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Fifth Circuit: Texas Jail Guard’s Use of Taser on Compliant Detainee Unconstitutional
by David M. Reutter
On July 24, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded that “precedents conclusively establish that the use of a taser on a non-threatening and cooperative subject is an unconstitutionally excessive use of force.” The Court, therefore, reversed summary judgment for …
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More from this issue:
- Commissary and Food Service Privatization Strands Florida Prisoners in ‘Food Desert’, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Virginia Settles Suit Over Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Hepatitis C for $700,000, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit Refuses to Reimpose Death Sentence for Intellectually Disabled Alabama Prisoner
- Deaths and Lawsuits Mount at “Disgusting” Atlanta Jail
- Three L.A. Jail Gang Leaders Murdered
- Nine Guilty So Far in Sprawling California Aryan Brotherhood Case
- $3 Million Settlement for Illinois Pretrial Detainee’s Opioid Withdrawal Death, by David Reutter
- First Circuit Lets BOP Take Prisoner’s Entire $10,956.36 Trust Account Balance for Restitution, by Douglas Ankney
- $2.9 Million Paid by Maryland to Exonerated Former Prisoner
- BOP Evacuates Federal Prison in Florida After Possible Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Censoring Women’s Health, by Kwaneta Harris
- Second Circuit Says New York Prisons Must Answer for Denying Court-Ordered Rehab, by David Reutter
- In Suit Over Connecticut Prisoner’s Death, Attorney General Will No Longer Represent Guard Convicted of Assault
- South Carolina Pays $200,000 to Jail Detainees Exposed to Toxic Fumes, by Douglas Ankney
- Ninth Circuit Revives Challenge by Federal Prisoner in Arizona to BOP’s 300-Minute Monthly Phone Cap, by David Reutter
- No Data to Prove Whether $600-Million California Parole Effort Worked
- Inmate Records Released from Closed Washington Psychiatric Lockup
- Maine Prison Official Charged with Theft and Bribery in Decade-Long Kickback Scheme
- First Prisoners Released Two Years After Illinois Passed Law to Revisit Excessive Sentences
- Ohio Prisoner Wins $2,000 Settlement for Guard Abuse Claims, Loses Appeal to Uncover Identity of Prison Officials Who Negotiated It, by Matthew Clarke
- Writing on the Prison Wall: How Prisons Suppress Prison Journalism
- Resistance to Bail Reform Powered By Untruthful Scaremongering, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Louisiana Prison Chief for Prolonging Prisoner’s Detention with Sex Offender Misclassification, by David Reutter
- Sixth Circuit Revives Suit by Pregnant Mentally Ill Michigan Detainee Allegedly Kicked in Her Womb by Jail Guard, Losing Baby
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis, by Mark Wilson
- Rikers Island Guard Accidentally Records Himself Planting Shiv in Prisoner’s Cell
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Disciplinary Sanction Revoking Over 15 Years of Indiana Prisoner’s Good Time, by Douglas Ankney
- Record Temperatures in Southern Prisons Called Cruel and Unusual Punishment
- Fifth Circuit Says Both Texas Prisoner’s Dismissed Suit and His Lost Appeal Count as “Strikes”, by Douglas Ankney
- Restorative Justice Program Boosts South Carolina Prison and Public Safety, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: Texas Jail Guard’s Use of Taser on Compliant Detainee Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
- Lawsuit Claims Kentucky Prison Officials Ignored Chaplain’s Sexual Abuse
- Tenth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Oklahoma Jail Guard Who Kneed Handcuffed Prisoner’s Face, by Matthew Clarke
- BOP Slammed for Prisoner Abuse in Now-Shuttered Segregation Unit at USP-Thomson in Illinois, by Douglas Ankney
- DOJ Concludes BOP Pretrial Detainees Need Improvements in Access to Attorneys, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Prisoner Has Now Collected $5,700 for Denied Public Records Requests
- Virginia Sheriff Indicted for Selling Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff Credentials, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Claim of Illinois Prisoner Held 18 Months After Release for Refusing to Sign Incomplete Form, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma Prisoner’s Conviction Tossed After Judge’s Affair With Prosecutor Uncovered, by Douglas Ankney
- San Diego County Jail Accused of Letting Mentally Ill Detainee Starve to Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington Fined Over $100 Million for Delays in Competency Evaluations and Restoration, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit Finds Jail Guard May Be Liable for Delayed Response to Illinois Detainee’s Fatal Heart Attack, by Douglas Ankney
- Misconduct Shades Sexual Assault Suit As Hawaii Settles With Prisoners for $2 Million, by Douglas Ankney
- Subclass Certified and Settlement Proposed to Address ADA Violations at Long-Plagued San Diego County Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- Former Oklahoma Undersheriff Gets 22 Months In Prison for Beating Handcuffed Jail Detainee, by Douglas Ankney
- Third Circuit Revives Claim by Federal Prisoner in Pennsylvania that Delayed Cancer Treatment Cost Him a Testicle, by David Reutter
- Texas Looks to Find Prison Guards in High Schools
- Almost $950,000 Paid by Inmate Services Corp. for Hellish Prisoner Transports, by David Reutter
- Champion of Death Row Prisoners Accused of Spoiling Oklahoman’s Clemency
- Michigan Supreme Court: DOC Owes Attorney Fees in Public Records Case Even if Plaintiff Is Represented Pro Bono, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
- Cash Bail Eliminated in Illinois, Reduced in Los Angeles County
- How “Big Capital” Learned to Love Mass Incarceration
More from David Reutter:
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- $10.19 Million Paid for Retired California Prison Guard’s Death in Colorado Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Detainee Deaths Went Unreported at Dallas County Jail, July 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Databases, Public Records.
- Ohio Jail Leaders Knew Cameras Were Broken for Four Years Before Fixing Them, July 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Security Systems, Disclosure of Records, Wrongful Death, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- Warden, Four Other Louisiana Jailers Indicted for Brutalizing Compliant Detainees with Riot Shield, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Spate of Deaths at Tulsa Jail Highlights Medical Neglect, June 1, 2026. G4S/Group 4, Jail Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Ambulance Calls at Boston Jail Have Tripled Since 2010, June 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Injury -- Misc., Failure to Treat.

