Successful Defense of Consent Decree Merits Award of Untimely Attorney Fees
by David Reutter
On September 8, 2014, a California federal district court awarded $7,826.60 in fees and costs to the attorneys and certified law students who successfully defended against a motion to terminate a decades-old consent decree.
At issue ...
Explosion at Florida Jail Kills Two Prisoners as Officials Negotiate Reforms for Unconstitutional Conditions
by David Reutter
As negotiations continued between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Escambia County, Florida officials over correcting major deficiencies at the county’s Central Booking and Detention Facility, the jail was rocked by an ...
Iowa Supreme Court Holds Miller Retroactive; Governor’s Commutation Cannot Cure Violation
by David Reutter
The Iowa Supreme Court held that the Governor Commutation of sentences of life without parole imposed upon juveniles cannot circumvent the holding in Miller v. Alabama. The court’s ruling further held Miller applies retroactively and a ...
Georgia Prison Guard Receives Litany of Criminal Charges after Traffic Stop
by David Reutter
Following an August 2013 traffic stop, a Georgia prison guard was slapped with seven criminal charges and jailed. It marked the second time in a month that a Georgia guard was arrested on drug charges after ...
Following Suspension and Reprimand for Misconduct, Ex Kentucky Judge Remains Unrepentant
by David Reutter
The Kentucky Judicial conduct Commission (JCC) publicly reprimanded a retired judge for “reprehensible” behavior that included a threat to strangle a lawyer and refusing to allow a pro se civil litigant to argue his case.
The ...
Florida Withdraws Rule Proposal to Ban Prisoner Internet Presence
By David Reutter
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) has withdrawn a proposed administrative rule that would have prohibited prisoners from using any form of Internet. The proposed rule was withdrawn after three prisoner rights advocacy organizations warned the FDOC it ...
Corizon Abandons Kentucky Jail Contract in Wake of Death and Lawsuits
By David Reutter
In the wake of seven prisoner deaths and subsequent lawsuits, prison healthcare provider Corizon has decided to not seek renewal of its contract at Kentucky’s Metro Corrections in Louisville.
For much of the last two decades, ...
Auditor Finds Security and Safety Failings at Michigan’s Macomb Correctional Facility
by David M. Reutter
A performance audit by the Michigan office of the Auditor General found that officials at the Macomb Correctional Facility (MCF) were only “moderately effective” in complying with security and safety procedures. The auditor’s findings concerned ...
Allegheny County Doctor Files Complaint against Corizon over Hiring Practices
by David Reutter
Corizon, a private for-profit company, is facing a complaint filed with Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission that claims a bias against women, immigrants, and doctors who complain against frugal prisoner health care was the basis for the company’s ...
Downward Departure Sentenced for Florida Guard Convicted in Beating Prisoners Vacated
by David Reutter
In vacating the sentences of two former Florida prison guards convicted of violating prisoners’ civil rights and obstruction of justice, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that downward variances of more than 90% from the ...
