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Alabama’s Indigent Defense System “Perfect Storm” for Ineffective Assistance

Loaded on Sept. 15, 2010 by David Reutter published in Prison Legal News September, 2010, page 28
Filed under: Judicial Misconduct, Attorneys, Attorney Misconduct, Public Defenders. Location: Alabama.
by David M. Reutter

“Alabama’s right-to-counsel system has the ‘perfect storm’ of characteristics that virtually guarantee ineffective assistance of counsel to the poor,” observed David Carroll, research director for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

Carroll was referring to a system that gives state court judges unbridled discretion to ...

 

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  1. Thou Shalt Not: Sexual Misconduct by Prison and Jail Chaplains, by David Reutter
  2. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  3. Clergy Who Advocate for Prisoners Barred from Prisons and Jails
  4. Federal Court Finds Nation of Islam Publication Not Racially Inflammatory, by David Reutter
  5. $35,000 Settlement in Indiana Jail Failure to Protect and Medical Care Suit, by David Reutter
  6. Boulder Weekly Investigation Ends the Practice of Shackling Colorado Prisoners in Labor, by Pamela White
  7. $10 Million Settlement for Former Colorado Prisoner Cleared by DNA, by David Reutter
  8. Prison Nursery Programs Promote Bonding, Reduce Recidivism, by Gary Hunter
  9. Texas Judge Sharon “Killer” Keller Receives Sanctions
  10. Court Rebuffs BOP for Third Time in PLN Records Suit, by Brandon Sample
  11. Failed Extortion Scheme Led to Washington Prisoner’s Suicide Attempt, Lawsuit Says, by David Reutter
  12. Deplorable Conditions at Los Angeles ICE Facility Result in Settlement, by Brandon Sample
  13. $2 Million in Settlements for Wrongful Arrest, Conviction in Ohio
  14. Technology, Budget Cuts Make Sex Offender Monitoring More Difficult, by Matthew Clarke
  15. Five Sentenced in Oregon Prison Food Bribery Scandal, by Mark Wilson
  16. Wisconsin Doctor Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Prisoner Patients
  17. Congress Passes Law to Reduce Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity, by Anthony Papa
  18. Former Prisoner Accepts $179,000 for Wrongful Conviction Under New Florida Law, by David Reutter
  19. Ohio Cuts Prison Industry Jobs, by Matthew Clarke
  20. Alabama’s Indigent Defense System “Perfect Storm” for Ineffective Assistance, by David Reutter
  21. $130,000 Settlement in Tennessee Jail Prisoner’s Beating, Rape
  22. Pay-to-Stay Jails Unsuccessful in Ohio, by David Reutter
  23. U.S. Supreme Court Holds Restitution Deadlines Not Jurisdictional
  24. U.S. Department of Agriculture Subsidizes Jail Building in Texas
  25. Democratic Chairman’s Rhetoric Supports Restoration of Voting Rights, but Actions Speak Louder than Words, by David Reutter
  26. $850,000 Award in Delaware Prisoner’s Suicide; State Declines to Renew CMS Contract
  27. U.S. Supreme Court Holds Government May Offset Attorney Fees to Collect Litigant’s Debt
  28. Pennsylvania Legislator / GEO Board Member Faces Criminal Charges, by Matthew Clarke
  29. Innocence Project Report on Compensation and Reentry Services for Exonerated Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
  30. Former Oregon Prison Guard, Accused of Contraband Smuggling and Sexual Misconduct, Files Suit Alleging Racism, by Mark Wilson
  31. Suit Filed for Oregon Jail Pneumonia Death
  32. 14 Years of Litigation Fails to Remedy Deficient Jail Medical Care; Herrera Saga Continues in Washington State
  33. Registered Sex Offender Remained on City Payroll While Incarcerated, by Michael Brodheim
  34. Oregon Politician Visits Prison, Proposes Porn Ban, by Mark Wilson
  35. Arizona Attempts Prison System Sell-Off, by Brandon Sample
  36. $1 Million Award in New York State Prisoner’s Death Caused by Medical Malpractice
  37. Another Way for CCA to Influence Congress, by Matthew Clarke
  38. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander (N.Y., The New Press, 2010). 290 pages., by Mumia Abu-Jamal
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  43. $2.9 Million Settlement in Suit against GEO over Suspicionless Strip Searches, by Matthew Clarke
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