criminal justice

Iowa Democrats are asking the Biden administration to conduct an investigation into the killings of two Iowa Department of Corrections staffers, who were allegedly bludgeoned to death by two inmates. The attack has underscored understaffing, overcrowding and safety concerns at the facilities.

Prison reform advocates say incarcerated individuals have been devastated by last month’s killings of two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. The tragedy has shaken both Department of Corrections and employees and inmates, many of whom knew the victims personally and continue to mourn them.

Iowa City’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission resumed its operations Thursday night, after a temporary suspension put in place by city officials was lifted. At the same time, local Black Lives Matter activists held an organizing meeting for their own Peoples Truth & Reckoning Commission.

Two incarcerated individuals face multiple charges in the killings of a nurse and a correctional officer at the Anamosa State Penitentiary Tuesday. State investigators say the inmates used hammers to beat the staffers and another inmate while they were attempting to escape the prison.

Two staff members at the Anamosa State Penitentiary died Tuesday as a result of injuries sustained during an assault by an incarcerated individual, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections. The deadly attack on staff by an inmate is thought to be the first in 50 years.

A lawsuit brought by five incarcerated Iowans challenging the Iowa Department of Corrections’ handling of the coronavirus crisis will go forward. A judge has blocked an effort to have the case dismissed and the inmates are slated to go to trial next year.

The Iowa Utilities Board approved new agreements with three companies Tuesday lowering the cost of phone services for Iowans held in county jails. The changes are part of a years-long effort to cut the price of making and taking phone calls in Iowa’s jails.

While Iowans under the age of 65 with pre-existing conditions are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, incarcerated individuals will not be included in that group, according to the state Department of Corrections. That’s despite “thousands” of inmates having pre-existing conditions that put them at an elevated risk of severe COVID-19.

The Iowa Senate passed bills Wednesday that would increase penalties for protest-related offenses and punish cities that reduce their police budgets, both in response to last summer’s protests against racial injustice.

Republican lawmakers did not advance Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to ban racial profiling by law enforcement ahead of a key legislative deadline Thursday, but they did advance bills that give more protections to police.