by David M. Reutter
On January 29, 2020, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) agreed to pay $80 million to resolve a class action lawsuit filed by juveniles who were housed in adult facilities where they were allegedly subjected to sexual assault and other harms.
The action consolidated in state ...
by David M. Reutter
On April 24, 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that the evidence to support a petitioner’s involuntary commitment was insufficient to support a conclusion the petitioner was “dangerous” under state law. In reversing the circuit court’s order, it was held that going forward lower courts must ...
by David M. Reutter
In a 6-4 en banc ruling, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that Florida can bar ex-felons from voting until they pay all court fines, fees, and restitution — even if they are unable to pay.
The court’s September 11, 2020, opinion was written by ...
by David M. Reutter
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued notice on February 5, 2020 that it has found the “totality of the conditions, practices, and incidents” it discovered at Broad River Road Complex (BRRC), South Carolina’s long-term juvenile commitment facility, violated the juveniles’ Fourteenth Amendment rights.
After stating ...
by David M. Reutter
On April 29, 2020, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a grant of summary judgment to Inmate Services Corp. (ISC), allowing to continue a civil rights action alleging a pretrial detainee’s constitutional rights were violated in 2016 when the private firm transported him “shackled and ...
by David M. Reutter
On April 6, 2020, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to guards who allegedly failed to protect a Wisconsin prisoner. The court agreed that the prisoner failed to mention during the prison grievance process that the guards were aware of ...
by David M. Reutter
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that lawyers for the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) who made a legal error in interpreting new state law were entitled to qualified immunity.
The Court’s August 20, 2020, opinion was issued in an appeal brought by former ...
by David M. Reutter
With the heat of summer’s arrival, Florida prisoners endure living in outdated infrastructure. The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC), in a July 14, 2020 email to prisoners, said it “is making efforts to ease the negative impact of extreme heat in the coming months.” That email ...
by David M. Reutter
In late April 2020, prisoners at Arkansas’ Cummins Unit knew that the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, was spreading among not only the prison’s inmates but also its staff. But a prisoner identified as Marco was shocked to learn that the state Department of Corrections (DOC) ...
by David M. Reutter
A $550,000 settlement was reached in a civil rights lawsuit alleging 19-year-old Jimmy Lucero laid in a catatonic state at Augusta State Medical Prison (ASMP) as he starved to death with little to no medical care in 2015.
Lucero entered the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC) ...
