by David M. Reutter
Michael Raymond Riley, a former Florida prison guard, was charged with second-degree murder for killing a prisoner “by causing blunt force trauma to be inflicted on the victim’s neck or head area,” charged an indictment on November 10, 2020.
The charge stems from the death of ...
by David M. Reutter
Over six months after concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person visitation at Michigan state prisons in March 2020, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) launched a pilot program of video visitation on October 9 to offer an avenue for prisoners and their families to connect ...
by David M. Reutter
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections paid $105,000 to settle a prisoner’s excessive use of force lawsuit. The December 2, 2020, settlements resolves the suit brought by prisoner Kuan Barnett.
Barnett’s civil rights action stemmed from events that occurred at Columbia Correctional Institution. While locked in his ...
by David M. Reutter
In reversing a district court’s judgment, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that a deaf prisoner be allowed “access to point-to-point videophone calls because the evidence at trial established that the detainee [otherwise] lacked any ability to communicate with the Deaf.”
The Fourth Circuit held ...
by David M. Reutter
An Illinois federal district court awarded $300,000 to a prisoner who alleged a female food supervisor coerced him into sexual activity.
The court’s September 29, 2020, order was issued following a damages bench trial. The lawsuit was filed by Illinois prisoner Donald Quickle. He was represented ...
by David M. Reutter
Citing Mississippi’s refusal to invest in prison facilities and staff, private medical vendor Centurion pulled out of its contract with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) to provide medical and mental health care to prisoners. The move was hailed as a “significant victory” by Team Roc. ...
by David M. Reutter
Mass solitary confinement in the United States did not develop as a response to violent predators, “but rather as a means for officials to achieve control of political activists and ‘troublemakers’ amongst prisoners.” That conclusion is drawn in an essay by Jules Lobel, the Bessie McKee ...
by David M. Reutter
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that each interception of an attorney’s privileged telephone is a violation of the federal and Nevada Wiretap Acts. As such, the statute of limitations is triggered anew for each intercepted call.
The court’s October 27, 2020, opinion was issued ...
by David M. Reutter
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a Michigan federal district court to determine if a prisoner showed excusable neglect in filing an appellate notice outside time limitations. The prisoner alleged he couldn’t get needed copies made because his prison was on lockdown.
The court’s October ...
by David M. Reutter
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that prisoners who had deductions taken from their inmate account under Act 84 are entitled to a post-deprivation process.
The court’s October 1, 2020, opinion was issued in an appeal brought by prisoner Aquil Johnson, who sought a refund of monies ...
