Search | Prison Legal News

Maine Jail Gets a Pass for Using Pepper Spray on Mentally Ill Prisoners

Article • December 1, 2020 • from PLN December, 2020

Filed under: Failure to Protect (General), Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Mental Health

Maine Jail Gets a Pass for Using Pepper Spray on Mentally Ill Prisoners by Kevin Bliss, Daniel A. Rosen by Kevin Bliss and Daniel A. Rosen In a June 2020 report, an official with the Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) determined that employees at the Cumberland County Jail (CCJ) in …

Maine Superspreader: Few Masks at Wedding Lead to Big Problems at Prison

Article • December 1, 2020 • from PLN December, 2020

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, COVID-19, Failure to Protect (General)

Maine Superspreader: Few Masks at Wedding Lead to Big Problems at Prison by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins An August 2020 wedding in Millinocket, Maine, turned into the state’s largest super spreader event for the coronavirus. Within the next two months, over 170 cases and eight deaths could be traced …

Reese v. Liberty, ME, Complaint, Excessive Force, 2020

Brief • November 2, 2020

Filed under: Excessive Force

Reese v. Liberty, ME, Complaint, Excessive Force, 2020 Case 1:18-cv-00421-JDL Document 70 Filed 11/02/20 Page 1 of 19 PageID #: 462 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MAINE GEOFFREY REESE, Plaintiff, v. RANDALL LIBERTY, as Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner, MATTHEW MAGNUSSON, as Maine State Prison Warden; and MICHAEL BURNS, …

Maine DOC, Medical Provider, Pay $250,000 Settlement Due to Excessive Force on 11-Year-Old

Article • September 1, 2020 • from PLN September, 2020

Filed under: Dental Care, Private Contractors, Excessive Force, Juveniles

Maine DOC, Medical Provider, Pay $250,000 Settlement Due to Excessive Force on 11-Year-Old by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson The state of Maine and medical provider CorrectCare Solutions (now Wellpath) paid a 14-year-old $250,000 after two guards at a juvenile detention center “bashed” his face into a metal bed frame, …

COVID-19 Changes the Face of Education in the Nation’s Prison Systems

Article • July 1, 2020 • from PLN July, 2020

Filed under: COVID-19, Education

COVID-19 Changes the Face of Education in the Nation’s Prison Systems by Kevin Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss The COVID-19 pandemic has forced prisons across the country to alter the educational programs they offer. The change has highlighted the inequality in available technology between different state prison systems and revealed …

Maine Court Rules Prisoner’s Rights Violated by 22 Months in Segregation Without Meaningful Review but Awards No Damages

Article • July 1, 2020 • from PLN July, 2020

Filed under: Retaliatory Segregation

Maine Court Rules Prisoner’s Rights Violated by 22 Months in Segregation Without Meaningful Review but Awards No Damages by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On September 24, 2019, a Maine state court found that a state prisoner’s rights were violated when he was held in segregation for 22 months without …

Sparks v. Mills, ME, Complaint, Jobless Benefits, 2020

Brief • June 2, 2020

Filed under: Work Release

Sparks v. Mills, ME, Complaint, Jobless Benefits, 2020 Case 2:20-cv-00190-LEW Document 1 Filed 06/02/20 Page 1 of 19 PageID #: 1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE MARC SPARKS, on behalf of himself and those similarly situated Plaintiffs v. JANET MILLS, in her official capacity …

News in Brief

Article • May 1, 2020 • from PLN May, 2020

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by California: On March 28, 2020, death row prisoner Lonnie Franklin Jr., 67, aka “Grim Sleeper,” was found unresponsive in his San Quentin cell. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton told reporters, “There were no signs of trauma. They don’t know why he died.” …

Maine: Female Detainee Raped by Jailer Wins Lawsuit

Article • September 5, 2019 • from PLN September, 2019

Filed under: Sexual Assault, Jail Specific

Maine: Female Detainee Raped by Jailer Wins Lawsuit by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon On October 2, 2016, Amanda Bridges was housed in an administrative segregation cell at Maine’s York County jail, serving a six-month sentence for violating her probation. Jailer Jonathan Carpenter entered her cell and began to kiss …

Drug Treatment Is Reaching More Prisons and Jails

Article • July 31, 2019

Filed under: Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, War on Drugs, Americans with Disabilities Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab

Drug Treatment Is Reaching More Prisons and Jails by JB Nicholas Recent legal victories have spurred counties and states to provide medication-assisted treatment to prisoners struggling with substance use. by JB Nicholas, The Appeal, a nonprofit criminal justice news site Her father sold her drugs. Her sister was strung out. …

Maine: Prosecutorial Misconduct in False Rape Case Results in $2.1 Million in Damages

Article • July 2, 2019 • from PLN July, 2019

Filed under: Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Prosecutors, Damages

Maine: Prosecutorial Misconduct in False Rape Case Results in $2.1 Million in Damages by Chad Marks by Chad Marks Vladek Filler found himself on the wrong side of former Hancock County District Attorney Mary Kellett. In 2007, Filler’s wife, Ligia Filler, made allegations that her husband sexually assaulted her. Kellett …

Maine police officer decertifications

Publication • 2019

Filed under: Police Misconduct

Maine police officer decertifications Maine Criminal Justice Academy Board Cases - 2008 Last Name Case Number First Name Agency I I I' 1 2008-001 Abbot Lyndon Sanford PD 2 .2008-002 Leahy Edward Wilton PD 3 2008-003 Donahue 'Thomas Houlton PD i ' Date Director Copy of File DateCRC Notified with …

Sixth Amendment Center, the Right to Counsel in Maine, 2019

Publication • 2019

Filed under: Counsel - Right to

Sixth Amendment Center, the Right to Counsel in Maine, 2019 The Right to Counsel in Maine EVALUATION OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE MAINE COMMISSION ON INDIGENT LEGAL SERVICES April 2019 6AC SIXTH AMENDMENT CENTER The Right to Counsel in Maine: Evaluation of Services Provided by the Maine Commission on Indigent …

Smith v. Aroostook County and Gillen, ME, motion for preliminary injunction, prisoner denied medication, 2019

Brief • March 27, 2019

Filed under: Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Jail Specific, Americans with Disabilities Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab

Smith v. Aroostook County and Gillen, ME, motion for preliminary injunction, prisoner denied medication, 2019 Case 1:18-cv-00352-NT Document 116 Filed 03/27/19 Page 1 of 28 PageID #: 2331 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MAINE BRENDA SMITH, Plaintiff, v. AROOSTOOK COUNTY and SHAWN D. GILLEN in his official capacity as …

Maine Prisoner’s Challenge to Confiscation of Funds States Declaratory Judgment Claim

Article • March 6, 2019 • from PLN March, 2019

Filed under: Declaratory Judgment, Seizure of Prisoner Funds

Maine Prisoner’s Challenge to Confiscation of Funds States Declaratory Judgment Claim by David Reutter by David Reutter The Maine Supreme Judicial Court held on October 16, 2018 that a trial court erred by dismissing a petition challenging a prison rule that requires any prisoner who earns money for work to …

Maine DOC - Legacy Inmate communications 2017-2022 rates

Kickback publication • March 4, 2019

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Rates

Maine DOC - Legacy Inmate communications 2017-2022 rates AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE SERVICES (BP54-IT) Advantage CT#: 03A 2017011 I *2095 RIDERB-IT METHOD OF PAYMENT AND OTHER PROVISIONS 1. AGREEMENT AMOUNT: The "per minute" Call Rates and Commission Rates under this Agreement are delineated as follows: Telephone Call Rate Inter national Rate …

Maine DOC - Legacy Inmate communications 2017-2022 contract

Kickback publication • March 4, 2019

Filed under: Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Monitoring

Maine DOC - Legacy Inmate communications 2017-2022 contract AdvnntngcCT#: 03A 201701 lf'2095 STATE OF MAINE DEPARTMENT OF CORRESTIONS Agreement to Purchase Services THIS AGREEMENT, made this 3rd day of January. 2017, is by and between the State of Maine, Depa11ment of Corrections, hereinafter called "Department," and Legacy Inmate Communications, located …

Maine Constitution Mandates “Prisoner Mailbox Rule”

Article • January 9, 2019 • from PLN January, 2019

Filed under: Mail

Maine Constitution Mandates “Prisoner Mailbox Rule” by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson On July 24, 2018, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court held the state’s constitution requires adoption of a modified version of the “prisoner mailbox rule” when filing petitions for judicial review of prison disciplinary orders. Maine prisoner Charles M. …

Surprise Shutdown of Maine Prison Leads to Controversy, Court Order

Article • November 6, 2018 • from PLN November, 2018

Filed under: Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Rural Prisons, News

Surprise Shutdown of Maine Prison Leads to Controversy, Court Order by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis In a sudden move that local residents called a “Gestapo tactic,” Maine Governor Paul LePage ordered the closure of a small prison in rural Washington County. The Downeast Correctional Facility (DCF), with a capacity …

Former district attorney in Maine sued for misconduct

Article • September 10, 2018

Filed under: Sexual Assault, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct

Former district attorney in Maine sued for misconduct by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Former Assistant District Attorney Mary Kellett was sued by Vladek Filler for allegedly withholding and editing exculpatory evidence and advising police not to comply with subpoenas in relation to a 2009 conviction of a sexual assault …