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The second inmate convicted of killing two staff members at the Anamosa State Penitentiary will spend the rest of his life in prison. At a hearing at the Jones County Courthouse on Wednesday, Michael Dutcher pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole.
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The second inmate accused of killing two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary is expected to plead guilty this week. Michael Dutcher had been slated to have a bench trial next week, but court filings show he now intends to plead guilty.
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The Iowa Department of Corrections has pressed pause on a new policy that required legal mail sent to inmates to first be photocopied. The policy was enacted due to concerns that the original documents could be infused with drugs, and the paper then smoked or ingested.
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The Iowa Department of Corrections is now requiring all legal mail sent to inmates to first be photocopied, due to concerns the original documents could be infused with drugs. Some attorneys and advocates fear the policy may violate inmates’ constitutional right to legal counsel.
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Joel Bolger, a Coon Rapids native and University of Iowa College of Law graduate, recently retired as Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. Host Ben Kieffer speaks with Bolger about his Iowa roots, his life as a judge and the logistics of practicing law in the largest state, geographically, in the union.
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A judge ruled Thursday that inmate Thomas Woodard will spend the rest of his life in prison for the brutal killings of nurse Lorena Schulte and correctional officer Robert McFarland. Woodard was sentenced to two life terms, served consecutively, for the murders of the prison staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary.
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An audit of the Buchanan County Jail has found officers there were improperly holding some inmates longer than they were sentenced and releasing others before they had finished their time. The audit found more than 100 instances where inmates were released a day or two early without proper authorization and 40 instances where inmates were held too long.
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One of the men charged with killing two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in March pleaded guilty Friday. Inmate Thomas Woodard pleaded to two counts of first degree murder and one count each of second degree kidnapping and attempted murder.
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Advocates are raising concerns about recent restrictions put in place in some of Iowa's prisons. The changes come in the wake of the killings of two staffers at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, allegedly by two inmates. Some loved ones worry the conditions behind bars may lead to further violence.
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Extreme heat is posing a danger to vulnerable people throughout Iowa this week, with heat indices well above 100 degrees in some areas. The temperatures are especially concerning for some of the state’s prisons, which don’t have air conditioning.