Absence of AEDPA in Texas Law Library May Toll Limitations by by Matthew T. Clarke The Fifth Circuit court of appeals has held that the absence of a copy of the Anti Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, (AEDPA) in a Texas prison's law library coupled with the prisoner's lack …
Texas Monitors Prisoners for-Signs of Al-Qaeda Recruitment by by Matthew T. Clarke Fears of possible al-Qaeda recruitment among prisoners in U.S. prisons have led officials to take a fresh look at prisoners with a view to their possible recruitment by al-Qaeda. Texas has taken the process to an extreme, closely …
Texas Probation Officer Charged With Having Juvenile Probationer's Baby by Gary Hunter Texas Probation Officer Charged With Having Juvenile Probationer's Baby by Gary Hunter Laura Hernandez, a 32 year old probation officer, was arrested October 30, 2003 when it was discovered that the father of her child was only 16 …
Dismissal of Prisoner's Divorce Petition Is Abuse of Discretion by Dismissal of Prisoner's Divorce Petition Is Abuse of Discretion A Texas state court of appeals has reversed the dismissal for want of prosecution of a Texas prisoner's divorce action. Joe Lee Buster, a Texas state prisoner, filed a suit for …
BOP Doctor Indicted, Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault by Bob Williams BOP Doctor Indicted, Pleads Guilty To Sexual Assault by Bob Williams On May 14, 2003, Dr. Carlos Baez, 41, a staff obstetrician-gynecologist in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), was indicted on three counts of sexual abuse of a …
Brief Statement of Operative Facts Satisfies Texas Pleading Requirement by by Matthew T. Clarke A Texas state court of appeals has held that a brief statement of operative facts of prior lawsuits satisfies the requirements of Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code (TCPRC) §§ 14.004 & 14.005. Theron Belton, a …
Texas Prisoners Have Right to Judicial Review of Administrative Finding by Texas Prisoners Have Right to Judicial Review of Administrative Finding A Texas state court of appeals has held that Texas state prisoners have a right to a judicial review of an administrative finding of destruction of state property in …
BOP, FBI Investigations in Texas, Oregon, Arizona, and California Federal Prisons by Michael Rigby BOP, FBI Investigations in Texas, Oregon, Arizona, and California Federal Prisons by Michael Rigby Murder, riots, drug overdoses, and allegations of official corruption have prompted the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the FBI to launch investigations …
Court Questions Federal Assault Conviction on Private Prison Guard by Court Questions Federal Assault Conviction on Private Prison Guard In a case applicable to all federal pris-oners incarcerated in private and state prisons the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held a federal prisoner who assaults a private person employed at …
$40.1 Million Verdict Against CSC in Texas Prisoner's Medical Neglect Death by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg A Tarrant County, Texas jury awarded $35 million for negligence in the death of a boot camp prisoner, plus $5.1 million in punitive damages, against Florida-based Correctional Services Corp. (CSC) and …
Feces Flinging Prisoners Receiving Lengthy Sentences by An emerging trend of sentences reveals that courts are imposing lengthy sentences on prisoners who throw bodily fluids on guards. In recent years, State Legislators have created new felony offenses that heavily penalize anyone who flings bodily fluids on guards. The philosophy behind …
Exceeding Doctor's Work Limit Order Actionable Under Eighth Amendment by The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that prison officials' forcing of a prisoner to work in excess of a four hour doctor-established daily limit, resulting in dangerous blood pressure elevation, was sufficient to state an Eighth Amendment civil …
Sentences Upheld for TransCor Driver Who Raped and Terrorized Prisoners by Sentences Upheld for TransCor Driver Who Raped and Terrorized Prisoners by Matthew T. Clarke A Texas court of appeals has upheld a TransCor driver's two-year sentence for having sex with a prisoner and ten-year sentence for sexual assault of …
Texas Prisoners May Challenge Loss of Good Time Class Via Habeas Corpus by Texas Prisoners May Challenge Loss of Good Time Class Via Habeas Corpus by Matthew T. Clarke The Fifth Circuit court of appeals has held that prisoners whose mandatory release dates are adversely affected by a change in …
DeLay/TRMPAC Indictments Include Cornell Contributions by by Matthew T. Clarke On September 21, 2004, a Travis County, Texas, grand jury handed down 33 felony indictments against people and corporations associated with Republican U. S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom Delay and the Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action …
Cornell Half Way House Employees Charged with Drug Trafficking by The Ben Reid Community Correctional Facility in northeast Houston is run by Houston-based Cornell Companies, Inc., under a $4.8 million contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In May, 2004, Roy Thomas, 50, Ben Reid's director of employee training, …
Non-Sex-Offender Parolee Entitled to Due Process Before Being Treated As Sex Offender by by Matthew T. Clarke The Fifth Circuit court of appeals held that a parolee who has never been convicted of a sex offense is entitled to a due process hearing prior to being required to register as …
Class Certification in Texas Jail Court Access Case by The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas that refused to grant class certification of a suit brought by indigent prisoners of the Bexar County Jail in Texas regarding the inadequacy of …
Prison Writers Punished for Success in Connecticut and Texas by Gary Hunter Censorship has slithered like an unseen serpent into the crevices of the First Amendment and built its noxious nest in our nation's prisons. Prisons across the country, both state and federal, have singled out prison writers for persecution …
Pro Se Tips and Tactics: Magistrate Judges in Federal Courts by John Midgley If you are representing yourself in federal court, you should become familiar with how prison cases may be handled by magistrate judges. This column looks at magistrate judge authority in federal cases, and at a recent Supreme …
