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Ethics Rule Requiring Post-conviction Disclosure of Exculpatory Evidence Adopted in North Carolina

Article • July 28, 2017 • from PLN August, 2017

Filed under: Evidence, Disclosure of Records

Ethics Rule Requiring Post-conviction Disclosure of Exculpatory Evidence Adopted in North Carolina by In the wake of the exoneration of five North Carolina men, the state Supreme Court adopted a new ethics rule in March 2017 that requires any attorney who receives evidence suggesting the innocence of a convicted defendant …

Fourth Circuit Clarifies Rights of Pretrial Detainees; $35,000 Settlement on Remand

Article • July 28, 2017 • from PLN August, 2017

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

Fourth Circuit Clarifies Rights of Pretrial Detainees; $35,000 Settlement on Remand by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals released an important decision concerning the rights of pretrial detainees on November 7, 2016. The case involved allegations of unconstitutional conduct by authorities at the New Hanover …

Fourth Circuit Reverses Judgment in Favor of BOP in Deliberate Indifference Case

Article • July 28, 2017 • from PLN August, 2017

Filed under: Diabetes, Hepatitis, Failure to Treat, Food

Fourth Circuit Reverses Judgment in Favor of BOP in Deliberate Indifference Case by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The Fourth Circuit has reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials on a prisoner’s claim that his Eighth Amendment rights were violated. Paul …

Supreme Court Voids North Carolina Law Barring Sex Offenders from Facebook

Article • June 30, 2017 • from PLN July, 2017

Filed under: Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Internet

Supreme Court Voids North Carolina Law Barring Sex Offenders from Facebook by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna In a unanimous decision, on June 19, 2017 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a North Carolina statute that prohibits convicted sex offenders from accessing “a commercial social networking Web site where the …

Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Banned Magazines List - 2017

Publication • 2017

Filed under: Publications/Books, Banned Book Lists, Censorship

Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Banned Magazines List - 2017 Magazines--NOT ALLOWED XXL King Black Men Local Looks Buisness 3.0 Lowrider Cambio----Spanish Maxim Complex Playboy and Playgirl and Hustler Cosmo Prison Legal News Don Diva Rebel Ink Dub Record Dynamic Business Smooth Esquire Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Easy Rider Scar Tissue Feds …

Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Banned Books List - 2017

Publication • 2017

Filed under: Publications/Books, Banned Book Lists, Censorship

Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Banned Books List - 2017 (Tai Chi Chuan) 5K1 10 Minutes Too Late 30 Days of Night 33 Strategies of War 48 Laws of Power--mind control 50 by 50--gang and drug 50 Cent: From Pieces to Weight--gang and drug A Deeper Love Inside (sequel to The …

Howard v. City of Durham, NC, Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2017

Brief • May 24, 2017

Filed under: Wrongful Conviction

Howard v. City of Durham, NC, Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2017 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA DURHAM DIVISION File No. 1:17-cv-477 DARRYL HOWARD, Plaintiff, v. COMPLAINT AND JURY DEMAND CITY OF DURHAM; DARRELL DOWDY, in his individual and official capacities; E.E. SARVIS, in his individual …

North Carolina kickbacks FY2014

Kickback publication • May 8, 2017

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

North Carolina kickbacks FY2014 Date Commission February-15 $ 671,369.53 January-15 $ 630,652.24 December-14 $ 668,455.41 November-14 $ 619,109.14 October-14 $ 605,206.40 September-14 $581,068.45 August-14 July-14 $ $603,793.72 600,412.48 June -14 $603,037.79 May-14 April-14 $648,047.71 $663,487.40 March-14 $732,785.84 Total $ 7,627,426.11

North Carolina rates May 2017

Kickback publication • May 8, 2017

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

North Carolina rates May 2017  Inmate Telephone System  Inmate Telephone System Effective March 17, 2016, rates and fees have changed in compliance with Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Order issued on November 5, 2015 The North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Prisons has a contract with GTL to provide …

Healthcare and Handcuffs: BOP Assigns Medical Staff to Security Positions

Article • May 5, 2017 • from PLN May, 2017

Filed under: Staffing, Staff Training

Healthcare and Handcuffs: BOP Assigns Medical Staff to Security Positions by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), facing chronic guard shortages, has resorted to either paying overtime to officers who work additional shifts or assigning nurses and other healthcare staff to security positions. In the …

McCollum v. Robeson County, NC, Settlement, Wrongful Conviction Death Sentence, 2017

Brief • April 11, 2017

Filed under: Wrongful Conviction, Death Penalty

McCollum v. Robeson County, NC, Settlement, Wrongful Conviction Death Sentence, 2017 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA WESTERN DIVISION ------------------------------------------------------------------------X Docket # 5:15-CV-451-BO HENRY LEE MCCOLLUM and J. DUANE GILLIAM as guardian of the estate LEON BROWN, Plaintiffs, -versusTOWN OF RED SPRINGS, KENNETH …

Dilworth v. McMahon, NC, Settlement, Pretrial Solitary Confinement, 2017

Brief • March 31, 2017

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

Dilworth v. McMahon, NC, Settlement, Pretrial Solitary Confinement, 2017 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that I, the undersigned, MICHAEL DILWORTH (hereinafter referred to as "Releasor"), for and in consideration of the sum of THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS N0/100 DOLLARS ($35,000.00) in cash, which is paid …

Hensley v. Price, NC, Opinion, Police Excessive Deadly Force, Unreasonable Seizure, 2017

Brief • March 30, 2017

Filed under: Qualified Immunity, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Police), Fourth Amendment, rights, Wrongful Death Action

Hensley v. Price, NC, Opinion, Police Excessive Deadly Force, Unreasonable Seizure, 2017 PUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 16-1294 TERESA ANN HENSLEY, as relator on behalf of the State of North Carolina, and as Administrator of the Estate of David Lee Hensley; H.H., a minor, …

The Man Arrested for Praising Jesus

Article • February 24, 2017

Filed under: Sex Offender Registration, Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Sex Offender Residence, Media, Internet, First Amendment

The Man Arrested for Praising Jesus by Andrew Cohen Lester Packingham’s Facebook post is headed for the Supreme Court By Andrew Cohen, The Marshall Project In “Case in Point,” Andrew Cohen examines a single case or character that sheds light on the criminal justice system. An audio version of Case in …

Five Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Men Receive Almost $8 Million

Article • February 7, 2017 • from PLN February, 2017

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Malicious Prosecution, Guilty Pleas, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Due Process, Police

Five Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Men Receive Almost $8 Million by David Reutter Five former prisoners who were wrongfully convicted in a home invasion murder have received settlements and compensation totaling nearly $8 million following a botched investigation and misconduct by the sheriff’s office in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Three …

North Carolina Court of Appeals Upholds Termination of Prisoner's Parental Rights

Article • October 31, 2016

Filed under: Fathers in Prison, Parental rights, Children of Prisoners

North Carolina Court of Appeals Upholds Termination of Prisoner's Parental Rights by While the identity of the father was unknown, minor child C.L.S. was adjudicated neglected and dependent based upon the mother's history of drug addiction - including drug use during her pregnancy with C.L.S. - mental health issues and drug-related criminal …

Summary Judgment Denied on North Carolina Excessive Force Claims

Article • October 14, 2016

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas

Summary Judgment Denied on North Carolina Excessive Force Claims by Mark Wilson A North Carolina federal court held that material factual disputes precluded summary judgment on a prisoner's excessive force claims. Randolph Watterson and Stephen Somerset were cellmates in protective custody at North Carolina's Gaston County Jail. Watterson claims that …

Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative Final Report, VERA, 2016

Publication • October 1, 2016

Filed under: Retaliatory Segregation, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Administrative Detention/Segregation

Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative Final Report, VERA, 2016 December 2016 The Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative: Findings and Recommendations for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Jessa Wilcox, Léon Digard, PhD, and Elena Vanko © 2016 Vera Institute of Justice. All rights reserved. Additional copies can be obtained …

Sledge v. Little, NC, Amended Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2016

Brief • September 14, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Witnesses, Wrongful Conviction

Sledge v. Little, NC, Amended Complaint, Wrongful Conviction, 2016 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA SOUTHERN DIVISION File No. 7:15-cv-180-D JOSEPH SLEDGE, JR., Plaintiff, vs. PHILLIP LITTLE, in his individual and official capacities; EARL STORMS, in his official capacity; STEPHEN BUNN, in his …

North Carolina Man Awaits Compensation Four Years After Death Row Exoneration

Article • September 9, 2016

Filed under: Release and Reentry, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Collateral consequences of prison, Family

North Carolina Man Awaits Compensation Four Years After Death Row Exoneration by Matthew Clarke Glen Edward Chapman's conviction for two Hickory, North Carolina murders was reversed and a new trial ordered because lead investigator Dennis 'Money had lied during his trial testimony and detectives had "lost, misplaced or destroyed" evidence …