Prisoner Has Right to call Disciplinary Witnesses by Prisoner Has Right to Call Disciplinary Witnesses The court of appeals for the Third circuit held that a Pennsylvania prisoner was entitled to call witnesses on his behalf at a prison disciplinary hearing. Prison official's refusal to provide for the witnesses was …
District Court Approves Victim Impact Evidence in Death Penalty Cases by The Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, upheld the Federal Death Penalty Act as constitutional and approved, with restrictions, the use of victim impact evidence in a federal death penalty case. Michael J. O'Driscoll, a federal …
Administrative Exhaustion Not Required Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 by The United States Supreme Court held that it was not necessary for a prisoner to resort to state administrative remedies before seeking relief under 42 U.S. C. § 1983 for the violation of his constitutional rights. In this case, Pennsylvania …
Summary Judgment Precluded in Beating, Common Law Remedy for Confiscation Claim by A Pennsylvania prisoner brought a civil rights action against prison officials and guards alleging guard brutality and confiscation of his legal materials violated his constitutional rights. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania held: 1) …
Court Upholds Mistreating Prisoners For Practice by Court Upholds Mistreating Prisoners For Practice The plaintiff alleges that the defendants authorized a "live exhibition/exercise" by CERT officers, with civilian witnesses, in which he was forcefully extracted from his cell and dragged to an exercise unit where he was placed in a …
Denial of Class Certification in Pennsylvania Conditions Suit Reversed by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a district court properly denied three prisoners' Eighth Amendment claim of unconstitutional conditions at the State Correctional Institute at Graterford, Pennsylvania, but erred in denying class certification and ruling on the …
Closure of Pennsylvania Prison Legal Clinic Enjoined by A Pennsylvania federal district court held that prison officials intent to close the Para-Professional Law Clinic (PPLC) at the State Correctional Institution in Graterford would violate prisoners' right to meaningful access to the courts. The PPLC is a non-profit corporation that has …
15 Months Administrative Segregation Not Atypical and Significant Hardship by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that 15 months in administrative segregation is not an atypical and significant hardship that creates a procedural due process violation. Pennsylvania prisoner Jerome Griffin was placed in administrative segregation pending an investigation of …
Over Detention Claim Must Show Knowledge or Failure to Act on Problem by A Pennsylvania federal district court held a prisoner failed to show prison officials were deliberately indifferent to his claims that he was over-detained. The SCI Graterford prisoner alleged prison officials violated his constitutional rights by detaining him …
Slow, Incompetent Investigation Causing Over Detention Not Deliberate Indifference by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held a parole board' s misinterpretation of a sentencing court's order and a slow investigation into the order's meaning did not exhibit deliberate indifference. The plaintiff, a former prisoner of the Philadelphia County Prison, …
Third Circuit Sets Standard for Juvenile Detainee Failure to Protect Claims by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that failure-to-protect claims against a juvenile detention center and its staff were properly analyzed under the deliberate indifference standard. The court also held that issues of fact precluded summary judgment for …
Segregated and Illiterate Pennsylvania Prisoners Entitled to Legal Aid by A Pennsylvania federal district court held that prison administrators must provide legal assistance to prisoners in segregation and those who are functionally illiterate. This action was filed by prisoners at Pennsylvania's State Correctional Institute at Graterford. The Court entered relief …
Federal Supervised Release Begins on Day of Release From Imprisonment by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that a defendant's period of supervised release begins on the day the defendant is released from imprisonment. The defendant in this case was released to a Pennsylvania halfway house and later paroled …
$2,500 Awarded in Pennsylvania False Arrest Claim by The plaintiff in this case alleged that Wackenhut Corrections Corporation falsely imprisoned him due to mistaken identity, and failed to immediately release him when it was informed of the mistake by a parole officer. Plaintiff was stopped for a traffic violation in …
Videotape Evidence Properly Admitted in Prisoner's Beating Trial by The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, affirming the U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, held that the district court did not err in admitting a videotape of the location where an attack took place, and that even if admitting …
Summary Judgment Reversed on Denial of Meals to Diabetic Prisoner by The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded summary judgment to Pennsylvania prison officials on claims that a prison guard denied a diabetic prison meals following the prisoner's receiving insulin injections. Robert McCargo is a Pennsylvania prisoner …
Pretrial Detainees, Unsentenced Prisoners Entitled To Stay At Local Jail by The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that pretrial detainees have a liberty interest in remaining at a local jail, but convicted prisoners have no right to stay at a given prison. In May 1973, the warden and …
Social Security Benefit Suspension For Civilly Committed Upheld by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that Social Security benefits may be suspended to a person confined "in connection with" a prior Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) verdict. The claimant was found by a jury to be NGRI …
No Constitutional Right To Appointed Counsel In Post Conviction Proceedings by The U.S. Supreme Court held that a Pennsylvania prisoner had no constitutional right to court appointed counsel in postconviction proceedings nor was counsel required to comport with Anders procedures when withdrawing. A Pennsylvania trial court convicted Dorothy Finley of …
Prisoner Need Not Surrender Amenities to Proceed In Forma Pauperis by The Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that prisoners seeking in forma pauperis status need not deprive themselves of the small amenities of life they are permitted to acquire in prison. This action was filed by a Pennsylvania prisoner …
