regularly seen by a substance misuse worker, it would have been good practice to invite him to ACCT reviews. "Despite Mr Fielding disclosing he was in debt during his first ACCT assessment, staff never subsequently discussed this with him or offered him support. "The first ACCT opened had no care plan to identify ways to support Mr Fielding and lessen his risk to himself. When staff closed the first ACCT, no healthcare staff were present, nor did they provide any input. Given Mr Fielding's mental health diagnosis and prescription... this was a missed opportunity to holistically assess his risk. "The Head of Healthcare told us she would expect staff to provide a written contribution if they could not attend a review. However, both prison and healthcare staff told us that this did not occur in practice. "Staff closed his second ACCT after one day. Neither of the members of staff present had any previous knowledge of Mr Fielding or his significant risk history. Given this lack of knowledge, we consider this was premature, particularly as Mr Fielding said that the festive period was a trigger for him, and it was New Year's Eve." They said prison staff had "placed too much emphasis on what Mr Fielding said, rather than objectively considering his known risk factors". Additionally, no attempts had been made to contact Mr Fielding's mum, Margaret Farley. However, the ombudsman added: "We have not found anything to suggest that staff should have considered he was at increased or imminent risk of suicide when he died, or foreseen his actions." Ms Farley told the inquest that she had called HMP Liverpool several times to express her concerns, and had left several voicemail messages on the safer custody answerphone. The PPO said: "Staff responded to two of these calls, on one occasion almost 24 hours after receiving the call. The prison could not identify calls that Mr Fielding's mother said she made on 17 October, 7 December, or 9 January. "When asked how members of the public would raise urgent concerns about a prisoner (as it could be considered these were), staff said that they should leave a message on the answerphone. We do not consider that this is appropriate where there are concerns about an imminent risk to a prisoner. The public should be able to raise these directly with a member of staff to act on immediately." A separate "action plan" report said a full debt reduction strategy has since been developed by HMP Liverpool, aimed at understanding, preventing and responding to prisoner debt within the prison. The inquest had heard Mr Fielding had disclosed being in debt for vapes. The plan also recommended: "The Governor should ensure that welfare checks are clearly defined in Liverpool's Safer Strategy, that staff complete welfare checks in line with this strategy and that there is a robust quality assurance process in place to ensure these checks are done correctly." This followed findings that a prison officer did not complete an adequate welfare check on Mr Fielding on the morning of his death, as when she looked into his cell at 7.55am, "he had already hanged himself at this time, which she failed to notice". The PPO said: "HMP Liverpool will review and update the current safety strategy to ensure that welfare checks are clearly defined. Staff will be reminded of the process for completing welfare checks when the revised strategy is published. Welfare checks are recorded daily and signed for in each wing's roll book."

How Democrats Can Win on Immigration
How Democrats Can Win on Immigration

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How Democrats Can Win on Immigration

The Trump administration's first six months of immigration policy are a case study in unimaginable cruelty that makes no distinction between legal immigrants and the undocumented, that targets undocumented people who have been here for decades, and that uses brute force police tactics to intimidate communities. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is raiding churches, courthouses, and schools and locking up undocumented grandmothers. The Homeland Security Department is revoking the protected status of tens of thousands of legal immigrants, clearing the way to deport people who have lived here for more than 20 years.

Speaker Mike Johnson Slams Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-Year Sentence: ‘A Pittance'
Speaker Mike Johnson Slams Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-Year Sentence: ‘A Pittance'

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Speaker Mike Johnson Slams Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-Year Sentence: ‘A Pittance'

"I think she should have a life sentence at least," he tells NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking is 'a pittance,' Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told NBC's 'Meet the Press with Kristen Welker' Sunday. 'I think she should have a life sentence at least.' The Trump administration's Justice Department recently granted Maxwell limited immunity during a series of recent interviews, allowing her to answer questions without her responses being held against her. Maxwell has made clear she wants her sentence thrown out or reduced; President Trump wished her 'well' in an interview and said a pardon is something he's 'allowed to do.' More from TheWrap Speaker Mike Johnson Slams Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-Year Sentence: 'A Pittance' | Video The Best New Shows on Netflix in July 2025 Connie Chung Says 'Shame On' Shari Redstone and the Ellisons: 'I Fear the End of CBS as I Knew It' | Video 'Anne Rice's Talamasca' Spinoff Taps 'Interview With the Vampire' Star Eric Bogosian as Guest Star In a firestorm of controversy over the administration's whipsaws around the Jeffrey Epstein matter, the Republican speaker has stood firm. 'I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes, and as you noted earlier, probably 1,000 victims,' Johnson continued. 'I mean, you know, this, this is, it's, it's hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think is an unforgivable thing. So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would.' In 2021 Maxwell was convicted on five of six charges stemming from her years working with Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022. Welker also asked Johnson if Maxwell 'can be trusted' following two days of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Tom Blanche. 'I hope so. I hope that she would want to come clean. We certainly are interested in knowing everything that she knows,' he answered. 'And as you'll note, in our House Republican majority, we're working towards that. Chairman Comer and our oversight committee has already issued their own subpoena. They, they want to bring in Ghislaine Maxwell as well. I hope she's telling the truth. She is convicted. She is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking, and so her character is in some question. But if she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country, and we'd like to know every single bit of information that she has. I certainly hope she's telling the truth.' Blanche has yet to make a public statement about his conversations with Maxwell. That the department's second in command is interviewing a witness personally is 'highly unusual,' former prosecutors told NBC News. Attorney Jack Scarola, who represented approximately 20 of Epstein's victims, was denied a request to attend Maxwell's interview. Catherine Christian, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney and an NBC News legal analyst, also told the news outlet the interviews could be part of a larger plan to distract from Donald Trump's ties to Maxwell and Epstein. The president is fending off rising inquiries into the exact nature of those relationships, including calls for clarification from within his MAGA base. The post Speaker Mike Johnson Slams Ghislaine Maxwell's 20-Year Sentence: 'A Pittance' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

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