×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Widespread Abuses at Santa Clara County Jail; Three Guards Convicted of Murder
Loaded on July 28, 2017
by Lonnie Burton
published in Prison Legal News
August, 2017, page 34
Filed under:
Guard Brutality/Beatings,
Excessive Force (Wrongful Death),
Mental Health.
Location:
California.
by Lonnie Burton
Three guards employed at a jail in Santa Clara County, California, in the Silicon Valley area, were convicted on June 1, 2017 of second-degree murder for the fatal beating of a mentally ill prisoner two years earlier. The charges also resulted in investigations into guards’ …
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Banks Profit from Loans to Private Prison Industry, by Derek Gilna
- Florida: Trio of Con Artists Sentenced in Rule 35 Sentence Reduction Scam
- Study Finds Extreme Lack of Gender, Racial/Ethnic Diversity in State Courts, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Indiana Prisoner’s Lawsuit, Holds Prison Officials Prevented Him from Pursuing Grievances, by Lonnie Burton
- Denial of FOIA Request for Complaints Against Immigration Judges Reversed, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fourth Circuit Rules Lawsuit over Inadequate Prison Food Not Barred by Res Judicata, by Lonnie Burton
- Ethics Rule Requiring Post-conviction Disclosure of Exculpatory Evidence Adopted in North Carolina
- Use of Electronic Monitoring Skyrockets, by Christopher Zoukis
- Nebraska Supreme Court Holds Reporter Can’t See Executed Prisoner’s Drawings, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit: Two-month Delay in Ordering Biopsy Not Deliberate Indifference, by Christopher Zoukis
- Tennessee Sheriff Settles Lawsuit over Religious Proselytization
- Unlikely Criminal Justice Reform: How New York City Reduced Arrests and Slashed Prisoner Populations, by Lonnie Burton
- United Kingdom: 80% of Prisoners Aspire to be Entrepreneurs, Opportunity Fund Helps
- Man Smuggles Poison into Jail, Commits Suicide Following Arrest for Failure to Pay Ambulance Bill
- Fourth Circuit Clarifies Rights of Pretrial Detainees; $35,000 Settlement on Remand, by Christopher Zoukis
- Consensual Use of Another Prisoner’s Telephone PIN is Not Oregon ID Theft
- Seventh Circuit: Medical Deliberate Indifference Case Remanded, Loses at Trial, by Christopher Zoukis
- Dismissal of Personal Injury Claim for Damages from Malfunctioning Jail Gate Upheld
- Private Prison Firms Spend Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Acquiring Other Companies, by Christopher Zoukis
- Ohio Prisoners Build Computers from Spare Parts, Conceal them in Ceiling
- Illinois: Prison Guards Sued for Fatally Beating, Suffocating Prisoner, by Lonnie Burton
- Fourth Circuit Reverses Judgment in Favor of BOP in Deliberate Indifference Case, by Christopher Zoukis
- Tennessee Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Sexual Misconduct, Excessive Force Charges
- Alaska Prisoner Deaths Criticized in Report, Author Becomes New DOC Commissioner
- Report: “Culture of Racism,” Frequent Use of Force at Northern California Prison, by Lonnie Burton
- New York: Police Department Ordered to Produce Police Manual in Parolee Shooting Case, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Court Vacates Prison Infraction Charging Prisoner for Refusing Meals, by Lonnie Burton
- Disability Rights Group Slams Mental Health Program at New York State Prison, by Derek Gilna
- Nevada DOC Moves to End Discrimination against HIV-positive and Disabled Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- California Lifers with Possibility of Parole Entitled to SOL Tolling
- Policing for Profit: Law Enforcement Agencies Abuse Civil Asset Forfeiture, by Matthew Clarke
- South Carolina Appellate Court Upholds Prisoner’s Wage Suit, by Derek Gilna
- Widespread Abuses at Santa Clara County Jail; Three Guards Convicted of Murder, by Lonnie Burton
- Illinois Prisoner Fatally Shot after Standoff; Hostages File Lawsuit
- $6,500 Settlement after Ninth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Retaliatory Ad-seg Case, by Lonnie Burton
- Incarceration Numbers Falling, Especially for Blacks, by Christopher Zoukis
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Revocation of Supervised Release Over Blog Post, by Christopher Zoukis
- Ninth Circuit: Warden Who Failed to Protect Female Prisoners from Sexual Assault Not Immune from Suit, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Infraction for Failure to Allow Prisoner to Present Evidence, by Lonnie Burton
- California Appellate Court Reinstates Prisoner’s Mandamus Action Against CDCR, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Allows City to Include Prisoners in Census Counts, by Derek Gilna
- Eighth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity on Inadequate Nutrition Claim
- PLN Obtains $50,000 Settlement in Tennessee Jail Censorship Suit
- Texas Prisoner was Emaciated and Sick when Killed by Cellmate
- Supreme Court Lets Prosecutors Off the Hook for Withholding Evidence, by Derek Gilna
- Arkansas Prisoner’s Illegal Sentence Remanded Despite Filing Wrong Challenge
- Suicide at Texas Jail Results in Firings, Lawsuit, Investigation and Legislation, by Matthew Clarke
- Tenth Circuit Remands Two-year Sentence for Federal Probation Violation, by Christopher Zoukis
- Washington State Mental Health Agency Held in Contempt; $14 Million in Fines Levied, by Derek Gilna
- One of Tennessee’s Most Pristine Rivers Contaminated with Prison Sewage, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Forced to Endure Extreme Heat, Prisoners are Casualties of Texas’ Climate Denial, Documents Show, by Candice Bernd
- Ohio Closes Prison Farms, Auctions Equipment, Plans to Sell Farmland, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Breaking News: U.S. Attorney General Reinstates Federal Asset Forfeiture Sharing, with Conditions, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
More from Lonnie Burton:
- Ninth Circuit: Washington Civil Rights Suit Not Tolled by State Presentment Statute, Jan. 31, 2018
- California Agency Addresses In-person Visits at Jails after Governor Vetoes Bill, Jan. 8, 2018
- New York Times Reveals Racial Bias Rampant in Upstate New York Prisons, Jan. 8, 2018
- Report Slams Takeover of Washington DOC Food Services by Correctional Industries, Jan. 8, 2018
- Solitary to the Streets: Studies Find Such Releases Result in Higher Recidivism Rates, Violent Behavior, Jan. 8, 2018
- $4,000 for Injuries After Prison Staff Ignore Bottom Bunk Directive, Jan. 3, 2018
- $5,000 to Transgender Prisoner in Maryland Sexual Harassment Lawsuit, Jan. 3, 2018
- $4,000 Awarded to Subject of Esquire Article, Jan. 3, 2018
- $5.75 Million Payout in Death of Rikers' Prisoner Denied Medical, Jan. 3, 2018
- South Carolina S.C. Refuses to Order Defendant Maimed from Jail to Psych Hospital, Jan. 3, 2018
More from these topics:
- 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.
- 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.
- Mental Health Diversion from New York State Jails Varies Widely by County, Sept. 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Alternative Sentencing, Mental Health, State Legislation.
- New Commission to Investigate Death and Abuse of 230 Black Children at Segregated Maryland Reformatory, Sept. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Prison Labor, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons.
- 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.
- 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.
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.

