by David M. Reutter
Georgia’s sex offender residency restrictions have led some offenders to live in the woods because they have no legal place to stay. Reminiscent of leper colonies, they are forced to camp out on the fringes of society.
Under Georgia law, the state’s 16,000 sex offenders are ...
by David M. Reutter
Contracts between the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) and faith-based substance abuse transitional housing programs may violate the “no-aid” provision of Florida’s Constitution. Because the issue required further factual development to make that determination, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s final judgment ...
by David M. Reutter
A political brouhaha arose in October 2009 in the wake of a North Carolina appellate court decision which held that a “life sentence is as an 80-year sentence for all purposes.” While the ruling applies only to defendants convicted of crimes between 1974 and 1978, Governor ...
by David M. Reutter
A company that offers a lower-cost alternative to the monopolistic practices of the nation’s largest prison and jail telephone service providers filed a federal lawsuit alleging violation of the Federal Communications Act.
The suit was filed by Millicorp, a Florida-based company that offers alternative phone services ...
by David M. Reutter, Gary Hunter & Brandon Sample
Prison food. The very words conjure images of unidentifiable mystery meat, chili-mac, watery oatmeal and creamed chipped beef – the latter being commonly, though not very appetizingly, known as “shit on a shingle” in jailhouse parlance.
Before someone goes to prison ...
by David M. Reutter
A major riot at Kentucky’s Northpoint Training Center on August 21, 2009 resulted in 16 injuries and the destruction of several buildings critical to the prison’s operation. The riot was the second serious incident at the facility in as many years, and both involved food-related issues. ...
by David M. Reutter
“Inaccurate assumptions about the impact of longer prison stays on reoffense rates generally, and about the future behavior of people who committed assaultive and sex offenses in particular, have led us to routinely continue the incarceration of thousands of parole-eligible prisoners who would not have returned ...
by David M. Reutter
Retired New York Supreme Court Justice Ronald H. Tills, 74, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for a felony charge of transporting prostitutes across state lines (a violation of the Mann Act). He began serving his sentence on October 1, 2009.
Tills’ long ...
by David M. Reutter
The ACLU of Indiana has reached a private settlement agreement with the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) in a class-action lawsuit that challenged a policy prohibiting prisoners from receiving sexually explicit materials or publications containing “graphic nudity.”
At issue was IDOC Administrative Procedure No. 02-01-103. The ...
by David M. Reutter
The training of a dog as a law enforcement K-9 unit requires hours of dedication and bonding between the animal and its handler. It appears that guards with the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) believed in using a “hands on” approach when it came to the ...
