Twenty-six Indicted After Gang Investigation, Including Two Prison Guards by Monte McCoin by Monte McCoin A Maryland prison guard was indicted on 35 charges, including first-degree attempted murder, after a lengthy investigation revealed he was a high-ranking member of the 8-Trey Crips street gang. Antoine Fordham was the initial target …
Prisons and Jails Impose More Restrictions on Mail, Visits to Curtail Contraband by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke Citing a need to stop the smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some prisons and jails have placed new and stringent restrictions on both prisoner mail and visitation. Beginning in April 2017, …
Maryland v. Bashunn, MD, Opinion, Bane Review, 2018 State of Maryland v. Bashunn Christopher Phillips (No. 49, September Term, 2017) Opinion by Wilner, J. The defendant in a criminal case moved in limine to preclude the State from offering certain evidence on the ground that it was unreliable under Reed …
$5,000 to Transgender Prisoner in Maryland Sexual Harassment Lawsuit by Lonnie Burton by Lonnie Burton On August 17, 2015, an administrative law judge in Maryland ruled that state prison officials were guilty of sexually harassing and mistreating a transgender prisoner and awarded her $5,000 in damages. The ruling was the …
Prisoner's Wrongful Death FTCA Claim Dismissed For Lack of Jurisdiction by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The United States District Court for the District of Maryland has dismissed a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) case brought against the United States over the 2013 wrongful death of a prisoner held at …
$5,000 to Transgender Prisoner in Maryland Sexual Harassment Lawsuit by Lonnie Burton By Lonnie Burton On August 17, 2015, an administrative law judge in Maryland ruled that state prison officials were guilty of sexually harassing and mistreating a transgender prisoner and awarded her $5,000 in damages. The ruling was the …
Manchame-Guerra v. State of Maryland, MD, Confrontation Clause, 2017 Rudy Ismael Manchame-Guerra v. State of Maryland, No. 14, September Term, 2017 CRIMINAL LAW — CONFRONTATION CLAUSE — MARYLAND RULE 5-616(a)(4) — PENDING CHARGES — FACTUAL PROFFER REQUIRED FOR INQUIRY — The constitutional right of confrontation and Maryland Rule 5-616(a)(4) require …
Maryland Court of Special Appeals Upholds $200,000 Award for Police Shooting of Dog by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The Maryland Court of Special Appeals has affirmed a damages award against a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy who shot a family dog while attempting to serve an arrest warrant. The deputy, …
aryland v. Weddington, MD, Criminal Law, Right to Request Discharge of Counsel, 2017 State of Maryland v. Robert Clifford Weddington, No. 52, September Term, 2017. Opinion by Greene, J. CRIMINAL LAW — MARYLAND RULE 4-215 — RIGHT OF DEFENDANT TO REQUEST DISCHARGE OF COUNSEL The Court of Appeals held that …
Fourth Circuit Reverses Verdict for Police Officers in Excessive Force Case by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has reversed a jury verdict in favor of two police officers who allegedly battered and unlawfully arrested a woman for filming their arrest …
Gardner v. USA, MD, Memo re Jurisdiction, Wrongful Death Extreme Heat, 2017 Case 1:15-cv-02874-JKB Document 74 Filed 08/16/17 Page 1 of 7 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND * DOROTHY F. GARDNER et al., * Plaintiffs * v. * UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Defendant * …
Heroin Overdose Antidote Becoming More Widely Available, Including Behind Bars by Joe Watson by Joe Watson Just months after New York's prison system launched a heroin overdose prevention program by training prisoners to administer naloxone – an opioid overdose antidote also known as Narcan – Maryland made it easier to …
Settlement in Baltimore Prison Conditions Class-Action Suit by The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (MDPSCS) agreed to a settlement in a class-action suit challenging conditions of confinement and the provision of medical care at the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). The case encompassed BCDC and the Women’s …
Settlement in Baltimore Prison Conditions Class-action Suit by The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (MDPSCS) agreed to a settlement in a class-action suit challenging conditions of confinement and the provision of medical care at the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). The case encompassed BCDC and the Women’s …
Fourth Circuit Finds Internal Investigation Exception to PLRA’s Exhaustion Requirement by The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held a Maryland prisoner “reasonably believed that he had sufficiently exhausted [administrative] remedies by complying with an internal investigation” conducted by prison officials on his claims. Before the court was the appeal of …
Guards Liable in Maryland Prisoner’s Murder on Transport Bus by The Maryland Court of Appeals held a trial court erred in striking a jury’s finding that a guard was liable for gross negligence in the murder of a prisoner on a transport. The court further held gross negligence disentitles a …
Maryland DOC Suspends Volunteer, Drops Literature Program by Mikita Brottman led a reading and discussion group for nine Maryland prisoners serving life sentences at the Jessup Correctional Institution. A professor of literature at the Maryland Institute College of Art and a psychoanalyst, Brottman volunteered her time for two hours a …
Maryland Prisoner’s Death Occurs Under Unusual Circumstances by The death of prisoner Louis S. Leysath III, 35, at Maryland’s Jessup Correctional Institution was the subject of an investigation after he was found dead in a steam-filled cell on February 20, 2015. Leysath, serving a 30-year sentence after pleading guilty to …
“Demons” Push Chris Conover to Suicide 12 Years after Release by Release from prison is a great relief, and that is especially so for wrongfully convicted persons. The future, however, is wrought with difficulties, obstacles, and prejudice. For Chris Conover, it was a burden that overwhelmed him, pushing him to …
