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Articles by Chad Marks

Seventh Circuit Affirms District Court Order Granting Summary Judgment In Eighth Amendment Medical Case

by Chad Marks

 Jeremy Lockett, a prisoner at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF), brought a lawsuit arguing that prison medical staff nurse practitioner (NP) Tanya Bonson and nurse Beth Edge were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs.

Lockett has a significant medical history, having been diagnosed with sickle ...

California Federal Court Orders City to Pay $150,000 for Failure to Comply with Jail Settlement

by Chad Marks

n May 2013, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of prisoners housed at the Monterey County Jail in California. A settlement agreement was reached on May 1, 2015, in which the City of Monterey agreed to develop plans to improve medical care, services, programs and activities ...

Seventh Circuit Affirms Lower Court’s Summary Judgment Order in Self-Mutilation Case

by Chad Marks

Lloyd Johnson brought a civil suit against the Milwaukee County Medical Health Clinic (MHC), claiming that his rights were violated when he was not provided constitutionally adequate medical care leading to self-mutilation.

On February 28, 2012, Johnson voluntarily admitted himself to MHC, complaining that he was depressed, ...

Federal Court Allows Lawsuit to Move Forward Where Prisoners Ordered to Clean Bloody Cell After Suicide

by Chad Marks

Jeffrey Patel was a prisoner at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange County, California, when another prisoner commited suicide with a razor blade. Prison staff ordered Patel and three other prisoners to clean up the cell, which was a “bloody mess,” according to court documents. Prison staff ...

California County Jail, Private Medical Provider to Pay $825,000 for Prisoner’s Death

by Chad Marks

Lara Ann Gillis, a 47-year-old mother, died in December 2015 after spending just over 24 hours at a county jail.

Gillis was arrested on December 4, 2015 in Monterey County, California on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, obstructing law enforcement and possession of marijuana. ...

$100,000 Withheld from Washington Jail for Failure to Fully Implement Ban on Juvenile Solitary Confinement

by Chad Marks

The King County jail system in Washington State was slated to receive $100,000 in March 2019, but the payment was put on hold following reports that jail officials were not fully complying with a ban on placing juvenile offenders in solitary confinement.

The payment was premised on ...

Cook County Commissioners Approve $1.5 Million Settlement for Jail Beating

by Chad Marks

Irene Nash, suffering from bipolar disorder, found herself on the wrong side of the law when she returned to her former childhood home. She entered the house and drank a bottle of wine. It was not long before the homeowners arrived, discovered her in the house and ...

Ninth Circuit Rejects Lawsuit by California Prisoners Over Exposure to Valley Fever

by Chad Marks

On February 1, 2019, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of lawsuits filed by current and former California prisoners who alleged that state prison officials had violated their Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment by exposing them to a known heightened risk ...

Tennessee Prisoners File Lawsuit Challenging Video Visitation Policy at County Jail

by Chad Marks

In April 2014, then-Sheriff James “J.J.” Jones implemented a video visitation system at the Knox County, Tennessee jail through a contract with Securus Technologies. The video system coincided with the elimination of in-person visits between prisoners and their family members.

Remote video visitation costs $5.99 per half-hour. ...

UK Using Facial Recognition Technology on Prison Visitors ... is the U.S. Next?

by Chad Marks

After more than 23,000 packages containing drugs and cell phones were seized in UK prisons in 2018 – compared to just 4,000 the year before – officials with Her Majesty’s Prison Service decided to use new facial recognition and document-scanning technology on visitors at three prisons – ...