"jail"

The law allowed some low-risk offenders to avoid jail time. Critics of the law have linked it to a rise in some crimes in parts of the state.

Words Unlocked, a poetry contest for juveniles in corrections, has drawn more than 1,000 entries. Its judge, Jimmy Santiago Baca, says it was a poetry book that helped him survive his own prison term.

U.S. Courts has hired new officers to deal with the release of drug offenders. Some “are not going to succeed. … It’s our job to minimize the harm they are going to create,” chief of probation said.

Wassily was booked on a third degree sexual assault charge and held on $10,000 bail pending arraignment.

In many places, police, judges and elected officials increasingly are pointing out that a high proportion of people in jail are mentally ill, and that in many cases they shouldn’t be there.

Sitka is one of several local departments who say the cuts are so deep, it could force their jail to close.

Douglas bar owner must also pay back over $54,700