$1 Million Settlement Fund Established in New Mexico Jail Strip Search Settlement
by David M. Reutter
A $1 million settlement fund has been established in a class action lawsuit alleging an unconstitutional blanket strip search at the Hidalgo County Detention Center (HCDC) in New Mexico violated the rights of the ...
Hawai’i Supreme Court Holds Takings Clause Requires Payment of Interest on Prisoner Trust Accounts
by David M. Reutter
The Hawai’i Supreme Court has held that prison officials have no statutory authority to divide a prisoner’s trust account into two accounts, one of which was restricted as to withdrawals. More importantly, ...
Economic Crisis Prompts Prison Closures Nationwide, but Savings (and Reforms) are Elusive
by David M. Reutter
With the current economic crisis adversely affecting state tax revenues, lawmakers across the nation are seeking ways to cut costs and slash spending. Many states have proposed reducing their prison budgets by closing correctional ...
by David M. Reutter
“I believe in personal redemption, that people can learn from their mistakes, and that people who take those lessons to heart and apply them to their lives deserve a second chance," proclaims Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The veracity of that proclamation is shattered by examining the ...
By David M. Reutter
A state jury has acquitted three Florida prison guards in the murder of death row inmate Frank Valdes. The guards, Captain Timothy Thornton, Sgt. Jason P. Griffis, and Sgt. Charles A. Brown, were exonerated of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery on a prisoner, official ...
by David M. Reutter
Before the Michigan Department of Corrections closed the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility (SMCF) in late 2007 to avoid further litigation in the long-running class action known as Hadix, the federal judge overseeing the case and lawyers representing prisoners argued that closing SMCF would not only transfer ...
Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Procedures Found Lacking
by David M. Reutter
An independent study of suicide prevention practices within the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (MDOC) has found serious deficiencies in the care of prisoners at risk of suicide. Since 2000, there have been 18 suicides, but 12 of those occurred during ...
by David M. Reutter
Florida’s Public Service Commission has recommended that TCG Public Communications, Inc. (TCG) pay $7.5 million for the improper disconnection of jail prisoners’ telephone calls. The recommendation was made in a September 8, 2008 memorandum following an investigation into complaints made by family and friends of prisoners ...
GEO Cancels Contract at Pennsylvania Jail, Looks Elsewhere for Business
by David M. Reutter
GEO Group, Inc. (formerly known as Wackenhut Corrections), the second-largest private prison company in the nation, has operated the jail in Delaware County, Pennsylvania since 1995. GEO reportedly saved the county $30 million when it built ...
by David M. Reutter
Recent coverage of long-past abuses at Florida juvenile facilities has put a spotlight on the treatment of juvenile offenders. Reports by the Miami Herald and CNN have revealed that Florida youth facilities have been cruel and problematic institutions for over a century, which provides historical context ...
