Seventh Circuit Extends Appeal Filing Deadline for Prisoner Misled by Court Clerk
by Matt Clarke
In a well-crafted opinion delivered on August 8, 2013, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that a prisoner who was misled by a court clerk regarding the status of his habeas corpus petition should ...
Fifth Circuit Holds Louisiana Commutation Changes Not Ex Post Facto
by Matt Clarke
In an opinion filed May 21, 2013, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that changes to commutation laws and rules in Louisiana, which gave the pardons board the authority to deny a hearing on commutation and ...
Texas Supreme Court Rules on Which Experts Qualify for Civil Commitment Trial
by Matt Clarke
On August 31, 2012, the Supreme Court of Texas held that an expert who testifies in a civil commitment proceeding under the Texas Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators Act (CCSVPA), Chapter 861, ...
U.S. Department of Justice Releases Former Prisoner Report on Sexual Victimization
by Matt Clarke
On May 12, 2012, the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice released a report on a survey of former state prisoners about sexual victimization in jails and prisons. The first ...
by Matt Clarke
On April 25, 2012, Connecticut Governor Daniel P. Malloy signed into law legislation that eliminates the death penalty for future crimes and replaces it with life without parole – part of a trend to abolish capital punishment. [See: PLN, June 2012, p.16].
The signing took place ...
Exonerated Chicago Man Settles Lawsuit for $3.6 Million
By Matthew Clarke
In January 2012, the City of Chicago settled a lawsuit against the city and five Chicago police officers brought by a man who was exonerated after nine years of incarceration for $3,600,000.
Robert Wilson was arrested ...
Pew Center Report Finds Increasing Incarceration Expensive and Ineffective
by Matthew Clarke
On June 6 2012, the Pew Center on the States issued a report on the consequences of the trend toward longer terms of imprisonment in state prisons. The report found that lengthening sentences did not necessarily ...
Medical Neglect Killing Prisoners at CCA-Run Texas Prison?
by Matthew Clarke
Family members and former Dawson State Jail prisoners are alleging medical neglect led to the recent deaths of two prisoners at the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) run prison in Dallas, Texas.
The 10-story high rise ...
Indiana Supreme Court Holds Agreed Court Order with Prosecutor is Binding on DOC
by Matt Clarke
The Supreme Court of Indiana has held that a court order regarding whether a sex offender could be retroactively classified as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP), and required to register as a sex offender ...
Texas: Clerk May Not Bill Defendant for Attorney Fees Not Ordered by Court
by Matt Clarke
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held last year that a district clerk may not send an indigent prisoner a bill of costs for court-appointed attorney fees in his criminal case when the court ...
