Pennsylvania

After 5-year battle, Pa. probation reforms pushed by Meek Mill go into effect

Published

6 months ago

June 21, 2024

After 5-year battle, Pa. probation reforms pushed by Meek Mill go into effect

Redefining technical violations and reducing penalties

Theoretically, probation serves as an alternative to incarceration — offenders are allowed to go free but are placed under supervision, which includes certain conditions or rules that must be followed. Technical violations refer to a failure to comply with those conditions.

Conditions vary based on an offender’s crimes and background, but common ones include reporting to a probation officer, drug testing, counseling, maintaining steady employment, performing community service and paying restitution to victims.

But other conditions, Erin Haney said, are “tragically ridiculous and damaging,” resulting in frequent incarceration.

“In Pennsylvania, 54% of prison admissions are for supervision violations,” Haney said. “So there are more prison admissions for supervision violations than there are for people just committing new crimes.”

Haney cited the case of a man whose probation prohibited him from crossing county lines, making it difficult for him to find steady, well-paying work. Although he eventually did secure a job, he struggled to find affordable housing due to another condition that prevented him from living with his family since they also had a criminal record. On top of that, the man was required to pay fines and fees associated with his supervision.

“So what happened was they said, ‘Look, I have to choose between rent and paying my fines and fees.’ And the reality of it is, if I lose my housing, I’m not gonna be able to continue to abide by any of these conditions that you want me to abide by on supervision,” Haney said. “And unfortunately, instead of understanding that that was the situation, this individual’s probation officer found him in violation and incarcerated him.”

When the man was released, he had to look for a new job and housing, was given a longer probationary period with more stringent conditions and had higher penalties he was required to pay.

“And so each month, if he couldn’t pay, if they didn’t violate him, instead what they would do is extend his probation even longer, which meant he had that many more months of having to pay those fines and fees,” Haney said.

Courts were also able to revoke probation in favor of incarceration for squishier reasons — including indications that the defendant exhibited behavior that demonstrated it was likely they would commit a crime in the future, or in order to “vindicate the authority of the court.”

“The idea that a judge had indiscriminate authority to re-incarcerate someone simply to ‘vindicate the authority of the court’ was one of the most troubling aspects of the Commonwealth’s probation system,” Haney said. “This essentially allowed people to be deprived of their liberty not for committing a new crime, but merely for disappointing or disobeying the court in some way.”

Act 44 attempts to address these issues by prohibiting incarceration for minor technical violations, instead reserving imprisonment for more serious breaches like the commission of another crime, failure to complete court-mandated treatment or actions that pose a threat to public safety.

When technical violations lead to incarceration, the law limits confinement to 14 days for a first technical violation, 30 days for a second, and whatever “sentencing alternatives available at the time of initial sentencing” for third and subsequent violations.

Overall, the law mandates that probation conditions be as least restrictive as possible, and tailored to the individual’s personal needs and circumstances.

“So given the option between something that is incredibly invasive and intrusive or something that accomplishes the same goals with re-entry and rehabilitation and accountability and public safety, you have to go with the one that’s least restrictive,” Haney said.

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Pennsylvania

3 Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Philadelphia Recently

Published

44 minutes ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

3 Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Philadelphia Recently

PHILADELPHIA — Three Pennsylvania Lottery tickets sold in Philadelphia recently have been named winners in separate contests, according to officials.

In the Saturday drawing for the Treasure Hunt game, five tickets won.

One of the tickets that matched all five numbers drawn, 2-6-10-25-26, was sold at 7-Eleven, 3301 Tyson Ave. in Philadelphia. The other was sold at Omgn Inc., 2100 East Allegheny Ave., also in Philadelphia.

Those ticket and three others split the jackpot prize of $139,917.50 to win $27,983.50.

The other winning tickets were sold in Bucks, Butler, and Lebanon counties.

More than 45,800 other Treasure Hunt tickets won prizes in the drawing. Players should check every ticket, every time.

Additionally, a West Philadelphia Wawa sold a winning lottery ticket.

Lottery officials Monday announced the winning Raffle ticket numbers drawn for the third, four $50,000 prizes in the 4s Galore Drawings as part of the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle.

The Wawa at 3744 Spruce St. sold a ticket between Dec. 3 and Dec. 16 that was selected in the drawing.

Other winning tickets were sold in Cumberland, Bradford, and Westmoreland counties.

The Raffle features four bonus drawings held every other week, each awarding four $50,000 prizes, leading up to the Millionaire Raffle drawing on Jan. 4, 2025.

To learn if your ticket won a $50,000 4s Galore Drawings prize, scan it using the ticket checker on the PA Lottery Official App or at a lottery retailer.

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Pennsylvania

HS FOOTBALL: LFC and WVC players selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Player of Year Award; Call receives invites to showcase games

Published

9 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

HS FOOTBALL: LFC and WVC players selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Player of Year Award; Call receives invites to showcase games

Several athletes from the Lackawanna Football Conference and District 2 are among the 55 finalists for the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award selected by the Maxwell Football Club.

Abington Heights wide receiver Shawn Theodore, Honesdale running back Mason Avery, Riverside tight end Richie Kostoff, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris and Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum were listed among the 55 players who are Mini Max Award winners according to a release Monday night by the Maxwell Football account on X.

The Mini Max Awards are a prestigious honor for high school football players across the Tri-State Region that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. This year is the first year District 2 players were included among the nominees.

Awards are presented at the annual Mini Max Dinner in Philadelphia on Feb. 2 at the Drexelbrook Convention Center in Drexel Hill. The award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship in high school football.

In addition to the Mini Max Awards, the Maxwell Football Club also chooses the Player of the Year for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The event culminates with the Jim Henry Award, which goes to one of the three State Players of the Year.

Call receives invites

Valley View freshman lineman Brody Call received invites to three postseason games.

Call, a 6-0, 230-pound standout for the Cougars, is invited to the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 26-29, the All-American Bowl on Jan. 17-20 in Miami, Florida, and the Polynesian Bowl Combine and Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21-22.

Call started every game for the Cougars and helped lead the team to the District 2 Class 4A championship and an 11-2 record.

Cesare ceremony

The 33rd Fiore Cesare Award and Scholarship ceremony is Friday at 2 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Scranton.

Mid Valley running back and defensive back Jakob Lesher, Delaware Valley quarterback and punter Logan Olsommer, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris, Riverside quarterback Chase Taddonio and Western Wayne running back and defensive back Josh Vinton are the five finalists named by the Roy Davis Scranton Chapter of PIAA Football Officials.

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Pennsylvania

Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth $1M as Mega Millions swells to $1.15B for post-Christmas draw

Published

21 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth M as Mega Millions swells to .15B for post-Christmas draw

Billionaire dreams continue through Christmas after no ticket purchased in the $1 billion Christmas Eve 2024 Mega Millions draw hit the jackpot.

The jackpot rolled again — this time to $1.15 billion — after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.

Léelo en español aquí.

Don’t throw away your tickets just yet as one sold in Pennsylvania is worth $1 million, according to Mega Millions.

What were the winning Mega Millions numbers drawn on Christmas Eve?

The Mega Millions draw for Dec. 24, 2024, went like this: The white balls drawn were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, plus the gold Mega Ball 3.

Ticket sold in Pennsylvania strikes $1 million prize

In total, fours tickets sold matched all five white balls, but missed the gold Mega Ball, the lottery said. Those tickets sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming and Pennsylvania are worth $1 million a piece.

NBC10 has reached out to Pennsylvania Lottery to find out where the Keystone State winner was sold. However, the state lottery offices are closed for Christmas, so the winning store won’t be revealed until Thursday at the earliest, a spokesperson said.

Nearly 4.3 million tickets sold around the country in Tuesday’s draw matched at least the gold Mega Ball and are worth $2 or more.

Once again, the winning numbers in the Dec. 24, 2024, draw were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, with a Mega Ball of 3.

If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.

When is the next Mega Millions draw?

Get out $2, jump into office pools and gift tickets to family as the next Mega Millions draw on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, is worth at least $1.15 billion for the annuity and $516.1 million lump sum cash value, Mega Millions said.

That massive jackpot is the fifth largest in the game’s history, Mega Millions said.

“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a Christmas news release. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”