PLRA Termination Provision Unconstitutional in Ninth Circuit by The court of appeals for the Ninth circuit held that the section of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which requires immediate termination of previously granted prospective relief in litigation challenging prison conditions, violates separation of powers principles. This decision is unique …
Rehabilitation or Corporate Profit by Peaceful efforts, by Alaskan prisoners, on August 30, 1998, to address grievances and concerns repeatedly ignored at the Central Arizona Detention Center, in Florence, Arizona, were mercilessly squashed following a sit down demonstration in the prison exercise yard. What was initially a peaceful, sit-down demonstration …
Arizona DOC Paralegal Fraud: Law Libraries Closed, Replaced by Scam Artists by Dan Pens One year ago this month, PLN reported that 34 Arizona prison law libraries were permanently closed and replaced with visiting paralegals under contract with the state. [See: "Experiment in Access: Law Libraries Eliminated in Arizona Prisons" …
Arizona Paralegals Obstruct Court Access by by [AZ prisoner, name withheld by request] The elimination of Arizona prison law libraries is an experiment that other states (and the courts) are watching. Does the contract paralegal system work? And does it provide constitutionally adequate access to the courts? After one year …
Sentence Runs During Wrongful Release by The Arizona supreme court held that when a prisoner is incorrectly released before his sentence expires the sentence continues to run and the offender is entitled to any good time credits he would have accrued had he remained in custody. The court also held …
Former Arizona Governor Sentenced by O'Neil Stough In September, 1997, Republican Governor J. Fife Symington, III, was convicted in federal court of seven counts of fraud related to fabrications and misrepresentations he made on financial statements in securing loans. Following his conviction, he resigned as Governor. On February 2, 1998, …
Parolee Must Receive Morrissey Hearing by A parolee who is convicted of a new crime has a due process right to a parole revocation hearing that fulfills all six requirements of accurate fact-finding set out in Morrissey v. Brewer , 408 U.S. 471, 92 S.Ct. 2593 (1972). William John was …
PLRA Termination Provisions Unconstitutional by A federal district court in Arizona held that the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) section providing for termination of consent decrees entered into prior to the PLRA's enactment is unconstitutional, as being violative of the separation of powers doctrine. The court further ruled that the …
Refusal of Non-Lethal Injection Kills Arizona Prisoner by Arizona prisoner Teshome Abate, 39, died Jan. 3, 1998, after a four month hunger strike. In 1989 Abate brought suit against the department of corrections seeking to acquire his Ethiopian Orthodox Christian diet. Ethiopian Orthodox leaders had informed officials their faith requires …
AZ Prisoners Have Right to Attend Paternity Hearings by An Arizona state court of appeals held that Arizona prisoners have a right to attend paternity hearings in person or telephonically. Lenny Valentine, an Arizona state prisoner, had a paternity judgment entered against him. A hearing to establish a child support …
Arizona Court Fee Law Upheld by Afederal district court in Arizona upheld the constitutionality of a state statute that requires prisoners to pay the full filing fee in state court actions they initiate. The Arizona legislature enacted A.R.S. § 12-306(c) and A.R.S. § 12-302(B) which eliminates the waiver of filing …
AZ Jail's Discriminatory Treatment of Muslims Requires Trial by The court of appeals for the ninth circuit held that a district court erred when it granted summary judgment to jail officials regarding claims of discriminatory treatment by a Muslim jail prisoner. Benjamin Freeman was held in the Maricopa county jail …
Mailbox Rule Applies to Trust Fund Statement by The court of appeals for the ninth circuit held that Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 108 S.Ct. 2379 (1988) applies to the filing of trust fund account statements as required by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2) of the PLRA's filing fee requirements. …
Frivolous State Litigation by Paul Wright By Paul Wright The court of appeals for the eighth circuit held that a prisoner's demotion from administrative to punitive segregation did not implicate any federal due process liberty interest. We would not normally report this case because it involves no new or novel …
Arizona Death Row Chain Gang Killing by PLN has previously reported how the death row chain gang in Arizona has resulted in numerous incidents of violence, including prisoners being wounded by shotgun blasts to quell fighting. On July 9, 1997, the violence took a bizarre and deadly turn. On that …
Arizona Holiday Package Decree Modified by In the June, 1997, issue of PLN we reported the lengthy, tortured history of efforts by the Arizona DOC to eliminate holiday packages [On the Edge of Midnight]. The ruling cited in that article, Hook v. State of Arizona, 98 F.3d 1177 (9th Cir. …
PLRA Exhaustion Requirement Jurisdictional by A federal district court in Arizona held that the PLRA's administrative exhaustion requirement, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a), requires prisoners to exhaust administrative remedies and the failure to do so deprives the court of subject matter jurisdiction. Dallas Morgan, an Arizona state prisoner, filed …
Pepper Spray Uprising in Arkansas by Wrightsville Arkansas, prison farm labor camp, July, 1997. The sweltering daytime temperature tops 100 degrees. It's still more than 80 degrees just after midnight. And then a spark is lit. A guard at the Arkansas DOC Wrightsville Unit, reportedly acting on a tip, went …
Electronic Guards of the Future? by B.S. The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) is conducting a pilot program at the Cook Unit. If they like the results, ADC will implement the program state-wide. I am sure you are familiar with these electronic ankle bracelets that people on home arrest are …
Arizona DOC Contempt Fines Affirmed by In the July, 1996, issue of PLN we reported Hook v. Arizona, 907 F. Supp. 1326 (D AZ 1996) where the court held Arizona DOC officials In contempt for refusing to pay the fees for special masters appointed by the court to oversee implementation …
