by David M. Reutter
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on August 10, 2020, reversed a Tennessee federal district court’s order denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment on a claim that a sheriff was deliberately indifferent to a pretrial detainee’s safety because his jail was overcrowded.
Zachery Beck was assaulted ...
by David M. Reutter
Prison journalism is on the comeback in California, and it’s being credited as a rehabilitative tool that is impacting prison reform advocacy in a positive way.
When The Prison Mirror was founded in 1887 at Stillwater Prison in Minnesota, newspapers were commonplace in prisons. The Prison ...
by David M. Reutter
Shortly after the deadliest prison riot in 25 years, officials launched an investigation into the events surrounding the April 25, 2018, incident at South Carolina’s Lee Correctional Institution (LCI). After more than two and a half years and at least $190,000 spent on a special investigation, ...
by David M. Reutter
An Alabama federal district court allowed portions of a lawsuit to move forward that sought damages from the City of Montgomery (the City) and Judicial Correction Services, Inc. (JCS). The suit alleged due process and equal protection violations that stemmed from a privatized probation system that ...
by David M. Reutter
A Nebraska Federal district court denied class certification in a lawsuit alleging systematic deficiencies in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NCDS) health-care system. Individual claims of some of the lead incarcerated plaintiffs were allowed to proceed.
The court’s June 8, 2020, order resolved 11 pending ...
by David M. Reutter
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a summary judgment grant to defendants in a New York prisoner’s lawsuit that alleged he was denied due process. The court’s July 23, 2020, order was issued in an appeal brought by prisoner Jarvis Elder. While incarcerated at Attica ...
by David M. Reutter
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held on July 23, 2020 that a prisoner acting pro se persuaded it that a factual issue remained as to whether a nurse was deliberately indifferent to his pain and suffering. The court reversed a grant of summary judgment as ...
by David M. Reutter
Rapper Kodak Black filed a lawsuit on September 21, 2020, alleging he “is suffering torture and religious persecution” at the hands of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) guards and officials.
Kodak Black, whose real name is Bill Kapri, was arrested on May 11, 2019, while en route ...
by David M. Reutter
Nearly half the population at North Dakota’s Grand Forks County Correctional Center (GFCCC) tested positive for COVID-19 on November 17, 2020. Of the jail’s 20 housing units, there were positive cases in 16 units.
The Grand Forks facility has a population of 195 detainees. There were ...
by David M. Reutter
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that a former Pennsylvania prisoner’s civil rights action was not barred for failing to exhaust administrative remedies. The court found the prison’s grievance policy for a prisoner dealing with an emergency or urgent situation is not bound by the ...
