Search | Prison Legal News

News in Brief

Article • December 1, 2021 • from PLN December, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: A 20-year-old guard at the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, was arrested on October 29, 2021, on charges that he attempted to smuggle methamphetamine into the jail. According to a report by Huntsville TV station WHNT, the guard, Matthew Moran, faces one count …

USA v. Matthew Ware, OK, Indictment, Deprivation of Rights, 2021

Brief • November 16, 2021

Filed under: 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights

USA v. Matthew Ware, OK, Indictment, Deprivation of Rights, 2021 Case 5:21-cr-00323-F Document 1 Filed 11/16/21 Page 1 of 5 LE IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE FI NOV 1 6 2021 WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA CARMELITA REEDER SHINN., CU:AK U.S. DIST. CO~ 8Y.___ \IESTERN DlST. 01<!1.A '(.__ …

News in Brief

Article • November 1, 2021 • from PLN November, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by California: A guard at San Quentin State Prison and one of two outside co-conspirators were arraigned on September 8, 2021, on federal charges they smuggled cellphones to an unnamed prisoner on death row at the California lockup. According to a statement by the U.S. Department of …

Lawsuit Over Denial of Medical Treatment for Painful Erection Causing Impotence in Oklahoma County Jail Reinstated by Tenth Circuit

Article • November 1, 2021 • from PLN November, 2021

Filed under: Failure to Treat, Qualified Immunity

Lawsuit Over Denial of Medical Treatment for Painful Erection Causing Impotence in Oklahoma County Jail Reinstated by Tenth Circuit by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On January 19, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that a county sheriff and three jail guards were not …

News in Brief

Article • September 1, 2021 • from PLN September, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: A former guard at the Mobile Metro Jail was scheduled to be arraigned on May 19, 2021, after being indicted for his role in an alleged scheme to smuggle cellphones into the Alabama lockup in exchange for bribes. According to a report by local TV …

Estate of Ronald Garland v. Bowling, OK, Report and Recommendation, Wrongful Death, 2021

Brief • June 8, 2021

Filed under: Wrongful Death

Estate of Ronald Garland v. Bowling, OK, Report and Recommendation, Wrongful Death, 2021 Case 4:19-cv-00098-JFH-CDL Document 381 Filed in USDC ND/OK on 06/08/21 Page 1 of 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA JANICE BUSH, as Special Administrator for the Estate of Ronald Garland, deceased, Plaintiff, v. BRET …

Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition

Article • April 1, 2021 • from PLN April, 2021

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Food

Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) was accused of not providing nutritionally fit meals in an article published October 24, 2020. Prisoners say portions are too small to be of value, there are little to no vegetables, and …

News in Brief

Article • March 1, 2021 • from PLN March, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Arizona: In January 2021, two women who worked at an Arizona state prison operated by Florida-based GEO Group pleaded guilty to having sex with inmates there. Melony Petrovffsky, 50, ran the commissary for the private contractor at a prison in Golden Valley, where she was allegedly …

Estate of England v. Allbaugh, OK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2021

Brief • February 23, 2021

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of England v. Allbaugh, OK, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2021 Case 5:19-cv-00470-G Document 79 Filed 02/23/21 Page 1 of 31 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA CHRISTINA SMITH, as Personal Representative of the Estate of her son, Joshua Christopher England, Plaintiff, – against – JOE ALLBAUGH, CARL BEAR, …

News in Brief

Article • January 1, 2021 • from PLN January, 2021

News in Brief by Alabama: On August 21, 2020, Sylvester Hartley became the seventh prisoner to die of complications from COVID-19 at Alabama’s St. Clair Correctional Facility, according to a report in the St. Clair News-Aegis. The 60-year-old, who was serving a life-without-parole sentence for three counts of first-degree kidnapping, …

News in Brief

Article • November 1, 2020 • from PLN November, 2020

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: The Birmingham News reported that an Alabama prison guard had been arrested for drug trafficking after a search of his vehicle when he arrived for work at the St. Clair County prison turned up 138 grams of methamphetamine and 16 grams of heroin. Ivan Caldwell, …

$12.5 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s In-Custody Death Riled Sheriff’s Race

Article • October 1, 2020 • from PLN October, 2020

Filed under: Settlements, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death)

$12.5 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s In-Custody Death Riled Sheriff’s Race by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss At a June 23, 2020, forum with the three candidates for sheriff in Garfield County, Oklahoma, questions arose about a $12.5 million 2019 settlement of a wrongful death suit filed by the family …

Lockdowns Follow “Coordinated” Gang Fights at Oklahoma Prisons

Article • August 1, 2020 • from PLN August, 2020

Filed under: Prison Gangs, Lockdowns

Lockdowns Follow “Coordinated” Gang Fights at Oklahoma Prisons by David Reutter by David M. Reutter After what officials are calling coordinated fights, six Oklahoma prisons were placed on lockdown status for over a week. One prisoner died and 36 prisoners and several staff were injured in the melees. The lockdowns …

News in Brief

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

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Arizona: A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Daniel Davitt, 60, on January 14,  2020 on charges of second-degree murder in the death of Lower Buckeye Jail guard Gene Lee on October 30. Buckeye Jail video shows Davitt talking to Lee on October 29, then suddenly grabbing …

Oklahoma Jail Sued for Mocking Prisoner as He Died

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

Filed under: Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference

Oklahoma Jail Sued for Mocking Prisoner as He Died by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell Surveillance video released in January 2020 from the Ottawa County Jail in Miami, Oklahoma, provides graphic evidence of the neglect and abuse suffered by detainee Terral Ellis at the hands of jail staff in the …

Thinking in a Pandemic: Let the People Go

Article • June 1, 2020 • from PLN June, 2020

Filed under: Criminal justice system reform, COVID-19, Conditions of

Thinking in a Pandemic: Let the People Go by Joseph Margulies States should release from prison far more than the very small percentage of low-level, nonviolent offenders they hold. by Joseph Margulies, Boston Review, April 20, 2020 http://bostonreview.net/law-justice/joseph-margulies-prisons-and-pandemics COVID-19 spreads where people congregate. With rare exception, it preys on the …

Nohmer v. City of Choctaw, OK, Settlement Agreemenet, Employment Termination, 2020

Brief • 2020

Filed under: Employment - Termination, Employment Record

Nohmer v. City of Choctaw, OK, Settlement Agreemenet, Employment Termination, 2020 GENERAL RELEASE AND AGREEMENT This General Release and Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into this _____ day of October 2020 by and among Sonny Nohmer (“Employee”), and all persons acting by or on his behalf, the City of Choctaw (“City”) …

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.” …

In re Telephone Conferencing, OK, General Order, COVID-19, 2020

Brief • March 30, 2020

Filed under: COVID-19

In re Telephone Conferencing, OK, General Order, COVID-19, 2020 Case 4:20-go-00001-JED Document 7 Filed in USDC ND/OK on 03/30/20 Page 1 of 4 Case 4:20-go-00001-JED Document 7 Filed in USDC ND/OK on 03/30/20 Page 2 of 4 the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.) with respect to …

$10 Million Post-Appeal Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Prisoner Death Suit

Article • March 4, 2020 • from PLN March, 2020

Filed under: Jail Specific, Settlements, Wrongful Death

$10 Million Post-Appeal Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Prisoner Death Suit by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke After having most of its defenses rebuked by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, opted to settle for $10 million a lawsuit brought by the estate of a jail prisoner who …