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$17 Million Payout for Yet Another Wrongful Conviction in Chicago
by Christopher Zoukis
On June 29, 2018, a federal jury awarded over $17 million to a Chicago man who spent 21 years in a maximum-security prison for a murder he did not commit.
Jacques Rivera, now 52, was convicted of the 1988 gangland killing of 16-year-old Felix Valentin. The only ...
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More from this issue:
- $550,000 Settlement for Detainee Rendered Quadriplegic by Guard’s Excessive Force
- Missouri Sheriff Who Vowed to Clean Up Crime Faces Criminal Charges, Lawsuits, by R. Bailey
- Florida Private Prisons Seek $4 Million for Employee Raises, by David Reutter
- New York Federal District Court Allows Prisoner’s § 1983 Action to Proceed, by Derek Gilna
- Pro Se Prisoner Demonstrated Need for Recruitment of Counsel
- Report: Homelessness and Housing Insecurity are Hurdles for Former Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Garnishment Action in Federal Court to Collect Jury Award was Improper
- Federal Prisons Use Nurses and Cooks as Guards While Officials Push to Fill Private Prisons, by Christopher Zoukis
- Michigan Prisoner Awarded $16,500 for Guard’s Assault and Cover-up
- Florida: Suit Continues Against CoreCivic for Rape of Developmentally Disabled Child, by Monte McCoin
- Brookings Institute Study Finds Direct Connection between Poverty and Crime Rates, by Derek Gilna
- Family of Wrongfully Convicted Missouri Prisoner Receives $14 Million, by Kevin Bliss
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Favor of Jail Where Three Detainees Died, by Christopher Zoukis
- Sentenced to Prison Slavery, by Kevin Bliss
- Experts Call for Improvements in Prisoner Dental Care, by Christopher Zoukis
- Amid Scandal, Missouri Governor Issues Commutations and Pardons, Passes New Laws Before Resigning, by Dale Chappell
- Land Swap Seeks to Reinstate Construction of New Jail in Detroit
- Correct Care Solutions Redux: Poor Medical Care Leads to More Deaths, Lawsuits, by Edward Lyon
- BJS Report Finds Prisoner Sexual Abuse Allegations Continue to Rise, by Kevin Bliss
- Dismissal of Pro Se Prisoner’s Sexual Assault, Excessive Force Case Reversed, by Kevin Bliss
- Prison Systems Solve Bed Space Problems by Using Out-of-State Facilities, by Christopher Zoukis
- Long-Term Segregation Can Establish Imminent Danger of Serious Physical Injury for PLRA Purposes, by Christopher Zoukis
- Wealthy? Upgrade to a First Class Criminal Justice Experience!, by Christopher Zoukis
- Mentally Ill Wisconsin Prisoners Held in Solitary Improperly Reclassified, by Edward Lyon
- New York City Council Passes Ordinance to Make All Jail Phone Calls Free, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Judge Orders Washington Prison Officials to Properly Feed Ramadan Participants, by Christopher Zoukis
- Under “In-House Parole,” New Mexico Prisoners Remain in Prison, by Edward Lyon
- Former Prisoner, Jailhouse Lawyer Mujahid Farid Has Died, by Laura Whitehorn
- Military-Style Attack on Brazilian Prison Kills 20 Prisoners, One Guard, by Monte McCoin
- Report on Capital Punishment in Pennsylvania Released; Moratorium Continues, by Kevin Bliss
- Suicides Increasing in Massachusetts Prisons and Jails
- Ohio Prison Officials Announce Measures to Prevent Another Transport Bus Murder, by Matthew Clarke
- Louisiana’s Rejection of $3.5 Million Prison Tracking Software to be Reconsidered, by R. Bailey
- $17 Million Payout for Yet Another Wrongful Conviction in Chicago, by Christopher Zoukis
- Alabama Prisoner in Failed Execution Attempt will Not Face Another, by David Reutter
- Multiple Charges, Lawsuits Filed Against Lackawanna Prison Staff for Sexual Abuse, by Kevin Bliss
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Gang Member’s Failure-to-Protect Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- Indiana Prisoner Obtains $85,000 Settlement After Being Beaten and Tased, by Edward Lyon
- Violent Incidents Follow Settlement to End Dangerous Conditions at Alabama Prison
- Ex-Washington Prison Superintendent Under Investigation for Misuse of Funds, by Dale Chappell
- Angola Closes its Notorious Camp J, “A Microcosm of a Lot of Things That are Wrong”, by Grace Toohey
- New Jersey Federal Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Against Global*Tel Link, by Derek Gilna
- Lawsuit by Washington AG Against GEO Group for Wage Violations Proceeds, Granted Class-Action Status, by Christopher Zoukis
- Defy Ventures Founder Steps Down Amid Accusations of Misconduct, by Christopher Zoukis
- Former Jailhouse Lawyer Bobby Battle Dies at Age 80, by Monte McCoin
- Florida District Court Allows Suit Against Prisoner Transport Companies to Proceed, by Dale Chappell
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Florida Detainee Died from Deliberate Indifference to Septic Shock, Lawsuit Charges
- PLN Files Cert Petition with Supreme Court Over Florida DOC Censorship, by Steve Horn
- News in Brief
- Censorship in Prisons and Jails: A War on the Written Word, by Christopher Zoukis
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:
- Kansas Supreme Court Denies Compensation to Former Prisoner Whose Conviction Was Overturned, May 1, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Damages - Compensatory.
- New Orleans Public Defender’s “Redeem Team” Says: “Re-entry Is Never Over”, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Life without Parole (LWOP), Juveniles, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Remands/Rehearings/Resentencings.
- Texas Courts, Legislature at Odds over Executing Potentially Innocent Death Row Prisoner, May 1, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Death Penalty/Death Row, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Opposition to the Death Penalty, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- Los Angeles County Pays $24 Million to Two Former Prisoners Wrongly Convicted as Teens of 1997 Murder, May 1, 2025. Informants, Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, False Exculpatory Statements.
- Beyond a Reasonable Doubt? Fingerprint Evidence’s Troubling Flaws, April 15, 2025. junk science, Wrongful Conviction, Fingerprint Evidence.
- Nearly 150 Exonerations in 2024 Highlight Persistent Flaws in U.S. Criminal Justice System, April 15, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Wrongful Conviction.
- Connecticut Compensates Exonerated Prisoners, Reforms Policing, April 15, 2025. Police Misconduct, Settlements, Wrongful Conviction.
- Questionable Retail Theft Panic Fuels More Mass Surveillance and Police Militarization, April 15, 2025. Police Misconduct, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Fraud and Theft Loss.
- Biden Clemency Recipients Included Virginians Sentenced for “Acquitted Conduct”, April 1, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Pardons/Clemency, False Confessions, Drug Laws/Offenses.
- $7.15 Million for Oklahoma Prisoner Exonerated After Nearly 50 Years, April 1, 2025. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction.