Former Ohio Parole Chief, Parole Attorney Alliance Raises Ethical Concerns by Michael Rigby A business partnership between former head of the Ohio Parole Board, Margarette Ghee, and Ohio prisoner-turned-parole attorney, Derek Farmer, has raised ethical concerns in the legal and criminal justice communities. After serving 18 years on a 1974 …
Rape of Women Prisoners Rampant in Ohio by Michael Rigby The sexual assault of female pris-oners at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) in Marysville, Ohio, is shockingly commonplace, according to a report by Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) released on December 10, 2003. The 15-page report, titled The Sexual Abuse …
Ohio Supreme Court Holds Some Sex Predators Not Required to Register by Ohio Supreme Court Holds Some Sex Predators Not Required to Register In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Su-preme Court ruled that some persons labeled as sexual predators cannot be required to register with law enforcement authorities. Lawrence J. …
No Summary Judgment for Ohio Guards Who Used Excessive Force, Case Loses At Trial by No Summary Judgment for Ohio Guards Who Used Excessive Force, Case Loses At Trial The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a district court's grant of summary judgment favoring certain prison guards …
Sanctions Against Ohio Paralegal Firm Upheld by The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part a federal district court's sanctions against National Legal Professional Associates (NLPA) and its leader for unauthorized practice of law. NLPA is a paralegal service that markets directly to criminal …
Innocent Ohio Man Paid $750,000 for 10 Years Imprisonment by In 1991, Jimmy "Spunk" Williams, 32, was convicted of raping a 12 year-old girl, and sentenced to life in prison. Williams was appointed attorney Tom Watkins to represent him at a December 2001 parole hearing. Convinced of Williams' innocence, Watkins …
Ohio Native American Prisoner Granted Injunction to Grow Long Hair by David Reutter Ohio Native American Prisoner Granted Injunction to Grow Long Hair by David M. Reutter An Ohio federal district court has granted a prisoner at Ohio's Madison Correctional Institute (MCI) a preliminary injunction that allows him to grow …
Prisons Nationwide Fail to Treat HCV Epidemic by John E Dannenberg Prisons Nationwide Fail To Treat HCV Epidemic by John E. Dannenberg The JeopardyTM answer is: "The national average treatment rate for HCV-infected prisoners." The winning question is: "What is approximately 1%?" With HCV [Hepatitis-C] infection rates in state prisons …
Sixth Circuit: Claims Against Parole Procedures Cognizable Under § 1983 by Sixth Circuit: Claims Against Parole Procedures Cognizable Under § 1983; U.S. Supreme Court Grants Review Bringing itself into line with its sister circuits, the en banc U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Ohio prisoners may challenge parole …
CCA Closes Oklahoma Prison, Settles Tax Lawsuit Over Ohio Prison by Michael Rigby The turbulent economy of the past decade has led many communities across America to foolishly seek prisons as a recession proof industry and rural welfare program for poor whites. But prisons can be a double edged sword, …
Verdict, Damages in Ohio Prisoner Disciplinary Case Reversed on Appeal by Verdict, Damages in Ohio Prisoner Disciplinary Case Reversed on Appeal The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Ap- peals has reversed and remanded a jury verdict and damages award in favor of an Ohio prisoner who claimed that he had …
Ohio Warrantless Arrestees Must Be Arraigned Within 48 Hours of Arrest by Ohio Warrantless Arrestees Must Be Arraigned Within 48 Hours of Arrest The U.S Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit recently held that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires warrantless arrestees to be arraigned within 48 …
PHS Redux: Sued In A Dozen States, Contract Losses, Stock Plummets, Business Continues by by John E. Dannenberg Prison Health Services (PHS), a subsidiary of America Service Group, Inc. (ASG), continues to face lawsuits and lose contracts for its deplorable record of prisoner health care gaffes in a dozen states. …
Ohio Jail's Pay-for-Stay Program Unconstitutional, Partial Summary Judgment Granted by Ohio Jail's Pay-for-Stay Program Unconstitutional, Partial Summary Judgment Granted The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has awarded partial summary judgment to a former pretrial detainee in a case involving seizure of the detainee's funds by the …
Settlement of Hamilton County, Ohio, Jail Booking Fees Case by After protracted negotiations and two court rulings finding the defendants liable, Hamilton County, Ohio, officials finally agreed to settle the claims challenging its Pay-for-Stay program (see mail article). Led by Cincinnati attorney Stephen R. Felson, with attorney Robert B. Newman, …
Butler County, Ohio, Settles Jail Booking Fee Suit by Butler County, Ohio, Settles Jail Booking Fee Suit The Sheriff and Commissioners of Butler County, Ohio, settled a lawsuit over its Pay-to-Stay program brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, by a citizen …
Ohio Federal District Court Finds RLUIPA Constitutional by In a case of first impression in the Sixth U.S. Circuit, the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has refused to dismiss Ohio prisoners' religious rights claims based on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), 42 …
Ohio Supreme Court Orders Changes in Parole Board Procedures by Robert Woodman On December 18, 2002, in a 6-1 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered a fundamental change in the way the Ohio Adult Parole Board, a division of the Adult Parole Authority (APA), makes parole determinations. The decision may …
Ohio Prison Officials Cannot Alter Jail-Time Credit Award by The Court of Common Pleas of Marion County, Ohio, has granted release to an Ohio prisoner on habeas corpus after finding that Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DORC) officials illegally altered a court sentencing entry to "correct" a perceived error in …
U.S. District Court Finds Supermax Placement at Ohio Prison "Atypical and Significant Hardship" by Robert Woodman U.S. District Court Finds Supermax Placement at Ohio Prison "Atypical and Significant Hardship" by Robert Woodman In a ruling believed to be the first of its kind, Judge James Gwin of the United States …
