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Prisoners Suffer and Die as Kentucky Overcrowds County Jails

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Overcrowding

Prisoners Suffer and Die as Kentucky Overcrowds County Jails by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter In October 2019, the Kentucky Department of Corrections (KDOC) announced plans to lease a privately-owned prison in Floyd County that has sat idle since 2012. State Justice Secretary John Tilley, who oversees the …

Graphic Violence, Deaths in Alabama Prison Shown in Leaked Photos

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement, Wrongful Death

Graphic Violence, Deaths in Alabama Prison Shown in Leaked Photos by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter Over 2,000 photos taken by staff at Alabama’s St. Clair Correctional Facility paint a graphic picture of violence in the prison that was previously described only in words. But after the Southern …

CoreCivic Booted from LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Hometown

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic

CoreCivic Booted from LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Hometown by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter Nashville’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) has removed for-profit prison company CoreCivic from its membership rolls. The October 8, 2019 decision to return the company’s membership fee came after a vocal outcry from …

Members of Congress Investigate Private Equity Firms that Own Companies Providing Prison Services

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Private Prisons, Private Contractors

Members of Congress Investigate Private Equity Firms that Own Companies Providing Prison Services by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On September 30, 2019, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent letters to five private equity firms – BlueMountain Capital Management, H.I.G. …

California Begins Weaning Itself from Private Prisons – More or Less

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Private Prisons

California Begins Weaning Itself from Private Prisons – More or Less by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon California governor Gavin Newsom entered office in early 2019 vowing to end the use of private prisons – including those in which federal immigration authorities detain asylum seekers – because for-profit prisons “lead …

Getting Out of Jail After Dark Can Be Dangerous – and Sometimes Deadly

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Jail Specific, Release and Reentry, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry

Getting Out of Jail After Dark Can Be Dangerous – and Sometimes Deadly by Madison Pauly Nighttime is the worst possible time to release prisoners. So why do so many jails do it? by Madison Pauly, Mother Jones The last bus of the day pulls away from the parking lot …

A Place for Released Prisoners to Go Home

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, housing

A Place for Released Prisoners to Go Home by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon A new program that began in 2018 in Alameda County, California aims to assist former prisoners with housing needs. The Homecoming Project matches newly released prisoners with hosts who are subsidized in what founder Alex Busansky …

Weaker Job Screening Could Make North Carolina Prisons More Dangerous

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Staffing, Guards/Staff

Weaker Job Screening Could Make North Carolina Prisons More Dangerous by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter In an effort to reduce its 18 percent guard vacancy rate, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) has eliminated the requirement that all applicants go through psychological testing. “We are …

South Carolina: Former Prison Employees Charged, Plead Guilty in Contraband Investigation

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct

South Carolina: Former Prison Employees Charged, Plead Guilty in Contraband Investigation by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter At least 19 employees from eight different prisons operated by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) have been convicted or face charges of smuggling drugs, liquor, jewelry or cell phones …

New Jersey County Not Entitled to Defense or Indemnification by the State in Suit Alleging Exposure of Jail Detainees

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Strip Searches, Defenses

New Jersey County Not Entitled to Defense or Indemnification by the State in Suit Alleging Exposure of Jail Detainees by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In an unpublished decision, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, held that Salem County is entitled to neither defense nor indemnification by the …

L.A.’s Court-Ordered Community Supervision Enslaves and Impoverishes

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry

L.A.’s Court-Ordered Community Supervision Enslaves and Impoverishes by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke When a 33-year-old man was cited for littering for tossing trash and beer cans on a South Los Angeles sidewalk in 2013, an interpreter helped him plead no contest, and he was fined just $100 because the …

Prosecutors Get Real Look at Life After Prison

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Prosecutors, Release and Reentry, Parole, Probation

Prosecutors Get Real Look at Life After Prison by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell A dozen prosecutors and other criminal justice workers got a real life look at what it’s like to re-enter society after being in prison – and every one of them failed to get everything done as …

Former Nevada Prison Guard Who Fatally Shot Handcuffed Prisoner Enters Alford Plea

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Guards/Staff

Former Nevada Prison Guard Who Fatally Shot Handcuffed Prisoner Enters Alford Plea by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On October 29, 2019, a former probationary Nevada prison guard entered a plea of nolo contendre to a felony charge of attempted performance of an act or neglect of duty in willful …

Deaths and Abuse During Private Prisoner Transport Trips

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Transport Companies, Transportation

Deaths and Abuse During Private Prisoner Transport Trips by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Many prisoners transported by Prisoner Transportation Services of America, LLC (PTS) report being denied restroom breaks, food, liquids and essential prescription medications such as insulin, occasionally with fatal results. Others say they were physically or sexually …

From the Editor

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

From the Editor by Paul Wright by Paul Wright This month’s cover story reports onWellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, a hedge fund-owned private prison health care company. PLN has long reported on prison medical care in general and privatized care in particular, with what is now a lengthy …

Corizon Settles EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit for $950,000

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Corizon, Discrimination, Settlements

Corizon Settles EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit for $950,000 by Scott Grammer by Scott Grammer On September 18, 2018, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) filed suit in Arizona against Corizon Health, Inc. and Corizon LLC. The purpose of the litigation was “to correct Corizon’s nationwide unlawful employment policies and practices …

New York County to Pay $440,000 Settlement in Wrongful Jail Death Suit

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Settlements, Wrongful Death

New York County to Pay $440,000 Settlement in Wrongful Jail Death Suit by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Onondaga County, New York agreed to a $440,000 settlement in a wrongful death claim filed by attorney Richard Priest on behalf of Rebeka Kwiatkowski after her daughter, Chanel Lakatocz, died at the …

The Private Option

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Correct Care Solutions, Medical, Jail Specific

The Private Option by Marsha McLeod One company has become the biggest provider of jail health care. Sheriffs are worried: “If you’re the only dance in town, you can pretty much call your own shots.” Story by Marsha McLeod, The Atlantic WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In the span of 24 days in May …

ICSolutions - Section J Rates and Fees

Publication • February 4, 2020

Filed under: Telephone Rates

ICSolutions - Section J Rates and Fees Attachment_1_‐_RFP_Requirements_01.17.2020_UPDATE SECTION J ‐ RATES AND FEES OPTION 1 IPTS REQUIRED FREE CALLS (FIXED COST) Category Cost Per Minute OPTION 2 IPTS ALTERNATIVE FREE CALLS (LEASE) Avg Cost/Call: 15 Minutes Rates to Incarcerated Persons or Called Party All Domestic Calls N/A N/A International …

Mason v. Spiller, IL, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2020

Brief • February 3, 2020

Filed under: Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Deliberate Indifference

Mason v. Spiller, IL, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2020 Information Sheet for Case Number Official Case # Case# 17-867 17-CV-867 Opposing Counsel: Institutions: Mason, Mickey #R04326 v. Spiller, et al. IDOC# Plaintiffs: Filed Case Name Defendants: x/x/x Date Served Received Status closed 9/26/17 Class Action [J On Appeal D Spears D …