West Virginia City Settles Suit over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $460,000
by Matt Clarke
On June 10, 2013, following a $460,000 settlement, a West Virginia federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the estate of a prisoner who died at the Bluefield City Jail.
According to the complaint in the ...
Texas Prisoners Face Annual Shortage of Hygiene Items in Prison Commissaries
by Matt Clarke
It’s a regular routine for Texas state prisoners – commissaries running out of hygiene supplies and other items as purchasing contracts are renewed.
The contracts for Texas prison commissaries expire at the end of August, when ...
$400,000 Settlement in Suit Over Minnesota Prisoner’s Death Due to Medical Neglect
by Matt Clarke
On May 1, 2013, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) agreed to pay a $400,000 settlement in a federal lawsuit after a prisoner suffered multiple seizures and died, having received virtually no medical care.
Xavius ...
Prosecutors Deny Defense Attorneys Access to National DNA Database, Leaving Innocent in Prison
By Matt Clarke
DNA testing has become a well-recognized and powerful method for freeing prisoners wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit. But its full potential is not being realized because some prosecutors resist giving defense ...
U.K. Ministry of Justice Announces Finding Pork DNA in Halal Prison Foods
By Matt Clarke
In February 2013, the U.K.’s Department of Justice issued an apology and suspended a prison meat supplier after traces of pork DNA was discovered in Halal pies and pasties. The prison system had purchased the ...
Texas, Amidst Budget Crisis, May Not Renew Some Private Prison Contracts
By Matt Clarke
John Whitmire, D-Houston, the chairman of the state Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee wants to cut the cost of incarcerating Texas prisoners and "all options are on the table," including ending the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's ...
Two Former Oklahoma Prison Guards Get Deferred Sentences in Prisoner’s Death
by Matt Clarke
Two former guards at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary (OSP) received deferred sentences in connection with the death of an OSP prisoner who died due to smoke inhalation after setting fire to the mattress in his cell. ...
New York: $360,000 Award for Guard’s Statutory Rape of Prisoner
by Matt Clarke
The New York Court of Claims has awarded a former prisoner $360,000 in a lawsuit in which she claimed a prison guard repeatedly had sexual contact with her, some of it unwilling, and impregnated her.
The plaintiff, ...
$110,000 Settlement in Suit over Nebraska Jail Prisoner’s Suicide
by Matt Clarke
Lincoln County, the City of North Platte and Great Plains Regional Medical Center agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the sister of a Nebraska jail prisoner who committed suicide. As part of the settlement, the county agreed ...
Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Prisoner has Right to Free Kosher Meals
by Matt Clarke
On December 21, 2012, in a lawsuit that still remains pending, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a Jewish prisoner in Texas has the right to receive free kosher meals.
Max Moussazadeh, 36, filed ...
