Tagged: crime

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The lawyer for one of three men charged with a Berkshire County triple slaying has asked a judge to move his client's trial out of the county because "incessant" and "inflammatory" media coverage has "impaired" the ability to get a fair trial.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York officials project the state's prisons will shed 1,000 more inmates over the next four years, partly because of relaxed drug laws.

That follows a 25 percent drop since 1999.

The inmate population is below 55,000 after peaking at more than 72,000 in 1999 under the harsh Rockefeller-era drug laws.

Four teenagers have been arrested for the rape of an 18 year old UMass Amherst student in a campus residence hall.  University officials say they’ll undertake a comprehensive review of security.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

Concerned about a recent string of arsons, and violent crime in their streets, people who call the city of Troy’s north-central neighborhood home came together for a meeting last night at a church in Lansingburgh. The focus of the gathering was what people can do about these problems. Danielle Sanzone is a reporter for The Record newspaper, and was at the meeting that was organized after the fires and crimes. She spoke with WAMC’s Brian Shields.

        Massachusetts is going to have a so-called “ three strikes” crime law.  Governor Deval Patrick says he will sign a controversial crime bill aimed at keeping repeat violent criminals off the streets. People working to prevent violence in one western Massachusetts city say the real solution to improved public safety is community partnerships.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.