The Philadelphia Tribune Newspaper, Monday October 24, 2011
"Underfunding Keeps Blacks In Prison", As reported by the Tribune, Larry Miller, Reporter
"Leon King, attorney and former commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison System said that in Pennsylvania what fuels the disparity is the high rate of recidivism." “Even during the recession, while education budgets were slashed, funding for prison building increased,” said King. “Recidivism is a huge problem in Pennsylvania — basically what happens to an ex-offender once they’re returned to the community? Will they be able to find a decent job? If they need drug treatment, is that in place? If they have mental health issues — and many of them do — is there long term help on that level? There is more organizing on recidivism than we’ve ever seen, but at the same time the community court has been closed, the gun court has been closed and they’re not expanding the mental health court. Now, if I’m a judge and a defendant comes before me and I see a long list of arrests and incarcerations, my decision is going to probably be to incarcerate this person again — for a longer period of time. We know what the problems are, and we know what the issues are. The question is, are there real, serious plans to address the problems or are we going to just put together another committee or commission and engage in more talk?” |
City Paper, Philadelphia's Independent Weekly, July 7, 2011
Glass Ceiling ? Another city office is accused of sexist employment practices, By Holly Outerbein
......."King says that the Prisons System's knotty problems can't be mended without educated people at the reins; he also argues these requirements can help squash the perception that the department is an "old boy's network." .... ....."The Prisons System is a complex, multimillion-dollar corporation," says King, adding that in regards to the powerful deputy commissioner position, "Where else in America can someone without a degree be in charge of hundreds of correctional officers, a $227 million budget, mental health services, capital projects, you name it?" |
The Philadelphia Tribune, Newspaper, April 14, 2011
Candidate Wants More Options for Criminal Justice System, By Larry Miller
..... [King says] I was in court three weeks ago and this 63-year old defendant was called. He was arrested twice for DUI once under the influence of cocaine and he was out on bail. But the bail got revoked because he got arrested a second time for driving under the influence of alcohol. You could tell by looking at him that the defendant was mentally ill.” According to King, the defendant was questioned as to his mental state. At one point he answered yes, later he was asked the same questions as to his mental fitness and he answered no. The judge sentenced the defendant on both cases to time served, plus immediate parole and highway safety school. Clearly, though King said, the defendant was mentally ill. ..... |
City Paper, Philadelphia's Independent Weekly, March 2, 2011
"Making A Racket, New Allegations Shed Light on Federal Probe", By Holly Otterbein
"A few weeks ago, news broke that the FBI is investigating a possible extortion racket that may extend to the Philadelphia Police Department, the Department of Licenses & Inspection, tow truck companies, strip clubs and a beer distributor believed to be tied to a longtime city employee." ....."[Now comes], a lawsuit filed by attorney and former Prison Commissioner Leon King (now running for Common Pleas judge), [which] names more than 40 public officials. .... "The Nuisance Task Force has been abusing [their] authority," he wrote. "From what I can tell, the abuse is long-standing and widespread." King named names...." |
WHYY, Public Broadcasting, March 29, 2010, By Megan Kol
Police in cat and mouse game with flash mobbers
"There was a heavy police presence on South Street this weekend, and no flash mobs. One week earlier hundreds of teenagers flooded the area and assaulted by standers and damaged stores. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has taken a zero tolerance policy on rioting by large mobs of teens. But former city Prison Commissioner Commissioner Leon King says Nutter's tough approach, still does nothing to address the deeper problem. King: Okay he's now sent the police to South Street or whatever. But if there are underlying issues that are causing these kids to behave that way the fact that the police are on South Street just means the kids won't come back to South Street. They'll still engage in behavior that's destructive to the community. King made his comments today at panel discussion on youth violence sponsored by Congressman Joe Sestak. Some of the panel members, said they believed an archaic education system and failing communities are partly to blame for the mob attacks." |
The Philadelphia Daily News, September, 22, 2009
The Mayor's To-Do List, Part II, By the Daily News Editorial Board
.......An analysis of the prison population in 2007 by former city Prison Commissioner Leon King found that nearly 61 percent of inmates were locked up for low-risk crimes. Most of these were drug-related, the majority nonviolent........ |
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 9, 2007
"Under the Sun Fix Violence by fixing prisons", Harold Jackson
.....Leon King, Philadelphia commissioner of prisons, is proud of the Frankford Reentry Project and other programs offered to the more than 500 inmates released from that system into the city each week....... |