Controversy Involving North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Crime lab analysts and agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) have been accused of pushing the limits of accepted science and police procedures to provide pro-prosecution results. The accusations appeared …
Savings from North Carolina Prisoner Slave Labor Result in Additional Prison Beds by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Touting its 140-year history of using prisoner slave labor, the North Carolina Department of Correction (NDOC) announced in January 2011 that it will save taxpayers $27 million when building more than …
Anarchists Claim Attack on NC Department of Correction by On November 24, 2010, the tires of six vehicles belonging to the North Carolina Department of Correction (DOC) were slashed in a parking lot in Asheville, North Carolina, and an adjacent building housing a DOC office was defaced. The total damage …
Billing Medicaid Would Save NC $11.5 Million in Prison Medical Care Costs by Mark Wilson The North Carolina Department of Corrections (NCDOC) “could save about $11.5 million a year by requiring hospitals and other medical service providers to bill Medicaid for eligible inmate inpatient hospital and professional services,” according to …
North Carolina Prisoner Prevails in Claim Related to Paruresis, AKA “Shy Bladder” by The North Carolina Department of Correction (NDOC) has agreed to settle a prisoner’s lawsuit that accused NDOC officials and guards of exhibiting deliberate indifference to his medical diagnosis of “paruresis.” The settlement includes a monetary payment, attorney …
Fontenot v. Taser International,Inc, NC, Declaration of Gary M. Vilke, Taser, 2011 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2 FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA 3 CHARLOTTE DIVISION NO. s:10-cv-125 4 5 6 7 T.AIVWY LOU FONTENOT, as Administratrix of the Estate of DARRYL WAYNE TURNER, deceased, Plaintiffs, 8 …
North Carolina Prison Censorship Class Action Suit Settled by A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit that challenged the way the North Carolina Department of Corrections (NCDOC) administers its policies related to the receipt of books and magazines by prisoners. The suit sought to enforce the First …
North Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Felon’s Right to Possess Firearm by On August 28, 2009, the Supreme Court of North Carolina concluded that a 2004 law prohibiting felons from possessing a firearm violated the North Carolina constitution in an as-applied challenge to the law. Barney Britt was convicted in 1979 …
U.S. Supreme Court Holds Significant Injury Unnecessary for Excessive Force Claims by Brandon Sample More than de minimis injury is not required to state an excessive force claim, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided on February 22, 2010. In Hudson v. McMillian, 503 U.S. 1 (1992) [PLN, May 1992, p.3], …
U.S. Supreme Court Holds Federal Civil Commitment Statute Lawfully Enacted by Brandon Sample Congress did not exceed its powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause in authorizing the federal civil commitment of “sexually dangerous” federal prisoners upon the completion of their sentences, the U.S. Supreme Court decided May 17, 2010. …
Fontenot v Taser Intl Nc Declaration Gary Vilke Taser Death 2010 2 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DI8TRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA 3 CHARLOTTE DIVISION NO. 8:10-CV-l.25 4 5 6 7 TAMMY LOU FONTENOT, as Administratrix of the Estate of DARRYL WAYNE TURNER, d.eceaged, Plaintiffs, 8 9 …
North Carolina Lacks Control and Overpays for Prisoner Health Care by David Reutter by David M. Reutter North Carolina’s Department of Corrections (NDOC) has inadequate procedures to contain prisoner medical costs and it overpays for prisoner medical care, concludes a fiscal control audit issued by the state’s auditor. NDOC spends …
Settlement Allows North Carolina Prisoners to Receive Compensation for Writings by David Reutter by David M. Reutter North Carolina’s Department of Corrections (NCDOC) has entered into a settlement agreement that allows prisoners to prepare for publication and receive compensation for manuscripts so long as the prisoner “authorizes a family member …
North Carolina Innocence Commission Verifies Wrongful Conviction by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke After examining hundreds of cases, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission has verified its first claim of innocence – which resulted in both controversy and stinging criticism from prosecutors. In 2006, North Carolina became the first state …
Released Prisoners More Likely to Die by Brandon Sample Recently-released prisoners are at a higher risk of death, according to studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and the American Journal of Public Health. For a NEJM report entitled Release from Prison – A High Risk of …
Prison Psychologist Shoots Ex-Prisoner Boyfriend, Loses Her License by The North Carolina Psychology Board has revoked the license of a prison therapist who had a sexual relationship with a former prisoner – and shot him – upon his release. While Lamount K. Friend was at Neuse Correctional Institution, he participated …
Political Uproar Follows NC Court Ruling that Life Sentence is 80 Years by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A political brouhaha arose in October 2009 in the wake of a North Carolina appellate court decision which held that a “life sentence is as an 80-year sentence for all purposes.” …
4th Circuit Reverses District Court’s Denial of North Carolina Prisoners' Suit against DOC by On April 26, 1978, the 4th Circuit filed a decision to reverse and remand a district court ruling dismissing a complaint brought by 29 North Carolina prisoners against that state's governor and various DOC officials. The …
Conviction of CIA Contractor Who Fatally Beat Afghan Detainee Upheld on Appeal by On August 10, 2009, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of a CIA contractor who beat to death a detainee at a U.S. military outpost in Afghanistan. The contractor’s sentence was reversed due to …
North Carolina Courts, Legislature Take Steps to Resume Executions by Michael Brodheim The North Carolina judiciary and legislature have both taken steps to clear the way to resume executions, which have remained dormant in the state for the past three years. On May 1, 2009, a split North Carolina Supreme …
