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Houston Police Fire Former Jail Guard Filmed Brutalizing Detainees, Charges Against Three Other Guards Dropped
Loaded on March 1, 2025
published in Prison Legal News
March, 2025, page 46
The Houston Police Department (HPD) fired Off. Deven Ortiz on January 7, 2025, following an investigation into multiple alleged uses of excessive force while he worked as a guard at the Harris County Jail (HCJ). That followed dismissal of charges against three other HCJ guards for assaulting a detainee, after ...
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More from this issue:
- Pay-for-Play Tablets: The Costly New Prison Paradigm
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- No Evacuations for Los Angeles Prisoners in Wildfire’s Path
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- Number of Texas Detainees Jailed Out-of-County Doubled in Five Years
- Warden, Top Deputy Walked Off the Job at “Wild West” Missouri Prison
- Ninth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Arizona Prisoner’s Heat-Related Death
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- Four Escapes in Eight Months from Oklahoma Jail
- Michigan Judge Sued for Jailing Teen Who Nodded Off While Watching in Court
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- Ninth Circuit Remands Transgender Idaho Prisoner’s $2.63 Million Attorney Fee Award for Recalculation— Against Bankrupt Corizon Health Successor
- $25.75 Million for Exonerated North Carolina Prisoner’s 44 Stolen Years
- Former Vermont Sheriff Takes Plea Deal in Sexual Assault Case
- Illinois Lawmaker Asks State Prison Guards to Report Immigrant Prisoners Nearing Release—to Her
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- Deal to Release Cuban Prisoners Upended
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- “Happy Mother’s Day”: $1,353,000 Settlement Approved for Migrant Parents Separated from Minor Kids at Border, by Matthew Clarke
- Released Palestinian Detainees Allege Abuse in Israeli Prisons
- Minnesota High Court Restores Voting Rights of Former Felons
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More from these topics:
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces State Wiretap Statute Requires Suppression of Both Audio and Video Components of Audiovisual Footage of Unlawfully Intercepted Oral Communication Showing Defendant as Party to Communication, March 15, 2025. Videotaping, Wiretap Evidence, Suppression.
- Mayhem, Murder and Staff Misconduct at Brooklyn BOP Lockup, March 1, 2025. Cell Searches, Drug Testing, Prison/Jail Murders, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Cell Phone Access, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet.
- $1.5 Million Settlement For In-Custody Injury by New York Police, March 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Police/Govt Misconduct, Prison Brutality.
- Sixth West Virginia Jailer Found Guilty After Detainee Death, Estate Dismisses Claims Against PrimeCare Medical Employees, March 1, 2025. Primecare Medical, Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Wrongful Death.
- New York Guards Strike After 10 Charged in Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, March 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Protests, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Claims Against Virginia Jailers by Detainee They Allegedly Manhandled While Handcuffed, Feb. 15, 2025. Videotaping, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Summary Judgment, Physical Injury/Restraint.
- Charges Dismissed Against Connecticut Guards Who Assaulted Prisoner, Feb. 15, 2025. Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Dismissal, Social Media, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
- USDC (D. Oregon), Case No. 6:22-cv-00451, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Prison Gangs, Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements.
- Former South Carolina Jailer Spared Prison After Testimony Fails to Convict Former Sheriff, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures, Offense of Conviction.
- Historic $7 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements.