Search | Prison Legal News

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 …

Oklahoma Commutations Largest Mass Release in U.S. History

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

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

Oklahoma Commutations Largest Mass Release in U.S. History by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss On November 1, 2019, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt approved commutation for 527 prisoners. The Oklahoma commutation is the largest mass commutation in the history of the nation. The citizens of Oklahoma voted yes on State Question …

Oklahoma County Settles Jail Death Lawsuit for $3.2 Million

Article • February 5, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Settlements, Wrongful Death

Oklahoma County Settles Jail Death Lawsuit for $3.2 Million by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The family of a man who was neglected to the point that he died in jail in Carter County, Oklahoma has settled a lawsuit against the county for $3.2 million, plus interest, after new and …

Estate of Terral Ellis II v. Ottawa County Board of County Commissioners, OK, Response in Opposition to Dft's MSJ, Wrongful Death, 2020

Brief • January 17, 2020

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of Terral Ellis II v. Ottawa County Board of County Commissioners, OK, Response in Opposition to Dft's MSJ, Wrongful Death, 2020 Case 4:17-cv-00325-JED-FHM Document 152 Filed in USDC ND/OK on 01/17/20 Page 1 of 46 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA ROBBIE EMERY …

Oklahoma Breaks Pattern of Protracted, Expensive Prison Conditions Litigation

Article • January 9, 2020 • from PLN January, 2020

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement

Oklahoma Breaks Pattern of Protracted, Expensive Prison Conditions Litigation by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon For the last 50 to 60 years, improvements in prison conditions have typically only come about through lengthy, adversarial litigation. During and after losing such lawsuits, state prison systems often delay, fail to adhere to …

Oklahomans Pay for Release of Woman Whose Case Helped Start Marijuana Reform Movement

Article • January 9, 2020 • from PLN January, 2020

Filed under: Release and Reentry

Oklahomans Pay for Release of Woman Whose Case Helped Start Marijuana Reform Movement by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke When she received a 12-year prison sentence for selling $31 worth of marijuana to a police informant in December 2009 and January 2010, first-time felony offender Patricia Spottedcrow, then-25, thought she …