by David M. Reutter
“We’re a law-respecting, law-abiding community. ... We teach our children to respect and look up to men and women who wear badges, and that’s the way it oughta be,” said Florida state senator Don Gaetz. But the way it “oughta be” and the way things are ...
by David M. Reutter
A record-breaking settlement has been reached in a 13-year-old class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of female prisoners who were “subjected to sexual abuse, sexual harassment, privacy violations by male [prison] staff ... and/or retaliation for reporting such abuse while incarcerated in a Michigan Department of Corrections ...
by David M. Reutter
As the number of people in prison and jail in Georgia has increased, so too has the number of corruption cases involving detention and police officials. One of every 13 Georgians are under the watchful eye of law enforcement authorities – but based on the following ...
by David M. Reutter
A June 2009 report issued by Michigan’s Office of the Auditor General on the performance of the state’s Bureau of Correctional Industries (BCI), which operates under authority of the Department of Corrections, listed several reportable conditions of management and operational failures. The report highlights failures of ...
In July 2009, the estate of a man who served over 18 years in Massachusetts prisons for a murder and robbery he did not commit reached a $3.4 million settlement with 5 of the 6 insurers for the Town of Ayer. Damages of $10.7 million were later assessed against the ...
by David M. Reutter
Whether or not a large number of lawsuits is indicative of management or operational problems at a prison or jail is a matter of debate that depends on one’s perspective – that is, which side of the fence you’re on. One thing is certain, though. Correctional ...
by David M. Reutter
Anyone looking for evidence that privatized prison health care is a complete failure need look no further than Mississippi. In 2001, the per capita death rate for Mississippi prisoners was around the national average. By 2006, however, the state’s prison death rate was the second highest ...
by David M. Reutter
A New York Court of Claims has awarded $250,000 to a former prisoner based on her claims of malicious prosecution and negligent supervision, after finding a State Police investigator had fabricated fingerprint evidence in her case.
The claimant, Shirley Kinge, was convicted in November 1990 of ...
by David M. Reutter
A 2008 report by the Pew Center on the States reported that for the first time that 1 in every 100 adults in the United States was confined behind bars.
In a March 2009 report, the Pew Center found that when you combine those behind bars ...
by David M. Reutter
For almost 50 years, following the Supreme Court’s 1963 decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, criminal defendants have had a constitutional right to legal representation. However, Georgia lawmakers have decided that as a result of the state’s budget shortfall and cuts to public defender services, the right ...
