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 ...
Judicial Misconduct Results in Mild Sanctions
by Matt Clarke
In November 2011, the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct (TCJC) temporarily suspended Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams after a 2004 video of Adams viciously beating his then-16-year-old daughter, Hillary, went viral. The state Supreme Court reinstated Adams on November 9, ...
When is a Person too Insane to Execute?
by Matt Clarke
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments to determine whether a Texas death row prisoner is too mentally ill to execute for murdering his in-laws as their daughter and granddaughter looked on.
The appellate court issued a ...
Spurred by a growing number of homeless registered sex offenders, some states, cities and towns have begun relaxing stringent restrictions on where sex offenders may live – a trend supported by public officials and advocates who argue that such a strategy actually creates a safer environment for everyone.
Rather than ...
First Circuit Vacates Massachusetts Prisoner’s $325,956.36 Damages, Attorney Fee Award
by Mark Wilson
On September 24, 2014, the First Circuit Court of Appeals held that Massachusetts prison officials were entitled to qualified immunity for segregating a pretrial detainee. Accordingly, the Court reversed the prisoner’s $47,500 damage award plus an award ...
Iowa DOC May Not Switch Administrative Law Judges in Mid-Disciplinary Process
by Matt Clarke
On August 20, 2014, a federal district court held that the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) had violated a prisoner’s due process rights when it reassigned his disciplinary case to a new administrative law judge (ALJ) ...
