Study Argues that Conjugal Visits Can Reduce Number of Prison Rapes by Researchers at Florida International University contend that states where sexual intercourse between prisoners and their visiting spouses is allowed have fewer rapes and sexual assaults than states where conjugal visits are prohibited, El controversial finding that disputes the …
Florida Supreme Court Upholds Speedy Death Penalty Law by On June 12, 2014, the Supreme Court of Florida held for the state in a constitutional challenge of the state's Timely Justice Act (the Act) of 2013, weighed by death row prisoners. Seeking to expand Allen v. Butterworth, 756 So. 2d …
Eleventh Circuit Finds for Plaintiff in DOC Wage-Hour Act Claim by The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded on September 30, 1991, the circuit court’s decision on a federal Wage-Hour Act (the Act) claim brought by a Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) employee against …
City Commissioners agree to a 2.6 Million Dollar Settlement in the Rachel Hoffman Case by Thirty minutes after a jury had been selected in the Rachel Hoffman Civil Case. City Commissioners in Tallahassee Florida went into a closed door meeting and voted 3-2 in favor of a 2.6 million dollar …
Florida’s Felon Disenfranchisement “Mess” by David Reutter Since George W. Bush won the 2000 presidential election by prevailing in Florida by a razor-thin margin of 537 votes, intense scrutiny has been focused on Florida’s election laws and procedures. Civil rights activist have kept the focus on the disenfranchisement of felons, …
Second BOP Guard Convicted In Assault-For-Hire by Brandon Sample A second Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) guard involved with arranging the assault of a prisoner has been convicted of federal civil rights violations. On July 8, 2010, Michael Kennedy was found guilty of violating the civil rights of Richard Delano, …
BOP Dentist Gets Slap On The Wrist for Sex Abuse by Brandon Sample A federal judge has sentenced a former Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) dentist to five months imprisonment, five months home confinement, and a $3,000 fine for having sex with a female prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institution …
Florida: DNA Mix-Up Calls Rapist's Conviction Into Question by When the FBI informed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) that it had a recent "hit" on the DNA of convicted rapist Andrew Lingard, the FDLE realized that something was amiss, because Lingard has been in prison for the last …
$350,000 Settlement in Florida Prisoner’s Negligence Claim, Failure to Correct Dangerous Condition by The Geo Group, Inc., Florida Correctional Finance Corporation, South Bay Correctional Facilities Financing Corporation and the Florida Department of Corrections paid $35,000 to settle a prisoner’s negligence claim. The settlement came in a lawsuit filed by prisoner …
Florida Prison Food Contractors Charged With Theft by David Reutter Florida authorities have charged three people with stealing $1.5 million from the state prison system through a food procurement contract. In 2008, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) signed a contract with US Foods for the company to handle FDOC’s …
Florida Judges’ Outlandish Behavior Tarnishes Bench by David Reutter A prerequisite for holding a judgeship is maintaining an impeccable reputation of upstanding and ethical conduct in all affairs. Along the eastern shores of Florida known as the Space and Gold Coasts, the spotlight has shone upon the wayward conduct of …
Florida Allows Compensation of Wrongfully Convicted Man 25 Years after Release by David Reutter The Florida Legislature passed a bill in the closing minutes of its 2014 session that allows a man who served 21 years on a wrongful conviction to seek up to $2 million in compensation. James Richardson …
Florida Sheriff Tosses Private Health Administrator from Jail Overnight Job by David Reutter An administrator for Armor Correction Health Services, Inc., was forced out of his position by Florida’s Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. The administrator, Lewis Hays, was involved in the death of Allen Hicks, Sr. 51, who died …
Florida Juvenile Justice Agency Calls Salary for CEO of Non Profit Contractor Excessive by The Secretary of Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is outraged that a nonprofit company that holds two dozen DJJ contracts pays its CEO more than $1.2 million annually. The DJJ wants more that money going …
John Doe v. Swearingen, FL, Complaint, Sex Offender Identification, 2016 Case 4:16-cv-00501-RH-CAS Document 1 Filed 08/09/16 Page 1 of 57 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA Tallahassee Division _________________________________ ) JOHN DOE 1, JOHN DOE 2, JOHN ) DOE 3, JOHN DOE 4, and JOHN ) DOE 5, …
Guard’s Report of Prisoner Abuse Came with a Cost by David Reutter The confines of prison render abuse by guards a virtually impossible crime to prosecute. The few cases that come to light and successfully prosecuted occur only with video evidence or the testimony of another guard. Florida Department of …
Miller Applies Retroactively in Florida by In a unanimous decision, the Florida Supreme Court held that the ruling in Miller v. Alabama, 132 S. Ct. 2455 (2012), which “forbids a sentencing scheme that mandates life in prison without possibility of parole for juvenile offenders,” is entitled to retroactive application. Before …
Florida Woman Awarded $75,000 for Excessive Force by Deputy by A Florida federal jury awarded $75,000 to a woman in a civil rights action alleging Palm Beach County Sheriffs’ Deputy Michael Woodside falsely arrested, used excessive force and violated the First Amendment rights of plaintiff. Woodside responded to call that …
Florida City Cannot be forced to Provide CCA with Water Utility Services by A Florida Circuit Court held the City of Pembroke Pines did not waive its right to deny water to a Correction Corporation of America (CCA) facility. CCA bought a plot of land in 1988 in hopes of …
Failure to Provide Hearing Aid Batteries is Deliberate Indifference to Serious Medical Need by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held a prisoner who suffers from substantial hearing loss that may be remediated by a hearing aid may state claim for deliberate indifference to a serious medical need if prison …
