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Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Failure to Protect Claim
by Christopher Zoukis
In March 2016, the Fourth Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a prisoner’s Eighth Amendment failure to protect claim in a case that subsequently settled.
The prisoner, James Herman Raynor, was held at the Sussex II State Prison in Virginia. In November 2012, …
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More from this issue:
- No-show Cops and Dysfunctional Courts Keep Cook County Jail Prisoners Waiting Years for a Trial, by Spencer Woodman
- Eighth Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Order Barring Wife from Contact with Husband, by Derek Gilna
- Victim-centered Sexual Abuse Investigations Abandon Concept of Neutrality, by David Reutter
- Study Shows “Ban-the-Box” Policies May Result in Racial Bias by Employers, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit: Florida Prisoners Must be Provided Kosher Meals, by David Reutter
- Prisoner Labor Focus of Controversy in Texas, Alabama, by David Reutter
- Louisiana Parish Jails Lack HIV Treatment and Services
- Second Circuit: Ross Abrogates “Special Circumstances” Exhaustion Exception
- Seventh Circuit Dissent: “A Dog Would Have Deserved Better Treatment”, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Showed Good Cause for Extension of Time
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit, Rejects District Court’s IFP Concerns, by Derek Gilna
- Eleventh Circuit: Procedural Dismissals do Not Count as Strikes Under the PLRA, by David Reutter
- Two Federal Courts Find Prison Gerrymandering Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
- South Carolina Prisoners’ Wage Grievances Not Subject to 15-day Deadline
- IRS Audit Prompts New Mexico County to Convert Bonds Used for ICE Facility, by Joe Watson
- Georgia Teen’s Suicide from Neglect Results in $1.7 Million Settlement
- Profiting Off Mass Incarceration: Detroit Pistons Owner Buys Private Prison Phone Company, by Brian Dolinar
- Private Probation Company Agrees to End Drug Testing Absent Court Order , by David Reutter
- Corizon Loses Indiana DOC Medical Contract Amid Lawsuits, by David Reutter
- Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against County Jail in New York, by Derek Gilna
- Seattle Council Approves Protections for Renters with Criminal Records, by Nathalie Graham
- Louisiana Corrections Secretary: More Private Prisons Won’t Save Money
- Court Decision Favoring BOP Whistleblower Critical of BOP and OIG , by Derek Gilna
- State Closes Kentucky Jail for Failure to Properly Maintain Facility, by Derek Gilna
- Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Failure to Protect Claim, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Jury Award for Illinois Prisoner Beaten by Guards , by Derek Gilna
- Eighth Circuit Greenlights Jail Detainee’s Excessive Force Claim, but Loss at Trial Affirmed on Appeal, by Christopher Zoukis
- $60,000 Settlement in GEO Group Employee’s Sexual Harassment Case
- $200,000 Settlement for Restraint of Pregnant Prisoner after Ninth Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment
- Virginia Governor Grants Full Pardons to the “Norfolk Four”, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisons, Jails Combat Smuggling by Shredding Mail, Requiring Fresh Underwear, by Christopher Zoukis
- Waging War on the Poor: Unpaid Fines Lead to Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- TV Production Company has Friends in Low Places, by Christopher Zoukis
- Parole Remains Elusive for Virginia Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Compensation for Wrongful Convictions in Massachusetts Not Easily Obtained, by Christopher Zoukis
- HRDC Lawsuit: Kentucky DOC Guilty of Censorship, Violations of Due Process and Equal Protection
- DOJ Audit Rips Privately-operated Federal Facility; Trump Administration Presses Forward, by Derek Gilna
- Environmental Protection Agency Finally Recognizes Prisons in Screening Tool, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Seventh Circuit: Rodent Infestation Claims Survive Summary Judgment
- Vermont Supreme Court Invalidates Sex Offender Probation Conditions
- Correctional Health Report Suppressed by Bush Administration Finally Released
- Electronic Monitoring Becomes More Widespread, but Problems Persist, by Derek Gilna
- Florida Lawmaker Visits Prisons, Audits Private Prison Contracts, by David Reutter
- Kansas Supreme Court: Four Years of Pretrial Detention too Long
- Misdemeanor Trespassing Arrest Leads to Permanent Impairment, by Christopher Zoukis
- Tattoo Recognition: Law Enforcement’s Newest Identification Tool, by David Reutter
- Former Mississippi DOC Commissioner, Co-defendants Sentenced in Massive Bribery Scheme
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from Christopher Zoukis:
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
- Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
- With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
- A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).
- Texas Officials Testify That Cost to Air Condition Prisons Tops $1.5 Billion, May 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison, Feb. 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing.
- California Funds $38 Million Pilot Program to Investigate Methods for Cooling Three Prisons, Jan. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Deliberate Indifference.
- As California Limits Water Use, People in Prison Face Punishment for Showering, Jan. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Environmental Law, Water, Sanitation.
- First Circuit Greenlights Rhode Island Prisoner’s Damages Suit for Disastrous 450-Day Solitary Confinement, Dec. 1, 2025. Eighth Amendment, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Deliberate Indifference.
- Now Under Federal Receivership, New York City’s Rikers Island Jails Still Have No Plan to Improve, No Firm Date to Close, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Eighth Amendment.
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Sexual Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Stun Guns/Tasers.
- Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Arizona Challenge to Private Prisons, July 15, 2025. Private Prisons, Eighth Amendment, Thirteenth Amendment, rights, Fourteenth Amendment, rights.
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Fire Hazards, Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Environmental Law, Plumbing, Sewage, Jail Specific.