Court Orders Leg Shackled for Criminal Defendant by The court makes findings of fact memorializing its decision to require the plaintiff to be leg- shackled during his jury trial. He had a history of one escape, significant mental disability, and numerous disciplinary charges. The court relied in part on the …
Alabama County Commission Responsible for Jail Conditions by The decedent died in jail, allegedly because of a failure to provide adequate medical care, not described. Punitive damages cannot be awarded against the county under § 1983 or under state law. The County Commission cannot be held liable under state law …
Understaffed Jail Not Liable for Suicide by The decedent, arrested for DUI, told the arresting officer and a jail officer that his girlfriend recently hanged herself in another jail and that the other jurisdiction's police force did that to her. He told the admissions officer that if he had to …
BOP Proper Defendant in Work Release Change Suit under APA by The plaintiffs are criminal defendants who received judicial recommendations that they serve their sentences in a community corrections center, but were denied such placement pursuant to the Department of Justice's abruptly announced change of policy barring it except for …
No City Liability for Policeman's Sexual Assault, Strip Search of Minor by The plaintiff, a minor, was a passenger in a car whose driver was in possession of marijuana. The plaintiff was strip searched at the police station and the officer later made sexual advances toward him and restrained him …
Retaliation for Use of Grievance System Unconstitutional by The court of appeals for the Eleventh circuit held that a district court erred in dismissing an Alabama prisoner's retaliation lawsuit. The court held that a state created liberty interest in remaining at a given prison was not required when the prisoner …
Dismissal of Suit Against Alabama County for Juvenile Suicide Reversed by The Supreme Court of Alabama held that a circuit court erred when it dismissed a suit against the county stemming from a juvenile's death in county jail. Charles Keeton brought suit against Fayette County on behalf of his juvenile …
Two Postage Stamps Weekly Allows Access to Courts by The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's judgment upholding an Alabama prison mail policy of providing two free first-class postage stamps per week, per indigent prisoner. After reviewing the complaint raised in the prisoner's 42 …
Alabama Segregation Mail Ban, Conditions, Unconstitutional by The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that conditions of segregation and prohibitions of mail receipt by segregation prisoners at the Holman Unit of the Alabama State Penitentiary were unconstitutional. This appeal was consolidated to include several actions filed by prisoners alleging unconstitutional …
Fifth Circuit Denies Rehearing in Pugh v. Locke/Newman v. Alabama by The court of appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied en banc review of a class-action suit Alabama prisoners that challenged the conditions of confinement in Alabama state prisons. The ruling on the merits declaring the conditions unconstitutional and consolidated …
Alabama Jail Totality Of Conditions Suit by The US District Court Of Alabama ruled on a action brought by the prisoners at the Choctaw County jail. The prisoners complained of numerous violations of state codes for safety, and violations of their constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual …
Supreme Court Orders Dismissal of Some Defendants in Pugh by The U. S. Supreme Court ordered the State of Alabama and Alabama Board of Corrections dismissed from the Pugh v. Alabama class-action prison conditions suit on the basis of Eleventh Amendment immunity The Supreme Court ruled that because neither entity …
Alabama Appellate Court Upholds Civil Immunity of Witness Testimony at Parole Hearing by Alabama Appellate Court Upholds Civil Immunity of Witness Testimony at Parole Hearing Alabama state prisoner William Sullivan filed a civil lawsuit in state court against William Smith and Karen Smith for slander, perjury and obstruction of government …
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Judgment and $25,000 Award Against Prison Guard For Injuries Prisoner Received When Stabbed by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Judgment and $25,000 Award Against Prison Guard For Injuries Prisoner Received When Stabbed Alabama state prisoner Willie Glover filed a §1983 suit …
Deliberate Indifference to Strong Likelihood that Prisoner Will Commit Suicide Implicates Eighth Amendment by Deliberate Indifference to Strong Likelihood that Prisoner Will Commit Suicide Implicates Eighth Amendment Stephanie Poiroux Snow committed suicide while in the Citronelle, Alabama jail for drunk driving. Her estate sued city officials and jailers in the …
Eleventh Circuit Overturns Order Prohibiting Access To Hearings, Documents by In this case brought by a newspaper publisher seeking to cover the enforcement of a consent decree concerning overcrowding in Alabama prisons, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court's order prohibiting public access to court bearings …
Alabama Jail Still not Liable for Suicides by The plaintiff, a crack addict with a history of suicidal ideation and other psychiatric problems, was arrested for shoplifting and behaved in a deranged fashion. Once locked up, she calmed down, but then starting tearing up her mattress and tied part of …
Alabama Jail Not Liable for Suicide by Here's another cookie-cutter jail suicide case. The decedent, who had twice before tried to kill himself and had been placed on suicide watch during his previous stays in the jail, was arrested for DUI, driving without a license, and possession of drugs and …
Five Hour Delay in Treating Beaten Arrestee Okay by The deaf plaintiff alleged that he was arrested because of his disability (i.e., because he didn't sufficiently cooperate with police because he couldn't hear what they were saying). Police investigative activities are "government programs" under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as …
No Federal Claim Where Wife Took Prisoner's Social Security Funds by The plaintiff alleged that the defendant, his daughter, who had his power of attorney, took his social security disability benefits while he was in prison. However, the court lacks jurisdiction over the claim, since the plaintiff cited no statutory …
