Following Suspension and Reprimand for Misconduct, Ex Kentucky Judge Remains Unrepentant
by David Reutter
The Kentucky Judicial conduct Commission (JCC) publicly reprimanded a retired judge for “reprehensible” behavior that included a threat to strangle a lawyer and refusing to allow a pro se civil litigant to argue his case.
The ...
Florida Withdraws Rule Proposal to Ban Prisoner Internet Presence
By David Reutter
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) has withdrawn a proposed administrative rule that would have prohibited prisoners from using any form of Internet. The proposed rule was withdrawn after three prisoner rights advocacy organizations warned the FDOC it ...
Corizon Abandons Kentucky Jail Contract in Wake of Death and Lawsuits
By David Reutter
In the wake of seven prisoner deaths and subsequent lawsuits, prison healthcare provider Corizon has decided to not seek renewal of its contract at Kentucky’s Metro Corrections in Louisville.
For much of the last two decades, ...
Auditor Finds Security and Safety Failings at Michigan’s Macomb Correctional Facility
by David M. Reutter
A performance audit by the Michigan office of the Auditor General found that officials at the Macomb Correctional Facility (MCF) were only “moderately effective” in complying with security and safety procedures. The auditor’s findings concerned ...
Allegheny County Doctor Files Complaint against Corizon over Hiring Practices
by David Reutter
Corizon, a private for-profit company, is facing a complaint filed with Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission that claims a bias against women, immigrants, and doctors who complain against frugal prisoner health care was the basis for the company’s ...
Downward Departure Sentenced for Florida Guard Convicted in Beating Prisoners Vacated
by David Reutter
In vacating the sentences of two former Florida prison guards convicted of violating prisoners’ civil rights and obstruction of justice, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that downward variances of more than 90% from the ...
ACLU Report Condemns Colorado’s Warehousing of Mentally Ill Prisoners in Solitary Confinement
By David Reutter
Despite being aware that prolonged isolation of seriously mentally ill prisoners can be devastating, the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) continues to house hundreds of prisoners it knows suffer from mental illness in long-term administrative ...
Indiana Supreme Court Defines “Infamous Crime,” Holds Convicts Can Be Disenfranchised During Incarceration
by David Reutter
In answering a certified question from a federal district court, the Indiana Supreme Court departed from established precedent and redefined what constitutes an “infamous crime” that a person for which a person can be ...
Texas Cops Granted Qualified Immunity for False Arrest, Malicious Prosecution
by David Reutter
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed the grant of summary judgment to two police officers sued for false arrest and malicious prosecution by two men who spent nine-months in jail for murder. The Court, however, reversed ...
$25,000 Jury Award in Missouri Prisoner’s Failure to Protect Claim
by David Reutter
A Missouri federal jury awarded a prisoner $25,000 in a failure to protect case. The district court also awarded $23,401.05 in attorney fees and costs.
Missouri prisoner Christopher Prosser was placed in administrative segregation after the Superintendent ...
