¶ … prisoner in Texas, while being transferred to a medical facility, became disruptive and violent, forcing the accompanying guards to restrain him. While being restrained, the prisoner, Curtis Weeks, announced that he had AIDS and wanted to take as many other people to the grave with him as possible. After announcing his intention to infect the guard, he then spit in his face. The guard's mouth, nose and face were all contaminated with Weeks' saliva causing the state of Texas to charge Weeks with attempted murder. He was convicted which was upheld on appeal by the 11th circuit court of appeals. There were several issues the court had to deal with in the case including whether or not HIV could be transmitted through saliva, if spitting could be considered attempted murder, and if Weeks acted in the heat of the moment. The first legal issue that had to be resolved was Weeks' contention...
Although several civil rights groups petitioned the court stating that "it is impossible to transmit the virus which causes AIDS by spitting," a number of medical experts specializing in HIV testified that it could. (Weeks v. State, 1992) These experts stated that while the chances of doing so were somewhat low, it was possible and there were documented cases where the HIV virus was transmitted through saliva. With this determination the court denied Weeks' contention that he could not have attempted to murder the guard by the act of spitting.
Texas Prison Reform: A Success Story Government The prison population in the United States experienced an unprecedented expansion between the 1970s and the end of the first decade of the 21st century (Editorial Board, 2013). Beginning with a prison population of 174,000 in 1972 it grew to over 1.4 million by 2010, representing over a 700% increase (PSPP, 2010). By comparison, the growth of the U.S. population was a modest 32% during
Texas Parole Board The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (herein referred to as the board) is a Texas-based state agency charged with determining "which eligible offenders to release on parole or discretionary mandatory supervision, and under what conditions" (Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, 2014). The board, moreover, makes decisions concerning parole revocation and issues clemency recommendations to the governor in an attempt to
'" Two steps if taken, however, would almost halve our prison population. First, repeal state laws that now mandate the incarceration of drug offenders and develop instead many more public and private treatment centers to which nonviolent drug abusers can be referred. Second, stop using jails or prisons to house the mentally ill. Tougher sentencing is being justified, in part, by the widespread belief that incarceration is the chief reason violent crime
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heard in the U.S. Supreme Court -- Washington v. Harper -- will be the focus of the first part of this paper. The second part reviews prison conditions in Texas. Washington v. Harper -- Part One This was a case resulting from the unstable mental condition of Walter Harper, who has been incarcerated in the Washington state prison system since a robbery conviction in 1976. Harper has been administered antipsychotic drugs
Israel Explanation of the Issue: Introduction The most recent escalation of conflict in Israel and Gaza show that the current situation is untenable. This paper examines the history of the creation of the state of Israel and the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration and its subsequent United Nations resolutions in 1947. After providing background information on the situation in Israel, the author will examine the security risks that both the Israelis and
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