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Extensive Contraband Found During Shakedowns at Mississippi Prisons

Article • August 30, 2017 • from PLN September, 2017

Filed under: Management and Training Corporation, Prison/Common Area Searches, Prisoner Property

Extensive Contraband Found During Shakedowns at Mississippi Prisons by A surprise predawn shakedown on March 3, 2017 yielded an “excessive amount of contraband” at one of Mississippi’s three privately-operated prisons, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) Interim Commissioner Pelicia Hall. The search at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility was …

Mississippi Supreme Court Allows Challenge of Lethal Injection Protocol to Continue; Reverses Lower Court

Article • August 21, 2017

Filed under: Medication, Eighth Amendment, Death Penalty

Mississippi Supreme Court Allows Challenge of Lethal Injection Protocol to Continue; Reverses Lower Court by Lonnie Burton by Lonnie Burton On December 15, 2016, a 5-4 ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court revived a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 lawsuit brought by a death row prisoner who claimed he will suffer cruel …

Hood v. Global Tel Link, MS, Settlement, Bribery and Conspiracy, 2017

Brief • August 4, 2017

Filed under: Contractor Misconduct, Government Misconduct, Attorneys General, Telephone Rates

Hood v. Global Tel Link, MS, Settlement, Bribery and Conspiracy, 2017 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE This Settlement Agreement and Release ("Agreement") is entered. into by and between Jim Hood, Attorney General of the State of Mississippi ex rel. The State of Mississippi (''the State"), and Global Tel*Link Corporation ("GTL") through …

Hood v. Keefe Commissary, MO, Complaint - Commissary Kickback Conspiracy, 2017

Brief • August 3, 2017

Filed under: DOC/BOP misconduct, Conspiracy (Civil Procedure), Contractor Liability

Hood v. Keefe Commissary, MO, Complaint - Commissary Kickback Conspiracy, 2017 Case: 25CI1:17-cv-00081-WLK Document #: 1 Filed: 02/08/2017 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE FIRST JUDICIAL DIST OF HINDS COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI JIM HOOD, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, ex rei. THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, Plaintiff, Page 1 of …

Dismissal of Personal Injury Claim for Damages from Malfunctioning Jail Gate Upheld

Article • July 28, 2017 • from PLN August, 2017

Filed under: Injury -- Misc.

Dismissal of Personal Injury Claim for Damages from Malfunctioning Jail Gate Upheld by The Mississippi Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a visitor’s claim for damages that resulted from a malfunctioning gate at a county jail. The August 23, 2016 ruling upheld the dismissal of Ladonna Ware’s claim. …

Alexander v. GTL, MI, Class Action Complaint, RICO Act Claims, 2017

Brief • July 13, 2017

Filed under: Contractor Misconduct, Telephones

Alexander v. GTL, MI, Class Action Complaint, RICO Act Claims, 2017 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI NORTHERN DIVISION ELIZABETH R. ALEXANDER, JOHN P. ALEXANDER, MARY SESSUMS, SANDRA GLASSMIRE, JAI GIBSON, SHARON JOSEPH, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated PLAINTIFFS V. …

Dismissal of Mississippi Prisoner’s Suit Over Grievance Retaliation Upheld

Article • June 30, 2017 • from PLN July, 2017

Filed under: Retaliation for Filing Grievances

Dismissal of Mississippi Prisoner’s Suit Over Grievance Retaliation Upheld by The dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Mississippi state prisoner Bobby Wilson, Jr., alleging violation of his free speech rights and retaliation by prison officials, was upheld by the Mississippi Court of Appeals on August 30, 2016. Wilson claimed that …

“Deal with the Devil” Turning on Mississippi Counties

Article • June 30, 2017 • from PLN July, 2017

Filed under: Management and Training Corporation, Prison Labor, Cost of Prison Systems

“Deal with the Devil” Turning on Mississippi Counties by David Reutter by David Reutter As mass incarceration in the United States grew between 1990 and 2005, many lawmakers decided to ride the wave of “tough on crime” rhetoric by building new correctional facilities to house the increasing number of people …

Gangs, Privatization Create “Chaotic” Conditions in Mississippi Prisons

Article • June 5, 2017

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Prison Gangs, Totality of Conditions, Class Certification, Cell Phone Access, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death)

Gangs, Privatization Create “Chaotic” Conditions in Mississippi Prisons by David Reutter By David Reutter Mention prison and most people imagine dark thoughts.  The reasons for those thoughts vary from a fear of losing personal freedom to the images from Hollywood that portray prison as a gladiator school where violence reigns …

Hood v. Branan, MI, Settlement, 2017

Brief • May 16, 2017

Filed under: Medical Misconduct, Medical, Private Contractors

Hood v. Branan, MI, Settlement, 2017

Bonds Used to Finance Private Prisons, Jails Turn into Junk

Article • May 5, 2017 • from PLN May, 2017

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems

Bonds Used to Finance Private Prisons, Jails Turn into Junk by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The promise of safe, humane and less costly prisons has been used for decades by the private prison industry to sell its products. As prison populations skyrocketed, local, state and federal governments became convinced …

Healthcare and Handcuffs: BOP Assigns Medical Staff to Security Positions

Article • May 5, 2017 • from PLN May, 2017

Filed under: Staffing, Staff Training

Healthcare and Handcuffs: BOP Assigns Medical Staff to Security Positions by Christopher Zoukis by Christopher Zoukis The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), facing chronic guard shortages, has resorted to either paying overtime to officers who work additional shifts or assigning nurses and other healthcare staff to security positions. In the …

Hood v. Global Tel Link, MS, Complaint, Bribery and Conspiracy, 2017

Brief • February 8, 2017

Filed under: Contractor Misconduct, Government Misconduct, Attorneys General, Telephone Rates

Hood v. Global Tel Link, MS, Complaint, Bribery and Conspiracy, 2017 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF RANKIN COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI fE ~ l lE r FEB -8 2017 JIM HOOD, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MI~SISSIPPI, ex rel. THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, Plaintiff, rnn' t1J' v. CIVIL ACTION NO.: ---'/_r_-_;;z_--"-']_ …

Mississippi: Hinds County Jails in Crisis, Face Mandated Reforms

Article • January 10, 2017 • from PLN January, 2017

Filed under: Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Gang Policies, Prison Gangs, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Plumbing, Sewage, Jail Specific, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Dogs, Overdetention, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

Mississippi: Hinds County Jails in Crisis, Face Mandated Reforms by David Reutter The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a letter in May 2015 that described the findings of an investigation which concluded two jails in Hinds County, Mississippi were violating prisoners’ rights. The county has since entered into a …

Adams County After Action Report, fBOP, 2012

Publication • December 29, 2016

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Rebellion, Guard Brutality/Beatings

Adams County After Action Report, fBOP, 2012 e Th e iv at ig st ve In Fu nd e Th e iv at ig st ve In Fu nd e Th e iv at ig st ve In Fu nd e Th e iv at ig st ve In Fu …

Audit of the fBOP’s Contract with CoreCivic to Operate the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, MI, OIG, 2016

Publication • December 29, 2016

Filed under: Private Prisons, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Rebellion

Audit of the fBOP’s Contract with CoreCivic to Operate the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, MI, OIG, 2016 Office of the Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice Audit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Contract with CoreCivic, Inc. to Operate the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Mississippi Audit …

Class-action Certified in Challenge to Treatment of Mentally Ill Mississippi Prisoners

Article • November 7, 2016 • from PLN November, 2016

Filed under: Management and Training Corporation, Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness)

Class-action Certified in Challenge to Treatment of Mentally Ill Mississippi Prisoners by David Reutter In September 2015, a Mississippi federal district court certified as a class-action a lawsuit challenging the treatment and conditions afforded mentally ill prisoners at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF). The court further held that the …

Private Prison Company Not Liable for Guard's Death in Riot

Article • November 1, 2016

Filed under: Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Prison Rebellion, Failure to Protect (General), Contractor Liability, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Protect (Staff)

Private Prison Company Not Liable for Guard's Death in Riot by Lonnie Burton Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) successfully moved in federal court to dismiss a suit brought by the survivors of a guard who was killed by prisoners during a riot in 2012. On May 20, 2012, prisoners rioted …

Francis v. Wroten, MS, Complaint and Request for Jury Trial, Guard Assault, 2016

Brief • September 28, 2016

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Staff Training, Fourteenth Amendment, rights

Francis v. Wroten, MS, Complaint and Request for Jury Trial, Guard Assault, 2016 Case 5:16-cv-00086-DCB-MTP Document 1 Filed 09/28/16 Page 1 of 7 Case 5:16-cv-00086-DCB-MTP Document 1 Filed 09/28/16 Page 2 of 7 Case 5:16-cv-00086-DCB-MTP Document 1 Filed 09/28/16 Page 3 of 7 Case 5:16-cv-00086-DCB-MTP Document 1 Filed 09/28/16 Page …

GEO Group Fined More Than $100,000 (by OSHA)

Article • September 9, 2016

Filed under: GEO Group/Wackenhut, Contractor Misconduct, Work Conditions/Safety, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Staff)

GEO Group Fined More Than $100,000 (by OSHA) by Prison profiteer GEO Group was cited by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) in a June 2012 report with six safety and health violations—totaling $104,000 in fines—at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility, which the company formerly managed. OSHA said that, …