Study: Supermax Prisons Achieve Control While Inflicting Debilitating Side Effects, But Don't Reduce Recidivism
by John E. Dannenberg
The Justice Policy Center of the Urban Institute (UI) issued a research report, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Supermax Prisons, in which it concluded that while these restrictive lockups achieve their goals of ...
by John E. Dannenberg
The death of a Youngstown, Ohio arrestee who was severely beaten by police and negligently treated by Prison Health Services? (PHS) contract jail medical staff resulted in a settlement totaling $450,000.
African-American Booker Mitchell, 72, was summoned to the scene of an automobile accident involving his ...
California Governor's Parole Veto Reversed by Federal Court
by John E. Dannenberg
The U.S. District Court granted a California second degree murderer's 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition and ordered that he be released on parole unless the Board of Prison Hearings (Board) gave him a new parole suitability ...
"Absurd" California Child Visiting Regulation Survives Challenge - For The
Moment
by John E. Dannenberg
The California Department of Corrections' CCDC) recently announced child
visiting regulation 15 CCR § 3173.1, which prohibits any minor from
visiting with a convicted sex offender prisoner unless the minor was the
prisoner's victim, was ...
PLRA Attorney Fee-Award Criteria "Directly Incurred" and "Degree Of
Success" Explained
by John E. Dannenberg
After a successful jailhouse lawyer retaliation suit (see: PLN, March '03,
p.20, $90,169 Plus Injunction In California Retaliation Suit), prison
official defendants appealed the award of post-Prison Litigation Reform Act
(PLRA) attorney fees. The Ninth ...
California Sexually Violent Predator's Recurring Habeas Claims Ruled Not
Moot, But Still Meritless
by John E. Dannenberg
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that because the two-year
interval between recurring civil commitment trials for California sexually
violent predators (SVP) was shorter than the time to "fully litigate"
federal ...
California Jail/Prison Credits May Not be Limited Based Upon Convictions
for Which Punishment was Stayed
by John E. Dannenberg
The California Court of Appeal held that when a prisoner is convicted of an
offense not restricted to conduct credits of 15%, and is also convicted of
offenses for which the ...
Negligent Public Defender Defense Against Dirty Los Angeles Cops Nets Falsely Convicted Man $6.5 Million; Court Vacates Verdict
by John E. Dannenberg
A Los Angeles jury awarded $6.5 million in damages to a man falsely
imprisoned for 2 ½ years because of the public defender's shoddy defense
during the trial ...
By John E. Dannenberg
The County of Monterey, California wanted to demolish its 73-year-old Main
Jail in Salinas, but was challenged by preservationists who wished it
refurbished and maintained as an historic building. The preservationists
("Architectural Heritage Association") unsuccessfully challenged the
Monterey County Board of Supervisors and then petitioned the ...
by John E. Dannenberg
A Bureau of Prisons (BOP) prisoner who had testified for the government and
against co-defendants, prison guards and other prisoners, found himself in
the line of fire of numerous retaliatory actions by prison staff. His
Bivens lawsuit (Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal ...
