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LaCroix v. Brownell, et al., MN, Complaint, Wrongful Prison Death, 2018

Brief • August 21, 2018

Filed under: Medical, Eighth Amendment, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights

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

Brief • August 7, 2018

Filed under: Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Negligence/Reckless Endangerment

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

Article • June 8, 2018 • from PLN June, 2018

Filed under: Private Prisons, Food/Commissary (Private Prisons), Food

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

Publication • June 1, 2018

Filed under: Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Crime/Demographics, Statistics/Trends, Census, Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Rural Prisons, Bail, Bail Bonds, Mental Health, Drug Treatment/Rehab

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

Publication • June 1, 2018

Filed under: Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Census, Conditions of Confinement, Rural Prisons

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

Publication • June 1, 2018

Filed under: Geriatric Classification, Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Release and Reentry, Parole, Rehabilitation Act, Mental Health

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

Article • April 2, 2018 • from PLN April, 2018

Filed under: Medication, Hepatitis, Failure to Treat, Class Certification

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

Brief • January 24, 2018

Filed under: Appointment of Counsel, Constitution, state, Proffer Agreements/Statements/Sessions

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

Brief • January 17, 2018

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Jail Specific, Money/Property

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

Article • January 8, 2018 • from PLN January, 2018

Filed under: Summary Judgment, Wrongful Death, Mental Health

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

Article • December 21, 2017

Filed under: Restraints, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health

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. …

Prisoner's Punishment for Attempting to Mail Out Threat-Laden "Poems" Upheld by Minnesota Court of Appeals

Article • December 13, 2017

Filed under: Good Time, Mail, First Amendment

Prisoner's Punishment for Attempting to Mail Out Threat-Laden "Poems" Upheld by Minnesota Court of Appeals by Lonnie Burton In a decision dated January 11, 2016, the Minnesota Court of Appeals denied a petition filed by a state prisoner who alleged his First Amendment rights were violated when prison officials found …

Minnesota Supreme Court Declares "Exoneration-Compensation Statute" Unconstitutional

Article • December 7, 2017

Filed under: Criminal Procedure

Minnesota Supreme Court Declares "Exoneration-Compensation Statute" Unconstitutional by David Reutter The Minnesota Supreme Court held that its reversal on appeal of a second degree manslaughter conviction, standing alone, did not qualify as an "exoneration" under Minn. Stat. § 590.11. Simultaneously, the court held that § 590.11 was irrational and violated …

State of Minnesota v. Luby, MN, Appeal Brief, Murder Conviction, 2017

Brief • December 6, 2017

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Procedural Default/Error, Summary Disposition, Defense Counsel, Drug or Alcohol Dependence

State of Minnesota v. Luby, MN, Appeal Brief, Murder Conviction, 2017 STATE OF MINNESOTA IN SUPREME COURT A16-1213 Dakota County McKeig, J. Dissenting, Chutich, J., Gildea, C.J. State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Filed: December 6, 2017 Office of Appellate Courts Thomas Michael Luby, Appellant. ________________________ Lori Swanson, Attorney General, Saint …

State of Minnesota v. Mikulak, MN, Appeal Brief, Offender Registration, 2017

Brief • November 15, 2017

Filed under: Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Restrictions, discrimination, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Guilty Plea, Withdrawal, Validity of

State of Minnesota v. Mikulak, MN, Appeal Brief, Offender Registration, 2017 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA No. 16–2087 Filed October 27, 2017 STATE OF IOWA, Appellee, vs. BRIAN PATRICK CLEMENS, Appellant. Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Mahaska County, Randy DeGeest, Judge. An individual appeals the denial of …

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case on Jail Booking Fees

Article • November 7, 2017 • from PLN November, 2017

Filed under: Jail Specific, Booking Fees

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case on Jail Booking Fees by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to rule on the issue of jail “booking fees” – fees charged when arrestees are jailed, which are not always returned upon their release. The case involved a …

Eighth Circuit Reverses Finding of Due Process Violations in Minnesota Civil Commitment Program

Article • November 7, 2017 • from PLN November, 2017

Filed under: Discrimination, Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Sex Offender Treatment, Civil Commitment

Eighth Circuit Reverses Finding of Due Process Violations in Minnesota Civil Commitment Program by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On January 3, 2017, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down an opinion that reversed a district court’s finding of substantive due process violations in a civil rights complaint brought …

Eighth Circuit: Restraint Board Order Entitled to Qualified Immunity

Article • October 24, 2017

Filed under: Conditions of Confinement, Eighth Amendment, Excessive Force, Restraints, Immunity/Liability, Qualified Immunity

Eighth Circuit: Restraint Board Order Entitled to Qualified Immunity by 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. Minnesota prisoner Ronnie Jackson has …

Eighth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Minnesota Prison Workplace Injury Lawsuit

Article • September 8, 2017

Filed under: Prison Labor, Workplace Injury, Eighth Amendment

Eighth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Minnesota Prison Workplace Injury Lawsuit by Lonnie Burton by Lonnie Burton On February 2, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the ruling of a federal district court in Minneapolis which dismissed a lawsuit filed by a prisoner who lost three …

Minnesota Court Refuses to Order Specific Performance in Murder Plea

Article • September 1, 2017

Filed under: Guilty Pleas

Minnesota Court Refuses to Order Specific Performance in Murder Plea by Lonnie Burton by Lonnie Burton On December 27, 2016, the Court of Appeals of Minnesota denied an appeal filed by a woman who pled guilty to third degree murder, but who claimed the state reneged on the terms of …