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A new kind of prison labor. Incarcerated people are among the millions training artificial intelligence. In Finland, a country known for its progressive approach to rehabilitation, a startup is employing prisoners to train its artificial intelligence. The work is mundane: for less than $2 an hour, a prisoner sits in front of a computer, reads a short passage, then answers a few yes or no questions. The project, which supports a company raising millions in venture capital, has the full backing of the Finnish prison system. WIRED TMP Context: What people really make (and spend) behind bars. The Marshall Project
Trump co-defendant in Georgia election interference case first to take a plea deal. Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, agreed Friday to testify against other defendants, five years probation, a $5,000 fine, 200 hours of community service and a ban on polling and election administration-related activities. The agreement is a victory for prosecutors, who are preparing for at least two sets of trials involving 18 other defendants. The Atlantic Journal-Constitution
SoundThinking, the company behind the gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter, is making moves. It’s acquiring the staff, patents, and customers of Geolitica, the firm that created the predictive policing software PredPol. WIRED More: PredPol data from 2018 to 2021 showed significant racial biases. The Markup TMP Context: How tech like ShotSpotter thrives despite public pushback. The Marshall Project
 Should money decide who is kept in jail? More places are saying no. Last week, Los Angeles County became the latest jurisdiction to change its bail system, ending cash bail for most people arrested for low-level offenses. Other localities, from Illinois to Ohio, have also restricted or ended cash bail. In New York, bail reform faced significant backlash and was rolled back within months of its passage. In the latest installment of our “Closing Argument” newsletter, TMP’s Jamiles Lartey examines bail reform. The Marshall Project TMP Context: How the use of cash bail in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County court system has sharply fallen in recent years. The Marshall Project
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, run by the U.S. Senate candidate Sheriff Mark Lamb, purchased weapons and ammunition using $217,000 that came from incarcerated people and their families who paid for jail commissary items and phone calls. Arizona lawmakers mandated that the funds should be used for the welfare of incarcerated people. Arizona Luminaria
In the two years since the police killing of George Floyd, 144 Minneapolis police officers were awarded worker’s compensation settlements, adding up to more than $22 million. More settlements are coming. Today, a city council committee will be asked to pay $145,000 in worker’s compensation to a SWAT team leader whose unit drove around the city five days after Floyd’s death, shooting plastic bullets at people without warning. Minnesota Reformer
Nearly 1,600 migrants seeking asylum have been living in police stations across Chicago. In an effort to move them out before the winter, Mayor Brandon Johnson recently announced that the city signed a $29 million contract to set up military-style tents for the migrants in the city. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is vocal about his disagreement:, “I don't think this is the only option.” CBS News Chicago 27 migrant buses arrived in Chicago last week, and more than 15,000 migrants have landed in Chicago this year. Block Club Chicago
Yelp and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are in a legal battle. Since 2022, Yelp has been putting labels on crisis pregnancy centers that read “Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not offer abortions or referrals to abortion providers.” Anticipating a lawsuit from Paxton’s office that would force the review website to remove this label, Yelp filed a complaint against the AG Wednesday in San Francisco federal court, and Paxton filed his lawsuit a day later. Houston Chronicle
Last Friday, New Yorkers were advised to stay home and avoid travel as rainstorms flooded the city. Meanwhile, migrants were kicked out of the Jefferson Street shelter in Brooklyn, a converted commercial building, as part of a new city policy aimed at reducing the time migrants without children can spend in shelters. THE CITY
Gender-based domestic violence worsened during the pandemic, driven by unemployment, lockdowns and increased drinking, according to research from the Journal of Criminal Justice. The White House launched its first-ever U.S National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, which includes funds and support for prevention, healing, safety and well-being. But there is incomplete data about the gender of victims, particularly in historically marginalized communities. Miami Herald
Young people are pushing back on a federal bill purporting to protect them from tech companies. In The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, lawmakers argue that tech companies enable online predators; meanwhile young people have taken to TikTok to oppose the bill, sharing information on how to call congressional representatives and more. Supporters don’t appear to be listening to the people they are trying to protect. New Republic
The last two Supreme Court terms were a shock to the system. First came the Dobbs ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion care when it struck down Roe v. Wade. Next to fall were affirmative action in college admissions and Biden administration student loan forgiveness. Another ruling gave businesses the right to discriminate against same-sex couples. Now women will be watching the new term as the court decides the fate of medication abortion and the right of people with domestic violence restraining orders to possess firearms. Portland Press Herald
In the past few months, Donald Trump has made a number of alarming claims. He has argued that federal laws about classified documents don’t apply to him, floated the idea of pardons for his supporters jailed for attacking the Capitol, said that judges with whom he disagrees are unfit to preside over cases against him, and in one case was accused of threatening to prejudice the jury pool. Yet his lawlessness seems to only stoke his voter base, rather than undermine his candidacy for president. The New York Times
Banned Books Week starts today. Groups like PEN America are focusing on book censorship in prisons, and elevating the stories of incarcerated people and their families. PEN America We have spent the last year reporting on banned books in prisons. Throughout the month of October, we plan to release stories, tools and more. TMP Context: Find out what books are banned in your state prison system. The Marshall Project
A new report on anti-Asian racism from the U.S. Commission on Human Rights. The lack of comprehensive national hate crime data is a major hurdle to understanding the magnitude of anti-Asian hate. “Without mandatory national data collection and training law enforcement on how to accurately identify and report hate crimes, preventing these crimes is substantially challenging,” the report concludes. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
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