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$75,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Beating
Loaded on May 15, 2011
published in Prison Legal News
May, 2011, page 43
A $75,000 settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by a former prisoner who was beaten by guards at Pennsylvania’s Westmoreland County Prison (WCP).
Filed under:
Crime/Demographics,
Criminal Prosecution,
Guard Brutality/Beatings.
Location:
Pennsylvania.
In June 2009, James P. Edwards, 28, was arrested on a parole violation. He was on parole following a 10-year sentence in Texas for attempted …
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More from this issue:
- Contributions to California Politicians Rewarded with Lucrative Private Prison Contracts
- Prison Pays: Geo Corp Profits from Half-Way House Murder and Mayhem in Texas, by Craig Malisow
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Felon Disenfranchisement Statute Does Not Violate Voting Rights Act, by Brandon Sample
- Sixth Circuit OK’s Federal Judge’s Membership in Racist and Sexist Country Club
- Ninth Circuit Rules PLRA Requires Exhaustion Even if Prison Grievance Process Cannot Provide Monetary Relief
- California: Continued Resistance Among Prisoners and Prison Officials Alike Slows Attempts to End Housing Segregation, by Michael Brodheim
- Inadequate Medical Care in Texas Jails Kills Hundreds of Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, by Robert Perkinson, Metropolitan Books/Holt, 484 pp (October 2010), $20.00 paperback, by Lance Tapley
- Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides More Than Four Times National Average, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Retires in Wake of DUI Arrest
- Practice of Jailing Parents Who Owe Child Support Raises Questions, Concerns, by Matthew Clarke
- Report Documents Scope of Prosecutorial Misconduct in California, by Michael Brodheim
- California Jury Awards Native American Prisoner $150 on Due Process Property Claim
- Jailing for Debt on the Rise, by Matthew Clarke
- Two California Prisoners Die as a Result of Doctor’s Negligence, by Derek Gilna
- No Interlocutory Appeal from Denial of Motion for Reconsideration; $6,000 Settlement in New York Jail Abuse Case
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- Juvenile Justice Expert Condemns Rhode Island’s Jailing of Students for Minor Offenses, by Derek Gilna
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- Mississippi Governor Grants Early Release to Scott Sisters, by Derek Gilna
- CCA Prisoner Awarded $3,250 in Excessive Force Lawsuit
- Trivialized Use of Presidential Pardon Power Continues Under Obama, by Brandon Sample
- Homeless Probationer’s Violation for Failure to Comply with GPS Monitoring Reversed
- Virginia ACLU Requests DOJ Investigation into Jail Deaths, by Mark Wilson
- Mexican Prison Officials Arm and Release Prisoners for Hit Squad Duties, by Matthew Clarke
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- Select Legal Topics, by Andrew J. Schatkin, 
University Press of America, 625 pp (Sept. 2009), $69.95, by Matthew Clarke
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- Colorado Officials Lead Efforts to Modernize Afghan Prisons, by Derek Gilna
- Sweeping Settlement Covers Medical and Mental Health Care at Wisconsin Women’s Prison
- $75,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Beating
- Connecticut Sues Prison Builders for $18 Million, by Gary Hunter
- Conviction Affirmed for Former Prisoner Who Posed as Lawyer
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- Inefficiencies in Prison Pharmacy Operations Cost California Taxpayers at Least $13 Million Annually, by Michael Brodheim
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- South Carolina Appellate Court Holds Prisoners Entitled to Overtime
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- Six Maryland Guards Convicted in Prisoner’s Beating, Cover-up; § 1983 Suit Filed, May 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Obstruction of Justice, Wrongful Use of Force, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of.
- Judge Denies New York Prison Chief’s Motion to be Dismissed from Case Related to Robert Brooks’ Murder, May 1, 2026. Work Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Train/Supervise, Police--Excessive Force, Deliberate Indifference.
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- Sixth Circuit Revives Michigan Prisoner’s Challenge to Guard Tackle That Broke His Foot, March 1, 2026. Evidentiary Ruling (Disciplinary Hearings), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Pending Appeal/Sentencing.
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- $404,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Brutalized by Trio of Guards, Kept in Solitary for Two Years, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Retaliatory Segregation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Michigan Jailer Accused of Retaliatory Assault, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Louisiana Detainee Captured After Two Previous Escapes, Dec. 1, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Escapes, Jail Specific, Assaults on Staff, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.

