Qualified Immunity for Strip Search by In the July, 1994, issue of PLN we reported Canedy v. Boardman, 16 F.3d 183 (7th Cir. 1993) which reversed dismissal of a Muslim prisoner's suit claiming violation of his religious rights when guards of both sexes could see him naked. On remand the …
Wisconsin RFRA Jewelry Ruling Affirmed by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that a prison policy prohibiting prisoners from wearing crucifixes and all other religious jewelry violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb. In the August, 1996, issue of PLN we reported Sasnett …
Do the Math by E.D. I read an article in the Wisconsin State Journal about Wisconsin sending prisoners to Texas. There are going to be 700 prisoners shipped there (40 per week, which will take 17.5 weeks) at a cost of $39.36 per day for their housing once they are …
Guard Tower Scam by A.L. In the January PLN, Paul Wright described the ordeal of the guards' union in Washington state successfully fighting the DOC's effort to reduce staffing of the guard towers in Washington's prisons. While it's clear that the public-employee unions representing turnkeys fight tooth-and-nail to keep positions …
Farmer Remanded Again, for Discovery by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held a district court erred in dismissing a case without allowing the plaintiff to conduct discovery in order to oppose the defendants' motion for summary judgment. In doing so the court gives a detailed discussion of …
Drug Sales Boom in Wisconsin Prisons by One of every eight adult and juveniles in Wisconsin's prisons or reform schools are receiving psychotropic drugs for a mental disorder. According to Sharon Zunker, director of Wisconsin's Department of Corrections Bureau of Health Services, the cost of psychotropic drug treatment has grown …
No Administrative Exhaustion Requirement in 7th Circuit by The court of appeals for the seventh circuit held that prisoners seeking money damages need not exhaust administrative remedies prior to filing suit. The court also held a district court erred when it dismissed a complaint filed in forma pauperis solely because …
Stunning Revelations by Adrian Lomax Recently Governor Thompson signed into law a bill permitting prisoner chain gangs in Wisconsin. In a high-tech twist on the old Southern chain gangs, Thompson's program includes requiring prisoners to wear electrical stun belts in addition to being chained at the ankle. When activated, the …
Seventh Circuit Applies PLRA to Federal Prisoners by In five consolidated appeals the court of appeals for the seventh circuit applied the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) to actions brought by federal prisoners. The court held that this ruling, together with Martin v. United States, 96 F.3d 853 (7th Cir. …
Censorship of Rap Tape States Claim by Afederal district court in Wisconsin granted a prisoner plaintiff's motion for in forma pauperis status holding that censorship of a rap music tape states a claim for a first amendment violation. James Golden, a Wisconsin state prisoner, filed suit challenging the censorship of …
Prison Labor and Private Profit by Adrian Lomax Wall Street wheeler-dealer Irwin Jacobs, known as "Irv the Liquidator" for his leveraged-buyout exploits in the 1980s, is always looking to turn a profit. One of his current business ventures refurbishes and repackages items that customers have returned to retail stores. When …
Wisconsin Property Policy Violates RFRA by A federal district court in Wisconsin held that a state DOC policy sharply restricting prisoner property violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) when it prohibits prisoners from wearing religious jewelry. The court held that the policy did not violate the RFRA in that …
WI Court Upholds DOC Classification Policy by A Wisconsin state appeals court has upheld DOC rules which establish minimum periods that lifers are required to serve in maximum security prisons. The DOC rules assign each lifer to one of four security classifications, based on the prisoner's conviction, criminal history and …
Old Friends Only by Adrian Lomax The public pays $25,000 a year to keep each of Wisconsin's 9,500 adult prisoners locked away. Part of what society expects to get for that considerable investment is prisoners who are changed for the better by the time they get out. One of the …
Police, Death and Inquests by Adrian Lomax David Urban, 35 years old, was serving a 30-day sentence in the Winnebago County Jail in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, when, at 1:00 pm on January 13, he began complaining to guards that he felt ill and needed medical attention. The sheriff's deputies who run …
Prison TV: Aid and Comfort to the Enemy by Adrian Lomax I've been serving time in Wisconsin prisons since 1980. A lot of changes in the way these joints are run have come down the pike in that time, almost all of them for the worse: less recreation, less visiting, …
Tommy's Jobs Program by Adrian Lomax Gov. Tommy Thompson recently unveiled his startling plan to put inmates to work in Wisconsin prisons. Thompson wants to allow private businesses to construct production facilities inside state prisons and employ inmates as laborers. The Governor assures us that his plan will accomplish several …
WI Guard Indicted for Mail Obstruction by In the October, 1994, issue of PLN we reported that U.S. Postal investigators were investigating the discovery of large quantities of prisoner mail found in the garbage at the Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. On December 8, 1994, the US Attorney for the …
Televisions in Prison by Reader Mail Your article, Prisons TV: Luxury or Management Tool? [Vol.5 No.9, Sept. '94], raises an issue that has been debated by myself and some other prisoners here in Wisconsin. I believe that Wardens and others within the DOC have a perception that televisions are assisting …
WI Enacts Sex Predator Law by By Jan Starks On May 26, 1994, Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson enacted a Sexual Predator Law, officially called 1993 Wisconsin Act 479. It was designed especially for two current prisoners: Gerald Turner, who in 1973 killed 9 year old Lisa French on Halloween night …
