Florida Disciplinary Record Must Prove Constructive Possession of Contraband by Florida’s First District Court of Appeal granted a writ of certiorari to a prisoner who challenged a circuit court’s denial of his mandamus petition that sought to reverse a prison disciplinary conviction. The First District held there was insufficient proof …
The Graying of America’s Prisons by James Ridgeway Frank Soffen, now 70 years old, has lived more than half his life in prison, and will likely die there. Sentenced to life for second-degree murder, Soffen has suffered four heart attacks and is confined to a wheelchair. He has lately been …
Florida Prison Guards Plead Guilty to Federal Cocaine Charges by As a result of plea agreements reached between April and May 2010, eleven Florida prison guards and five other defendants have pleaded guilty to federal cocaine possession charges. The arrests occurred following a two-year investigation into corruption at Florida prisons …
Florida: Judgment for Female Prison Staff Alleging Sexual Harassment by Prisoners Affirmed by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) was properly held liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for failing to remedy a sexually hostile work …
U.S. Supreme Court Holds Eighth Amendment Prohibits Life Without Parole for Juveniles Not Convicted of Homicide by Brandon Sample The Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause bars juveniles from receiving life without parole for nonhomicide crimes, the U.S. Supreme Court decided May 17, 2010. Terrance Graham received probation for …
Feds Decline to Pursue Charges in Florida Boot Camp Death by The U.S. Department of Justice announced on April 16, 2010 that it will not pursue civil rights violations or other charges against seven Florida boot camp guards and a nurse in connection with the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee …
Former Florida Judge Profiting from Probation Classes that State Offers for Free by Utilizing the connections he made as a judge in Florida’s Hillsborough County over a 19-year period, Robert Bonanno is building a business that offers classes to people on probation. What he provides for a fee is the …
$2.16 Million Judgment for Prisoner Raped by BOP Guard by On April 7, 2010, a federal jury awarded $2.16 million to a female prisoner who was raped by a guard at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tallahassee, Florida. Myra C. Solliday alleged that she was raped by Bureau of …
Former President of Florida Sheriff’s Association Enters Plea in Kickback Scheme by David Reutter In February 2010, former Okaloosa County, Florida Sheriff Charlie Morris pleaded no contest to state racketeering and money laundering charges related to an employee bonus kickback scheme that netted him thousands of dollars. To enter the …
Thou Shalt Not: Sexual Misconduct by Prison and Jail Chaplains by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Traditionally, the role of a chaplain in the correctional setting is to serve as a spiritual advisor to prisoners and help them meet the requirements of their religious faiths. Equally traditionally, chaplains have …
Former Prisoner Accepts $179,000 for Wrongful Conviction Under New Florida Law by David Reutter After initially declining to accept $179,000 under Florida’s Victims of Wrongful Incarceration Compensation Act, Leroy McGee agreed to receive compensation pursuant to that statute for serving 43 months in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. …
Reynolds v. Hall, FL, Outgoing Mail Procedure, Censorship Prisoner Mail, 2010 Case 3:10-cv-00355-MCR -EMT Document 1-1 Filed 09/13/10 Page 1 of 1 SANTA ROSA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Sheriff Wendell Hall GENERAL ORDERS 1,_11111111111MINIL__1111111111_1116 OUTGOING MAIL PROCEDURE STANDARD OPERATING 15.48 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES: PROCEDURES: 15.48 All Detention Detention Members Distribution: 8/14/2010 …
Ritch v. DeSue, FL, Affadavits - Failure to Treat Eptopic Pregnancy (2009) _STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF VOLUSIA AFFIDAVIT OF TRUDY H. HAIDER, R.N. , BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, TRUDY H. HAIDER, RN., personally appears who being duly sworn says: That my name is TRUDY H. HAIDER, and I …
Jones v. West Palm Beach, FL, Depo of Grossi, Wrongful Death Police Excessive Force, 2010 1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA LENORA JONES, individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of VERNON M. JONES, for the benefit of the survivors LENORA JONES …
Florida Prison Psychiatrist Resigns; License Revoked Over Sex with Patient by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Prisoners often believe that prison health care personnel are second-rate and incompetent, and likely couldn’t find work in non-correctional settings. The December 2, 2009 resignation of a Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) psychiatrist …
Florida’s Civil Rights Restoration Process Insufficiently Funded by David Reutter by David M. Reutter With Florida continuing to face budget shortfalls due to the economic crisis, Governor Charlie Crist is looking for ways to slash government spending. However, his efforts are drawing fire from those who question cutting the budget …
Only Three States in Compliance with Unfunded Federal Sex Offender Mandates by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke In 2006 Congress enacted the Adam Walsh Act, which requires states to institute stricter monitoring of sex offenders or face losing 10% of their federal crime-prevention grants. Although all states were supposed to …
PLN Prevails in Public Records Suit Against GEO Group by Alex Friedmann In May 2010, Prison Legal News announced that it had prevailed in a public records lawsuit filed against Florida-based GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections), the nation’s second-largest private prison company. PLN filed the suit in 2005 under Florida’s …
U.S. Attorney Nominees Involved in Hiding Court Records by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Two of the three nominees to be South Florida’s next U.S. Attorney have violated a basic tenet of court administration by acting to hide court records from the public. In 2002, U.S. Attorney nominee Daryl …
Florida Prisoner Exonerated by DNA After Serving 35 Years by David Reutter by David M. Reutter After 35 years of proclaiming his innocence for the kidnapping and rape of a 9-year-old boy, James Bain, 54, was finally proven innocent and released from a Florida prison on December 17, 2009. Of …
