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$200,000 Settlement Recommended for Innocent Arkansas Man who Spent 5 Years Imprisoned

Article • October 27, 2015

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment

$200,000 Settlement Recommended for Innocent Arkansas Man who Spent 5 Years Imprisoned by $200,000 Settlement Recommended for Innocent Arkansas Man who Spent 5 Years Imprisoned The Arkansas Claims Commission recommended Rodney Bragg receive $200,000 for the five years he was falsely imprisoned. Bragg was convicted on January 19, 1996 for …

Arkansas Prisoners’ Community-Punishment Denied

Article • October 14, 2015

Filed under: State Law Claims, Parole, Alternative Sentencing

Arkansas Prisoners’ Community-Punishment Denied by Arkansas Prisoners’ Community-Punishment Denied In 1997 Joseph Ritter entered a guilty plea to one count of rape and one count of kidnapping. He was sentenced in the Circuit Court of Searcy County, Arkansas, to consecutive sentences of 228 months and 114 months, respectively. The offenses …

Cell Phones Confiscated from Prisoners Given to Charities

Article • September 25, 2015 • from PLN October, 2015

Filed under: Prisoner Property, Cell Phone Access

Cell Phones Confiscated from Prisoners Given to Charities by Christopher Zoukis Cell Phones Confiscated from Prisoners Given to Charities by Christopher Zoukis Thousands of cell phones seized from prisoners nationwide have been donated to charitable causes, including domestic violence programs and Cell Phones for Soldiers. Cell phones are considered contraband …

News In Brief

Article • September 24, 2015 • from PLN October, 2015

Filed under: News in Brief

News In Brief by Alabama: On April 9, 2013, Kenneth Wayne Patton was arrested on a domestic violence charge. When he arrived at the Etowah County Jail, he informed guards that he used to be employed at the St. Clair Correctional Facility and should be put in protective custody. Despite …

Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Short Beard for Muslim Prisoner

Article • August 1, 2015 • from PLN August, 2015

Filed under: RLUIPA, Religious Grooming

Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Short Beard for Muslim Prisoner by Derek Gilna Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Short Beard for Muslim Prisoner by Derek Gilna In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court found a restriction imposed on a Muslim prisoner who wanted to grow a short …

Escapee from Federal Prison Camp is not a “Non-Secure” Facility for Purposes of Sentence Reduction

Article • June 11, 2015

Filed under: Classification, Escapes

Escapee from Federal Prison Camp is not a “Non-Secure” Facility for Purposes of Sentence Reduction by Escapee from Federal Prison Camp is not a “Non-Secure” Facility for Purposes of Sentence Reduction On July 10, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that a prisoner who escaped …

Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit Based on Classification Status Dismissed

Article • June 10, 2015

Filed under: Classification, Furloughs

Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit Based on Classification Status Dismissed by David Reutter Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit Based on Classification Status Dismissed by David Reutter The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner’s lawsuit for being barred by sovereign immunity and for failure to state a cause of action on which …

Holt v. Kelley, AR, Permanent Injunction, religious grooming beard, 2015

Brief • June 4, 2015

Filed under: Religious Grooming

Holt v. Kelley, AR, Permanent Injunction, religious grooming beard, 2015 Case 5:11-cv-00164-BSM Document 165 Filed 06/04/15 Page 1 of 4 Case 5:11-cv-00164-BSM Document 165 Filed 06/04/15 Page 2 of 4 Case 5:11-cv-00164-BSM Document 165 Filed 06/04/15 Page 3 of 4 IT IS SO ORDERED THIS 4th day of June 2015. …

Wyoming Prisoner Escapes from Private Transport Van, Remains on the Run

Article • June 3, 2015 • from PLN June, 2015

Filed under: Escapes, Transportation

Wyoming Prisoner Escapes from Private Transport Van, Remains on the Run by Mark Wilson Wyoming Prisoner Escapes from Private Transport Van, Remains on the Run by Mark Wilson If his history is any indication, Wyoming fugitive Kenneth James Ward probably didn’t need a head start. But he got one when …

Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment

Article • April 9, 2015 • from PLN April, 2015

Filed under: Stun Guns/Tasers

Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment by David Reutter Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment by David Reutter The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has held a pre-trial detainee’s claim that a guard used excessive force could proceed where a jury could find the guard used …

Eighth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity; Prisoner Proved Neglect, Not Deliberate Indifference

Article • March 5, 2015 • from PLN March, 2015

Filed under: Medication, Cardiovascular, Vision, Qualified Immunity

Eighth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity; Prisoner Proved Neglect, Not Deliberate Indifference by Mark Wilson Eighth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity; Prisoner Proved Neglect, Not Deliberate Indifference by Mark Wilson On March 25, 2014, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s denial of qualified immunity …

Arkansas Jail Closed After Escapes, Might “Put A Hurt” on Bail Business

Article • January 13, 2015

Filed under: Escapes

Arkansas Jail Closed After Escapes, Might “Put A Hurt” on Bail Business by Arkansas Jail Closed After Escapes, Might “Put A Hurt” on Bail Business The Yell County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) closed its jail in Dardanelle, Arkansas in March 2013 after three prisoners escaped by strong-arming the lone guard working …

Dismissal of Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit over False Disciplinary Action Affirmed

Article • January 12, 2015

Filed under: False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Sovereign Immunity

Dismissal of Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit over False Disciplinary Action Affirmed by Dismissal of Arkansas Prisoner’s Suit over False Disciplinary Action Affirmed On May 1, 2014, the Supreme Court of Arkansas affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a state prisoner alleging that he was issued a …

Stuart v. Gobal Tel*Link, AR, Complaint, Prison Phone Rates, 2014

Brief • September 4, 2014

Filed under: Telephone Rates

Stuart v. Gobal Tel*Link, AR, Complaint, Prison Phone Rates, 2014 Case 5:14-cv-05275-TLB Document 1 Filed 09/04/14 Page 1 of 14 PageID #: 1 Case 5:14-cv-05275-TLB Document 1 Filed 09/04/14 Page 2 of 14 PageID #: 2 Case 5:14-cv-05275-TLB Document 1 Filed 09/04/14 Page 3 of 14 PageID #: 3 Case …

Moore v. Hill, AR, Judgment, Provoked by Guards, 2014

Brief • August 25, 2014

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement

Moore v. Hill, AR, Judgment, Provoked by Guards, 2014 Case 5:12-cv-00206-DPM Document 75 Filed 08/25/14 Page 1 of 10 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF DIVISION KEITH MOORE, ADC #133412 v. PLAINTIFF No. 5:12-cv-206-DPM JAMES HILL, Sergeant, ADC; LANTZ GOFORTH, Sergeant, ADC; RICHARD LEE, …

Moore v. Hill, AR, Verdict, Provoked by Guards, 2014

Brief • August 21, 2014

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement

Moore v. Hill, AR, Verdict, Provoked by Guards, 2014 Case 5:12-cv-00206-DPM Document 74 Filed 08/21/14 Page 1 of 8 VERDICT NO. 1 1. __J~- Keith Moore If you found for Moore on Question 1, then answer Question 2. If you found for Hill on Question 1, your deliberations on Hill …

Mojica v. Securus, AR, Complaint, Telephone Rates, 2014

Brief • August 14, 2014

Filed under: Telephone Rates

Mojica v. Securus, AR, Complaint, Telephone Rates, 2014 Case 5:14-cv-05258-TLB Document 1 Filed 08/14/14 Page 1 of 13 PageID #: 1 Case 5:14-cv-05258-TLB Document 1 Filed 08/14/14 Page 2 of 13 PageID #: 2 Case 5:14-cv-05258-TLB Document 1 Filed 08/14/14 Page 3 of 13 PageID #: 3 Case 5:14-cv-05258-TLB Document …

Adams v Benton Sheriff, AR, Order Denying Settlement, debit card program, 2013

Brief • August 1, 2014

Filed under: Money/Property

Adams v Benton Sheriff, AR, Order Denying Settlement, debit card program, 2013 Case 5:13-cv-05074-PKH Document 48 Filed 08/01/14 Page 1 of 10 PageID #: 1454 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS FAYETTEVILLE DIVISION YVES EUGENE ADAMS; CESAR REYES; PAM PHILPOTT; and BRANDON PHILPOTT, all individually and …

Eighth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Detainee’s Overdose Death

Article • July 9, 2014 • from PLN July, 2014

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Wrongful Death

Eighth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Detainee’s Overdose Death by Mark Wilson Eighth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Detainee’s Overdose Death by Mark Wilson The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals held on September 20, 2013 that an Arkansas jail guard was not entitled to qualified immunity for his deliberate indifference …

Arkansas Jail Prisoner Can Proceed on Failure to Protect Claim Against Guard

Article • June 6, 2014 • from PLN June, 2014

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General)

Arkansas Jail Prisoner Can Proceed on Failure to Protect Claim Against Guard by David Reutter Arkansas Jail Prisoner Can Proceed on Failure to Protect Claim Against Guard by David M. Reutter The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of summary judgment to a guard who was aware …