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California Prison Settles Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit for $15,000
Loaded on Jan. 15, 2011
published in Prison Legal News
January, 2011, page 18
On January 28, 2010, California prisoner Garrison S. Johnson, proceeding pro se, signed a settlement agreement to resolve a federal lawsuit he had filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, claiming violations of his civil rights by officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Filed under:
Retaliation,
Retaliation for Filing Grievances,
Guard Brutality/Beatings,
Pepper Spray/Tear Gas,
Burning,
Settlements.
Location:
California.
Johnson had brought …
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More from this issue:
- Medical Examiners Lack Qualifications, Competence, Oversight, by Matthew Clarke
- Kentucky Jail Under Investigation After Prisoner Dies; Sexual Abuse, Financial Mismanagement Also Alleged, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- St. Louis Lockups Violate Constitutional Rights, ACLU Asserts, by Mark Wilson
- Mentally Ill Prisoner Terrorized, Forced to Wear Pink Underwear by Arizona Jailers
- California Prison Settles Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit for $15,000
- Texas Capital Defendants with Hired Attorneys Rarely Receive Death Sentences, by Matthew Clarke
- $16 Million Award Upheld in Wrongful Conviction Resulting from Undisclosed Evidence and Relationship
- UNICOR-Made Military Helmets Recalled, Production Suspended, by Derek Gilna
- $300,000 Settlement for New York Guard’s Fondling of Prisoner
- Kansas No Longer a Leader in Post-Release Prisoner Programs, by Derek Gilna
- North Carolina Prison Censorship Class Action Suit Settled
- Federal Rapid REPAT Program Not Working in Rhode Island, by Derek Gilna
- Georgia Prisoners Strike for Wages, Better Medical Care and Food
- Oregon Prisoner Holds Counselor Hostage, Gets New 68-Month Sentence
- California: Confiscation of Prisoner’s Mail May Violate First Amendment
- California: Harsh Sentencing Laws and Health Care Costs Strain Corrections Budget
- Released Prisoners Need Not Exhaust Grievance Remedies Before Filing Suit
- Budget Deficits Lead to Fewer Supermax Beds, by Mark Wilson
- California: Validity of Parole Board’s Psych Evaluation Procedures for Lifers Questioned, by Michael Brodheim
- Fourth Circuit Vacates Pornography Restriction on Federal Defendant
- Connecticut Restricts Prisoners’ FOIA Requests, by David Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Releases Report on Deaths in Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Ohio Prison Guard Dies Shackled to Hospital Bed, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment for Guard in Illinois Jail Taser Case
- Oregon Jail Guard Latest to be Indicted for Sexual Misconduct, by Mark Wilson
- Civilly Committing Sex Offenders Strains Some States’ Budgets, by Matthew Clarke
- California: Parole Agents Saw and Spoke to Kidnap Victim, Yet Failed to Identify or Rescue Her
- Political Patronage Scandal Rocks Massachusetts Probation Department, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Restitution Law Failing Crime Victims, by Michael Rigby
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- Mississippi Supreme Court Holds Substance, Not Label, of Prisoner Petitions Governs
- Audit Report Finds Georgia Sex Offender Registry Needs Complete Overhaul, by David Reutter
- Probation Officers Working in Los Angeles Juvenile Facilities Engage in Misconduct, Avoid Disciplinary Action, by Michael Brodheim
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- Delaware’s Parole Board Suffers from Infighting, by David Reutter
- Oregon Federal Halfway House Director Removed Due to Embezzlement, by Mark Wilson
- $389,548.55 Total Award in Texas Jail Strip Search Suit
- Washington Supreme Court Holds No Liberty Interest in Sex Offender Release to Community Custody
- Indiana DOC Hires Convicted Former Legislator for Re-Entry Job
- Former Texas Youth Commission Official Gets Ten Years in Prison
- North Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Felon’s Right to Possess Firearm
- Seventh Circuit Holds No Public Interest Requirement in Prisoner’s First Amendment Retaliation Suit for Providing Affidavit to Help Dead Prisoner’s Family
- California Supreme Court Clarifies Application of Presentence Good-Conduct Credit Statute
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- News in Brief:
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- Troubled Illinois Lockup Sees Guard Abuses, Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Sept. 1, 2026. Hunger Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

