In January, prodded in part by outrage over a series of articles in the New York Review of Books, the Justice Department finally released an estimate of the prevalence of sexual abuse in penitentiaries. The reliance on filed complaints appeared to understate the problem. For 2008, for example, the government had previously tallied 935 confirmed instances of sexual abuse.After asking around, and performing some calculations, the Justice Department came up with a new number: 216,000. That’s 216,000 victims, not instances. These victims are often assaulted multiple times over the course of the year. The Justice Department now seems to be saying that prison rape accounted for the majority of all rapes committed in the US in 2008, likely making the United States the first country in the history of the world to count more rapes for men than for women.

I get emails begging me to plug Kickstarter projects all the time, and I rarely click through. And I sure wish I hadn't clicked through to this one either, because it's incredibly distressing. According to the page's authors, law enforcement officers shoot a dog every 98 minutes in the US, sometimes under the most casual and callous circumstances. It is a wave of underreported brutality that the authors hope to draw attention to with a feature-length documentary: Puppycide.

The most recognizable pitcher in franchise history will be a Giant for at least two more seasons.

The Giants and right-hander Tim Lincecum agreed to a two-year, $35 million deal Tuesday, pending a physical. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was days away from becoming a free agent for the first time.

Drafted 10th overall in 2006, Lincecum is 89-70 in seven seasons with the Giants with a 3.46 ERA. He was 10-14 last season with a 4.37 ERA and threw his first career no-hitter.

During today's match at Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kießling put a header just outside the near post. The ball somehow snuck through the netting, and Kießling was awarded a goal.

The celebration was a bit subdued (nobody make eye contact with the officials!), but it wasn't particularly amusing for Hoffenheim. A late goal would make it 2-1, making Kießling's header through the onion bag the winner.

California Governor Jerry Brown (D) Saturday vetoed a bill that would have allowed prosecutors or judges to charge simple drug possession as a misdemeanor instead of a felony. The bill would have made drug possession a “wobbler,” meaning it could be charged either way, based on judicial or prosecutorial discretion.

Some 10,000 people are convicted of drug possession felonies each year in California, and experts estimated that, under the bill, 15% to 30% of them would have been charged instead with misdemeanors. The exact number is unknown because the bill would have left those decisions up to prosecutors and judges.
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Bill supporters, including the ACLU of California and the Drug Policy Alliance lambasted Brown’s decision to veto the bill.“By vetoing SB 649, Gov. Brown has thwarted the will of the voters and their elected representatives by rejecting a modest reform that would have helped end mass incarceration in this state,” said Kim Horiuchi, criminal justice and drug policy attorney for the ACLU of California.

“California voters and the legislature recognize the urgent need to reevaluate our sentencing laws and enact smart reforms, especially for low level, non-violent drug crimes,” Horiuchi continued. “Doing so will allow California to reduce its reliance on incarceration and free up limited resources for the sorts of community-based treatment, education and job training programs proven to reduce crime and create safe and healthy communities. Despite this, Gov. Brown remains inexplicably opposed to meaningful sentencing reform.”

Quarterback John Skelton, who was seen in the 49ers’ locker room at lunchtime studying the playbook, was released a short time later. The 49ers claimed former Sacramento State quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, whom the Minnesota Vikings released on Tuesday.
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Skelton spent one week with the 49ers. The 49ers released rookie B.J. Daniels to sign Skelton, who was inactive Sunday against the Houston Texans as the No. 3 quarterback.

Veteran Colt McCoy remains as the 49ers' No. 2 quarterback behind starter Colin Kaepernick. Daniels was the No. 3 quarterback to open the regular season, as he beat out Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace for the job.

Coach Jim Harbaugh explained the decision last week to sign Skelton to replace Daniels was because the team wanted more experience from the No. 3 quarterback position. Bethel-Thompson has never attempted a pass in the NFL.