by David M. Reutter
A December 2020 report by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that federal law enforcement and detention agencies documented an alarming number of fatalities, including 92 arrest-related deaths and 897 deaths in custody in fiscal years (FY) 2016 and 2017 combined.
The DOJ report was ...
by David M. Reutter
"Nationwide, crime and jail admissions decreased between 2007 and 2017, yet spending on jails increased 13%, to $25 billion, over that span,” concludes a study issued by the Pew Charitable Trusts on February 1, 2021. That spending could decrease if localities continued practices that lowered population ...
by David M. Reutter
The Mississippi State Auditor on December 16, 2020, issued a report that made 18 findings of deficiencies within the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC).
MDOC has been plagued with violence, staff shortages, and deplorable conditions. MDOC sought an additional $78 million from legislators for 2021 to ...
by David M. Reutter
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals found a prisoner’s material facts in an excessive use of force claim were sufficient to overcome the defendants’ motion for summary judgment.
The court’s January 4, 2021, opinion was issued in an appeal brought by North Carolina prisoner Willie James ...
by David M. Reutter
The Idaho Supreme Court held that Board of Correction Rule 135.06 did not create an exemption under the Public Records Act. The court, therefore, ordered the release of documents about the death penalty that did not identify individuals.
The court’s November 20, 2020, order was issued ...
by David M. Reutter
An Oregon federal district court issued a preliminary injunction that requires the COVID-19 vaccine to be offered to all adult prisoners in the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC).
The court’s February 2, 2021 order also granted provisional class certification to all adults in ...
by David M. Reutter
On November 17, 2020, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the grant of summary judgment in a lawsuit alleging a guard at New York’s Suffolk County Correctional Facility (SCCF) sexually harassed and sexually assaulted female prisoners.
The lawsuit was filed by prisoners Tara Lucente, Jaimie ...
by David M. Reutter
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal granted qualified immunity to prison officials in a civil rights action alleging prison noise that stemmed from implementing a court order requiring round-the-clock welfare checks in California’s prison system. The court held it was not clearly established that officials would ...
by David M. Reutter
Smoking has long been a past time for people. In some cultures, it’s like a rite of passage. In our more modern times, it is portrayed as a bad habit. Either way you look at it, the fact is: some people just like to smoke.
Those ...
by David M. Reutter
A federal district court fined the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC) $1.1 million for failing to meet performance measures (PM) in a 2015 Stipulation Settlement from a class-action lawsuit.
The court’s February 24, 2021 order was the latest move to compel ADOC to comply with its ...
