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Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Jail Detainee’s Urine Not a ‘Noxious or Filthy Substance’
by David M. Reutter
In an opinion issued on November 22, 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that urine is not a “noxious or filthy substance.” Therefore, the Court affirmed dismissal of vandalism charges against a detainee for urinating on a jail’s floor.
Angel O. Perez Narvaez was ...
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More from this issue:
- “I Was Scheduled to Die in Solitary Confinement” – and May Soon Be Again, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Detainees Awaiting Psychiatric Beds Suffer Permanent Harm in Jails, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Poised for Much-Needed Cleanup, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Judge Tells BOP Officials They “Are Not Above the Law”, by Casey Bastian
- U.S. Response to Haitian Crisis: Fund More Prisons, by Jayson Hawkins
- California Halted from Re-Integrating “Sensitive Needs” Prisoners Into General Population, by David Reutter
- Circuit Court Orders Hawaii to Release Names of Prisoners Who Die in State’s Jails and Prisons, by Keith Sanders
- Former CoreCivic Guard Pleads Guilty to Deprivation of Tennessee Prisoner’s Rights, by Harold Hempstead
- $1.9 Million Paid by L.A. County for Detainee’s Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
- Sixth Circuit Revives Claim Over Michigan Prisoner’s Fatal Overdose on Allegedly Smuggled Fentanyl, by David Reutter
- Santa Clara County Sheriff Accused of Coverup After $10 Million Payout to Mentally Ill Detainee Who Severely Injured Himself During Jail Transport, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Polling Stations Inside Jails Combat Voter Disenfranchisement, by Keith Sanders
- New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Both Prisoners and Nonprofit Plaintiffs Subject to Requirement to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by Jacob Barrett
- Nevada DOC Director Sacked After Prisoner Escape Goes Unnoticed Four Days, by Ashleigh Dye
- Almost $650,000 Paid by Illinois to Prisoner Who Lost Leg to Untreated Diabetes, by Keith Sanders
- $11.75 Million Settlement for Prisoner Beating in Pheonix Jail, by Casey Bastian
- SCOTUS Ruling Forces Ninth Circuit U-Turn on Damages Suit by Federal Prisoner in California “Snitch Jacketed” by Guard, by Kevin Bliss
- BOP Revives Plans for Controversial Prison in Kentucky, by Kevin Bliss
- Second Circuit Takes Back $20,000 Emotional Damage Award from Former Federal Prisoner in New York, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- California Extends Medi-Cal Health Benefits to Prisoners Nearing Release, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Jail Detainee’s Urine Not a ‘Noxious or Filthy Substance’, by David Reutter
- Iowa Ombudsman Calls Out DOC For Unfair Prisoner Discipline, by Kevin Bliss
- Virginia DOC Resists Prisoner Fee Cuts, by Ashleigh Dye
- Washington Racks Up More Than $98 Million in Fines for Failure to Timely Hold Competency Hearings, by Jacob Barrett
- Third Circuit Unbothered by Pennsylvania’s Discrimination Against Sex Offenders in Denying Parole to Halfway Houses, by David Reutter
- Indiana Will Now Send Low-Level Felons to Prison Instead of Jail, by Casey Bastian
- Fourth Circuit: Religious Headwear Policy Violated Virginia Prisoner’s Rights, by David Reutter
- A Lesson in Pleading: Utah Jail Suicide Complaint Fails for Alleging Failure to Train Rather than Failure to Provide Care, by David Reutter
- Texas Prison Warden and Brother Charged with Shooting Two Migrants, Killing One, by Ashleigh Dye
- Sixth Circuit Says Ohio Prisoner’s Lack of Tablet Access May Have Prevented Grievance Exhaustion, by David Reutter
- California Makes Calls Free for State Prisoners and Juvenile Detainees, Prohibits Telecom Kickbacks to Prisons and Jails, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- $35,000 Awarded to Federal Prisoner in Kentucky Who Accused Guards of Using Excessive Force, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Educating Prisoners: New Meta-Analysis Reinforces That It Reduces Recidivism, by Keith Sanders
- $2.375 Million Settlement in Over-Detention Suit at Santa Clara California Jail, by David Reutter
- Montana Supreme Court Grants State Prisoner 604 Days in Sentence Credit, by David Reutter
- En Banc Ninth Circuit Voids Portion of California Law Banning Private Federal Prisons in the State, by Jacob Barrett
- Report Shows How Perverse Financial Incentives Drive Mass Incarceration and Inequity in Criminal Justice System, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Prisoner Waits in Excruciating Pain While Incompetent Executioners Fumble, by Eike Blohm, MD
- How the Newest Federal Prison Became One of the Deadliest, by Christie Thompson and Joseph Shapiro
- No More Second Chances for New York Jail Guard Convicted of Smuggling, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- No Pay for Iowa Prisoners Overdosed With COVID-19 Vaccine, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- “Ban the Box” Hiring Law Sets National Standard for Federal Contracts, by Keith Sanders
- Former State Prison Guards in Georgia Sentenced for Prisoner Assaults and Cover-Up, by Jayson Hawkins
- Suspended Colorado Work Release Program Exposes Companies’ Reliance on Low-Wage Labor, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Seventh Circuit Revives Claim of Wheelchair-Bound Wisconsin Prisoner Denied Access to Handicapped Toilet, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Overturns Class Decertification in Cook County Jail Disability Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Despite Official Claims, Stopping Mail to Missouri Prisoners Has No Effect on Drug Overdoses, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Former Georgia Sheriff Gets 18 Months for Punishing Detainees in Restraint Chair, by David Reutter
- Gun Safety Group Defeats Re-Election of “Constitutional Sheriff” in Massachusetts, by Keith Sanders
- $1.2 Million Paid by St. Louis County for Jail Detainee’s Death from Untreated Ulcer, by David Reutter
- Voters in Four States Change Constitution to Ban Prison Slavery, by Keith Sanders
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
- ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
- First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
- The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
- California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
- Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
- Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
- In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
- Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024
More from these topics:
- Sixth Circuit Revives Challenge by Kentucky Prisoner Left Three Weeks in “Rancid” Paper Undershorts, Feb. 15, 2025. Informants, Clothing, Sanitation, Summary Judgment, Deliberate Indifference.
- Seventh Circuit Offers Wisconsin Prisoner Just a Little Help in Suit Alleging He Was Held in Feces-Stained Cell Without Water, Feb. 15, 2025. Sewage, Water, Sanitation, Summary Judgment.
- $22,000 Jury Award for Unsanitary Conditions at Virginia Jail, Dec. 15, 2024. Sanitation, Settlements.
- New York Revises 2,772 Prisoner Disciplinary Records After Inspector General Finds Defects in Another Contraband Drug Test, Aug. 15, 2024. False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Evidentiary Ruling (Disciplinary Hearings), Drug Testing, junk science.
- Fourth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Guards Who Left North Carolina Prisoner to Eat with Feces-Soiled Hands, Aug. 15, 2024. Showers, Water, Sanitation, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- $700,000 Jury Verdict for Wisconsin Prisoner Denied Due Process in Disciplinary Hearing, June 1, 2024. Work Release, Hearing Officers, False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Escapes, Damages.
- Georgia Prisoner’s Challenge to “Deplorable” Conditions Survives Motion to Dismiss, June 1, 2024. Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin, Supervisory Liability, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $500,000 Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Forced to Defecate in Bucket for 12 Days, May 1, 2024. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Exposure to Cold, Toilets, Water, Sanitation, Strip Cells, Hygiene Supplies, Restraints.
- Dismissal Affirmed of Florida Prisoner’s Claim for Exposure to Human Waste, May 1, 2024. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Hearing Officers, Showers, Sewage, Sanitation.
- Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Use of Presumptive Drug Tests by Washington DOC, April 1, 2024. Disciplinary Hearings, Disciplinary Litigation, False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Evidence, Drug Testing, Estimates/Averages - Use of, Inmate Disciplinary Hearings, Prison Disciplinary Proceedings.