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Iowa Supreme Court: Retroactive Good Conduct Time Denial is Unconstitutional, Depending on Date of Conviction
by Matt Clarke
On January 23, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court held that state law amendments enacted in 2001 and 2005, which required that certain prisoners must participate in rehabilitative programs to be awarded good conduct time credits, violated the ex post facto clauses of the U.S. and Iowa Constitutions …
On January 23, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court held that state law amendments enacted in 2001 and 2005, which required that certain prisoners must participate in rehabilitative programs to be awarded good conduct time credits, violated the ex post facto clauses of the U.S. and Iowa Constitutions …
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More from this issue:
- Prison Health Care, Political Choice and the Accidental Death Penalty in Michigan, by Elizabeth Alexander
- $950,000 Settlement for California Prisoner Rendered Quadriplegic
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Hadix Litigation Winding Down, by David Reutter
- Shortcomings Cited at Virginia’s Civil Commitment Facility, by Matthew Clarke
- BOP Settles FTCA Abuse/Religious Discrimination Suit for $48,000, by Brandon Sample
- U.S. DOJ Calls Houston Jail Unconstitutional, Prisoner Death Rate Alarming, by Gary Hunter
- $75,000 Settlement in Heart Attack Death of Missouri Jail Prisoner
- Don’t Build it Here Revisited (or “There is no Economic Salvation Through Incarceration”) - Prisons Do Not Create Jobs, by Clayton Mosher
- $125,000 Settlement in Suicide Death Of New York Jail Prisoner
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Gets $12,500 in Retaliation Suit After Remittitur, by John E Dannenberg
- Settlement in Class-Action Suit Against CCA Modified After PLN Unseals Court Documents, by Alex Friedmann
- Colorado Detainee Tasered During Seizure, Paid $116,731.73 and $83,268.27 in Fees
- Prison Video Visitation Expands into For-Profit Market, by David Reutter
- Sex with Former Jail Employee Lands Texas Sex Offender Back in Prison
- Soft Porn, Bribery and Jailed Millionaire Make for a Dangerous Mix, by Brandon Sample
- California Communities Made Less Safe as Sex Offender Housing Restrictions More Strictly Enforced, by Michael Brodheim
- Texas Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Ex-Prisoner’s Religious Halfway House, by Matthew Clarke
- Former High-Ranking CIA Official Imprisoned for Corruption, by Matthew Clarke
- $2.4 Million Settlement in Children’s Death Caused by California Jail Guard’s Driving
- $1.95 Million Awarded to New Hampshire Guards Falsely Accused of Assaulting Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Guantanamo’s Youngest Prisoner Can’t Be Tried, Won’t be Released, by Matthew Clarke
- Education for Persons in Detention—A Human Right, by Jimmy Franks
- BOP Guard Found Guilty in Prisoner’s Death, Sentenced to Life, by Brandon Sample
- Four Pennsylvania Jail Guards Fired, Two Resign Over Prisoner Beating, by David Reutter
- South Dakota: Prisoner May Enforce Third-Party Kosher Meal Obligation
- Federal Jury Awards $5 Million for Wrongful Conviction Involving Houston Crime Lab, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Upholds $9,063,000 Award to Illinois Ex-Prisoner Exonerated by DNA, by Brandon Sample
- Iowa Supreme Court: Retroactive Good Conduct Time Denial is Unconstitutional, Depending on Date of Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of 8th Amendment and FTCA Medical Claims; Case Settles on Remand for $20,000
- New York Politicians Want to Re-Evaluate Civil Confinement Release Law, by Matthew Clarke
- New Hampshire City Ordinance Restricting Sex Offender Residency Found Unconstitutional
- PLN Sues Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice Over Censorship; Court Upholds Rights of Book Distributors, by Alex Friedmann
- Oneida County, NY Jail Suicide Litigation Settled for $225,000
- Los Angeles County Jail Agrees To Pay $900,000 to Settle Lawsuit over Inadequate Medical Care
- DHS Ordered to Respond to Petition Seeking National Stan-dards at Immigration Detention Facilities, by Brandon Sample
- $1.31 Million Awarded to California Man Wrongly Jailed on Murder Charge
- $1.31 Million Award to Wrongfully Jailed California Man
- Discovery Disputes in Suit Over Pennsylvania Jail MRSA Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
- China Taking Steps to Reduce Number of Executions
- Federal Court Awards $1.47 Million in Attorney Fees and Costs against Sheriff Arpaio
- Massachusetts Court of Appeals Reinstates Prisoner’s Dental Negligence Suit
- Starting Out: The Complete Reentry Book, by William Foster and Carl Horn, 446 pp, $22.95, by Matthew Clarke
- BOP Fails To Meet Drug Treatment Goals; Lack of Funding Blamed
- Georgia Prisoners Must Use Court Promulgated Form to Initiate a Court Action
- District Court May Order Martinez Report, Ninth Circuit Holds
- Washington Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Parole for Sex Offender Who Refuses to Admit Guilt
- Washington Pretrial Release UAs Invalidated
- Second Circuit Establishes Anonymous Pleading Standards
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Reversal of Summary Judgment to BOP Doctor Accused of Deliberate Indifference, by Brandon Sample
- News in Brief:
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Reform Act Does Not Authorize Automatic Extension of Supervised Release When Defendant Absconds, Resolving Circuit Split, April 1, 2026. Sentencing, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Staffing, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Good Time, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- SCOTUS Announces MVRA Restitution Constitutes Criminal Punishment Subject to Ex Post Facto Clause Protections, Feb. 1, 2026. Ex Post Facto, Restitution, Constitution, U.S., Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- Shadow Prisons: How Civil Commitment Leads to Longer Confinement, Jan. 1, 2026. Sex Offender Treatment, Involuntary Treatment/Drugging, Civil Commitment, Sexually Dangerous Persons/Sexual Violent Predators, Sex Offense Registration Act (SORNA).
- Alabama Supreme Court Denies DOC’s Improper Venue Objection, Jan. 1, 2026. Defenses, Good Time, Habeas Corpus, Failure to Object, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Third Circuit Rules Awarding BOP Prisoners 54 Days of Good Time Per Year Is Pro-Rated, Jan. 1, 2026. Good Time, First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Credits.
- CDCR May No Longer Use Sentence Credits to Advance Parole Eligibility of Some California Prisoners Serving Indeterminate Sentences, Dec. 1, 2025. Good Time, Constitution, state, Sentence, Credits, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Ex-Wife of Minnesota DOC Commissioner Sentenced for Poisoning Attempt on Son, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Sentencing, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- Fourth Circuit Rules in Favor of Prisoner’s Eligibility for Time Credits, Nov. 1, 2025. Good Time, Habeas Corpus, First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Death/Bodily Injury, Sentencing Findings.

