by David M. Reutter
A Pennsylvania U.S. District Court has granted absolute judicial immunity to two former state court judges in a consolidated class-action civil rights suit. That immunity, however, only applied to judicial acts, allowing the case to proceed on the judges’ corrupt actions that were administrative in nature. ...
by David M. Reutter
Two of the three nominees to be South Florida’s next U.S. Attorney have violated a basic tenet of court administration by acting to hide court records from the public.
In 2002, U.S. Attorney nominee Daryl Trawick, a Miami-Dade Court Judge, instructed the clerk’s office to alter ...
by David M. Reutter
After 35 years of proclaiming his innocence for the kidnapping and rape of a 9-year-old boy, James Bain, 54, was finally proven innocent and released from a Florida prison on December 17, 2009.
Of the 246 prisoners nationwide exonerated by DNA evidence, Bain served the most ...
by David M. Reutter
Despite reports of rampant staff sexual abuse and harassment of women incarcerated at Kansas’ Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF), it was not until one prisoner had an abortion after being raped by a vocational instructor that the mainstream media took notice.
Between 2005 and 2008, the U.S. ...
by David M. Reutter
Georgia’s sex offender residency restrictions have led some offenders to live in the woods because they have no legal place to stay. Reminiscent of leper colonies, they are forced to camp out on the fringes of society.
Under Georgia law, the state’s 16,000 sex offenders are ...
by David M. Reutter
Contracts between the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) and faith-based substance abuse transitional housing programs may violate the “no-aid” provision of Florida’s Constitution. Because the issue required further factual development to make that determination, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s final judgment ...
by David M. Reutter
A political brouhaha arose in October 2009 in the wake of a North Carolina appellate court decision which held that a “life sentence is as an 80-year sentence for all purposes.” While the ruling applies only to defendants convicted of crimes between 1974 and 1978, Governor ...
by David M. Reutter
A company that offers a lower-cost alternative to the monopolistic practices of the nation’s largest prison and jail telephone service providers filed a federal lawsuit alleging violation of the Federal Communications Act.
The suit was filed by Millicorp, a Florida-based company that offers alternative phone services ...
by David M. Reutter, Gary Hunter & Brandon Sample
Prison food. The very words conjure images of unidentifiable mystery meat, chili-mac, watery oatmeal and creamed chipped beef – the latter being commonly, though not very appetizingly, known as “shit on a shingle” in jailhouse parlance.
Before someone goes to prison ...
by David M. Reutter
A major riot at Kentucky’s Northpoint Training Center on August 21, 2009 resulted in 16 injuries and the destruction of several buildings critical to the prison’s operation. The riot was the second serious incident at the facility in as many years, and both involved food-related issues. ...
