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Articles by David Reutter

Almost $2.4 Million in Settlements For Seven Suicides at New Jersey Jail

by David M. Reutter

The families of two women and five men who committed suicide while held in pretrial detention between July 2014 and November 2018 at New Jersey’s Cumberland County Jail (CCJ) have received a total of $2,372,500 to settle their claims against the County and its profiteering medical ...

Connecticut Lawmakers Punt on Limiting Prison Strip Searches

by David M. Reutter

During their 2023 session, Connecticut lawmakers took a pass on legislation to rein in routine prison strip searches, which advocates testified were “humiliating” and “intrusive.” There was, however, widespread interest in appearing interested in the problem, resulting in a predictable decision by legislators to vote for ...

No Hearing Required for Emergency Dose of Antipsychotic Medication for Mississippi Prisoner

by David M. Reutter

On May 4, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a Mississippi prisoner’s claim that his due process rights were violated when a doctor dosed him without his consent with psychotropic medication.

Chaz Pinkston, the Court noted, had “a complex ...

$1.05 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Appendix Rupture

by David M. Reutter

On May 23, 2023, the Oklahoma Legislature approved a $1.05 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit stemming from the preventable death of a state prisoner. The settlement followed an order by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on May 29, 2022, that ...

Fourth Circuit Rebuffs Federal Prisoner’s Attempt to Expand Bivens in North Carolina

by David M. Reutter

On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a federal prisoner’s civil rights suit, finding his Fifth Amendment claim did not fit within the precise confines authorized by Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of ...

Breaking the Cycle of Understaffing, Lockdowns and Increased Violence in Prisons

by David M. Reutter

The political atmosphere surrounding criminal justice reform features strong rhetoric on both sides. Those who pontificate the “get-tough-on-crime” culture argue for increasing criminal sanctions and imposing punishment upon prisoners. On the other side are criminal justice reform advocates who push for a second chance by changing ...

Wexford Faces Liability for Indiana Prisoner’s Delayed Specialist Referral

by David M. Reutter

On March 3, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana only partly granted a motion for summary judgment filed by prison medical profiteer Wexford Health Sources, Inc. and its employees in a state prisoner’s civil rights action over a nearly three-year delay ...

Unable to Post Bail, Detainee Starves to Death in Arkansas Jail

by David M. Reutter

A lawsuit filed in federal court for the Western District of Arkansas on January 13, 2023, makes a stunning claim: That a man was left to starve to death in jail because he couldn’t afford bail.

Larry Eugene Price, Jr., 50, was suffering an acute mental ...

$1.25 Million Settlement for California Jail Prisoner’s Loss of Limbs

by David M. Reutter

As PLN previously reported, a man arrested and taken to jail in California’s San Bernardino County in March 2018 ended up in a hospital eight days later in critical condition, suffering severe dehydration, sepsis, and renal failure. Perry Belden then went into cardiac arrest and was ...

Almost $1.1 Million Awarded to One-Legged Pretrial Detainee Forced to Hop to California Jail Cell

by David M. Reutter

After a jury in the federal court for the Northern District of California awarded $504,000 in compensatory damages in the excessive-force case he brought against the San Francisco Jail, a former pretrial detainee was awarded another $14,034.31 in legal costs on November 28, 2022, followed by ...