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News in Brief

Article • October 15, 2024 • from PLN October, 2024

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Arizona: State prisoner Brigido Montoya made the briefest of escapes from the State Prison Complex in Eyman on August 10, 2024, before he was recaptured 48 minutes later by Florence Police, the Florence Reminder & Blade-Tribune reported. The state Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (DCRR) …

News in Brief

Article • August 15, 2024 • from PLN August, 2024

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: On June 24, 2024, Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith told the Birmingham News that county jail guard Tony Dewayne Jackson, 29, had been arrested for smuggling “non-drug” contraband into the lockup. Jackson was no longer working at the jail, but Smith didn’t say how or …

Eighth Circuit Largely Restores Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guards in Use of Force on Bipolar Prisoner

Article • July 1, 2024 • from PLN July, 2024

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings, Qualified Immunity, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified

Eighth Circuit Largely Restores Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guards in Use of Force on Bipolar Prisoner by David Reutter by David M. Reutter   On December 26, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit largely reversed a lower court and restored qualified immunity (QI) to guards …

Minnesota Jailers Shrug Off Detainee’s Agony from Fatal Perforated Bowel as Withdrawal Symptoms

Article • July 1, 2024 • from PLN July, 2024

Filed under: Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Minnesota Jailers Shrug Off Detainee’s Agony from Fatal Perforated Bowel as Withdrawal Symptoms by Arriving at the Hennepin County Jail in July 2022, Lucas Bellamy, 41, warned staffers at the Minneapolis lockup that he had ingested a bag of drugs. Yet when he died three days later of a perforated …

New Minnesota Justice Center Aims to be More ‘Humane’

Article • March 1, 2024 • from PLN March, 2024

Filed under: Jail Specific

New Minnesota Justice Center Aims to be More ‘Humane’ by On July 31, 2023, Minnesota Lawyer reported that Carlton County is constructing a new justice center that, as part of a growing trend, will include a detention center designed to be more humane and healthier for detainees. The 117,000-square foot …

Minnesota Prison on Lockdown After Protest Over Dirty Water, Lack of Phone Use and Out-of-Cell Time

Article • March 1, 2024 • from PLN March, 2024

Filed under: Protests, Exercise, Showers, Water, Lockdowns, Telephone Access

Minnesota Prison on Lockdown After Protest Over Dirty Water, Lack of Phone Use and Out-of-Cell Time by Over Labor Day weekend 2023, approximately 100 prisoners refused to return to their cells at Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF) in Stillwater. They were protesting limited access to showers, phones and recreation, which the …

Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis

Article • February 1, 2024 • from PLN February, 2024

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault, Jail Misconduct, Strip Searches, Qualified Immunity, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Searches - Body/Strip, Immunity, Non-Consensual

Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson On August 24, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed denial of qualified immunity (QI) to a Minnesota jail guard in a …

Estate of Lucas Bellamy v. Omweri, MN, Complaint, Wrongful Death-Denial of Medical Care, 2024

Brief • January 23, 2024

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of Lucas Bellamy v. Omweri, MN, Complaint, Wrongful Death-Denial of Medical Care, 2024 CASE 0:24-cv-00170-DWF-TNL Doc. 1 Filed 01/23/24 Page 1 of 43 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Louis Bellamy, as Trustee for the next of kin of Lucas John Bellamy, Deceased, Case …

Green v. Anoka County, MN, Settlement, Inadequate Medical Treatment, 2025

Brief • January 21, 2024

Filed under: Failure to Treat

Green v. Anoka County, MN, Settlement, Inadequate Medical Treatment, 2025 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE OF CLAIMS This Settlement Agreement and Release of Claims ("Settlement Agreement") is effective as of the date of the last signature below and is made and entered into by, on the one hand, Deyonta Green ("Green" …

News in Brief

Article • November 15, 2023 • from PLN November, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: Three jail guards in the Yellowhammer State were hit with drug smuggling charges in August 2023 and another the month after. WAFF in Huntsville reported that Morgan County Jail guard Bobby Simmons, 19, was arrested on August 3, 2023, when he was charged with promoting …

Minnesota Makes All Calls Free in Prisons and Jails

Article • November 15, 2023 • from PLN November, 2023

Filed under: Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Telephone Rates, Family, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp

Minnesota Makes All Calls Free in Prisons and Jails by On May 19, 2023, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed into law SF 2909, the Judiciary and Public Safety budget bill. Introduced by two Democratic state lawmakers, Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten and Rep. Esther Agbaje, the measure made calls free …

Ex-felons on Parole and Probation Now Allowed to Vote in Minnesota

Article • October 15, 2023 • from PLN October, 2023

Filed under: Conditions of, Voting Rights

Ex-felons on Parole and Probation Now Allowed to Vote in Minnesota by On March 3, 2023, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed into law SF26/HF28, also known as the “Restore the Vote” act. The bill, which was passed by Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate, allows ex-felons to …

Settlement Includes $78,000 in Damages Against Minnesota DOC for ADA Violations

Article • October 15, 2023 • from PLN October, 2023

Filed under: Education, Settlements, Americans with Disabilities Act

Settlement Includes $78,000 in Damages Against Minnesota DOC for ADA Violations by On February 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint in federal court for the District of Minnesota against the state Department of Corrections (DOC) concerning violations of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities …

Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders

Article • September 15, 2023 • from PLN September, 2023

Filed under: Transfers, Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Arraignment Delay, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified

Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson On February 1, 2023, the Minnesota Supreme Court held that civilly committed sex offenders have a clearly established right to transfer to Community Preparation Services (CPS) within a reasonable time. What is …

Minnesota Supreme Court: Prisoner Abused with Overtight Handcuffs Need Only Show Deliberate Indifference, Not Malicious Intent

Article • June 15, 2023 • from PLN June, 2023

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Deliberate Indifference

Minnesota Supreme Court: Prisoner Abused with Overtight Handcuffs Need Only Show Deliberate Indifference, Not Malicious Intent by Matthew Clarke by Matthew Clark On December 14, 2022, the Minnesota Supreme Court took up a state prisoner’s claim that he was left with permanent nerve damage from restraints guards misused during a …

Eighth Circuit Affirms Over $278,000 Awarded to Minnesota Jail Detainee Held on Bad ICE Referral Policy

Article • May 1, 2023 • from PLN May, 2023

Filed under: Settlements, Immigration Law/Offenses, Detainers - Generally

Eighth Circuit Affirms Over $278,000 Awarded to Minnesota Jail Detainee Held on Bad ICE Referral Policy by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On November 30, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a $30,001 jury award and a fee award over $248,000 to a Minnesota …

News in Brief

Article • May 1, 2023 • from PLN May, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: On March 26, 2023, a former state prison guard at Easterling Correctional Facility was arrested for taking bribes to smuggle contraband into the lockup. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that Quindarius Thagard, 27, was fired and charged with use of office for personal gain and promotion …

News in Brief

Article • April 1, 2023 • from PLN April, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: WBAM in Birmingham reported that a guard at the Blount County Jail was taken into custody and fired on January 31, 2023. Joseph Snow, 43, was charged with second-degree assault for injuring a detainee during an incident captured on surveillance video. Sheriff Mike Moon called …

Perry v. Beltrami County, MN, Settlement, Wrongful Death-Medical Neglect, 2023

Brief • March 8, 2023

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Perry v. Beltrami County, MN, Settlement, Wrongful Death-Medical Neglect, 2023 CASE 0:19-cv-02580-KMM-LIB Doc. 140 Filed 03/08/23 Page 1 of 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Del Shea Perry, Court File No. 19-cv-02580 (KMM/LIB) ORDER FOR DISTRIBUTION OF SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS Plaintiff, vs. FILED UNDER SEAL Beltrami County, et al., …

$1.455 Million Settlement for Discrimination Against Black Minnesota Jail Guards Barred from Watching Floyd Killer

Article • March 1, 2023 • from PLN March, 2023

Filed under: Racial Discrimination, Settlements

$1.455 Million Settlement for Discrimination Against Black Minnesota Jail Guards Barred from Watching Floyd Killer by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On August 9, 2022, the Board of Commissioners (BOC) of Minnesota’s Ramsey County approved a payment of $1.445 million to settle a lawsuit alleging Black guards at the …