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 ...
Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit Based on Classification Status Dismissed
by David Reutter
The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner’s lawsuit for being barred by sovereign immunity and for failure to state a cause of action on which relief could be granted. The dismissal counts as a “strike” against ...
$1.75 Million Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Heroin Withdrawal Death
by David M. Reutter
A $1.75 million settlement was reached in a lawsuit brought by the estate of a pre-trial detainee who died as a result of heroin withdrawal after being denied medical care.
In the days leading up to and ...
Arbitrator’s Award on Pay Raises for Prison Guards Costs Pennsylvania County $5 Million
by David M. Reutter
Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Commission has been forced to dip into its reserve funds to comply with an “unaccountable” arbitration award that resulted in a 7% annual pay increase for the county’s prison guards. ...
