Ohio Supreme Court Grants Records but No Damages for Prisoner Making Request by Jacob Barrett by Jacob Barrett On June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that the state Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) improperly withheld records requested by a former state prisoner. But the prisoner’s failure …
Ohio Pays $185,000 to State Prisoner Bitten in Genitals by K-9 by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders On November 17, 2021, the Ohio Court of Claims awarded a state prisoner $185,000 for injuries sustained when he was bitten by a dog on a K-9 unit visiting from a local jail. …
News in Brief by Alabama: On November 2, 2022, a former state prison guard at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility near Birmingham pleaded guilty to federal contraband smuggling charges. The Birmingham News reported that Wilson Brian Clemons, 32, was arrested on November 23, 2021, on state counts of marijuana …
News in Brief by Alabama: A detainee assaulted aguard at the Calhoun County Jail on August 6, 2022, the Anniston Star reported. Sheriff Matthew Wade blamed an ongoing staffing shortage, which has typically left three guards on duty to supervise 300 detainees. One of them, Jacob Hammett, was out of …
Prisoners Awarded Damages for Denial of Public Records by Ohio Prison Officials by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On June 1, 2022, the Supreme Court of Ohio rejected the argument of state prison officials that copies of a prisoner’s “kites” — informal complaints, grievances and appeals — are exempt …
$2.1 Million Settlement for Estate of Detainee Who Committed Suicide in Scandal-Plagued Ohio Jail by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On May 5, 2022, Ohio’s Cuyahoga County agreed to pay $2.1 million to the estate of a mentally ill detainee arrested on bogus charges who was then left to …
News in Brief by Alabama: A convicted bank robber had 30 months added to his 17-year prison sentence on September 26, 2022, for bribing an Alabama jail guard to smuggle him a cellphone, K2 “spice” paper, and other contraband. According to a federal Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, while …
Ohio County Pays $2.5 Million for Photographing Female Detainees’ Tattooed Private Areas by Kevin Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss On January 7, 2022, Ohio’s Franklin County Board of Commissioners settled a suit brought by a class of former female detainees in the county jail who claimed their constitutional rights were …
“Ridiculous and Unacceptable”: Guards Sacked from Ohio Jail for Wrestling Matches with Prisoners by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott On July 21, 2022, at 11:30 p.m., surveillance cameras in a day room at Ohio’s Fairfield County Jail captured an unusual sight: Friendly wrestling matches were taking place between …
Ohio County Pays $4 Million To Settle Claim Over Death of Jail Detainee by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On December 9, 2021, an agreement was reached by Richland County, Ohio, paying $4 million to settle claims in a suit that was about to be brought by the family of …
SCOTUS Kills Condemned Ohio Prisoner’s Effort to Secure Evidence of Mental Impairment to Bolster Habeas Petition by Benjamin Tschirhart by Ben Tschirhart On June 21, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held that cases involving medical transport orders for prisoners seeking evidence of mental impairment to bolster a habeas corpus petition …
Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Ohio Prison Doctor After Prisoner Blinded by Stroke by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On March 30, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed denial of qualified immunity (QI) to an Ohio prison doctor who interrupted a state prisoner’s …
All Ohio Prison Guards to Wear Body Cams by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders In January 2022, the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation began requiring the state’s 5,000 prison guards to don body-worn cameras. Supplied by Axon, the “body cams,” which complement over 1,000 security cameras already installed in …
News in Brief by Alabama: On June 3, 2022, a guard was arrested for having sex with a prisoner at Alabama’s Pickens County Jail, according to a report by WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi. The guard, Marquita Booker, 28, was fired after her arrest, which followed an investigation that earlier in …
Ohio Supreme Court Partially Reinstates Prisoner’s Pro Se Public Records Request, Sets Damages for Denial at $1,000 by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On December 23, 2021, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that a state court of appeals erred when it denied a state prisoner’s motion for statutory damages …
Medical Staff Shakeup But No Charges After Teen Dies in Ohio Juvenile Facility by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins The deaths of young Black men at the hands of police have drawn increasing scrutiny in the media and among the political chattering class, but less attention has been given to …
Ohio Supreme Court: Only Statute, Not Agency Policy, Creates Legal Duty Enforceable in Mandamus by Jacob Barrett by Jacob Barrett On February 7, 2022, the Supreme Court of Ohio denied a writ of mandamus petition filed by a state prisoner challenging a decision by the state Department of Rehabilitation and …
“Join Me in Holding Your Nose” Federal Judge Reluctantly Okays $750,000 Settlement in Ohio Pre-Trial Detainee’s Excessive Force Suit by Keith Sanders by Keith Sanders On December 6, 2021, the Board of Commissioners of Clermont County, Ohio, voted to pay $750,000 to settle a suit brought by a former pretrial …
News in Brief by Alabama: A former Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) guard was indicted on April 22, 2022, for assaulting three prisoners and then filing a false report to cover it up, the Associated Press reported. The guard, Lorenzo Mills, 55, was charged with beating three male prisoners with a wooden baton at Draper Correctional …
$17.5 Million Paid to Ohio Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Attack by Guards by Harold Hempstead by Harold Hempstead In November 2021, Ohio state prisoner Seth Fletcher received a $17,500,000 settlement to conclude the civil rights complaint filed on his behalf against guards at Chillicothe Correctional Institution (CCI), after the …
