Search | Prison Legal News

News in Brief

Article • November 1, 2020 • from PLN November, 2020

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: The Birmingham News reported that an Alabama prison guard had been arrested for drug trafficking after a search of his vehicle when he arrived for work at the St. Clair County prison turned up 138 grams of methamphetamine and 16 grams of heroin. Ivan Caldwell, …

Captain Accused of Abusing Mentally Ill Prisoners Cleared in Internal Investigation

Article • November 1, 2020 • from PLN November, 2020

Filed under: Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

Captain Accused of Abusing Mentally Ill Prisoners Cleared in Internal Investigation by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss A captain with the St. Louis County Justice Services Center in Clayton, Missouri was under investigation for allegedly abusing prisoners with histories of mental health problems. The captain had been accused of assaulting …

Missouri Downsizing Prisons to Save Cash

Article • October 1, 2020 • from PLN October, 2020

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Alternative Sentencing

Missouri Downsizing Prisons to Save Cash by Bill Barton by Bill Barton Missouri Governor Mike Parson on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, announced a plan to close a number of housing units at prisons throughout the state. Budget director Dan Haug said, ‘‘What they are doing is they are consolidating space …

Postawko v. Missouri Department of Corrections, Motion for Preliminary Injuction, Medical Neglect of Hepatitis C, 2019

Brief • August 15, 2020

Filed under: Medical Misconduct, Hepatitis, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Nat'l Commission on Correctional Health Care

Postawko v. Missouri Department of Corrections, Motion for Preliminary Injuction, Medical Neglect of Hepatitis C, 2019 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI CENTRAL DIVISION 1 2 3 4 MICHAEL G. POSTAWKO, et al., Plaintiffs, 5 6 7 V. MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, et al., 8 ) …

Former Missouri Jail Prisoner Ordered to Repay $1.3 Million Settlement for Faking Injuries But Whereabouts Unknown

Article • June 1, 2020 • from PLN June, 2020

Filed under: Settlements

Former Missouri Jail Prisoner Ordered to Repay $1.3 Million Settlement for Faking Injuries But Whereabouts Unknown by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins On October 17, 2019 a former Missouri prisoner accused of faking injuries while in Boone County Jail was ordered to repay almost $1.3 million from a settlement in which …

$200,000 Awarded to Missouri Prison Guard Over Sexual Harassment, Retaliation

Article • June 1, 2020 • from PLN June, 2020

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances

$200,000 Awarded to Missouri Prison Guard Over Sexual Harassment, Retaliation by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On October 3, 2019, a Missouri jury entered judgment in favor of a former Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) employee who alleged she had suffered workplace sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation. The jury …

Keown v. Saint Louis County, MO, Complaint, Medical Neglect, 2020

Brief • April 17, 2020

Filed under: Failure to Treat

Keown v. Saint Louis County, MO, Complaint, Medical Neglect, 2020 Case: 4:20-cv-00551-SRC Doc. #: 1 Filed: 04/17/20 Page: 1 of 16 PageID #: 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION CHRISTOPHER KEOWN, ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Plaintiff, …

They Went to Jail. Then They Say They Were Strapped to a Chair for Days.

Article • April 1, 2020 • from PLN April, 2020

Filed under: Jail Misconduct, Restraints

They Went to Jail. Then They Say They Were Strapped to a Chair for Days. by Maurice Chammah Allegations in a Missouri lawsuit shed light on how some jail officials use restraint chairs, which have been linked to dozens of deaths. by Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project, published in partnership …

$300,000 Settlement in Lincoln County Missouri Jail Attempted Suicide Suit

Article • March 4, 2020 • from PLN March, 2020

Filed under: Settlements, Suicides

$300,000 Settlement in Lincoln County Missouri Jail Attempted Suicide Suit by Chad Marks by Chad Marks Mark A. Jaconski was arrested on June 17, 2015, for outstanding traffic warrants and taken to Mercy Hospital for a “fit for confinement” determination. Hospital officials made that determination and Jaconski was transported to …

Missouri Requires County Jails to House State Prisoners, Then Doesn’t Pay for Them

Article • February 4, 2020 • from PLN February, 2020

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Jail Specific

Missouri Requires County Jails to House State Prisoners, Then Doesn’t Pay for Them by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The state government in Missouri owes counties more than $33 million for housing and transporting state prisoners during fiscal year 2019. Although state law places no cap on the …

Street v. O'Toole, MO, Complaint, Protest, 2020

Brief • January 15, 2020

Filed under: Protests

Street v. O'Toole, MO, Complaint, Protest, 2020 Case: 4:19-cv-02590-CDP Doc. #: 13 Filed: 01/15/20 Page: 1 of 68 PageID #: 1466 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION ALICIA STREET, et.al Plaintiffs, v. LT. COL. LAWRENCE OTOOLE, et. al Defendants. ) ) ) ) ) …

Missouri County Votes to Eliminate Jail Fees, Wiping Out $3.4 Million in Debt for Former Prisoners

Article • January 9, 2020 • from PLN January, 2020

Filed under: Filing Fees, Bond Fees, Booking Fees

Missouri County Votes to Eliminate Jail Fees, Wiping Out $3.4 Million in Debt for Former Prisoners by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In August 2019, a half-dozen 10-year-old jail fees were eliminated by the county council in St. Louis, Missouri, wiping out nearly $3.4 million in debt for unpaid fees …

Doe v. Bearden, MO, Complaint, Sexual Assault, 2019

Brief • December 16, 2019

Filed under: Sexual Assault

Doe v. Bearden, MO, Complaint, Sexual Assault, 2019 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI JANE DOE, ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Plaintiff, v. EDWARD BEARDEN, In his Individual Capacity, and ANNE L. PRECYTHE, Director …

Brown v. Drummond, MO, Order Approving Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2019

Brief • November 7, 2019

Filed under: Failure to Treat, Malpractice, Eighth Amendment, Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Failure to Protect (Staff), Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights

Brown v. Drummond, MO, Order Approving Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2019 ( Case: 4:17-cv-01679-SNLJ Doc. #: 49 Filed: 11/07/19 Page: 1 of 11 PageID #: 144 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION MONICA BROWN, Individually and as Heir of Mark A. Jaconski, Deceased, …

Organization Connected to Missouri Prison Director Gets No-Bid Contract

Article • November 6, 2019 • from PLN November, 2019

Organization Connected to Missouri Prison Director Gets No-Bid Contract by Scott Grammer by Scott Grammer Staffing shortages in the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) have been problematic for a number of years, due in part to a high turnover rate fueled by the fact that MDOC employees are among the …

Missouri Sheriff Tells Judge that County Won’t Pay for Prisoners’ Food, Medical Care

Article • November 6, 2019 • from PLN November, 2019

Filed under: Medical, Food

Missouri Sheriff Tells Judge that County Won’t Pay for Prisoners’ Food, Medical Care by Bill Barton by Bill Barton In April 2019, Clay County Sheriff Paul Vescovo sued the Missouri county’s three-member commission, claiming that it slashed his operating budget by over 40 percent “in retaliation for a criminal referral …

Missouri Jury Awards $113.7 Million to Prison Guards Required to Work Without Pay

Article • November 5, 2019 • from PLN November, 2019

Filed under: Guards/Staff, Employee Litigation

Missouri Jury Awards $113.7 Million to Prison Guards Required to Work Without Pay by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On September 14, 2018, a Missouri state court issued an amended final judgment in a class-action lawsuit brought by Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) guards who alleged they were required to …

Estate of Reavis v. Saint Louis County, MO, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2020

Brief • October 25, 2019

Filed under: Wrongful Death, Medical Neglect/Malpractice

Estate of Reavis v. Saint Louis County, MO, Complaint, Wrongful Death, 2020 Case: 4:19-cv-02916 Doc. #: 1 Filed: 10/25/19 Page: 1 of 23 PageID #: 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI TAMARA REAVIS, Individually and ) on behalf of the Heirs at Law of LARRY ) REAVIS, …

Report: Summit Food Services Provides Inadequate Nutrition at Missouri Jail

Article • October 7, 2019 • from PLN October, 2019

Filed under: Food, Jail Specific

Report: Summit Food Services Provides Inadequate Nutrition at Missouri Jail by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Attorney and retired judge Gary Oxenhandler conducted a study in 2017 on the prisoner population at the Boone County Jail (BCJ) in Columbia, Missouri. He reported that prisoners were complaining about the quality and …

Class Certified in Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Parole Violation Procedures

Article • October 3, 2019 • from PLN October, 2019

Filed under: Class Certification, Parole

Class Certified in Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Parole Violation Procedures by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter In January 2019, a Missouri federal district court certified a class in a lawsuit alleging the state incarcerates thousands of people without providing due process before depriving them of their liberty interest during …