Federal Court Caseloads Threaten Constitutional Protections
by Matt Clarke
Civil and criminal case filings in federal courts have grown dramatically over the past two decades, but at the same time the number of judges available to hear them has barely increased according to a report by researchers at Syracuse University. ...
Texas Sex Offender Oversight Agency Faces Investigations, Calls for Reform
by Matt Clarke
An increasing number of attorneys, legislators and prisoner advocacy groups are calling for reforms to Texas laws governing the civil commitment of sex offenders, with many warning that the state’s civil commitment program may be unconstitutional due ...
Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Suit Claiming Lack of Medical Care
by Matt Clarke
On March 12, 2014, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed in part a district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a prisoner who was denied medical treatment after he fell and was injured. ...
In October 2011, when Texas enacted a law instituting a $100 annual copay for state prisoners seeking medical care, it was estimated the measure would generate $5.7 million in 2012 and help the cash-strapped state deal with a budget crisis. [See: PLN, Oct. 2012, p.42]. Instead, only $2.5 million ...
West Virginia Woman under House Arrest Awarded $275,000 for Rape by Court Officer
by Matt Clarke
On October 12, 2012, a West Virginia federal jury awarded $275,000 to a woman who’s home confinement supervisor forced her to perform oral sex under threat of being jailed.
In 2009, April Tomblin Chafin ...
Former Minnesota Prisoner’s Inadequate Health Care Suit Settled for $275,000
by Matt Clarke
In July 2011, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) settled a lawsuit brought by a former state prisoner over allegedly inadequate medical attention after he suffered a severe reaction to a medication given to him while he ...
Prisoner Beating in Erie County Results in Guard's Conviction and Settlement
by Matt Clarke
A guard at the Erie County Holding Center (ECHC) in Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty to involvement in a prisoner beating and was convicted in federal court of misdemeanor charges of deprivation of civil rights under ...
The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice released a December 2012 report entitled "Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2010 - Statistical Tables." The report showed that 4,150 state and local prisoners died in 2010, with local jail prisoner deaths accounting for 918 of them. ...
Internet Pornographer Operates Business from Detroit Jail Cell
by Matt Clarke
For over a year and a half, Francis A. Sharrak, 45, managed his multimillion-dollar Internet pornography and strip club business from a downtown Detroit VIP isolation jail cell using a laptop equipped with a cell phone he was not ...
Maryland Jury Awards $5.6 Million for False Arrest and Detention
by Matt Clarke
On October 25, 2012, a Maryland jury awarded a man $5.6 million for damages incurred after he was arrested in Washington, D.C. on an invalid computer entry indicating an active bench warrant from Prince George's County.
Christopher ...
