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Maine Prison in Turmoil
By the time Warden Jeffrey Merrill revealed on June 3 that three Maine State Prison employees had been put on paid leave as a result of a state police investigation of an inmate’s death in April, probes of corruption and other issues at the 925-prisoner lockup had already cast a ...
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More from this issue:
- Texas Prisoners Still Dying in Houston Jails, Among Other Problems, by Gary Hunter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit: Special Parole Review Request Doesn’t Toll AEDPA Limitations
- Megan’s Law Preempts Local New Jersey Sex Offender Ordinances
- “Habeas Hints”, by Kent A. Russell
- Perpetrators and Enablers of Torture in the US, by Corey Weinstein
- Maine Prison in Turmoil, by Lance Tapley
- Obama Promises Guantanamo Will Close and Torture Will End ... but When?, by Matthew Clarke
- Human Rights Watch Report Calls to Reform PLRA, by David Reutter
- Florida Prison Guards Fired, Suspended for Shocking Children with Stun Guns, by David Reutter
- Problems at Washington’s Civil Commitment Center Continue, by Matthew Clarke
- Southern California Jails Addicted to ICE Money, by Matthew Clarke
- CA Prison Medical Care Receiver: Three Top Officials Ousted, Controversial Building Plan Opposed, by Matthew Clarke
- California Sheriffs Appropriate Rehabilitation Funds for Security Needs, by Michael Brodheim
- Sacramento County Jail Settles Excessive Force Suit For $260,000
- Nebraska Prison Officials Must Pay Attorney’s Fees in Kosher Diet Case; Found in Contempt After Excrement Discovered in Prisoner’s Food, by Brandon Sample
- PLN Files Public Records Suit Against San Francisco County, Sheriff’s Office
- Columbia Jail Journal: The Compelling, Exclusive Inside Story of the Columbia Three, by James Monaghan, Brandon Press, 277 pages, by David Preston
- Florida DOC and Keefe Gouge Prisoners on Commissary Sales, by David Reutter
- $1.8 Million Settlement in Beating of Florida Jail Prisoner
- Pennsylvania Jail Mired in Scandal ... Again
- Montana, Michigan Towns Vie to Fill Prisons with Guantanamo Detainees
- $4.7 Million Settlement for Brain Damage Caused by Washington Jail Negligence
- Michigan Changes Overtime Rules; $4 Million Savings on Prison Budget
- Glomar Response to Prisoner’s FOIA Request Insufficient
- Texas Parole Board’s Hearing on Imposition of Sex Offender Conditions Inadequate, by Matthew Clarke
- PLN Prevails in Motion to Unseal Settlement in CCA Class Action FLSA Case
- $6 Million Settlement in Beating Death of California Detainee
- $500,000 Settlement for Fatal Beating of Phoenix Jail Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Los Angeles County Agrees to Pay $7,000,000 to Beaten Juvenile Prisoner
- Ohio County Jail Agrees to Pay $75,000 For Locking Up Poor
- Small Amounts of Marijuana Not “Dangerous Contraband” Under New York Law, Court Rules
- Audit Finds California Parolees Sometimes Slip Through Bureaucratic Cracks
- Maryland Prisoners Make Flags
- Mississippi Prisoners Make Collect Call for Jesus
- Clerk Erred in Refusing to File Unsigned 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Motion
- Aramark Discontinues, Loses Prison Food Service Contracts, by David Reutter
- Injunction Against Missouri Sex Offender Halloween Restrictions Issued, Then Vacated, by Matthew Clarke
- Mentally Ill NC Prisoners Injured in Separate Incidents, by Gary Hunter
- $145,000 Settlement in Iowa Prisoner’s Self-Mutilation Mental Health Claim, by David Reutter
- Missouri DOC Permits Gift Books in Response to PLN Demand Letter
- Hawaii to Remove Prisoners from CCA Facility Over Abuse Charges, by Ian Urbina
- Military Psychologist Implicated in Abusive Interrogations, by David Reutter
- Indigent Connecticut Prisoners Entitled to Copies of Records Under FOIA Without Charge
- Duration of Confinement in Segregation Affects Due Process Inquiry
- Second Circuit Reinstates New York Jail Guard’s Excessive Force Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- California: City Liable for $237,000 Hospital Bill for Prisoner’s Medical Care
- Oakland, CA Police Policy of In-Field Public Strip Searches Without Arrest or Warrant Found Unconstitutional
- Florida: For Sentence Calculation Purposes, Civil Commitment Detention Same as Jail Confinement
- District Court Erred in Sua Sponte Dismissal of Prisoner’s Challenge to Conditions of Confinement
- Florida Gain Time Law Application Violates Ex Post Facto Clause
- Ninth Circuit: Refusal to Allow Cross-Examination of Lab Technician Violates Due Process, by Brandon Sample
- Ohio Jail Officials Face Federal Charges, Investigation, by Brandon Sample
- BOP Warden Does Not Have Authority to Reduce Prisoner’s Sentence Under Rule 35(b), by Brandon Sample
- News in Brief:
- Oregon Illegal Detention Suit Settled for $30,000
- Sixth Circuit: Dismissal of Due Process and Equal Protection Claims Upheld; Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Issue Remanded
More from Lance Tapley:
- “Natural Causes Killed Victor: A Death in Solitary,” a folk opera by George Swanson (DVD, 55 minutes), Jan. 10, 2017
- Bonnie Kerness: Pioneer in the Struggle Against Solitary Confinement, July 9, 2014
- No Death Penalty for Maine Prisoner, April 15, 2014
- A Rare Look Inside the Maine State Prison's "Supermax", March 15, 2014
- Prison Reforms Under Maine’s New DOC Commissioner, March 15, 2013
- Solitary Confinement: Bad for Chimps, Okay for Humans?, Oct. 15, 2012
- Reform Comes to Maine Supermax: New commissioner cuts population by more than half; prisoner rights advocates help in the reform, Sept. 15, 2011
- Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, by Robert Perkinson, Metropolitan Books/Holt, 484 pp (October 2010), $20.00 paperback, May 15, 2011
- Maine Governor Rakes in Private Prison Money, Shows Appreciation, April 15, 2011
- Mass Torture in America: Notes from the Supermax Prisons, Feb. 15, 2011
More from these topics:
- $1.2 Million in Settlements Reached in Suit Over Sacramento Jail Murder, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Connecticut Court Denies Access to Video of Prisoner’s Fatal Beat-Down by Guards, May 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Videotaping, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Washington DOC On Hot Seat Over “Unexpected Fatalities,” Missed Autopsies, May 1, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, False Statements/Perjury.
- Missouri Pays More Than $1.2 Million for Deputy Warden’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Warden, May 1, 2025. Staff-Staff Harassment, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements.
- New York Prisoner Awarded Almost $280,000 in Retaliation Claim Against Guards, May 1, 2025. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements.
- Pittsburgh Lockup Accounts for 43% of Pennsylvania Jail TASER Use, Suit Filed, May 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- 20 Charged in Nevada Prison Brawl That Left Three Dead, May 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- Kentucky Jail Sued for Detainee’s Death, Prisoner’s Stillborn Child, May 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Children of Prisoners, Deliberate Indifference.
- New Jersey DOC Sued Twice for Turning “Blind Eye” to “Pervasive” Drug-Smuggling Blamed for Prisoner Deaths, May 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Cell Searches, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Drug Courier or "Mule" status.
- Three More Prisoners Die, Three More Staffers Fired at Wisconsin Prison, April 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).