Search | Prison Legal News

Assaulted Detainee Settles with Louisiana Jail over Deliberate Indifference to His Safety

Article • July 26, 2018

Filed under: Brain Injury, Failure to Treat, Malpractice, Eighth Amendment, Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Failure to Protect (Staff), Fourteenth Amendment, rights

Assaulted Detainee Settles with Louisiana Jail over Deliberate Indifference to His Safety by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis A mentally ill jail Louisiana detainee who was beaten by fellow inmates after urinating on another detainee’s shoes agreed to a settlement with jail employees regarding his civil rights suit. On April …

Louisiana Prisoner Beaten by Guards Settles Excessive Force Suit

Article • July 25, 2018

Filed under: Retaliation, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements

Louisiana Prisoner Beaten by Guards Settles Excessive Force Suit by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis A prisoner housed at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Louisiana (JPCC), who was pinned down and beaten by five guards, agreed to an undisclosed settlement with the guards, prison officials and medical staff.      …

Quadriplegic Denied Required Meds Settles with Louisiana Prison Operated by CoreCivic

Article • July 8, 2018

Filed under: Medication, Pain, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment

Quadriplegic Denied Required Meds Settles with Louisiana Prison Operated by CoreCivic by Christopher Zoukis Robert Blackstock agreed to an undisclosed settlement in his federal lawsuit against private prison company CoreCivic (formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America). The prisoner alleged medical indifference after staff and medical personnel refused to provide his required …

State Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Gaining Traction

Article • July 2, 2018 • from PLN July, 2018

Filed under: Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, State Legislation

State Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Gaining Traction by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis On the federal level, hopes for criminal justice reform have fallen victim to partisan bickering in Congress and a lack of substantive interest from the White House. Fortunately, state officials are not waiting around, and state-level reform …

Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails

Article • June 29, 2018 • from PLN July, 2018

Filed under: Statistics/Trends, Exposure to Heat, Class Certification

Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails by Matthew Clarke, Christopher Zoukis by Matt Clarke and Christopher Zoukis During a heat wave in the summer of 2017, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Medium Security Institution in St. Louis, Missouri and chanted “shut it down,” after a video …

Louisiana Prisoner Beaten by Prison Guards Settles Civil Rights Claim

Article • June 21, 2018

Filed under: Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Eighth Amendment, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Fourteenth Amendment, rights

Louisiana Prisoner Beaten by Prison Guards Settles Civil Rights Claim by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis Bryan Demouchet, who was assaulted by multiple prison guards while he was handcuffed during his imprisonment at Rayburn Correctional Center in Louisiana, reached a settlement with those allegedly responsible. The amount agreed upon was …

Corrections Corporation of America Settles Medical Neglect Suit with Louisiana Prisoner

Article • June 16, 2018

Filed under: Private Prisons, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Medical, Medication, Eighth Amendment, Settlements

Corrections Corporation of America Settles Medical Neglect Suit with Louisiana Prisoner by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis  Emmett Ellerbe, a prisoner at Louisiana's Winn Correctional Center who was allegedly denied adequate medical treatment, reached a settlement with the prison, the warden and the medical staff. The terms of the agreement …

In the Eye of the Storm: When Hurricanes Impact Prisons and Jails

Article • May 17, 2018 • from PLN May, 2018

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Shelter, Hurricane Katrina

In the Eye of the Storm: When Hurricanes Impact Prisons and Jails by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Hurricanes and other major storms represent a significant threat to prisoners. Prisons and jails are often built on poorly-drained land located in flood plains or other environmentally-sensitive areas. Although meteorologists usually warn …

Langley v. Prince et al., LA, order, murder conviction, 2018

Brief • May 14, 2018

Filed under: Prosecutors, Habeas Corpus, Double jeopardy

Langley v. Prince et al., LA, order, murder conviction, 2018 Case: 16-30486 Document: 00514472153 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/14/2018 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit No. 16-30486 FILED May 14, 2018 RICKY LANGLEY, Lyle W. Cayce Clerk Petitioner …

FTCA Claims Survive; PREA Policy Defeats Discretionary Function Exception

Article • May 9, 2018 • from PLN May, 2018

Filed under: Prisoner-Prisoner Harassment, Failure to Protect (General), Federal Tort Claims Act, Prison Rape Elimination Act

FTCA Claims Survive; PREA Policy Defeats Discretionary Function Exception by Jeremy Pinson by Jeremy Pinson While confined at the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana, federal prisoner Rashod L. James filed suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2671-2680, against the United States and several prison employees – …

Whistleblowing Angola Prisoner Who Faced Retaliation Wins Relief, Redemption

Article • May 8, 2018 • from PLN May, 2018

Filed under: Retaliation for Media Contact, Whistleblowing, False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Settlements

Whistleblowing Angola Prisoner Who Faced Retaliation Wins Relief, Redemption by William Kissinger was “widely regarded as a positive leader at Angola by both prisoners and staff” over the 27 years he spent at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. That is, until corrections officials became incensed with the content of his email …

Fifth Circuit: Court May Not Mandate Maximum Heat Index on Louisiana’s Death Row

Article • April 18, 2018

Filed under: Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat

Fifth Circuit: Court May Not Mandate Maximum Heat Index on Louisiana’s Death Row by Matthew Clarke by Matthew Clarke On January 31, 2018, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a district court erred when it mandated a maximum-allowable heat index measure for a Louisiana’s death row. The court …

Johnson, Every v. Thibodaux City, La., opinion, prolonged traffic stop, 2018

Brief • April 17, 2018

Filed under: Excessive Force, Stun Guns/Tasers, Arrest Warrants, Fourth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Traffic stop

Johnson, Every v. Thibodaux City, La., opinion, prolonged traffic stop, 2018 Case: 17-30088 Document: 00514434369 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/17/2018 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 17-30088 United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED April 17, 2018 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk JACKALENE ROSA …

Private Prison Forced to Produce Solitary Confinement Records

Article • April 2, 2018 • from PLN April, 2018

Filed under: GEO Group/Wackenhut, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement

Private Prison Forced to Produce Solitary Confinement Records by The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center has prevailed in a lawsuit to obtain records related to prisoners held in segregation at Louisiana’s Allen Correctional Center (ACC), run by the GEO Group, a private prison contractor. A public records request was …

Fifth Circuit: Strip Searches Due to Security Concerns Not Unconstitutional

Article • April 2, 2018 • from PLN April, 2018

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Work Conditions/Safety, Strip Searches, Fourth Amendment, rights

Fifth Circuit: Strip Searches Due to Security Concerns Not Unconstitutional by The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a summary judgment order in favor of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDPSC), holding that strip searches of prisoners for security reasons are not unconstitutional. Freddie R. Lewis, …

Louisiana Prison Officials Sued for Trying to Block Investigation into Abuse of Disabled Prisoners

Article • April 2, 2018 • from PLN April, 2018

Filed under: Disabled Prisoners, Retaliatory Segregation, Exposure to Cold, Exposure to Heat, Excessive Force, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

Louisiana Prison Officials Sued for Trying to Block Investigation into Abuse of Disabled Prisoners by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Alleging a “culture of cover-up and excessive force,” the MacArthur Justice Center and the Advocacy Center of Louisiana (ACL) filed a class-action lawsuit in February 2018 against officials at …

Fifth Circuit: Louisiana Must Allow Prisoner to Wear Dreadlocks

Article • April 2, 2018 • from PLN April, 2018

Filed under: Grooming Rules, RLUIPA, Religious Grooming

Fifth Circuit: Louisiana Must Allow Prisoner to Wear Dreadlocks by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s judgment dismissing a lawsuit brought by a prisoner who sought an injunction requiring the Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC) to allow him to wear dreadlocks. …

Thomas v. Gusman et al, Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2018

Brief • March 14, 2018

Filed under: Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Jail Specific, Wrongful Death, Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights

Thomas v. Gusman et al, Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2018

Despite Suicides, Jails Replace In-person Visitation with Video Screens

Article • March 6, 2018 • from PLN March, 2018

Filed under: Jail Specific, Telephones, Suicides, Visiting, Video Visitation

Despite Suicides, Jails Replace In-person Visitation with Video Screens by Mike Ludwig by Mike Ludwig, Truthout  The Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, Louisiana replaced in-person visitation through a glass partition with video calls in October 2017. Three suicides had occurred at the jail since August, raising concerns about the mental health …

Two Cellmates Die at Private Louisiana Jail

Article • March 6, 2018 • from PLN March, 2018

Filed under: Private Prisons, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Wrongful Death

Two Cellmates Die at Private Louisiana Jail by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A bizarre incident that resulted in the deaths of two pretrial detainees at the Richwood Correctional Center (RCC) in Louisiana reflects how understaffing and inadequate training at privately-operated jails can have life-changing consequences. Following a traffic …