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At Virginia's Supermax Prisons, Isolation and Abuse Persist Despite Reforms

Article • February 24, 2017

Filed under: DOC/BOP misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Train/Supervise, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

At Virginia's Supermax Prisons, Isolation and Abuse Persist Despite Reforms by By Katie Rose Quandt and Jack Denton, Solitary Watch Red Onion State Prison, a supermax complex in the southwest corner of Virginia near the Kentucky border, has long had a reputation as one of the harshest prisons in the nation. …

Still No Answers

Article • February 8, 2017 • from PLN February, 2017

Filed under: Transfers, Misconduct/Corruption, Jail Misconduct, Judicial Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Jail Specific, Indigent Defense, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Racial Profiling

Still No Answers by Jamycheal Mitchell’s death in a Virginia jail cell still hasn’t been explained. It should be a national scandal. by Dahlia Lithwick, Slate On August 19, 2015, 24-year-old Jamycheal Mitchell was found dead in his cell at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Virginia. New revelations in May 2016 about …

November v. Chesterfield County, VA, Complaint,Taser Burn and Injury, 2017

Brief • February 5, 2017

Filed under: Medical, Pain, Excessive Force, Stun Guns/Tasers, Mental Health, Fourth Amendment, rights, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights

November v. Chesterfield County, VA, Complaint,Taser Burn and Injury, 2017 Case 3:17-cv-00113-JAG Document 1 Filed 02/05/17 Page 1 of 83 PageID# 1 PARTIALLY FILED UNDER SEAL (CONTAINS REDACTIONS) (SEE ACCOMPANYING MOTION TO SEAL) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Richmond Division MILES ZACKERY-COLE NOVEMBER and KIM …

Aziz v. Trump, VA, TRO, Detainees at Airport, 2017

Brief • January 28, 2017

Filed under: Attorneys, Immigration

Aziz v. Trump, VA, TRO, Detainees at Airport, 2017 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Alexandria Division Case No. 1:17-cv-116 Tareq Aqel Mohammed Aziz and Ammar Aqel Mohammed Aziz, by their next friend, Aqel Muhammad Aziz, and John Does 1-60, Date: January 28, 2017 Petitioners, v. …

Raynor v. Pugh, VA, Settlement, Medical Neglect, 2016

Brief • December 6, 2016

Filed under: Medication, Pain, Dental Care, Staff Training, Public Records Act

Raynor v. Pugh, VA, Settlement, Medical Neglect, 2016 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT This Settlement Agreement ("Agreement"), by and between Plaintiff James Herman Raynor ("Raynor") and Defendant Gerard Pugh ("Pugh") is entered into for the purpose of settling James Herman Raynor v. G. Pugh, in his individual capacity, Civil Action No. 1:13-cv1117-LMB-JFA ("Civil …

WV: Money Sent By Family to Prisoners Subject to 40% Deduction, Despite Rule To the Contrary

Article • September 8, 2016

Filed under: Money/Property, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Prisoner Property, Tax Law, Commissary, Family

WV: Money Sent By Family to Prisoners Subject to 40% Deduction, Despite Rule To the Contrary by Lonnie Burton On June 8, 2016, the West Virginia Supreme Court held that funds received by prisoners from family and friends are considered "earnings" and thus subject to the deductions mandated by W. …

Virginia Supreme Courts Upholds Conviction of Man Forced to Stand Trial in Jail Clothes

Article • September 8, 2016

Filed under: Jail Misconduct, Judicial Misconduct, Jail Specific, Due Process

Virginia Supreme Courts Upholds Conviction of Man Forced to Stand Trial in Jail Clothes by Lonnie Burton On June 2, 2016, the seven judge Virginia Supreme Court affirmed a court of appeals decision to uphold the conviction of a defendant who had a jury trial while wearing jail-issued attire. The …

Virginia Court Affirms Parole Revocation for Sex Offender Who Refused to Admit Guilt

Article • September 8, 2016

Filed under: Parole, Parole Conditions, Sex Offender Treatment

Virginia Court Affirms Parole Revocation for Sex Offender Who Refused to Admit Guilt by Lonnie Burton On May 17, 2016, the Court of Appeals of Virginia denied the appeal of a man whose parole was revoked when he refused to admit that he was guilty of the offense for which …

Discrimination Complaint by White Male Prison Guard Settled

Article • September 6, 2016

Filed under: DOC/BOP misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Gender Discrimination -- Men, Freedom of Information Act, PLN Litigation, Employee Litigation

Discrimination Complaint by White Male Prison Guard Settled by Christopher Zoukis An Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint filed by Kevin J. Erickson, a white male prison guard at Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg, Virginia, was settled in March 2002. Erickson's EEOC complaint, filed in April 2001, alleged that Wanda Hunt, …

Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Virginia Prisoner’s Religious Freedom Suit

Article • September 2, 2016 • from PLN September, 2016

Filed under: Classification, Prison Labor, RLUIPA, Religious Freedom, Religious Diet, Denial of Religious Services, Religious Practices, Religion and Medicine/Public Health, Sabbaths

Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Virginia Prisoner’s Religious Freedom Suit by The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a Virginia prisoner’s civil rights action that raised claims related to his religious practices and medical care. Prisoner Jesus Emmanuel Jehovah’s complaint alleged prison officials violated his free exercise …

Cox v. Baxley, VA, Complaint, Failure to Protect, 2016

Brief • September 1, 2016

Filed under: Prison Gangs, Skeletal Injury, Failure to Protect (Staff)

Cox v. Baxley, VA, Complaint, Failure to Protect, 2016 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA ROANOKE DIVISION COX, DEWAYNE JACKSON (a/k/a Dwayne Cox), Plaintiff v. BENJAMIN BAXLEY; JUSTIN MILES; JOSHUA PINKERMAN; AND BRADLEY QUINN; Defendants. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) …

Civil Suit Against Wise County, Virginia for Case of Mistaken Identity

Article • August 24, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Overdetention

Civil Suit Against Wise County, Virginia for Case of Mistaken Identity by In a case of mistaken identity, an innocent man residing in Memphis, Tennessee was extradited to a regional jail in Wise County, Virginia where he remained incarcerated for more than three months. Once the Commonwealth’s Attorney could be …

Ruling in Execution Records Limits Virginia FOIA Disclosures

Article • August 12, 2016

Filed under: Disclosure of Records, Freedom of Information Act

Ruling in Execution Records Limits Virginia FOIA Disclosures by David Reutter The Virginia Supreme Court issued a ruling in death penalty public records case that could “become a license to withdraw records,” said Megan Rhyne, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. The ruling reversed a Fairfax County …

Prisoner’s Master Carpenter Skills Nets Opportunity to Serve and Receive Freedom

Article • August 10, 2016

Filed under: Prison Labor, Good Time, Alternative Sentencing

Prisoner’s Master Carpenter Skills Nets Opportunity to Serve and Receive Freedom by David Reutter A Virginia man who was sentenced to prison in several counties has avoided being sent to prison, and his skill set is being attributed to remaining in jail and release. Lawrence “Junior” Wood faced 36 different …

Prieto’s Promise: An End to Death Row?

Article • August 10, 2016

Filed under: Prison Reform, Death Penalty/Death Row, Death Row

Prieto’s Promise: An End to Death Row? by Mumia Abu-Jamal In late 2013, a federal judge in Virginia issued a remarkable ruling in the case of Prieto v. Clark. The civil suit, brought by Virginia death row prisoner Alfredo R. Prieto, challenged conditions on the state’s execution unit, including total …

Report: Virginia's Prisons, Jails Overburdened by Nonviolent Drug Offenders

Article • August 10, 2016

Filed under: War on Drugs, Cost of Prison Systems, Overcrowding

Report: Virginia's Prisons, Jails Overburdened by Nonviolent Drug Offenders by Joe Watson Virginia should decriminalize drug-related behavior and treat drug abuse as a public health issue, while increasing educational resources and opportunities in low-income communities of color in order to improve public safety and lower the state's prison population, according …

Prison Guard Guilty of Stealing Mail

Article • August 5, 2016

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Prisoner Property, Mail

Prison Guard Guilty of Stealing Mail by On September  23, 2014, a guard at a Virginia state prison entered a guilty plea to one count of mail theft for stealing mail intended for prisoners. Ezra Lamont Price was employed as a guard at the Danville Adult Detention Center when mail …

Virginia: Unproven Facts Used to Deny Parole Subject of Lawsuit, Settlement

Article • August 2, 2016 • from PLN August, 2016

Filed under: Parole Board Misconduct, Parole, Three Strikes

Virginia: Unproven Facts Used to Deny Parole Subject of Lawsuit, Settlement by A settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit forced the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) and the state’s Parole Board to deem a prisoner eligible for parole. The settlement also reversed the agencies’ interpretation of Virginia’s “Three Strikes” law …

BOP Pays $10,000 Sexual Harassment Complaint

Article • August 1, 2016

Filed under: Staff-Staff Harassment, DOC/BOP misconduct

BOP Pays $10,000 Sexual Harassment Complaint by The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) paid $10,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint alleging sexual harassment by an employee at FCI Petersburg in Virginia. Azala Gray Epps worked as a guard.  Initially, she started at MCC New York in August 1994 …

$662,500 Award for VA Man subject to Illegal Home Search and Tasing

Article • July 29, 2016

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Stun Guns/Tasers, Excessive Force (Police)

$662,500 Award for VA Man subject to Illegal Home Search and Tasing by A Virginia federal jury awarded $62,000 to a man in a claim police officers illegally entered his home and tased him. Marcus Mial called police in 2010 after his wife grabbed a knife and threatened to harm …