US Supreme Court Grants Review in Forfeiture Cases by On January 12, 1996, the US supreme court granted certiori and agreed to rule on a trilogy of forfeiture cases. The cases are: Degen v. U.S ., Case No. 95-173, which involves the question of whether a foreign property owner waives …
Ohio Update by John Perotti At Mansfield Correctional Institution (MANCI) the warden, Dennis Baker, Major Mack, the Business Manager, and two guards were placed on administrative leave while the FBI and State Highway Patrol (SHP) investigated allegations they accepted gratuities and kickbacks from a prisoner, J. Crow, whom they allowed …
Direct Action in Ohio by Ohio Prisoner by an Ohio Prisoner In January of 1992, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced plans to build a federal prison in Columbiana County, Ohio. They planned to take over land owned and farmed by local families for generations. Local farmers and working …
Ohio Mental Health Decree Entered by A far reaching consent decree governing the delivery of mental health care to Ohio prisoners was entered on 10 July 1995. The consent decree resulted from a §1983 suit filed in 1993 and certified as a class action on June 7, 1995. The prisoner …
Ohio Prison Doctor Imprisoned by Harry Schutte was the medical director at the Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, OH when his license to practice medicine was suspended after he was arrested and convicted for forging prescriptions. Schutte, who was addicted to the drug Stadol and synthetic morphine, did not notify …
OH Visitor Search Illegal by The Franklin County Court of Appeals in Ohio has held that an anonymous letter alleging drug smuggling by a prison visitor is insufficient to constitute "reasonable suspicion" which would authorize a strip search of the visitor. Terry Morris, the warden of the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, …
Worked to Death: OH Work Release Programs by Dan Cahill By Dan Cahill Many of us have been concerned about the possibility of abuse and tragedy in the unprotected use of prison labor. Over the past several years Ohio legislators have made it legal to market prison labor to private …
Ohio Prison Activist Conference by On April 29th and 30th, 1995, prison activists from around the state attended the Ohio Prison Activist Conference. The theme was "Struggling on the Outside for Those Struggling on the Inside." This conference was organized by Oberlin Action Against Prisons (OAAP) working in conjunction with …
Unprovoked Assault States Claim by The sixth circuit court of appeals held that an unprovoked assault by Ohio prison guards states a claim for an eighth amendment violation. In doing so, the court rejected the prison guards' contention that unprovoked assaults do not, as a matter of law, state an …
The Last Mile by Johnny "Byrd Dog" Byrd Sunday, March 13th, 1994, at 12:35 pm., exactly 35 hours and 26 minutes before my scheduled, state-sanctioned murder, the "Death Row Escort Squad" arrived at cell, saying "It's time Byrd Dog," "strip" said one. A number of men stood in front of …
Gangs in OH by Reader Mail Earlier this year I found myself locked down in a series of segregation units, ultimately being placed in administrative control. I was charged (and found guilty) of an all encompassing violation that reads: "Participating in or organizing, whether individually or in concert with others, …
Ohio Activist Needs Help by John Perotti Readers of this paper will recall my article "Spilt Milk", detailing human rights abuses at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (Luke) located in Lucasville, OH and how I was set up in retaliation for witnessing the beating of an inmate and writing about …
Attorney Fees for Monitoring Consent Decree by In 1992 prisoners seeking to desegregate the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville, Ohio, entered into a consent decree with prison officials. Under the terms of the decree the cells at SOCF would be randomly integrated. After the April, 1993, rebellion at …
Ohio Offshore Industries Project by Dan Cahill In the state governments effort to market prisoners as cheap labor it has unveiled the Ohio Offshore Industries Project. This marketing campaign offers companies a vast pool of cheap prison labor as an attractive alternative to foreign based production. Companies have been moving …
Award for Prisoners Beaten by OH Guards by In April of 1993, the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) at Lucasville, Ohio, erupted in one of the longest, costliest, and most violent prisoner rebellions in recent history. The rebellion brought Lucasville to national attention, but Ohio prisoners and prisoncrats had long …
Lucasville 1994 "Spilt Milk" by John Perotti By John W. Perotti It's been almost two years since the 11-day siege at the southern Ohio Correctional Facility located in Lucasville, Ohio. The problem? "Spilt milk" is just the beginning. Millions of dollars have been spent on reconstruction of the prison and …
Did Warden Seek SOCF Riot? by In April, 1993, prisoners at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) rebelled in what became the longest 2>prison siege in US history that left 10 dead. PLN has provided extensive coverage of the rebellion, its origins and its aftermath. Some SOCF prisoners have claimed …
Activists Labeled "Security Threat" by Reader Mail Being labeled as a "Security Threat Group" (gang) means anyone that is organizing and whose actions are considered disruptive to the prison system. For the most part the state [OH] is not focusing on real gangs, but rather focusing on prison activists and …
$153,400 Awarded to Estate for Stabbing Death by $153,400 Awarded To Estate for Stabbing Death An Ohio state prisoner was stabbed to death in a prison kitchen by another prisoner. The victim's estate sued the Ohio DOC claiming that because of inadequate security procedures with regards to kitchen knives and …
Lucasville Riot Tab $34 Million Plus by The 11 day rebellion at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville, OH, which began on Easter day, 1993, left cell block L in ruins. So far it has cost the state $19.2 million to repair cellblock L alone. It cost $32.5 …
