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Wisconsin Prisoner In Vegetative State After Suicide Attempt Wins New Trial on Jury Instruction Error
by David M. Reutter
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a jury’s judgment in a civil rights action alleging guards at Wisconsin’s Madison County Jail (MCJ) were deliberately indifferent to a detainee's medical care. The court found the jury was improperly instructed to determine if the defendants’ …
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More from this issue:
- “Progressive” Seattle Mayoral Candidate Exposed as Shill for the Private Prison Industry, by Ken Silverstein
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Course of the Covid Pandemic, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Inmate Magazine Service Advertising Results in FTC Complaint, by David Reutter
- Ohio County Executive and Underlings Under Investigation for Jail Corruption and Deaths, by Edward Lyon
- Coronavirus Lockdowns in Prisons Test Limits of Colorado’s Rules on Solitary Confinement, by John Herrick
- Guard “Justified” in Shooting Death of Elderly Woman in Spokane County Jail Lobby, by Kevin Bliss
- After DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions for Mentally Ill Prisoners in Solitary, Massachusetts Experiments with Monitoring Gadget, by Kevin Bliss, Keith Sanders
- Wisconsin Prisoner In Vegetative State After Suicide Attempt Wins New Trial on Jury Instruction Error, by David M. Reutter
- Illinois Prisoner’s Negligence Lawsuit Alleging Injuries from Wart Treatment Timely Filed, by David M. Reutter
- District Court Certifies Class Status in Louisville Jail Overdetention of Prisoners’ Suit, by Douglas Ankney
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Some Convictions of Four Georgia Prison Guards for Drug Smuggling; Reverses Others for Retrial, by Matthew Clarke
- Law Review States Prisons Better Off With Public Health Care Rather than Private, by Kevin Bliss
- $6.2 Million Judgment for California Deputies Negligence Causing Arrestee Injuries Affirmed, by David Reutter
- U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Feces Covered Cell Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Incarcerated Persons Not In-Custody for Miranda Purposes
- Woman Abuse Survivors Sent to Prison for Self-Defense, by Keith Sanders
- Inspector General Finds Botched Transfers Caused COVID Outbreak at San Quentin, 29 Dead, by Matthew Clarke
- North Carolina Prisons Underreport COVID Related Deaths, by Kevin Bliss
- New Jersey Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kept Quiet in State Prisons, by Akela Lacy
- GAO Reports ICE Wastes Hundreds of Millions Each Year, by Matthew Clarke
- The Enduring Life of Life Sentences, by Casey Bastian
- Federal Court Orders Release of Documents for Connecticut Prison Cancer Death, by David Reutter
- Virginia Votes to Abolish Death Penalty, by Jayson Hawkins
- Second Circuit Holds Connecticut Can’t Indemnify Guard in Assault Case Then Seek Cost of Incarceration; $650,000 Awarded in Failure to Protect Case, by David Reutter
- Georgia Sheriffs Entitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity When Setting Jail Policies That Lead to Prisoners Being Sexually Abused, by David Reutter
- Architects Question Whether Building “More Humane” Prisons is Possible, by Daniel A. Rosen
- $54,000 Award of Attorney Fees to Enforce Settlement Agreement on Behalf of Deaf Prisoners, by David Reutter
- En Banc Eleventh Circuit Holds Prisoners Can Seek Punitive Damages Without Physical Injury, by David Reutter
- Sixth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Retaliation Suit by Pro Se Michigan Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Maine Supreme Judicial Court Holds Courts Have Authority to Enjoin DOC from Unconstitutional Segregation Practices, by Matthew Clarke
- From a Picture Grew Thousands of Words, by Edward Lyon
- $200,000 Settlement for Kentucky Woman in Jail Childbirth Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Advancing Stage of HCV Triggers Imminent Danger Exception to PLRA Three Strikes Rule
- Maine Prisons Expand Medication Assisted Treatment, by David Reutter
- Oregon Federal Court Issues Class Certification in HRDC Challenge to NUMI Release Debit Cards, by David Reutter
- When Prisoners Die, Hawaii Keeps it Secret, by Edward Lyon
- Three Illinois Guards Indicted for Fatally Beating Prisoner
- Majority of Americans Now Favor Life Imprisonment Over Death Penalty, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Transfer Lawsuit by Suicidal Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Jails Lower Phone Rates But Not Far Enough, by David Reutter
- Colorado Supreme Court Holds Prisoners Entitled to Preliminary Hearing on New Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- After Backlash, Tennessee State University President Reverses Decision to Join CoreCivic Board, by Matthew Clarke
- “We Want Court dates!”, by Keith Sanders
- News in Brief
More from David M. Reutter:
- $875,000 Award for Illinois Prisoner’s Delay in Getting Hernia Surgery, June 1, 2025
- California Appellate Court: Custody Credits Must be Applied to Concurrent Terms in Multiple Open Cases, June 1, 2025
- Sixth Circuit Limits Deliberate Indifference Standard in Kentucky Jail Medical Care Challenge, June 1, 2025
- New Mexico Watchdog Group Sues for Video Allegedly Showing Jailers Killing Detainee, June 1, 2025
- $7.75 Million Settlement for Exonerated North Carolina Prisoner, June 1, 2025
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Massachusetts Prisoner for Wrongful Conviction, June 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Kills Suit by Louisiana Prisoners Whose Release Dates Were Incorrectly Calculated, Aug. 15, 2023
- Federal Court Upholds and Monitors Requirement for Tennessee Jail to Provide COVID-19 Vaccination for Detainees, July 15, 2022
- Federal Courts Order Seizure of Canteen Funds for Restitution Owed by High-Profile Prisoners, July 15, 2022
- California Court Rules Bail Bond Companies Must Give Cosigners Financial Impact Notice, July 15, 2022
More from these topics:
- The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Hygiene Supplies, Suicides.
- Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves, Feb. 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail, Feb. 1, 2026. Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Aphantasia: Why Truthful Witnesses Can Sound Like Liars, Jan. 1, 2026. Jury Instructions, False Statements/Perjury, Self-Authentication, Voir Dire, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Eyewitness Identification, Character/Reputation/Propensity.
- Pennsylvania County and Wellpath Pay Over $1.4 Million to Settle Claims of Four Former Jail Detainees, Including Three Who Died by Suicide, Jan. 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Suicides.
- New York City Jails Face Mounting Death Toll Ahead of Likely Receivership, Jan. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (General), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- California Supreme Court Announces Pre-2009 Provocative Act Murder Convictions Are Not Categorically Ineligible for Resentencing Under § 1172.6, Dec. 15, 2025. Jury Instructions, Retroactivity, Murder/Felony Murder, Accessories and Accomplices.
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Michigan Warden Whose Guards Gave Prisoner Plastic Bag Used in Suicide, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Suicidal West Virginia Prisoner Granted Transfer From 13-Year Solitary Confinement, Dec. 1, 2025. Contempt (Civil Procedure), Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Washington Prisoners Gain Access to Crisis Hotline, Nov. 1, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Failure to Protect (General), Suicides, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release.

