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Articles by David Reutter

Third Circuit Agrees With Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Access-to-Courts Claim, But Grants Defendants Qualified Immunity

by David M. Reutter

On June 15, 2022, in a precedential ruling that might help the next prisoner plaintiff, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that “a prisoner has a valid access-to-courts claim” when “denial of access to legal materials — before and/or during trial — ...

Eighth Circuit Revives Missouri Prisoner’s Claim Against Prison Food Manager for Denying Renal Diet

by David M. Reutter

On June 14, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the grant of summary judgment to a Missouri prison food service director accused of interfering with a prisoner’s medical diet and then retaliating against him for filing grievances.

Before the Court was ...

Eleventh Circuit Says Passover Sign-Up Requirement in Florida Jail Passes Constitutional Muster

by David M. Reutter

On June 10, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that a Florida jail’s policy requiring detainees to sign up for Passover meals 45 days in advance did not violate the constitution or the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). ...

Investor Lawsuit Against GEO Group Trimmed

by David M. Reutter

On June 21, 2022, the federal court for the Southern District of Florida significantly trimmed a class-action lawsuit alleging that private prison operator The GEO Group misled investors in its stock, causing them to suffer losses.

For the last three decades, GEO Group has contracted with ...

California Prison Officials Cleared After Prisoner Murders Two Sex Offenders

by David M. Reutter

In a letter to PLN on May 16, 2022, the California Office of the Inspector General (OIG) confirmed that no one was disciplined at the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) following a bizarre incident in January 2020, when a state prisoner murdered two fellow ...

New Connecticut Law Restricts Use of Solitary Confinement

by David M. Reutter and Keith Sanders

A law that severely limits the use of solitary confinement in Connecticut jails and prisons took effect July 1, 2022. It also creates an ombudsman position within the state Department of Corrections (DOC), selected from candidates nominated by a new nine-member advisory panel ...

Virginia Swipes Sentence Credits From 560 Prisoners Just About to Get Out

by David M. Reutter

Just as the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) was preparing to release 560 prisoners in July 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and state lawmakers stepped in with a budget amendment that stripped away sentence credits, leaving the prisoners in their cells.

“They dangled this hope in ...

Florida Supreme Court: Trial Courts Have Authority to Correct Sentencing Errors, But Subject to Time Limits

by David M. Reutter

On June 16, 2022, the Supreme Court of Florida held that a trial court has authority to make corrections to sentence credits for jail and prison time already served by a defendant. However, it must do so within statutory time limits. As a result, a state ...

$115,000 Settlement for Excessive Pepper-Spraying of Maine Prisoner

by David M. Reutter

After reaching a $115,000 settlement with the Maine Department of Corrections (DOC), a state prisoner dismissed his suit on October 21, 2021, in which he alleged guards at the Maine State Prison (MSP) used excessive force against him when they deployed eight times the amount of ...

Two California Prisoners Murdered in Two Days

by David M. Reutter

Two California prisoners were killed in two separate incidents of prisoner-on-prisoner violence in two days in early October 2022.

The first incident occurred on the afternoon of October 4, 2022, at California State Prison in Sacramento. Investigators named Selso E. Orcozco, Jr., 41, and Mike A. ...