Magistrate Judge Cannot Enter Order on Post-Trial or Dispositive Motions by The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a magistrate judge does not have authority to rule upon motions seeking the award of attorney fees and costs, and a district court's failure to make a de novo review of …
The Deadly Health Services of Naphcare in Alabama by Lonnie Burton It is often said that you can tell a lot about a society by checking the condition of its prisons. Based on the way prisoners in Alabama are treated (or, more accurately stated, not treated), citizens of that state …
Temporary Injunction Issued in Alabama Suit by On June 26, 2003, the parties in Baker v. Campbell agreed to the entry of a temporary preliminary injunction which, among other things, provides for "immediate" and "adequate" medical care for Alabama prisoners with serious illnesses. The "Preliminary Injunction Settlement Agreement" stems from …
Michigan Visiting Rules Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court by Robert Woodman On June 16, 2003, the United States Supreme Court unanimously upheld visiting restrictions imposed by the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). The decision reverses contrary rulings by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and a Michigan federal district …
Nebraska Prisons Get Progressive Phone Contract by John E Dannenberg by Matthew T. Clarke In February, 2003, The Nebraska Department of Corrections (DOC) has contracted with AT&T to set up what may be the most progressive prisoner phone service in the United States. The five-year contract makes AT&T the sole …
PLRA Physical Injury Rule Not Applicable in Non-Prison State Cases by The Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated and remanded part of an Alabama Federal District Court's dismissal of a federal prisoner's suit against tobacco companies. The Court held that prisoner suits unrelated to prison conditions that are …
Alabama's Women Prisoners Moved to Louisiana to Ease Overcrowding by Alabama's Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women at Wetumpka was built in 1942 to house 364 prisoners. In 2002, Tutwiler's population rose beyond 1,000 with overcrowding so severe that a group of women prisoners sought relief by filing a lawsuit in …
The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry by by Peter Wagner, Prison Policy Initiative and Western Prison Project, 2003, 48 pages Review by Paul Wright As a prison journalist, one of the most challenging things is reporting the facts and putting those facts into a bigger …
Alabama DOC Settles Mental Health Class Action by James Quigley The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama approved a settlement agreement between a class of prisoners, defined as "all acutely or severely mentally ill male inmates who are presently or will in the future be incarcerated in …
The Parents' Project: Parent-Child Prison Visitation Issues Raised by Bazzetta, et. al. v. McGinnis, et. al. by Denise Johnston by Denise Johnston & Michael Carlin In 1999, the Michigan Department of Corrections [MDOC] imposed a broad set of restrictions upon parent-child prison visitation. These restrictions included prohibition of visits to …
Psychologist Not Qualifiedly Immune in Prisoner Suicide Suit by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg The Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled that a prison psychologist's awareness of a prisoner's potential for suicide was sufficient to defeat the psychologist's qualified immunity defense in a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 …
Acrimonious Michigan Prisoners' Rights Suit Settled After 15 Years by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg A class-action lawsuit launched by Michigan state prisoners in 1988 which ultimately cost taxpayers $7.5 million in litigation costs was settled on November 4, 2003, resulting in prisoners gaining appropriate classification and psychiatric …
Thaddeus-X Standard Retroactive Except for Qualified Immunity Defense by Bob Williams Thaddeus-X Standard Retroactive Except For Qualified Immunity Defense by Bob Williams A federal district court in Michigan has held that the Thaddeus-X standard, rather than the "shocks the conscience" standard, is applicable to claims of guard retaliation for prisoners …
Summer Uprisings in Three Southern Jails by As temperatures rose last summer, so did tensions in some southern jails. Guards at the Craighead County jail in Jonesboro, Arkansas, used tear gas and stun guns to regain control of a cell block that housed 27 prisoners. Four prisoners received minor injuries …
Prisoner's Estate Survives Summary Judgment on Medical Policy Claims by A federal district court in Michigan held that issues of fact as to whether prison officials adopted a policy discouraging necessary health care precluded summary judgment. Roscoe Young was incarcerated in a prison of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) …
Alabama Jail Conditions Unconstitutional, County Liable by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Court of Appeals for the Elev-enth Circuit has held, in a case with protracted litigation resulting in three opinions of the Court, that the conditions of the Butler County Jail in Greenville, Alabama are so atrocious …
Alabama DOC Quickly Settles Prison Working Conditions Suit by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg On January 8, 2002, a scant two months after being sued, Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) officials settled a class action complaint filed on behalf of 200 prison workers at the Elmore Correctional Facility …
Deaf Michigan Prisoner's ADA/RA Suit Survives Dismissal Challenge by A Michigan District Court has granted in part and denied in part Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) officials' motion to dismiss a state prisoner's suit against MDOC under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §12101, et. seq., and the …
Furniture Makers Challenge UNICOR by Gary Hunter The Coalition for Government Procurement brought charges against the Federal Prison Industries alleging nine violations of the Administrative Procedures Act between 1991 and 1995. Legislation on this topic had been pending for several years. On August 18, 2001 the U.S. District Court for …
Rose v. Saginaw County, MI, Complaint, Jail Strip Search, 2001 Case 2:01-cv-10337-DML Document 55 Filed 12/09/2002 Page 1 of 17 Case 2:01-cv-10337-DML Document 55 Filed 12/09/2002 Page 2 of 17 Case 2:01-cv-10337-DML Document 55 Filed 12/09/2002 Page 3 of 17 Case 2:01-cv-10337-DML Document 55 Filed 12/09/2002 Page 4 of 17 …
