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‘They Know No Bounds’: Suffolk County New York Prosecutors Sent to Prison
by Ed Lyon
The former District Attorney of Suffolk County, New York, Thomas Spota, and his former top assistant, Christopher McPartland, appeared before a sentencing judge in a federal courtroom on August 10, 2021. But instead of seeking the harshest sentences allowed by law as they had often …
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More from this issue:
- Living and Dying on Rikers Island: The Latest Installment, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready., by Beth Schwartzapfel, Keri Blakinger
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Omicron Winter, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Suit by HRDC Alleging GTL and Securus Violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Douglas Ankney
- Long-Time PLN Contributor Released from Solitary Stint in Oregon for ‘Contraband’ Toy Phone, by Jacob Barrett
- $90,000 Paid by Illinois County to Prisoner Tasered by Two Guards He Wasn’t Resisting, by David Reutter
- Inmate Magazine Service Settlement Prohibits Further Sale of Magazine Subscriptions, Orders Payment of $2.2 Million for ‘Consumer Redress’
- Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for Failure to Protect Michigan Prisoner from Unsafe Working Conditions, by David Reutter
- HRDC Appeals Denial of Public Records Request for Documentation of Secret Settlement in Maine Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- $10,000 Awarded by Nevada Federal Court to Prisoner Assaulted by Former State Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Employee Union Fighting to Stop Closure of San Diego Federal Detention Center, by Keith Sanders
- Lawsuit Over Winter Power Outage at Brooklyn’s Troubled Federal Detention Center Granted Class Certification, by Kevin Bliss
- Another Death by Taser in Sangamon County, Illinois Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- Activists Play Whack-a-Mole Closing ICE Detention Centers, by David Reutter
- North Carolina Renames Prisons Whose Names Honored Enslavers, by Matthew Clarke
- Investigations Into the Deaths of Several Prisoners and Two Guards Reveal Rampant Corruption, Cover-ups in California Prison, by Keith Sanders
- $900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls, by David Reutter
- Settlement for New Jersey Special Needs Prisoner Students Includes Damages, Fees and Education, by Edward Lyon
- $7,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Assaulted by Guards And Denied Medical Care
- White Supremacist Groups Continue to Infest Florida DOC
- $1 Million Default Judgement for Michigan Jail Prisoner Against Health Care Provider in Sexual Assault, by Mark Wilson
- Transgender Women in Illinois DOC Secure Injunction with Special Monitor, by Casey Bastian
- Seven Prisoners Died in 2021, One by Homicide, at Virginia’s Only Private Prison
- ‘They Know No Bounds’: Suffolk County New York Prosecutors Sent to Prison, by Edward Lyon
- Tennessee CoreCivic Prison Guard Indicted for Beating Unresisting Prisoner, Attempting Cover-up, by Harold Hempstead
- Eighth Circuit Rules Guard’s History of Excessive Force too Prejudicial or a Jury to Hear in Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Case, by Jacob Barrett, Matthew Clarke
- New York Jail Required to Provide Methadone to Detainee for Addiction Treatment
- Fifth Circuit Holds Private Immigration Detention Facilities Are Subject to Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s Prohibition Against Coerced Labor, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: No Case for Loss of Eye from Medical Neglect Because of Lack of Expert Testimony, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Says Federal Habeas Action May Not Be Used to Challenge Conditions of Confinement Related to COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Continues Trend of Reversing Injunctive Relief Protecting Prisoners From COVID-19, by Douglas Ankney
- Judge Sentences Boss of ‘Horrific’ Cuyahoga Ohio Jail to Prison, by Edward Lyon
- After Second Circuit Rules in His Favor, Connecticut Prisoner Required to Exercise in Full Restraints for Six Months Takes $100,000 Settlement, by Matthew Clarke
- Qualified Immunity Granted in Suit Challenging Policy of “Checking-In” on Nevada Prisoner’s Legal Calls, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Grudgingly Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois’ Prisoner’s Suicide Lawsuit, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Prison Official Who Gave Prisoner No Notice Before Hearing That Resulted in Transfer to Security Detention, by David Reutter
- California Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal of Charges Against Prisoners Charged in Pelican Bay Riot, by David Reutter
- ‘Disconnect’ Between Illinois Prisoner’s Grievance and Complaint Results In Failure to Exhaust, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Federal Prisoner’s Tort Claim Against BOP Officials, by Keith Sanders
- $4,000 Federal Bench Verdict to Kentucky Prisoner Assaulted by Guard While Restrained
- News in Brief
More from Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Calling Known Recalcitrant Witness Before Jury Constitutes Reversible Error and Prosecutorial Misconduct Regardless of Whether Witness Expressly Invokes Fifth Amendment Privilege, Qualifying Contrary Precedent, June 1, 2026. Confrontation Clause/Rights, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Witnesses - Examination of, Self-Incrimination Clause, Plain/Harmless Error.
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026. Restitution, Trust Accounts, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Fines.
- 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.
- Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Death Penalty, False Confessions, Eyewitness Identification, Prosecutorial Misconduct.
- California Supreme Court Announces Excessive Fines Clauses Are the Proper Method to Challenge Punitive Fines, Holds Equal Protection Requires Courts to Consider Defendant’s Inability to Pay Before Imposing Certain Ancillary Assessments Upon Request, Feb. 1, 2026. Constitution, U.S., Constitution, state, Equal Protection Clause/Claims, Fines, Ability to Pay.
- Review: “Reforming the Shadow Carceral State”, Aug. 1, 2025. Reviews, Criminal justice system reform, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Fines.
- Philadelphia Held in Contempt of Jail Conditions Settlement, Ordered to Pay $25 Million, Feb. 15, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Settlements, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Policy Considerations, Fines.
- Senate Votes to Increase Penalties for BOP Contraband Cellphone Smuggling, Jan. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Cell Searches, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Fines.
- Maryland Cancels Debt Owed by 6,715 Parolees, Jan. 15, 2025. Reimbursement of Costs, Fines.
- $25 Million Contempt Fine Prompts Release of Pretrial Detainees from Philadelphia Lockups, Dec. 15, 2024. Appointment of Counsel, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Bail/Pretrial Release, Fines.

