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$2,000 Settlement in Vehicle Damage Claim

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Immunity/Liability, Premises Liability

$2,000 Settlement in Vehicle Damage Claim by Washington State’s King County has paid $1,960.37 to settle the claim of PHH Arval Vehicle Management Services. On December 10, 2007, PHH’s driver was going through an intersection when a county-owned vehicle pulling a trailer, driven by Patti Porter, attempted to pass and …

From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King, Oakland, CA: PM Press (2009) $24.95 hardback, 217 pages

Article • September 15, 2009 • from PLN September, 2009

Filed under: Discrimination, Political Prisoners, Reviews

From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King, Oakland, CA: PM Press (2009) $24.95 hardback, 217 pages by Mel Motel Book review by Mel Motel Robert Hillary King writes like he speaks. I had the honor of spending some time with the only freed …

$2,500 Settlement for Jail’s Failure to Treat Broken Hand

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Skeletal Injury, Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Jail Specific

$2,500 Settlement for Jail’s Failure to Treat Broken Hand by Washington State’s King County Jail has paid Edward D. Bland $2,500 to settle a claim that the Jail failed to treat his broken right hand. Upon booking on March 9, 2004, a jail nurse examined Bland’s hand, which was as …

Oklahoma Prisoner Awarded $65,000 for Inadequate MSRA Care

Article • September 15, 2009 • from PLN September, 2009

Filed under: Medical, Medication, Skin

Oklahoma Prisoner Awarded $65,000 for Inadequate MSRA Care by Brandon Sample On March 12, 2009, Chief U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan entered judgment in the amount of $65,000 against an Oklahoma state prison Health Services Administrator (HSA) accused of failing to provide a prisoner adequate medical treatment. While incarcerated at …

$2,824.70 Settlement in Lost Property

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Money/Property, Prisoner Property

$2,824.70 Settlement in Lost Property by Washington State’s King County Jail has paid $2,824.70 to settle the lost property claim of James B. Trapp, who entered the jail on November 30, 2001. The jail lost his driver’s license, personal and work keys, a chain and cross, pants, sweatshirt, shirt, hat, …

Sixth Circuit Overturns $625,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Sexually Abused by Guard

Article • September 15, 2009 • from PLN September, 2009

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault, Damages, Immunity/Liability, Supervisory Liability

Sixth Circuit Overturns $625,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Sexually Abused by Guard by Brandon Sample In what one judge described as a “legal travesty,” on March 13, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturned a jury verdict in favor of a prisoner who had been sexually …

3 Days Illegal Imprisonment Nets $5,500

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Sentencing, Wrongful Imprisonment

3 Days Illegal Imprisonment Nets $5,500 by Washington’s King County paid $5,500 to settle a claim that a probation officer was negligent in her duties, causing the claimant, Lolita Urie, to be improperly and illegally arrested. When Urie timely appeared for a probation appointment with King County Probation Officer Nancy …

$1 Million Settlement in Santa Clara, California Jail Suicide

Article • September 15, 2009 • from PLN September, 2009

Filed under: Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides

$1 Million Settlement in Santa Clara, California Jail Suicide by California’s Santa Clara County paid $1 million to the estate of a mentally ill prisoner who committed suicide at the Santa Clara County Jail (SCCJ). The estate’s federal civil rights complaint claimed jail officials failed to provide necessary medical treatment …

$3,300 Settlement for Cruel and Unusual Punishment by Jail Guards

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Medical, Skin, Failure to Treat, Showers, Water, Jail Specific, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas

$3,300 Settlement for Cruel and Unusual Punishment by Jail Guards by Washington State’s King County Jail paid $3,298.53 to settle the claim of James D. Wilks, who alleged that he was subject to cruel and unusual punishment in January and February 2002. The complaint alleges that Wilks was not treated …

Indigent Texas Prisoners May No Longer be Required to Repay Cost of Court-Appointed Counsel

Article • September 15, 2009 • from PLN September, 2009

Filed under: Attorney Fee Awards, Appointment of Counsel, Attorney Client, Public Defenders, Costs, Sentencing

Indigent Texas Prisoners May No Longer be Required to Repay Cost of Court-Appointed Counsel by by Bill Habern On March 11, 2009, the Texas Court of Appeals in Amarillo issued an opinion in a case involving Gilbert Alexander Perez, an indigent defendant. Perez raised two issues on appeal. First was …

Shouldn’t Innocence Matter?

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Commentary/Reviews, Criminal Prosecution, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Death Penalty

Shouldn’t Innocence Matter? by David C Fathi By David Fathi On August 17, the US Supreme Court ordered a lower federal court in Georgia to conduct a hearing in the case of Troy Anthony Davis. Davis has been on Georgia’s death row for 18 years, sentenced to death for the …

New Research on Prisoner Gambling: Correctional Considerations and Implications for Re-entry

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Sentencing, Parole, Parole Conditions, Drug Treatment/Rehab

New Research on Prisoner Gambling: Correctional Considerations and Implications for Re-entry by D J Williams by Dr. D J Williams Independent Researcher, Los Angeles, CA Exclusive article written for Prison Legal News (October 2009) *The author wishes to thank the Alberta Gaming Research Institute for funding his research on prisoner …

PLN helps break news story on private prison in Hardin, MT and American Police Force!

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Private Prisons, American Private Police Force

PLN helps break news story on private prison in Hardin, MT and American Police Force! by Alex Friedmann Investigative Research re American Private Police Force Organization (APF) by Alex Friedmann Associate Editor, Prison Legal News Vice President, Private Corrections Institute Prison Legal News and the Private Corrections Institute have been …

Behind Coleman v. Schwarzenegger - Profile of Prison Law Office attorney Donald Specter

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Interviews, Systemic Medical Neglect, Attorneys, Attorney

Behind Coleman v. Schwarzenegger - Profile of Prison Law Office attorney Donald Specter by Michael Hamden Behind Coleman v. Schwarzenegger September 30, 2009 Corrections Policy Examiner Michael Hamden (www.HamdenConsulting.com) Donald Specter: attorney in the public interest As many know, California’s prison system is grossly overcrowded and there have been repeated …

Attorney withdraws from American Private Police Force

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Private Prisons, American Private Police Force, Contractor Misconduct

Attorney withdraws from American Private Police Force by Alex Friedmann Attorney Withdraws from American Private Police Force Hardin, MT – On September 30, Prison Legal News (PLN), a non-profit monthly publication that reports on criminal justice-related issues, provided background research to the Associated Press and other media agencies regarding the …

$1,000 Settlement for Lost Property by Seattle Jail

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Money/Property, Prisoner Property

$1,000 Settlement for Lost Property by Seattle Jail by Washington State’s King County paid $1,000 to settle the claim of Anloueshawn Jerraine Brady for property lost at the Regional Justice Center Jail on March 19, 2001. Lost were 2 white gold men’s Figaro bracelets. Acting pro se, Brady settled the …

$1,500 Settlement for Prisoner-on-Prisoner Assault at Seattle Jail

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Failure to Protect (General), Jail Specific, Visiting

$1,500 Settlement for Prisoner-on-Prisoner Assault at Seattle Jail by Washington State’s King County paid $1,500 to settle the claim of prisoner Steven L. Morris, who claimed that as he concluded a visit on December 24, 2003 at the Regional Justice Center King County Jail, he was attacked by another prisoner …

$2,000 Settlement for Prisoner Property Lost by Seattle Jail

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Money/Property, Prisoner Property

$2,000 Settlement for Prisoner Property Lost by Seattle Jail by Washington State’s King County Jail paid $2,000 to settle the lost property lawsuit of Paul Brueggemann, who claimed that on October 16, 2006, the Jail seized his property without issuing a receipt and it was never seen again. Lost were …

$2,500 Settlement for Wrongful Arrest

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Sentencing, Wrongful Imprisonment, False Arrest

$2,500 Settlement for Wrongful Arrest by Washington State’s King County paid $2,500 to settle the claim of Randy A. Field, who was wrongfully arrested on September 20, 2004 and January 21, 2005 for violation of a non-contact order (NCO) with his wife, which had been withdrawn on November 9, 2001 …

$2,800 Settlement in Seattle Jail Excessive Force Case

Article • September 15, 2009

Filed under: Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings

$2,800 Settlement in Seattle Jail Excessive Force Case by Washington State’s King County paid $2,500 to settle the lawsuit of Edward R. Whittington, who claimed that while a prisoner at the King County Jail on April 23, 2004, guard Ifebou used excessive force on him when he closed a tank …