As courts censure civil detention practices, is it time for professionals to speak up? by David S. Prescott Guest commentary by David S. Prescott, LICSW*, forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com (Sept. 14, 2015) Last week, a federal judge ruled that Missouri's civil commitment program is unconstitutional, the second such court decision in three months. …
Eighth Circuit Holds Guards Not Liable for Disregarding Prisoner’s Stroke Symptoms by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals held on March 7, 2019 that prison guards could not be held liable for failing to act on a prisoner’s self-reported symptoms that medical staff had incorrectly …
$300,000 Settlement in Lawsuit over Minnesota Prisoner’s Suicide by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke In December 2018, Minnesota agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a prisoner who committed suicide while guards ignored orders to keep him under constant observation, then forged documents to …
Minnesota Lawmakers Look at Prison Reforms by Chad Marks by Chad Marks Lawmakers in Minnesota are considering a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing the state’s prison population. Data from August 2018 indicate that the adult prison population was 9,849, and some legislators have expressed concerns about racial disparities in the …
Rinkel v. MN Department of Corrections, MN, Complaint, Disability Access, 2019 62-CV-19-1165 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 2/21/2019 2:42 PM STATE OF MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF RAMSEY SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT Case Type: Other Civil Brian Rinkel, Eric Jaeger, Michael Sherman, Kevin Adams, and Tiffany Gagner, Civil File …
LaCroix v. Brownell, MN, Settlement Report and Recommendation, Wrongful Prison Death, 2018 CASE 0:18-cv-02448-PJS-SER Document 25 Filed 12/13/18 Page 1 of 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Jeffery LaCroix, as trustee for the next of kin of William Roy St. John, Case No. 18-cv-2448 (PJS/SER) Plaintiff, v. REPORT …
Lutgens v. County of Dakota, et al., MN, forced religious indoctrination of prisoners, 2018 CASE 0:18-cv-02634 Document 1 Filed 09/10/18 Page 1 of 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Bryant Lutgens, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, Plaintiff, Court File No. __________________ CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT …
Minnesota Prisoner Wins Reprieve from Jail Debt in Federal Court by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon Erik Daniel Christianson spent time in the Martin County jail in Minnesota on four occasions between 2013 and 2014. Under state “pay for stay” laws, prisoners are required to pay $25 for each day …
LaCroix v. Brownell, et al., MN, Complaint, Wrongful Prison Death, 2018 CASE 0:18-cv-02448-PJS-SER Document 1 Filed 08/21/18 Page 1 of 33 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Jeffery LaCroix, as trustee for the next of kin of William Roy St. John, COMPLAINT Plaintiff, v. Court File No. 18-CV-2248 Tendeh …
Lynas v. Stang, MN, Complaint, Wrongful Death - Medical Neglect, 2018 CASE 0:18-cv-02301-JRT-KMM Doc. 1 Filed 08/07/18 Page 1 of 33 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA David W. Lynas, as Trustee for the next-of-kin of James C. Lynas, Case No. _ _ _ _ _ __ Plaintiff, v. …
Trinity Services Group Faces Complaints Due to Inadequate Prison and Jail Food by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon A tide of complaints has surfaced around Florida-based Trinity Services Group, one of the largest food service providers to correctional facilities in the nation. At issue is the provision of adequate, nutritious …
Vera Institute of Justice--The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration Report, 2018 The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration Jacob Kang-Brown, Oliver Hinds, Jasmine Heiss, and Olive Lu June 2018 From The Director The turn of the century marked a new direction for the nation’s prisons and jails: after three decades of …
Vera Institute of Justice--The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration Fact Sheet, 2018 The New Dynamics of Mass Incarceration After decades of continuous and unified growth across all states from the 1970s to the early 2000s, the landscape of U.S. incarceration fragmented into distinct trends. The last decade has been characterized …
Families Against Mandatory Minimums: Everywhere and Nowhere -- Compassionate Release in the States, 2018 Everywhere and Nowhere Compassionate Release in the States By Mary Price June 2018 1 About the Author Mary Price is general counsel of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM). She directs the FAMM Litigation Project and advocates …
California Prisoners File Class-action Suit Seeking Hepatitis C Treatment by Greg Dober by Gregory Dober In 2013, the FDA approved two new life-saving hepatitis C (HCV) drugs known as simeprevir (brand named Olysio) and sofosbuvir (brand named Sovaldi). The drugs, a new class of medication called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), were …
Minnesota v. Eason, MN, Opinion, Appointment of Counsel, 2018.pdf STATE OF MINNESOTA IN SUPREME COURT A16-1647 Hennepin County Lillehaug, J. Dissenting, Stras, McKeig, JJ. State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Filed: January 24, 2018 Office of Appellate Courts Jamil Joshua Eason, Appellant. ________________________ Lori Swanson, Attorney General, Saint Paul, Minnesota; and …
Christianson v. Markquart, MN, Order, 2018 CASE 0:16-cv-01034-JRT-KMM Document 43 Filed 01/17/18 Page 1 of 12 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Civil No. 16-1034 (JRT/KMM) ERIK DANIEL CHRISTIANSON, Plaintiff, v. ORDER JEFFREY MARKQUART, in his official capacity as Martin County Sheriff, Defendant. Bradford W. Colbert, LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO …
Eighth Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment Order in Detainee’s Wrongful Death Suit by In March 2017, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated a summary judgment order in favor of jail officials on claims stemming from a detainee’s death. On February 23, 2012, Jerome Harrell reported to the jail …
Eighth Circuit: Restraint Board Order Entitled to Qualified Immunity by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed a lower court’s denial of qualified immunity to a guard who ordered a prisoner confined to a restraint board for more than three hours. …
