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Two Former Georgia Sheriffs Sentenced for Misconduct, Related $5 Million Settlement Approved
by David M. Reutter
Sheriff Chad K. Nichols (R) of Georgia’s Rabun County was sentenced on September 13, 2024, to five years of probation and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to violation of oath by a public officer. That followed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals …
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More from this issue:
- Spit Hoods, Modern Legacy of Torture, by Anthony Accurso
- From the Editor
- NYC Rehires Former Head of Rikers Island Lockup Where Guard Assault Left Detainee Quadriplegic
- “Like Being Back in Jail”: Wisconsin Returns Released Sex Offenders to Lifetime GPS Monitoring
- Identities Stolen From Virginia Jail Detainees For $341,205 COVID-19 Fraud
- Alabama Guard, Prisoners Among 13 Sentenced in Phone Scam and Drug-Smuggling Ring
- Facing Bankruptcy, Securus Promotes Prison Tablets
- Fired Missouri Guards Charged with Murder in Prisoner’s Suffocation Death
- California Resentences 15 Condemned Prisoners to Life Without Parole
- Former Virginia Prisoners Win Back Denied Sentence Credits, Sue Over Delayed Release
- California Prisons Ban High-Tech Lie Detector
- Eighth Circuit Asked to Block New FCC Rules Capping Prison Phone Rates and Eliminating Ancillary Fees and Kickbacks
- Florida DOC Failed to Investigate Background of Guard Convicted in Mass Shooting
- $4.77 Million Settlement for Three Alaska Prisoners Exonerated of Murder After 18 Years, by David Reutter
- Alabama Jail Accused of Granting Detainee’s Medical Bond Just Before Death to Avoid Costly Medical Care, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Prisoners Take Advantage of Securus Software Glitch for $1 Million
- $28.75 Million Settlement Paid by New York City in Suit Alleging Rikers Guards Stood by and Watched Detainee Hang Himself, by Douglas Ankney
- Fifth Circuit Revives Texas Prisoner’s Suit Alleging Interference With His Muslim Religious Practice, by David Reutter
- Colorado Becomes First State to Require Polling Stations in Jails
- Two More West Virginia Jailers Plead Guilty in Detainee’s Homicide
- Ninth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for California Jail Nurse Who Cleared Detainee for Release Just Before His Suicide, by Douglas Ankney
- San Bernardino Jail Partially Released from Court Monitoring After Paying Another $150,000 in Settlements for Detainee Deaths
- Building Carcerality, by Dana McKinney White, Lisa Haber-Thomson
- Corizon Health Bankruptcy Settlement Grows, But Only by $21 Million
- California Throws Prisoners Under the Bus to Adopt New Heat Rules
- PPI Releases 10th Anniversary Report on Mass Incarceration in the U.S.
- Florida Prisoners Exposed to Cancer-Causing Chemicals
- Two Hurricanes in Two Weeks Threaten Prisoners and Jail Detainees in Six States
- Public Defender Files Habeas Petitions for Detainees at “Horrific” Baltimore Lockup
- Another South Carolina Prisoner Convicted of “Sextortion” of U.S. Military Personnel
- $23,138 Plus Out-Of-State Transfer for Virginia Prisoner Who Accused Guards of Excessive Force and Altering Video
- Wellpath Sanctioned for Destroying Evidence in Two Oregon Jail Death Suits, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Upholds Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Guard Accused of Assaulting Restrained and Compliant Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- In Oregon Case, Ninth Circuit Limits Pretrial Detention Without Counsel to Seven Days
- Two Former Georgia Sheriffs Sentenced for Misconduct, Related $5 Million Settlement Approved, by David Reutter
- Washington Appellate Court Reverses Parole Revocation Based on Hearsay
- Illinois Prisoners Stage Hunger Strikes Over DOC Failure to Implement New Sentence Reduction Law
- BOP Ends “Blast” Messages on TRULINCS
- Maryland and Wexford Health Pay $200,000 to Prisoner Denied Care and Partially Blinded, by Douglas Ankney
- Another Payout Brings Arizona Prisoner’s Total to $92,850
- After $750,000 Settlement, Georgia Guard Sued Second Time For Letting One Prisoner Murder Another, by Douglas Ankney
- SCOTUS Stays Texas Execution With 20 Minutes to Spare, by Matthew Clarke
- 50 Years After Starting “Scared Straight,” Former N.J. Prison Warden “Would Do It Again”
- Angola Prisoners Granted Limited Relief From “Farm Line” Work
- Armor Health Liquidates Assets—to Firm’s Founder
- Court Strikes Washington Statute to Regulate GEO Group’s Notorious ICE Lockup
- Milwaukee County Pays $1.05 Million Judgment for Bankrupt Armor Correctional Health to Former Jail Detainee
- California Changes Prisoner Property Policy After Suit Filed Alleging Gender Discrimination Against Men, by Douglas Ankney
- $1.2 Million Settlement Reached in HRDC Censorship Suit Against North Carolina Prison System
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Former Federal Prisoner’s Suit Over Assault By Guards at Louisiana Lockup, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.5 Million Settlement Approved in Chicago Jail Suicide Case
- $500 Jury Verdict for Pennsylvania Prisoner After Federal Court Clarifies DOC Grievance Procedures
- California Pays $4.45 Million to Prisoners Allegedly Raped by Guards, by Anthony Accurso
- Third Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity for Pennsylvania Guards Who Pepper-Sprayed Asthmatic Prisoner
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- 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
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, March 1, 2026. Food, Sanitation, Settlements, Class Certification, Monell Liability.
- South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, March 1, 2026. Settlements, Class Certification, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Unlawful Detention, Ability to Pay.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.
- $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal, Jan. 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Food, Settlements, First Amendment, rights, Dismissal.
- HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-Year-Old Settlement of Censorship Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Settlements, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment.

