Judge Initially Plays Pass-the-Buck with Proposal to Hire Suicide Prevention Expert by Eight prisoners have committed suicide at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) since 2016. In response, prisoner advocate Marion Damick asked the county’s nine-member Jail Oversight Board (JOB) to hire a nationally known expert on suicide prevention. “It’s ... …
Hospice Programs Provided in Pennsylvania Prisons by Ruth Hoskins by Ruth Hoskins, Ph.D., H.H.S., LCSW Nine people were granted compassionate release in Pennsylvania from 2010 to today. – Public Source Roundup Prisoners have the same concerns about death as everyone else. What will it be like to die? Will I …
Arnold v. Smith, PA, Complaint, Violation of Religious Rights, 2019 Case 1:19-cv-00750-YK-SM Document 1 Filed 05/02/19 Page 1 of 22 E.D.Pa AO Pro Se 14 ( Rev. 04/18) Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the ft~Uk 1ii'::rs1m=a, District of Pennsylvania p /}'- t ~j'\,P;,O f …
Third Circuit Reverses Federal Prisoner’s FOIA Request Denials by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed the dismissal of a federal prisoner’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Federal prisoner James Biear made FOIA requests of the Criminal Division of the …
The Lackawanna County Seven: And Then There Were Five by Mumia Abu-Jamal by Mumia Abu-Jamal Few cases are as difficult to prosecute as those involving cops, sheriffs and prison guards. This is largely due to the popular perception that they’re the good guys protecting society from the bad guys ... …
$4.75 Million Settlement for Pennsylvania Teenager’s Withdrawal Death in Jail by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The death of a teenager is a sad event. But when it was entirely preventable, it becomes tragic. The death of Victoria Jeanette Herr, 18, just four days after being booked into …
Pennsylvania DOC, Mental Health Contractor Settle Wrongful Death Suit for $27,500 by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) have agreed to pay $15,000 to the estate of a mentally ill prisoner who was killed after being attacked by another prisoner …
Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project v. Wetzel, PA, Settlement Agreement, Censorship, 2019 Case 1:18-cv-02100-JEJ-EBC Document 92 Filed 03/25/19 Page 1 of 26 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTIONAL LAW PROJECT, ABOLITIONIST LAW CENTER, AMISTAD LAW PROJECT, and AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF PENNSYLVANIA, …
Philadelphia Robbing the Poor Through Civil Forfeiture by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon In just the four zip codes of Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, whose mainly black and Hispanic residents suffer high rates of poverty, civil asset forfeiture (CAF) proceedings netted 1,682 properties that were seized and sold by the District …
Imagine Pleading Guilty Because You Can’t Afford to Call Your Lawyer by Victoria Law By Victoria Law, Truthout Imagine paying $20.12 for a 15-minute phone call. That’s how much a call from the Jennings Adult Correctional Facility in Missouri costs. In 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set price caps …
$10 Million Award for Wrongly Jailed Philadelphia Man by A Philadelphia jury awarded Khanefah Boozer $10 million in a state court lawsuit that alleged police officer Ryan Waltman had falsely accused Boozer of firing shots at him. Boozer was the designated driver during a January 22, 2011 night out with friends. …
City of Philadelphia Sinks $5.6 Million into Prison Software Upgrade it Can’t Use by Kevin W. Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss The Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP) has terminated a contract it established in 2014 with an information technology company, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), to design a new Integrated …
Preliminary Settlement in Class-Action HCV Suit Against Pennsylvania DOC by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell A class-action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) over the lack of adequate treatment for prisoners with hepatitis C (HCV) survived a motion for summary judgment, and the parties have reached a preliminary …
Williams v. Toomey, PA, Complaint, Inmate Access to Legal Services, 2019 Case 1:18-cv-01687-YK Document 60 Filed 02/05/19 Page 1 of 26 Case 1:18-cv-01687-YK Document 60 Filed 02/05/19 Page 2 of 26 Case 1:18-cv-01687-YK Document 60 Filed 02/05/19 Page 3 of 26 Case 1:18-cv-01687-YK Document 60 Filed 02/05/19 Page 4 of …
Prisoners Face Retaliation for Raising Concerns About Criminal Justice System by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon Prisoners who peacefully advocate for their rights, such as by filing lawsuits and grievances, and engaging in non-violent protests, regularly risk retaliation by prison officials. That was the case following a nationwide work strike …
Dismissal of Pro Se Prisoner’s Sexual Assault, Excessive Force Case Reversed by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss The Third Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania state prisoner Gregory L. Ricks against Paul Keil and D. Shover, guards at SCI Graterford, after his case was dismissed by …
Report on Capital Punishment in Pennsylvania Released; Moratorium Continues by Kevin Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss In June 2018, a death penalty task force commissioned by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in 2012 finally released its report. Finding that neither judicial economy nor fairness is served – because 97 percent of all …
Multiple Charges, Lawsuits Filed Against Lackawanna Prison Staff for Sexual Abuse by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Employees at the Lackawanna County Prison (LCP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania have been under a year-long investigation into the sexual abuse of women prisoners at the facility. The culture of abuse, said to have …
Chimenti, et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al., class action settlement, Hepatitis C protocol, 2018 Case 2:15-cv-03333-JP Document 125-2 Filed 11/19/18 Page 2 of 29 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA SALVATORE CHIMENTI, et al., Plaintiff, vs. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, et …
