Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures by As the record-breaking winter storm blew through Missouri on the weekend of January 23, 2026, some prisoners were forced to go outside to clear snow from walkways, according to the Missouri Independent. As the storm brought heavy snowfall and wind chills …
The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards by Ivy Scott This article was first published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter at themarshallproject. org/subscribe and follow them on instagram.com/marshallproj, tiktok.com/@marshallproj, reddit.com/user/marshall_project, and facebook. com/TheMarshallProject.org …
Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The cover story of the June 2025 issue of PLN reported that “[d]espite years of litigation, injunctions, consent decrees, and contempt fines ranging into the hundreds of millions,” the State of Washington had “consistently failed to provide timely competency …
Missouri Blocks Spiritual Advisors from Prison Pastor’s Execution by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott On October 14, 2025, at around 6 p.m. in the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, Lance Shockley, 48, was executed by lethal injection after Governor Mike Kehoe (R) denied him clemency. The state …
Monroe v Foley, MO, Settlement Agreement, Wrongful Death-Failure to Protect, 2025 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE This Settlement Agreement and Release ("the Agreement") memorializes the terms and conditions made between Latasha Monroe in her capacity as personal representative for the Estate of Honesty Jade Bishop ("Plaintiff') and Trevor Foley, Doris Falkenrath, …
Missouri Prison Nurse Sentenced to 12 Years for Poisoning Husband by On June 25, Amy Murray, a 46-year-old former prison nurse in Miller County, received a 12-year sentence after she entered an Alford plea—a guilty plea in which the defendant maintains innocence—around charges related to poisoning her husband, Joshua, and …
News in Brief by Alabama: Elmore County Jail guard Lita Williams, 57, was arrested and charged with first-degree promoting prison contraband on May 21, 2025, the Wetumpka Herald reported. Her arrest followed discovery of a cellphone in a jail cell during a routine search two weeks prior. Data from the …
Nearly $60,000 Awarded to Mother Of Dead Missouri Prisoner In Suit For His DOC Records by Anthony Accurso On April 23, 2024, the mother of a deceased Missouri prisoner prevailed on appeal against the state Department of Corrections (DOC), which a lower court had found knowingly violated the Missouri Sunshine …
News in Brief by Alabama: Kadarius Shermaine Todd, 28, a new guard still on probationary status at the Madison County Jail, was fired on April 4, 2025, after allegedly attempting to smuggle contraband into the lockup. He was apprehended upon arrival to meet a contact with a package containing Suboxone, …
Eighth Circuit Excuses Missouri Prisoner’s Failure to Exhaust Remedies While He Was In a Coma by Douglas Ankney On November 15, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reinstated a deliberate indifference claim lodged by Missouri prisoner Tremonti Perry, whose alleged medical neglect left him in a …
Eighth Circuit Lets Missouri Guard Skate For Placing Avowed Enemies In Same Cell, Resulting In Assault by Anthony Accurso Missouri prisoners beware: On ­November 19, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed denial of qualified immunity (QI) to a prison guard who placed two “avowed enemy” …
Missouri Repeals “Pay-to-Stay” Law by When Missouri Gov. Michael Kehoe (R) signed HB 495 on March 26, 2025, authorizing a state takeover of policing in St. Louis, the bill included repeal of the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act (MIRA). Also known as “pay-to-stay,” it allowed the state to sue for funds …
Wait for Competency Restoration Averages 14 Months in Missouri Jails by By late January 2025, a critical shortage of providers had stranded 418 detainees waiting for competency restoration in Missouri jails an average of 14 months each. The number wait-listed for the services had jumped from 300 a year earlier, …
Missouri Pays More Than $1.2 Million for Deputy Warden’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Warden by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney For subjecting him to sexual harassment, the state of Missouri paid a jury award of more than $1.2 million in damages, plus legal fees and costs to former Kansas City …
News in Brief by Alabama: Former Crenshaw County Jail Administrator Christian Alexander Porter, 33, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of excessive force, falsifying records and witness tampering on January 28, 2025. According to the Washington Post, the charges stem from an October 2021 incident in which …
Warden, Top Deputy Walked Off the Job at “Wild West” Missouri Prison by Warden Michele Buckner’s 25-year career with the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) came to an abrupt end on January 7, 2025, when she was reportedly walked off the job at South Central Correctional Center (SCCC) in Licking. …
Legal Gaffe Prolongs Case of Former St. Louis Detainee Held Eight Months After Dismissal of Charges by Matthew Clarke by Matthew Thomas Clarke On June 17, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided a civil rights complaint brought by former St. Louis jail detainee Michael Jones, …
Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Missouri Guards in Transgender Prisoner’s Suit Alleging Retaliation and Unreasonable Search by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On April 4, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed denial of qualified immunity (QI) to defendant Missouri Department of Corrections …
Eighth Circuit: Evidentiary Admissibility Is a “Red Herring” At Class Certification of St. Louis Jail Conditions Challenge by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On June 3, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit declined to join most sister circuits, which admit evidentiary challenges to class certification …
$46 Million Paid to Exonerated Missouri Prisoner Wrongfully Incarcerated for 10 Years by On November 1, 2024, a Missouri jury returned a $37.9 million verdict against Travelers Indemnity Company in favor of an exonerated state prisoner after the insurance giant balked at covering an $11 million settlement of his wrongful …
