by Matt Clarke
On April 22, 2021, the Civil Rights Division (CRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a notice to Alameda County, California and its Santa Rita Jail, finding that both engage in practices which violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, and ...
by Matt Clarke
On June 2, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a federal prisoner’s claims of insufficient due process used in maintaining his Special Housing Unit (SHU) status for 280 days. In doing so, the court refused to expand the ...
by Matt Clarke
On May 28, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Corrections Corporation of America (now known as CoreCivic) was not entitled to summary judgment in a lawsuit over a pretrial detainee held for 355 days in solitary confinement without a court ...
California Inspector General’s office issues another reports highly critical of health care at Corcoran and statewide prison employee disciplinary process
by Matt Clarke
In April 2021, the California Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report highly critical of the medical care prisoners received at the 2,976-man California State Prison ...
by Matt Clarke
On June 8, 2021, a California court of appeals held that a prisoner’s habeas corpus challenging San Quentin State Prison’s withholding of eight issues of Artists Magazine was mooted when the prison allowed him to receive the censored issues.
California Code of Regulations, title 15, section 3006(c)(l7) ...
by Matt Clarke
On May 5, 2021, the Fifth Circuit court of appeals reversed the dismissal of a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by a Texas state prisoner who alleged an assistant warden failed to protect him from an attack by a prisoner who had previously threatened him.
According to ...
by Matt Clarke
On May 18, 2021, two jail guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico were indicted for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the asphyxiation death of a prisoner at the jail in 2019.
Video recordings show that guards used force on MDC prisoner Vicente ...
by Matt Clarke
On May 19, 2021, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled on three questions relating to medical parole despite the two prisoners who filed for judicial review having since died.
Raymond Harmon and Brian Racine were Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) prisoners who applied for release under ...
by Matt Clarke
On January 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of Florida disbarred a lawyer who pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges related to multiple instances of making pornographic movies with female prisoners in attorney visitation rooms at two county jails.
Andrew Spark allegedly used his Florida Bar card ...
by Matt Clarke
On April 1, 2021, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law a bill that ends long-term solitary confinement in that state starting in April 2022.
“Having spent a lot of time with the advocates who have direct stakes in this bill, this is deeply meaningful,” ...
