Study Finds Discriminatory Jury Selection in Southern States by Derek Gilna A study by the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit legal organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, has found widespread discrimination in jury selection in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. The discriminatory practices …
Florida Woman Settles Lawsuit Against Sheriff’s Officers for $67,500 After Arrest While in Premature Labor by In June 2010, Melanie Dawn Williams, who had been arrested by officers after allegedly running a red light on her way to the St. Vincent’s Medical Center emergency room in Jacksonville, Florida when she …
Feds Indict Two in Florida Prison Canteen Kickback Scheme by A federal grand jury has issued a two-count indictment against two businessmen implicated in a kickback scheme that involved prison canteen profits and former top-ranking officials with the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC). PLN previously reported events related to this …
Florida Guard’s Conviction for Falsifying Use-of-Force Report Affirmed by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On July 13, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of a former Florida prison guard for making a false entry in a report with the intent to impede a federal investigation. …
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Injunction in Florida DOC Mental Health Conditions Pepper Spray Case by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On August 20, 2010, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s order that found a warden and the secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) had …
Ferguson v. Mascara, FL, Depo of Grossi, Police Wrongful Death, 2011 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. 09-14192-CIV-GRAHAM-LYNCH ESTATE OF CRAIG FERGUSON, by and through his personal representative DEBORAH FERGUSON, Plaintiff, vs. SHERIFF KEN J. MASCARA, as Sheriff of ST. LUCIE COUNTY, the St. …
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 …
