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Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner

Loaded on March 1, 2026 by Michael Thompson published in Prison Legal News March, 2026, page 30
Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise. Location: Arkansas.

by Michael Thompson

Officials at the McPherson Unit in the Arkansas Department of Corrections turned a blind eye as Chaplain Kenneth DeWitt sexually abused several prisoners for years. The chaplain has since pled guilty to sexual assault in the third degree for 50 counts, for which he was …

 

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  1. Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, by Chuck Sharman
  2. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  3. Florida Sheriff Received $50,000 Donation from Jail Medical Contractor
  4. Watchdog Blasts BOP for Failure to Treat Prisoner’s Preventable Cancer, by Chuck Sharman
  5. South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, by Chuck Sharman
  6. Colorado Lawmakers Approve Prison Bed Funding, Despite DOC Understaffing
  7. Eighth Circuit Rules Iowa Prisoner’s Adverse Summary Judgment Is Not a “Strike”, by Chuck Sharman
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  9. New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner
  10. Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, by David Reutter
  11. Georgia Grand Jury Scolds Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, by Chuck Sharman
  12. Ninth Circuit Affirms $3.84 Million Jury Verdict in Death of San Bernardino Jail Detainee from Acute Alcohol Withdrawal, by Sam Rutherford
  13. Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, by Jo Ellen Nott
  14. Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, by Chuck Sharman
  15. SCOTUS Sides with Federal Prisoner in Habeas Review Case, by Chuck Sharman
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  18. $6 Million Settlement with Washington DOC for Delayed Treatment That Let Prisoner’s Liver Cancer Become Fatal, by Chuck Sharman
  19. Sixth Circuit Revives Michigan Prisoner’s Challenge to Guard Tackle That Broke His Foot, by Chuck Sharman
  20. Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, by Michael Thompson
  21. Jury Awards Over $9.5 Million for Oklahoma Jail Death, by Chuck Sharman
  22. Washington Appellate Court Uses Personal Restraint Petitions Mooted by Prisoners’ Transfers to Order Remedial Measures at Troubled Juvenile Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
  23. Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, by Jo Ellen Nott
  24. Alaska Prisoner’s Discipline for Violating Invalidated Rule Tossed, by Chuck Sharman
  25. $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, by Chuck Sharman
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  28. Louisiana Prisoner Sustains Claim Against Prison Doctor for Allowing Assignment to “Field Duty” Despite Known Ankle Injury, by Chuck Sharman
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