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Solitary Confinement is a Catch-22 for Colorado Prisoners and a “Moral Injury” for Mental Health Workers

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

Filed under: Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Mental Health

Solitary Confinement is a Catch-22 for Colorado Prisoners and a “Moral Injury” for Mental Health Workers by Responding to an open-records request, the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) revealed on April 11, 2023, that 1.7% of the state’s prison population was in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day or …

$8.25 Million Verdict Against Former Colorado Sheriff for Detainee’s Sexual Assault During Jail Transfer

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

Filed under: Transfers, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Settlements

$8.25 Million Verdict Against Former Colorado Sheriff for Detainee’s Sexual Assault During Jail Transfer by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On October 4, 2022, a federal jury in Colorado awarded $8.25 million to a woman taken by a former sheriff to his home and sexually assaulted as he was transporting …

Tenth Circuit: Colorado Prisoner’s Injury Requiring Medical Treatment Not De Minimus

Article • July 15, 2023 • from PLN July, 2023

Filed under: Failure to Treat, PLRA

Tenth Circuit: Colorado Prisoner’s Injury Requiring Medical Treatment Not De Minimus by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, in a mixed ruling issued on January 11, 2023, found a prisoner’s allegations satisfied the physical injury requirement of the Prison Litigation Reform …

Colorado Becomes Seventh State to Prohibit Jailing Immigrants for ICE

Article • July 14, 2023

Filed under: Immigration Law/Offenses, Detention - Generally

Colorado Becomes Seventh State to Prohibit Jailing Immigrants for ICE by Jordan Arizmendi by Jordan Arizmendi On June 20, 2023, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a new law to “eliminate involvement in immigration detention” by local governments in the state. When it takes effect in 2024, House Bill 1100 …

Former FBI Agent and Admitted Russian Spy Found Dead in Federal Prison

Article • June 13, 2023

Filed under: Wrongful Death, FBI, NSA Domestic Spying Program

Former FBI Agent and Admitted Russian Spy Found Dead in Federal Prison by Gregory Teixeira by Gregory P. Teixeira  A former FBI agent who was convicted of being one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history, was found dead in his cell on June 5, 2023, at the federal …

Over $3.5 Million Paid to Incontinent Colorado Prisoner Offered Diapers Instead of Dining Priority Pass

Article • June 1, 2023 • from PLN June, 2023

Filed under: Kidney, Food

Over $3.5 Million Paid to Incontinent Colorado Prisoner Offered Diapers Instead of Dining Priority Pass by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On December 16, 2022, a jury in federal court for the District of Colorado awarded $3.5 million to state prisoner Jason Brooks, whose complaint alleged simply that the …

Estate of Tomas Beauford v. Mesa County, CO, Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2023

Brief • April 17, 2023

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of Tomas Beauford v. Mesa County, CO, Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2023 Legal Counsel. DinsmOre DINSMORE & SHOHL LLP 1775 Shcnnan Street, Suile-2500 Denver, CO 80203 www.dinsmore.com ANDREW B. CLAUSS (303) 296-4971 (direct) andrew.clauss@dinsmore.com April 24, 2023 VIA HAND-DELIVERY David A. Lane Killmer Lane & Newman LLP 1543 Champa Street, …

Suspended Colorado Work Release Program Exposes Companies’ Reliance on Low-Wage Labor

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

Filed under: Work Release, Prison Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Suspended Colorado Work Release Program Exposes Companies’ Reliance on Low-Wage Labor by Benjamin Tschirhart by Benjamin Tschirhart Human resources manager Jeanette Carmack called them “really, really good guys”: nine prisoners from the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) who filled positions in the Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Golf departments …

Polling Stations Inside Jails Combat Voter Disenfranchisement

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

Filed under: Felon Disenfranchisement Statute

Polling Stations Inside Jails Combat Voter Disenfranchisement by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders America’s carceral system strips millions of people of many privileges as citizens. Even when released, some of those privileges are not regained. Take voting, for instance. Felons – with rare exceptions in a couple of states – …

News in Brief

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

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by News in Brief Alabama: On January 9, 2023, the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) arrested a guard at the city jail for an alleged off-duty assault, the Birmingham News reported. It’s unclear who filed the misdemeanor complaint against Reba Foulks, 36; MPD didn’t begin its investigation until …

Colorado’s Halfway Houses Returning Half of Residents to Prison

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

Filed under: halfway houses, Halfway House Placement

Colorado’s Halfway Houses Returning Half of Residents to Prison by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders On July 9, 2022, the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) rescinded a new policy that barred parole officers from getting arrest warrants for people who walk away from one of the state’s halfway houses. The …

Nash v. Mikesell, CO, Order Re Claims for Injunctive Relief, Policies and Practices, 2023

Brief • February 22, 2023

Filed under: Enforcement of Immigration Laws, Agency Review

Nash v. Mikesell, CO, Order Re Claims for Injunctive Relief, Policies and Practices, 2023 DISTRICT COURT, TELLE~ COUNTY, COLORADO Court address: 101 West Bennett Ave., P.0. Box DATE F LED: Febmary 22, 2023 11 :36 AM 997, Cripple Creek, CO 80813 Phone Number: (719) 689-7360 < ; BERCK NASH, et …

Tenth Circuit Says Prison Work Assignment Covered Under ADA Protections

Article • February 1, 2023 • from PLN February, 2023

Filed under: Prison Labor, Americans with Disabilities Act

Tenth Circuit Says Prison Work Assignment Covered Under ADA Protections by Kevin Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled on August 25, 2022, that prison employment falls under federally funded programs protected by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), …

$300,000 Paid by Colorado to Prisoner Sexually Harassed by Guard with Foot Fetish

Article • February 1, 2023 • from PLN February, 2023

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault, Settlements

$300,000 Paid by Colorado to Prisoner Sexually Harassed by Guard with Foot Fetish by Harold Hempstead by Harold Hempstead On July 25, 2022, Colorado agreed to pay former state prisoner Susan Ullery $300,000 to settle her claims that she was sexually harassed by a former guard — who also sexually …

Denver Jailer Breaks Detainee’s Wrist with Nunchucks, Gets Whopping 3-Day Suspension

Article • January 20, 2023

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings

Denver Jailer Breaks Detainee’s Wrist with Nunchucks, Gets Whopping 3-Day Suspension by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott Back on April 25, 2021, while attempting to remove handcuffs and leg shackles from an unruly and apparently intoxicated detainee, Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Rodriguez broke out a pair of nunchucks. …

News in Brief

Article • January 1, 2023 • from PLN January, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: On November 2, 2022, a former state prison guard at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility near Birmingham pleaded guilty to federal contraband smuggling charges. The Birmingham News reported that Wilson Brian Clemons, 32, was arrested on November 23, 2021, on state counts of marijuana …

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO, Jury Instructions, Denial of Medical Care, 2022

Brief • December 16, 2022

Filed under: Failure to Treat

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO, Jury Instructions, Denial of Medical Care, 2022 Case 1:13-cv-02894-SKC Document 432 Filed 12/16/22 USDC Colorado Page 1 of 38 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Civil Action No.: 1:13-cv-02894-SKC JASON BROOKS, Plaintiff, v. COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Defendant. …

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO,Special Interrogatories to the Jury, Denial of Medical Care, 2022

Brief • December 16, 2022

Filed under: Failure to Treat

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO,Special Interrogatories to the Jury, Denial of Medical Care, 2022 Case 1:13-cv-02894-SKC Document 435 Filed 12/16/22 USDC Colorado Page 1 of 2 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Civil Action No.: 1:13-cv-02894-SKC JASON BROOKS, Plaintiff, v. COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF …

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO,Verdict, Denial of Medical Care, 2022

Brief • December 16, 2022

Filed under: Failure to Treat

Brooks v. Colorado Department of Corrections, CO,Verdict, Denial of Medical Care, 2022 Case 1:13-cv-02894-SKC Document 434 Filed 12/16/22 USDC Colorado Page 1 of 4 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Civil Action No.: 1:13-cv-02894-SKC JASON BROOKS, Plaintiff, v. COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Defendant. VERDICT FORM …

Federal Government Pays $300,000 for Endangering Diabetic Prisoner With ‘Dramatically’ Subpar Care

Article • November 30, 2022 • from PLN December, 2022

Filed under: Diabetes, Malpractice, Settlements

Federal Government Pays $300,000 for Endangering Diabetic Prisoner With ‘Dramatically’ Subpar Care by Benjamin Tschirhart by Benjamin Tschirhart On May 25, 2022, a former federal prisoner agreed to accept $300,000 to settle claims he was subjected to unconstitutionally bad treatment for severe Type 1 diabetes while incarcerated by the federal …