Prison Rules Require Adequate Notice, Supervisor Liable in Disciplinary Appeals by A Maryland state prisoner sued under § 1983 challenging the lack of notice of prison rules and no prison appeal procedure. He was infracted for possessing contraband, anything not issued by the prison, for having a pair of jeans …
Maryland Son of Sam Statute Violates First Amendment by The Court of Appeals of Maryland vacated the judgment of the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in an action brought by the state attorney general against a prisoner for allegedly violating the state's Son of Sam' statute. Ronald W. Price was …
Classification Ordered in Maryland Prison to Reduce Rape by A Maryland federal district court ordered prison officials at the Maryland State Penitentiary and the Maryland Reception and Classification Center (MRDCC) to devise an efficient classification system to identify prisoners at risk of rape and to implement procedures to prevent prisoners …
Heroin Withdrawal a Serious Medical Need in Addict's Jail Death by A Maryland federal district court has held that withdrawal from a heroin addiction is a serious medical need. This action was filed by the widow of a pretrial detainee who died two days after being incarcerated at Maryland's Cecil …
Public Sector Employee's § 1983 Equal Protection Claim Allowed Without Pleading Title VII Claim by Public Sector Employee's § 1983 Equal Protection Claim Allowed Without Pleading Title VII Claim The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has held a guard's 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action alleging religious discrimination was not barred …
Sheriff's Mass Purchase of Newspapers to Suppress News Unconstitutional. by The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the mass purchase, on election day, of the St. Mary's Today Newspaper by sheriff's deputies in St. Mary's County, Maryland, to prevent the dissemination of articles they anticipated would be critical of …
Preliminary Screening Required Prior to Double Ceiling by A federal district court in Maryland has held that the failure to have in place procedures to identify special problems with and review the compatibility of cellmates is a constitutional violation of prisoners' rights to have reasonable care exercised to protect them …
Prison Employees Clearing Security Constitutes Paid Work Time by The Maryland Court of Appeals upheld an Administrative Law Judge's decision that the state prison could not force employees to use personal leave time to undergo searches while entering and leaving prison property. Kathleen Palmer and other employees of the Eastern …
Police Immune in Pepper Spraying Death by Police detained the decedent for emergency psychiatric evaluation (he was lying in the road yelling "get it off me"), used pepper spray and placed him restrained and face down in the police car; he was discovered face down in the emergency room, dead. …
Court Upholds Maryland DOC Staff Grooming Rules by The Rastafarian correctional officer was disciplined for wearing dreadlocks contrary to the agency's grooming policy. At 398: "The challenged rules are rationally related to the division's legitimate interests in public safety, discipline and esprit de corps." They allow staff members to be …
Jail/Police Immune for Not Treating Prisoner with Spinal Injury by The plaintiff was a passenger in a car involved in a high speed chase; an officer threw him on the ground while he was handcuffed, causing a permanently disabling spinal injury. He spent three days in jail, where a detention …
Maryland Prisoner Awarded $750 for Book Confiscation, Wrongful Segregation by A federal district court in Maryland held that Maryland prison guards had violated a prisoner's First and Fourteenth amendment rights when they wrongfully confiscated the prisoner's books, including a litigation manual. The court awarded $50 in damages for the book …
$7,000 Award in MD Jail Strip Search; Fees Remanded by The Fourth circuit court of appeals upheld the denial of a Baltimore, Maryland police officer's JNOV motion and objections to jury instructions. Plaintiff, a police officer, was arrested for disorderly conduct and strip searched as part of the arrest. At …
County Liable for Attorney Fees in Jail Contempt Sanction by The court of appeals for the Fourth circuit affirmed a district court ruling filing officials of the Dorchester county jail in Maryland in contempt over jail conditions and liable for plaintiffs' attorney fees. Jail prisoners filed suit over jail conditions …
Prison Ordered Closed by The court of appeals for the Fourth circuit affirmed a lower court ruling ordering a prison closed down because of overcrowding and other unconstitutional conditions. The lower court rulings are reported at: Johnson v. Levine, 450 F. Supp. 648 (D MD 1978) and Nelson v. Collins, …
Consent Decree Modification Standard by Consent Decree Modification Standard Explained The court of appeals for the Fourth circuit, sitting en banc, held that a district court had properly modified a consent decree where Maryland prison conditions remained inhumane. Underlying suit over prison conditions was settled by consent decree, progress was …
Prisoner Not Covered by Fair Labor Standards Act by The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that prisoners are not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and they are not entitled to receive the minimum wage for work performed within a penal facility. …
FBI Can Use Prisoners' Phone Calls for Any Lawful Purpose by Affirming the decision of the U.S. District Court of Maryland, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that prisoners of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) consent to have their telephone calls monitored and taped and that the Federal …
Interpreters Provided For MD Deaf Prisoners in Consent Decree by A Maryland federal district court approved a consent decree that agrees to provide and compensate qualified sign language interpreters for deaf prisoners. The agreement provides Maryland deaf prisoners will be advised of their right to a qualified sign language interpreter …
Habeas Corpus Petitioner Convicted for False Declarations by The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a habeas corpus petitioner's conviction for two counts of violating 18 U.S.C. § 1623, which criminalizes the making of false declarations before a court. The petitioner filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court in …
