South Carolina Prison Industry Program
Problematic, Audit Finds
by Michael Rigby
The prison industries program of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is improperly managed, likely displaces workers in the surrounding community, and creates an unfair advantage in the marketplace, according to a review performed by the Legislative Audit ...
Doctors of Death and the Medicalization
of State Murder
by Michael Rigby
Prisoners often wonder if prison medical personnel really have their best interests at heart. But in the case of Sanjeeva Rao, a Georgia prison doctor, there is no doubt. He aims to see them dead.
When the state ...
Tough Justice Leads To Quadriplegic's Death
In CCA-Operated D.C. Jail
by Michael Rigby
Washington D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith E. Retchin is known for being tough on crime. She's so tough, in fact, that when a quadriplegic man came before her for possessing a small amount of marijuanahis first offenseshe ...
Connecticut Prison Writers Settle Lawsuit,
Writing Program Reinstated
by Michael Rigby
Eight Connecticut prisoners who were sued by the state after the publication of their book, Couldn't Keep It To Myself: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters , will get to keep most of their earnings, according to the terms of ...
Massachusetts Court Enjoins Sheriff from
Charging Jail Prisoners Assorted Fees
by Michael Rigby
The sheriff of Bristol County, Massachusetts, has been enjoined from gouging prisoners and their families on jail service fees in accordance with his Inmate Financial Responsibility Program (IFRP).
Under the program, prisoners in the Bristol County Jail ...
On October 12, 2004, Jefferson County, Washington, agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit arising from the wrongful death of Kevin Bledsoe in the Jefferson County Jail. The settlement is one of the largest ever for excessive use of force by a county in the Pacific Northwest, according ...
On May 3, 2004, a federal jury in Manhattan awarded $7.65 million to a New York prisoner who was nearly killed when another prisoner attacked him with a razor.
The plaintiff had alleged in his civil rights lawsuit that prison officials ignored requests to segregate him despite warnings that he ...
Connecticut Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit For $2.9 Million
by Michael Rigby
On April 4, 2002, the State of Connecticut agreed to settle for $2.9 million a lawsuit arising from the wrongful death of Timothy Perry, a mentally ill man who died after being forcefully restrained by prison guards.
Perry, 21, ...
New York Prisoners Win Injury Awards, Lack Of Expert Testimony Detrimental
by Michael Rigby
In two separate cases, New York courts of claims awarded $3,500 to prisoners pursuing pro se personal injury claims against the state. As these cases illustrate, expert testimony is not always necessary to prevail on injury ...
Washington Police Kill Unarmed Escapee In Botched Raid; Prisoner also Killed
By Michael Rigby
One day after he used a fake gun to escape from a courthouse in Tacoma, Washington, a "three-strikes" prisoner was killed by police in a bungled raid that left one officer wounded. Family members allege the ...
