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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. …
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 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 …
