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Class Certification Upheld for Louisiana Toxic Train Derailment Near Prison

Article • December 15, 2010 • from PLN December, 2010

Filed under: Private Prisons, Louisiana Correctional Services, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Class Certification

Class Certification Upheld for Louisiana Toxic Train Derailment Near Prison by On August 21, 2008, a Louisiana appellate court affirmed class certification in a lawsuit involving prisoners and guards who were exposed to toxic chemicals following a train derailment. The train derailed near Eunice, Louisiana on May 27, 2000, and …

Carter v. Wilkinson et al, LA, Ruling, CCA guard brutality choking, 2010

Brief • December 9, 2010

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints

Carter v. Wilkinson et al, LA, Ruling, CCA guard brutality choking, 2010 Case 1:06-cv-02150-DDD-JDK Document 49 Filed 12/09/10 Page 1 of 17 PageID #: 156 Case 1:06-cv-02150-DDD-JDK Document 49 Filed 12/09/10 Page 2 of 17 PageID #: 157 Case 1:06-cv-02150-DDD-JDK Document 49 Filed 12/09/10 Page 3 of 17 PageID #: …

Post-Katrina Circumstances Excuse Holding Prisoner Beyond Indictment Deadline

Article • November 15, 2010 • from PLN November, 2010

Filed under: Civil Procedure, Summary Judgment, Wrongful Imprisonment

Post-Katrina Circumstances Excuse Holding Prisoner Beyond Indictment Deadline by On June 21, 2010, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that emergency conditions at a Louisiana prison following Hurricane Katrina helped excuse the failure of a warden to release a prisoner for three months after the deadline for filing an …

Hicks v. CCA, LA, Complaint, Unlawful Strip Search, 2010

Brief • September 22, 2010

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Strip Searches

Hicks v. CCA, LA, Complaint, Unlawful Strip Search, 2010 Case 1:10-cv-00020-JTT-JDK Document 37 Filed 09/22/10 Page 1 of 9 PageID #: 118 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA ALEXANDRIA DIVISION JAMES HOUSTON HICKS § CIVIL ACTION NO. 1:10CV00020 § VERSUS § JUDGE TRIMBLE § INSURANCE CO. OF CORRECTIONS …

Federal Court Finds Nation of Islam Publication Not Racially Inflammatory

Article • September 15, 2010 • from PLN September, 2010

Filed under: Racial Discrimination, Federal Statutory Law, RLUIPA, Publications/Books, Censorship

Federal Court Finds Nation of Islam Publication Not Racially Inflammatory by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On March 31, 2010, a Louisiana U.S. District Court held that the denial of access to a religious publication based solely on the inclusion of a section called “The Muslim Program” was a …

Louisiana Judge, Attorneys Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges

Article • August 15, 2010 • from PLN August, 2010

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Judicial Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Criminal Prosecution, Conspiracy, Attorney Misconduct, Bond Fees, Bail Bonds

Louisiana Judge, Attorneys Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges by Michael Brodheim In October 2009, following plea negotiations with federal prosecutors, a Louisiana judge and two lawyers pleaded guilty for their roles in a bail bond-rigging conspiracy that allowed about 100 prisoners over a five-year period to get out of jail …

Guilty Pleas in Angola Horse Selling Scheme

Article • July 15, 2010 • from PLN July, 2010

Filed under: Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Work, Prison Industries, Criminal Prosecution

Guilty Pleas in Angola Horse Selling Scheme by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A federal investigation uncovered a fraudulent scheme at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in which horses were sold to private parties, bypassing required public auctions. Two indictments were handed down that resulted in guilty pleas. …

Prison Legal News v. Stephens, LA, Consent Decree, censorship, 2010

Brief • May 18, 2010

Filed under: PLN Litigation, Censorship, PLN related

Prison Legal News v. Stephens, LA, Consent Decree, censorship, 2010

Fifth Circuit Orders Discovery in Katrina Prisoner Evacuation Case

Article • May 15, 2010 • from PLN May, 2010

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Discovery, Qualified Immunity, Informants (Failure to Protect)

Fifth Circuit Orders Discovery in Katrina Prisoner Evacuation Case by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On July 1, 2009, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court’s denial of summary judgment in a case involving the evacuation of prisoners from the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) in New Orleans …

Prisoner Awarded $75 after Magazine Withheld

Article • May 15, 2010

Filed under: Publications/Books, Media, Censorship

Prisoner Awarded $75 after Magazine Withheld by On February 8, 2001, the Honorable Sally Shushan, U.S. Magistrate Judge, awarded a prisoner $75 in compensatory damages after jail officials refused to provide the prisoner with a magazine. While incarcerated at the St. John Correctional Center in Louisiana, Leo Schwartz was denied …

New Orleans Jail Conditions Found Unconstitutional

Article • March 15, 2010 • from PLN March, 2010

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Jail Misconduct, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Ventilation, Exposure to Cold, Toilets, Plumbing, Sanitation, Jail Specific, Vermin, Exposure to Heat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

New Orleans Jail Conditions Found Unconstitutional by Jimmy Franks In June, August and November 2008, the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) in New Orleans, Louisiana was the target of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation conducted by the agency’s Civil Rights Division. Under the auspices of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized …

Carter v Wilkinson, LA, Order, court ordered appt of counsel, 2010

Brief • January 22, 2010

Filed under: Appointment of Counsel

Carter v Wilkinson, LA, Order, court ordered appt of counsel, 2010 Case 1:06-cv-02150-DDD-JDK Document 32 Filed 01/22/10 Page 1 of 2 Case 1:06-cv-02150-DDD-JDK Document 32 Filed 01/22/10 Page 2 of 2

Catholic Mass and Sacraments Made Available to Louisiana’s Death Row

Article • December 15, 2009 • from PLN December, 2009

Filed under: Death Penalty/Death Row, Death Row, Required Religious Programming, Denial of Religious Services, Religious Practices, Religious Property, Proselytizing

Catholic Mass and Sacraments Made Available to Louisiana’s Death Row by Officials at the Louisiana State Prison (LSP), better known as Angola, have agreed to a settlement agreement in a lawsuit alleging a prisoner’s rights were violated by the officials’ mandating of Baptist religious television to the exclusion of all …

Military Psychologist Implicated in Abusive Interrogations

Article • October 15, 2009 • from PLN October, 2009

Filed under: Medical Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Military, Military Prisons

Military Psychologist Implicated in Abusive Interrogations by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A lawsuit against the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) accuses retired Army Col. Larry C. James of professional and ethical violations stemming from his former role as chief psychologist at the U.S. military prisons …

Fifth Circuit Upholds $14 Million Award Against Louisiana DA’s Office in Wrongful Conviction Suit; Affirmed by En Banc Ruling

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

Filed under: Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Informants, Attorneys, Attorney Fee Awards, Wrongful Conviction, Municipal Liability, Death Penalty

Fifth Circuit Upholds $14 Million Award Against Louisiana DA’s Office in Wrongful Conviction Suit; Affirmed by En Banc Ruling by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On December 19, 2008, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal jury award of $14 million in a case involving the wrongful conviction …

Prisoners Not Evacuated, Parolees Rounded Up as Hurricanes Hit

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

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement, Totality of Conditions, Ventilation, Toilets, Sewage

Prisoners Not Evacuated, Parolees Rounded Up as Hurricanes Hit by Gary Hunter On September 8, 2008, Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration for 88 counties as Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coastline. The 900-mile wide storm, with winds in excess of 100 mph “...is now in …

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 …

Judge Not: Judges Benched for Personal Misconduct

Article • August 15, 2009 • from PLN August, 2009

Filed under: Sexual Assault by Judges, Judicial Misconduct, Criminal Prosecution, Judiciary, Immunity/Liability, Judicial Immunity

Judge Not: Judges Benched for Personal Misconduct by by Gary Hunter & Alex Friedmann They decide hot-button topics ranging from abortion and racial discrimination to religious freedoms and contested elections. They can put you in prison or vindicate your civil rights. They can even sentence you to death. Who am …

Consent Decree Improving Conditions on Louisiana Death Row Terminated

Article • July 15, 2009

Filed under: PLRA, Injunctions (PLRA), Prisoner Legal Assistance, Law Library Access/Adequacy, Consent Decrees, Death Row, Attorney Visits

Consent Decree Improving Conditions on Louisiana Death Row Terminated by A landmark 1990s consent decree improving conditions on death row has been terminated under the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA). In 1991, the warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP) settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of current and future …

Louisiana Private Prison Warden Arrested for Malfeasance

Article • July 15, 2009 • from PLN July, 2009

Filed under: Private Prisons, LaSalle Management Company, DOC/BOP misconduct, Prison Labor, Criminal Prosecution

Louisiana Private Prison Warden Arrested for Malfeasance by Leroy Holiday, Sr., 55, a regional warden for LaSalle Management Company, LLC (LMC), a private prison firm, was released on $5,000 bond after being arrested and booked into the LaSalle Parrish Jail in November 2008. According to LaSalle Parish Sheriff Scott Franklin, …