by David Reutter
On March 4, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that a prisoner’s religious rights claims were not moot because the prisoner transferred to another prison but was subjected to nearly the same restrictions at the new prison. The Court …
by David Reutter
On April 16, 2026, the Michigan Court of Appeals found a trial court abused its discretion by ordering that a prosecution witness appear before a jury wearing jail clothes. The Court concluded that the principle of creditability fairness that applies to a defendant also applies …
by David Reutter
On March 26, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity under Michigan law in a gross negligence claim related to a scabies infestation at a women’s prison. The Court also affirmed the grant of qualified …
by David Reutter
On March 13, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found material issues of disputed facts were present in a South Carolina prisoner’s Eighth Amendment claim that alleged the disabled prisoner was confined to a cell and denied out-of-cell exercise time. The …
by David Reutter
On July 29, 2025, the Court of Appeals of the State of Washington, Division II, affirmed the conviction of a guard who conspired to be shot. The Court rejected the guard’s defense that because he was the victim of an assault and drive-by shooting he …
by David Reutter
On July 23, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed dismissal of a pretrial detainee’s civil rights complaint that alleged he was served “rotten and unsafe food” and denied the ability to engage in Jum’ah (Friday prayer). The matter was remanded …
by David Reutter
On August 6, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the dismissal of a prisoner’s medical Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and Eighth Amendment claims for the failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The district court erred in finding the prisoner responsible …
by David Reutter
On August 4, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to two jail guards who refused to assist a pretrial detainee after he fell out of his wheelchair and requested medical assistance.
Ralph M. Hardy …
The efficiency and functionality of every enterprise rests largely upon the staff put in place to carry out its operations. But at the heart of the most dysfunctional prisons PLN has reported on over the last 35 years is one common denominator: Understaffing. Nationwide, there are an estimated 31,000 …
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit approved the appointment of a receiver to oversee operations of the Raymond Detention Center (RDC) in Hinds County, Mississippi. The district court’s action was a contempt sanction imposed for the County’s repeated failures to comply with a consent decree.
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