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Waging War on the Poor: Unpaid Fines Lead to Jail

Loaded on Oct. 10, 2017 by Christopher Zoukis published in Prison Legal News October, 2017, page 34
Filed under: Government Misconduct, Money/Property. Location: United States of America.

by Christopher Zoukis

Stung by a series of lawsuits filed across the nation challenging the practice of jailing people unable to pay court fees and fines, Texas legislators passed a law that requires judges to offer community service alternatives to low-income defendants convicted of offenses where the maximum punishment is ...

 

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  1. No-show Cops and Dysfunctional Courts Keep Cook County Jail Prisoners Waiting Years for a Trial, by Spencer Woodman
  2. Eighth Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Order Barring Wife from Contact with Husband, by Derek Gilna
  3. Victim-centered Sexual Abuse Investigations Abandon Concept of Neutrality, by David Reutter
  4. Study Shows “Ban-the-Box” Policies May Result in Racial Bias by Employers, by David Reutter
  5. Eleventh Circuit: Florida Prisoners Must be Provided Kosher Meals, by David Reutter
  6. Prisoner Labor Focus of Controversy in Texas, Alabama, by David Reutter
  7. Louisiana Parish Jails Lack HIV Treatment and Services
  8. Second Circuit: Ross Abrogates “Special Circumstances” Exhaustion Exception
  9. Seventh Circuit Dissent: “A Dog Would Have Deserved Better Treatment”, by Derek Gilna
  10. Prisoner Showed Good Cause for Extension of Time
  11. Seventh Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit, Rejects District Court’s IFP Concerns, by Derek Gilna
  12. Eleventh Circuit: Procedural Dismissals do Not Count as Strikes Under the PLRA, by David Reutter
  13. Two Federal Courts Find Prison Gerrymandering Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
  14. South Carolina Prisoners’ Wage Grievances Not Subject to 15-day Deadline
  15. IRS Audit Prompts New Mexico County to Convert Bonds Used for ICE Facility, by Joe Watson
  16. Georgia Teen’s Suicide from Neglect Results in $1.7 Million Settlement
  17. Profiting Off Mass Incarceration: Detroit Pistons Owner Buys Private Prison Phone Company, by Brian Dolinar
  18. Private Probation Company Agrees to End Drug Testing Absent Court Order , by David Reutter
  19. Corizon Loses Indiana DOC Medical Contract Amid Lawsuits, by David Reutter
  20. Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against County Jail in New York, by Derek Gilna
  21. Seattle Council Approves Protections for Renters with Criminal Records, by Nathalie Graham
  22. Louisiana Corrections Secretary: More Private Prisons Won’t Save Money
  23. Court Decision Favoring BOP Whistleblower Critical of BOP and OIG , by Derek Gilna
  24. State Closes Kentucky Jail for Failure to Properly Maintain Facility, by Derek Gilna
  25. Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Failure to Protect Claim, by Christopher Zoukis
  26. Seventh Circuit Upholds Jury Award for Illinois Prisoner Beaten by Guards , by Derek Gilna
  27. Eighth Circuit Greenlights Jail Detainee’s Excessive Force Claim, but Loss at Trial Affirmed on Appeal, by Christopher Zoukis
  28. $60,000 Settlement in GEO Group Employee’s Sexual Harassment Case
  29. $200,000 Settlement for Restraint of Pregnant Prisoner after Ninth Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment
  30. Virginia Governor Grants Full Pardons to the “Norfolk Four”, by Christopher Zoukis
  31. Prisons, Jails Combat Smuggling by Shredding Mail, Requiring Fresh Underwear, by Christopher Zoukis
  32. Waging War on the Poor: Unpaid Fines Lead to Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
  33. TV Production Company has Friends in Low Places, by Christopher Zoukis
  34. Parole Remains Elusive for Virginia Prisoners, by David Reutter
  35. Compensation for Wrongful Convictions in Massachusetts Not Easily Obtained, by Christopher Zoukis
  36. HRDC Lawsuit: Kentucky DOC Guilty of Censorship, Violations of Due Process and Equal Protection
  37. DOJ Audit Rips Privately-operated Federal Facility; Trump Administration Presses Forward, by Derek Gilna
  38. Environmental Protection Agency Finally Recognizes Prisons in Screening Tool, by Panagioti Tsolkas
  39. Seventh Circuit: Rodent Infestation Claims Survive Summary Judgment
  40. Vermont Supreme Court Invalidates Sex Offender Probation Conditions
  41. Correctional Health Report Suppressed by Bush Administration Finally Released
  42. Electronic Monitoring Becomes More Widespread, but Problems Persist, by Derek Gilna
  43. Florida Lawmaker Visits Prisons, Audits Private Prison Contracts, by David Reutter
  44. Kansas Supreme Court: Four Years of Pretrial Detention too Long
  45. Misdemeanor Trespassing Arrest Leads to Permanent Impairment, by Christopher Zoukis
  46. Tattoo Recognition: Law Enforcement’s Newest Identification Tool, by David Reutter
  47. Former Mississippi DOC Commissioner, Co-defendants Sentenced in Massive Bribery Scheme
  48. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  49. News in Brief

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