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Articles by Christopher Zoukis

Federal Jury Awards $4 Million Over Mistreatment by Bell Gardens, Calif., Police

by Christopher Zoukis

After a three-week trial against the City of Bell Gardens, California and numerous Bell Gardens police officers, a federal jury awarded Gerardo Cazares and Marcelo Moreno each about $2.2 million for physical and emotional injuries.

On October 30, 2005, Cazares and Moreno, his father-in-law, were having a ...

Deaf Drivers Settle with North Las Vegas Over Discriminatory Police Treatment

by Christopher Zoukis

Jeffrey Beardsley and Melissa Ward reached a settlement with the City of North Las Vegas, Nevada, for an undisclosed amount after suing the city for mistreatment, malpractice and civil rights violations by employees of the police department, detention center, prosecutor's office and municipal court.

On November 30, ...

City of Chicago Settles for $4.7 Million After Jury Finds Police Inflicted Rectal Trauma with Screwdriver

by Christopher Zoukis

A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois found that the Chicago Police were liable for physical injury and violation of a man's Fourth Amendment rights when they searched his rectum with a screwdriver, resulting in a $4,675,000 settlement.

On August 28, 2004, 20-year-old Coprez Coffie ...

California Woman Awarded $149,400 for Excessive Force by Jail Officials

by Christopher Zoukis

Karen Carter, a 43-year-old dental hygienist, was awarded $149,400 by a federal jury after they found that four Santa Clara, California, jail guards used excessive force against her.

On April 3, 2005, Carter was escorted out of a bar by two bouncers. Carter called the police, who, ...

City, Police of Speedway, Ind., Settle False Arrest and Excessive Force Suit

     by Christopher Zoukis

    Edward Bowden agreed to a settlement of an undisclosed amount with the city of Speedway, Indiana, and the Speedway Police Department for civil rights violations against him.

     On December 19, 2004, Bowden and an associate were delivering bottled water when he was detained by ...

Alaska Prisoners Stripped, Paraded on “Dog Leashes,” Held Naked for 12 Hours

by Christopher Zoukis

Twelve prisoners at the maximum-security Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska were stripped, searched, restrained, attached to “dog leashes,” paraded in front of female staff members and then left in cells without clothing, mattresses or blankets for 12 hours.

The incident may have never come to ...

Securus Fined $1.7 Million for Providing Inaccurate Information, FCC Approves Company Transfer Anyway

by Christopher Zoukis

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) slapped Securus Technologies with a $1.7 million fine for providing misleading and inaccurate information as part of its application to transfer control to another company, but still approved the transfer on October 30, 2017.

Securus, one of the nation’s largest providers of ...

New York to Spend $7.3 Million on College Programs for Prisoners

by Christopher Zoukis

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has long advocated for more higher education programs in New York state prisons. His plans have drawn criticism from conservatives who take issue with the use of public funds to educate convicted criminals. But with the help of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, ...

Global Tel*Link Settles Mississippi Prison Bribery Case for $2.5 Million

by Christopher Zoukis

As previously mentioned in PLN, Global Tel*Link Corp. (GTL), the largest provider of prison and jail phone services in the United States, has settled a lawsuit that accused the company of conspiring to bribe corrections officials in Mississippi. [See: PLN, Oct. 2017, p.16; Oct. 2015, p.42].

The ...

As Wyoming State Penitentiary Falls Apart, Officials Rush Repairs

by Christopher Zoukis

Built just 17 years ago, but on unstable ground, Wyoming’s maximum-security penitentiary in Rawlins suffers from a sinking foundation, cracking walls and ceilings, and flooding from both a failing roof and broken, badly-installed pipes.

In 2011, just 10 years into its planned 50-year lifespan, structural problems were ...