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North Carolina Jail Fire Kills Eight Prisoners
Loaded on Jan. 15, 2003
published in Prison Legal News
January, 2003, page 11
A fire in the Mitchell county jail at Bakersville, North Carolina killed eight prisoners on May 3rd. Joey Grindstaff, 23; Mark Thomas, 20; Edmond Banks, 46; Danny Johnson, 42; Jesse Davis, 27; Jeremiah Presnell, 20; Jason Boston, 27; and Tywain Neal, 28 died in the blaze. Two other prisoners were …
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More from this issue:
- Washington Prison Health Care Substandard, by Angela Galloway
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Habeas Hints: Procedural Update, by Kent Russell
- The Long Silence: Federal Prisoners' Fight to Get the Word Out Reaches Unprintable Extremes, by Alan Prendergast
- Book Review: From Prison to Home, by Roger Hummel
- North Carolina Jail Fire Kills Eight Prisoners
- Alabama DOC Quickly Settles Prison Working Conditions Suit, by John E Dannenberg
- Hustler Magazine Survives Arizona Prison Obscenity Test
- Los Angeles County Settles Overdetention Suits for $27 Million, by John E Dannenberg
- Sexual Assault Violates Eighth Amendment
- Wackenhut Warden and Six Guards Convicted In New Mexico Prisoner Beatings
- California's Parole Revocation System Violates Due Process, by John E Dannenberg
- Virginia Guards Acquitted of Assaulting Prisoner, by Michael Rigby
- Sentence Commuted for Sexually Assaulted New Mexico Prisoner
- Ninth Circuit Upholds BOP's Prorated Good Time Formula
- Inartful Pro Se Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Survives Motion to Dismiss
- Deaf Michigan Prisoner's ADA/RA Suit Survives Dismissal Challenge
- USPC Parole Revocation Policies Violate Due Process, by David Reutter
- Trial in Prison Violates Oregon's "Public Trial" Guarantee
- Amendment of Complaint to Identify Unknown Defendant Denied
- Denial of Wheelchair Claims Survive Summary Judgment
- PLRA Does Not Apply to Juvenile Facilities; $379,000 Attorney Fees and Costs Awarded, by David Reutter
- Excessive Force and Delaying Medical Treatment Defeats Dismissal
- Diabetic's Amputation Suit Set for Trial
- No Immunity for Failing to Protect Murdered Informant; Correctional Industries Employees Are State Actors
- Colorado Ad-Seg Decisions Subject to Judicial Review
- 7th Circuit: PLRA Exhaustion Requirements Retroactive; BOP Has Late Grievance Hardship Exception
- $27,848.30 Award in Texas Jail Slip and Fall Upheld
- A Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual, Fifth Ed. and 2002 Supplement, by Paul Wright
- Less Restrictive Alternatives Must Be Considered in Washington Sex Predator Commitments
- Brutal Jail Conditions Warrant Reduced Federal Prison Sentence
- News in Brief
- FLSA Inapplicable to Oklahoma Prisoners in Private Prisons
- 7th Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity on ETS Claim
- All Aspects of Inadequate Medical Need Not Be Exhausted
More from these topics:
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies, Feb. 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Securus.
- County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Religious Practices, First Amendment, rights, Religious Freedom/Worship.
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Summary Judgment, Limitations, Municipal Liability, Criminal Sexual Abuse.
- Ohio Sheriff Agrees to Outside Probe in Investigation of Jailed Double Amputee’s Death, Dec. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Guards at an Infamous Mississippi Jail Mocked a Disabled Detainee, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Stun Guns/Tasers, Punishment.
- Arrests by Trump-Backed Task Force Make Tennessee Jail Conditions Worse, Dec. 1, 2025. Transfers, Jail Misconduct, Overcrowding, Bedding, Jail Specific.
- America’s Deadliest Jails: Tarrant County Edition, Nov. 1, 2025. Wrongful Death, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- While Mentally Ill Rikers Island Detainee Lay Dying, Staff Sprayed Air Freshener, Fudged Cell Checks, Nov. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Negligence/Reckless Endangerment.
- Ohio Appoints Special Prosecutor to Investigate Double Amputee’s Restraint and Death, Nov. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Failure to Treat, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- California’s Attorney General Is Suing Los Angeles County Jails Over “Inhumane Conditions”, Nov. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Totality of Conditions, Food, Overcrowding, Exposure to Cold, Plumbing, Sewage, Sanitation, Hygiene Supplies, Vermin, Exposure to Heat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Complaints, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).

