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Entire Texas Prison System Locked Down to Search for Phones; Prison Cell Phone Problem is Pandemic

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Prison/Common Area Searches, Criminal Prosecution, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Death Row, State Legislation

Entire Texas Prison System Locked Down to Search for Phones; Prison Cell Phone Problem is Pandemic by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On October 20, 2008, Texas Governor Rick Perry placed all 112 prisons and 155,000 prisoners in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) on lockdown to search for …

Ohio Court Releases Prisoners from Private Jail to Protect Them

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Civigenics, Misconduct/Corruption, Contractor Misconduct, Escapes, Failure to Protect (General)

Ohio Court Releases Prisoners from Private Jail to Protect Them by Ohio Court Releases Prisoners from Private Jail to Protect Them One thing about privately-operated jails and prisons is fairly consistent: They rarely function properly. A series of incidents at Ohio’s Columbiana County Jail, which is operated by CiviGenics, Inc. …

CMS Contract Woes Persist in New Jersey, Arizona and Delaware

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: CMS, CONMED, Medical, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

CMS Contract Woes Persist in New Jersey, Arizona and Delaware by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Deficiencies in medical care and failure to comply with contractual obligations have resulted in the termination of two contracts for Correctional Medical Services (CMS). The contracts were worth a total of $95 million …

$2,925,000 in Recent Settlements Involving Maricopa County and Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Cardiovascular, Totality of Conditions, Excessive Force, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Guards/Staff, Nat'l Commission on Correctional Health Care, False Arrest

$2,925,000 in Recent Settlements Involving Maricopa County and Sheriff Joe Arpaio by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The most recent developments in a thirty-year history of abuse and medical neglect of prisoners by Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) include three lawsuits in which the county paid almost $3 million …

Audit Faults New York Prison Oversight

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Administrative Exhaustion, Juveniles, Juvenile Prisons

Audit Faults New York Prison Oversight by Mark Wilson The New York State Commission of Correction (SCOC) is failing to fulfill its prison and jail oversight duties, according to an audit released on August 25, 2008 by the State Comptroller. SCOC is responsible for overseeing New York’s 69 adult prisons, …

Prisoners’ Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the U.S. and Canada, 3rd Edition, by Jon Marc Taylor and Susan Schwartzkopf

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Reviews, Prisoner Privileges, Education

Prisoners’ Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the U.S. and Canada, 3rd Edition, by Jon Marc Taylor and Susan Schwartzkopf by Paul Wright Prisoners’ Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the U.S. and Canada, 3rd Edition, by Jon Marc Taylor and Susan Schwartzkopf Published by Prison Legal News, ISBN 978-0-9819385-0-9; …

In the Shadow of San Quentin: An Interview with Prison Law Office Director Donald Specter

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Interviews, Attorneys, Attorney Client

In the Shadow of San Quentin: An Interview with Prison Law Office Director Donald Specter by Todd Matthews In the Shadow of San Quentin: An Interview with Prison Law Office Director Donald Specter by Todd Matthews If any one of the dozen attorneys working at the Prison Law Office ever …

Federal Three-Judge Panel Issues Tentative Ruling To Reduce California’s Prison Population By Up To 57,000 In Three Years

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Systemic Medical Neglect, Overcrowding, Staffing, Injunctions (PLRA), Guard Unions, News, State Legislation

Federal Three-Judge Panel Issues Tentative Ruling To Reduce California’s Prison Population By Up To 57,000 In Three Years by John Dannenberg Federal Three-Judge Panel Issues Tentative Ruling To Reduce California’s Prison Population By Up To 57,000 In Three Years by John E. Dannenberg In a tentative ruling issued February 9, …

$3.6 Million Settlement in Michigan Prisoner’s Segregation Cell Death

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: CMS, Medical, Medication, Water, Exposure to Heat, Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

$3.6 Million Settlement in Michigan Prisoner’s Segregation Cell Death by The family of Timothy Souders has agreed to accept $3.25 to settle a wrongful death claim relating to Timothy’s death. Timothy, 21, was the subject of a May 2007 PLN cover article, and a February 11, 2007, report on 60 …

$295,000 Award to Wisconsin Prisoner in Moldy Mattress Case Reduced by Court

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Organizing, Prison Rebellion, Bedding, Damages

$295,000 Award to Wisconsin Prisoner in Moldy Mattress Case Reduced by Court by On September 17, 2008, a Wisconsin federal jury awarded a prisoner $295,000 for violation of his constitutional rights. Specifically, the jury found that state prisoner Reggie Townsend was “denied the minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities.” After …

Torture at Angola Prison: President Obama promises to close Guantanamo, but a court proceeding in Louisiana exposes brutality closer to home

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Threats by Staff, Self Incrimination, Criminal Prosecution, Prison/Jail Murders, Escapes, Conditions of Confinement, Strip Cells, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Shootings, International Law, Death Penalty, Military Prisons

Torture at Angola Prison: President Obama promises to close Guantanamo, but a court proceeding in Louisiana exposes brutality closer to home by Jordan Flaherty Torture at Angola Prison: President Obama promises to close Guantanamo, but a court proceeding in Louisiana exposes brutality closer to home by Jordan Flaherty The torture …

Widespread Corruption in Private Halfway Houses

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Private Prisons, Dismas Charities, Allvest, Avalon, Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Lobbying, Criminal Prosecution

Widespread Corruption in Private Halfway Houses by Derick Limberg by Derek S. Limburg Privately-operated halfway houses across the nation have become embroiled in scandals and mismanagement. The wrongdoing stretches from the top to the bottom, from former politicians and corrections commissioners to staff and prisoners. Reports surfaced in June 2008 …

Dead Bodies at “Bodies” Exhibit May Be Executed Chinese Prisoners

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Medical Experiments/Exploitation, Prisoners-International, Death Penalty, News, Federal Legislation

Dead Bodies at “Bodies” Exhibit May Be Executed Chinese Prisoners by Gary Hunter Dead Bodies at “Bodies” Exhibit May Be Executed Chinese Prisoners by Gary Hunter In 1977, German anatomist Gunther von Hagens developed a technique called plastination. The process involves slicing open human cadavers, exposing or extracting the internal …

Florida’s Juvenile Death Camps: A Painful Past Revisited

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Juveniles, Juvenile Prisons

Florida’s Juvenile Death Camps: A Painful Past Revisited by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Recent coverage of long-past abuses at Florida juvenile facilities has put a spotlight on the treatment of juvenile offenders. Reports by the Miami Herald and CNN have revealed that Florida youth facilities have been cruel …

Prisoners Can Sue Virginia DOC’s Contract Medical Provider for Breach of Contract

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Prison Health Services, Private Contractors, Skin, Prisoner Privileges, Grooming Rules, Contractor Liability

Prisoners Can Sue Virginia DOC’s Contract Medical Provider for Breach of Contract by Prisoners Can Sue Virginia DOC’s Contract Medical Provider for Breach of Contract Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) prisoners who receive inadequate medical care may sue the VDOC’s contract medical provider for breach of contract, the Supreme Court …

District of Columbia Rehabilitation Program Contractor Liable in Juvenile’s Death; $1,000,000 Verdict Upheld

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Private Prisons, Re-Direct Inc., Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, New Trial Motions, Discovery, Expert Witnesses, Contractor Liability, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons

District of Columbia Rehabilitation Program Contractor Liable in Juvenile’s Death; $1,000,000 Verdict Upheld by Bob Williams District of Columbia Rehabilitation Program Contractor Liable in Juvenile’s Death; $1,000,000 Verdict Upheld by Bob Williams Re-Direct, Inc., a company that provides services for juveniles for the District of Columbia, appealed the denial of …

California Jail Restraint and Tasering Death Settles for $3 Million

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Medical, Medication, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Restraints

California Jail Restraint and Tasering Death Settles for $3 Million by California Jail Restraint and Tasering Death Settles for $3 Million The surviving family of a deceased detainee at the Santa Cruz, California jail settled their wrongful death suit against Santa Cruz County and its sheriff’s personnel for $3 million …

Oregon Jailer Avoids Prosecution for Online Assault Boast; Jail Employees Lose Internet Access

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings

Oregon Jailer Avoids Prosecution for Online Assault Boast; Jail Employees Lose Internet Access by Mark Wilson Oregon Jailer Avoids Prosecution for Online Assault Boast; Jail Employees Lose Internet Access by Mark Wilson An Oregon jail guard who bragged in an online forum that he beat a prisoner and then had …

Supreme Court Holds Prosecutors Immune from Using False Snitch Testimony to Gain Wrongful Conviction

Article • March 15, 2009 • from PLN March, 2009

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Crime/Demographics, Informants, Wrongful Conviction, Prosecutorial Immunity

Supreme Court Holds Prosecutors Immune from Using False Snitch Testimony to Gain Wrongful Conviction by John Dannenberg Supreme Court Holds Prosecutors Immune from Using False Snitch Testimony to Gain Wrongful Conviction by John E. Dannenberg On March 28, 2007, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a California …

Washington DOC Guard Fired For Physically Assaulting Supervisor

Article • March 15, 2009

Filed under: Guards/Staff, Assaults on Staff

Washington DOC Guard Fired For Physically Assaulting Supervisor by Ex Washington State Department of Corrections guard John Merriman appealed his termination for physically assaulting his supervisor in 2003. The termination was upheld. Merriman began working at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC) in 1994. In 2003, after seeing an entry …