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Articles by Mark Wilson

Washington Prison Guard’s Murder Costs State $2.5 Million and Counting

Washington Prison Guard’s Murder Costs State $2.5 Million and Counting

by Mark Wilson

A Washington prisoner’s conviction and death sentence for murdering a female prison guard has cost taxpayers $1.6 million, while the guard’s family settled a lawsuit against the state for $900,000.

As previously reported in PLN, convicted ...

Washington Jail Detainees Sue over Videotaped "Peep Shows"

Washington Jail Detainees Sue over Videotaped "Peep Shows"

by Mark Wilson

"They were directing them to do it like dolls. Like taking clothes off a Barbie doll,” stated Seattle, Washington attorney James C. Egan, referring to a pattern of videotaping female detainees in holding cells at the Puyallup City Jail ...

Reversal of Oregon Parole Postponement Due to Incorrect Psychological Evaluation

Reversal of Oregon Parole Postponement Due to Incorrect Psychological Evaluation

by Mark Wilson

The Oregon Court of Appeals has held that a prisoner’s release was improperly postponed for two years on the basis of an erroneous psychological evaluation report.

Oregon law provides for enhanced “dangerous offender” sentences upon a finding ...

Ninth Circuit: Prisoner’s Service of Process for Other Prisoner Not Protected Conduct

Ninth Circuit: Prisoner’s Service of Process for Other Prisoner Not Protected Conduct

by Mark Wilson

On September 10, 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner’s retaliation claim, holding that serving a summons for another prisoner is not constitutionally protected conduct.

Hawaiian prisoner Richard H. ...

Seventh Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Diabetic Detainee’s Death

Seventh Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Diabetic Detainee’s Death

by Mark Wilson

On August 20, 2013, the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s denial of qualified immunity in a case concerning an Illinois pretrial detainee’s death due to medical neglect.

Phillip Okoro, 23, was arrested for a misdemeanor property offense ...

New York Prisoner Awarded Sanctions for Spoliation of Evidence; Case Settles for $500,000

New York Prisoner Awarded Sanctions for Spoliation of Evidence; Case Settles for $500,000

by Mark Wilson

On September 4, 2013, a New York federal district court held that a jail official was precluded from testifying in a prisoner’s lawsuit about what she supposedly witnessed on surveillance video footage that had ...

Prison Officials Liable for Private Employer ADA Violations

Prison Officials Liable for Private Employer ADA Violations

by Mark Wilson

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held last September that prison officials are liable for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) committed by private employer contractors.

Arizona law requires state prisoners to work 40 hours per week. ...

Oregon Victim’s Right to Restitution Survives Prosecutor’s Statutory Violation

Oregon Victim’s Right to Restitution Survives Prosecutor’s Statutory Violation

by Mark Wilson

The Oregon Court of Appeals held that a prosecutor’s failure to comply with state restitution laws did not deprive a trial court of authority to impose restitution after sentencing.

Oregon law requires the prosecutor to “investigate and present ...

Illinois $50 State’s Attorney Fee Applies Only to Habeas Proceedings

Illinois $50 State’s Attorney Fee Applies Only to Habeas Proceedings

by Mark Wilson

The Illinois Supreme Court held in September 2013 that a $50 State’s Attorney fee authorized in habeas corpus cases does not apply to non-habeas collateral proceedings.

After an Illinois trial court dismissed a post-conviction petition filed by ...

Ninth Circuit: Damages Required for Compelled Religious-Based Treatment

Ninth Circuit: Damages Required for Compelled Religious-Based Treatment

by Mark Wilson

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that damages are required, as a matter of law, when a parolee is incarcerated for objecting to compelled participation in a religious-based drug treatment program.

Citing “uncommonly well-settled case law,” the ...