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Articles by David Reutter

Prisoner’s Master Carpenter Skills Nets Opportunity to Serve and Receive Freedom

A Virginia man who was sentenced to prison in several counties has avoided being sent to prison, and his skill set is being attributed to remaining in jail and release.

Lawrence “Junior” Wood faced 36 different counts in six different counties. The charges ranged from obtaining money by false pretenses ...

Florida Allows Compensation of Wrongfully Convicted Man 25 Years after Release

The Florida Legislature passed a bill in the closing minutes of its 2014 session that allows a man who served 21 years on a wrongful conviction to seek up to $2 million in compensation.

James Richardson was convicted in the 1967 poisoning deaths of his seven children. Richardson, a black ...

Deaths of Two Pennsylvania Jail Prisoners Being Investigated By Amnesty International

Amnesty International is investigating the deaths of two prisoners at Pennsylvania’s Burlington County Jail (BCJ). The Prosecutor’s Office took the unusual step of responding to a letter from Amnesty upon conclusion of its own investigation.

The two prisoners allegedly died within months of each other of natural causes while held ...

Alabama Jail Guard Receives 4 Years for Sexually Abusing Prisoners

An Alabama federal district court sentenced a former guard to four years in prison for sexually abusing male prisoners at the Clay County Jail (CCJ)

Guard Jeffrey Cotney 48, ran the prisoner worker program at CCJ. He recommended who could participate and supervised the workers. In November 2013, a Federal ...

Prison Chief Blames Rising Prison Budget on Pennsylvania Legislators

When Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives forced Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel to appear before them for the annual round of grandstanding about prison costs, Wetzel turned the tables and placed the blame where it belongs: on the legislature.

Wetzel and chairman of the Board of Probation and Parole Michael Potteiger ...

Media Tip Cast Light on Medical Neglect as Prisoner Starved

Absent a tip to the Associated Press, the death of a prisoner at Kentucky State Prison would have remained shrouded in darkness. The tip led to an investigation that uncovered lapses in medical care as the prisoner starved to death.

Prisoner James Kenneth Embry, 57, had mental health issues that ...

Jail Called to Scrutinize Detox Procedure in Wake of Increased Deaths

The second death in six months of a pre-trial detainee at Pennsylvania’s Buck County prison has raised questions about its detox procedures. The scrutiny of such procedures should be a focal point for jail administrators throughout the nation because such deaths are occurring with increasing frequency.

In October 2013, Valene ...

Georgia Law Giving More Power and Secrecy to Private Probation Companies Vetoed

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a bill that would have expanded the powers of private probation companies and shrouded their activities in secrecy.

House Bill 837 was introduced shortly after lawsuits were filed in Richmond and counties to challenge the constitutionality of private companies carrying out judicial processes. It also ...

Florida Sheriff Tosses Private Health Administrator from Jail Overnight Job

An administrator for Armor Correction Health Services, Inc., was forced out of his position by Florida’s Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The administrator, Lewis Hays, was involved in the death of Allen Hicks, Sr. 51, who died at the Hillsborough County Jail after languishing for days in his cell following ...

Delaware Prisoner Health Care Finally Meets Constitutional Standards

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released the Delaware Department of Correction (DDOC) from the terms of an amended memorandum of agreement (AMOA) on prisoner medical and mental health care. The DOJ and DDOC reached the original memorandum of agreement (MOA) in 2006 after The News Press published a ...