$4.45 Million Verdict in Meningitis Death of Cook County Jail Prisoner
by David M. Reutter
An Illinois federal jury awarded $4.45 million to the mother of a prisoner who died at the Cook County Jail. The verdict sent a strong message that ignoring prisoners’ serious medical conditions would not …
Monitor’s Second and Third Reports Find Medical Care From CMS for Delaware Prisoners Still Lacking
by David M. Reutter
Despite a monitor to provide oversight, Correctional Medical Services (CMS) continues to suffer from a “lack of stable and effective leadership” that inhibits it from supplying adequate medical care to …
by David M. Reutter
A report submitted to Mississippi’s legislature found serious deficiencies in the delivery of medical care to prisoners in the Mississippi Dept. of Corrections (MDOC). The December 11, 2007 report was issued by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER). It found that …
Effects of Florida’s Faith Based Prisons Found to Be Promising in Reducing Recidivism
by David M. Reutter
A report by the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center concluded the statistically significant difference between the share of prisoners in Florida’s Faith and Character Based Institutions (FCBI) and a comparison group of …
Nevada Phone Contract Reduces Costs to Prisoners’ Families But Increases State’s Kickback
by David M. Reutter
A panel headed by Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons has approved a contract that reduces the cost of in-state collect calls from prisoners, but maintains exorbitant rates for out-of-state calls. The contract also increases …
Florida Imposes Broad Budget Cuts, but Prison Officials Increase Pay Through Double-Dipping
by David M. Reutter
While the State of Florida has to contend with across-the-board budget cuts due to a financial shortfall caused by the faltering economy, high-ranking Florida Department of Correction (FDOC) officials are padding their pockets …
Trifecta for Michigan DOC: Three Reports Find Deficient Prison Medical Care
by David M. Reutter
From the advent of federal oversight of medical services for Michigan prisoners, the focus has been on three Michigan Dept. of Corrections (MDOC) facilities that house the state’s sickest prisoners in close proximity to …
Alabama Jail Guard Fired, Convicted, Held Civilly Liable in Prisoner’s Assault
by David M. Reutter
In a rare conclusion to a guard’s violent attack on a prisoner, a Jefferson County, Alabama jail guard was fired, prosecuted, convicted and found liable in a civil lawsuit. The guard, Antonio Allums, continues …
Monetary Sanctions Permitted for Milwaukee Jail’s Violation of Consent Decree
by David Reutter
Wisconsin’s First District Court of Appeals has held that an intentional contempt finding against the Milwaukee County Jail (MCJ) entitles prisoners who were injured by the contemptuous conduct to recover monetary sanctions.
In March 1996, MCJ …
by David M. Reutter
As America’s prisons continue their transformation into mental health institutions, little thought is given to mentally ill prisoners who languish within the harsh confines of prison environments with little if any treatment. That all changes, at least temporarily, when a mentally ill prisoner who has been …
