by Matt Clarke
On November 22, 2010, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Oklahoma state prisoners had no clearly-established right to the funds in their trust fund accounts in 2007.
Herman T. Clark, an Oklahoma state prisoner, was sued by a woman he had been convicted of …
by Matt Clarke
On October 4, 2010, the Third Circuit held that a prisoner who has not been charged with or convicted of a sex offense may not be compelled to participate in sex offender treatment unless the prison first provides due process.
Charles S. Renchenski was convicted of …
by Matt Clarke
In an opinion filed on November 18, 2011, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that it had no jurisdiction over a Louisiana deputy's appeal from the denial of his motion for summary judgment based on qualified immunity in a civil rights suit involving denial of medical …
by Matt Clarke
The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice has released a statistical report on prisoners under state and federal jurisdiction for the year ending on December 31, 2009. The report notes a slowing in the growth of prisoner populations with a 0.2% increase from …
by Matt Clarke
In January 2013, A $45 million settlement was reached in a long-standing lawsuit that challenged the failure of prison phone service companies to provide rate information to people who accepted calls from prisoners in Washington State.
Previously, on February 23, 2012, a King County superior court had …
by Matt Clarke
On June 13, 2012, a federal jury awarded over $2.6 million to a man who was brutally assaulted by another prisoner while being held in a detoxification cell in a West Hollywood, California jail.
Jonathon Michael Castro was arrested late one evening for public drunkenness by Los …
by Matt Clarke
In March 2012, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a $659,300 jury award in favor of two men who were arrested for public intoxication in New Orleans two days before Hurricane Katrina struck, and were then incarcerated for a month – sometimes under deplorable living conditions.
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by Matt Clarke
Unique circumstances have combined to make northern Louisiana a prime location for private prisons, as Louisiana sheriffs can profit by letting a private company build and operate facilities that house both local prisoners and prisoners from other jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, other parish prisons – especially those in the …
by Matt Clarke
In a 7-0 opinion with two judges not participating, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held on February 15, 2012 that a former prisoner who claimed exculpatory evidence was withheld in his case, and who raised a free-standing claim of actual innocence based on the recantation of …
by Matt Clarke
On May 18, 2012, the Supreme Court of Texas held that a former prisoner whose murder conviction was reversed due to ineffective assistance of counsel after he proved that he was likely actually innocent was entitled to compensation.
Billy Frederick Allen was convicted of a double homicide …
