Search | Prison Legal News

Former Maine Prison Guard Arrested  and Detained by ICE Agents

Article • August 1, 2025 • from PLN August, 2025

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Guards/Staff, Immigration Law/Offenses

Former Maine Prison Guard Arrested and Detained by ICE Agents by Gratien Milandou-Wamba, 32, fled to the United States on a tourist visa in 2023 from the Republic of the Congo; he applied for asylum several months later, claiming that he had been tortured in his home country because of …

U.S. Pulls $1.5 Million in Funding from Maine DOC  Over a Single Trans Prisoner

Article • June 1, 2025 • from PLN June, 2025

Filed under: Totality of Conditions, Transgender

U.S. Pulls $1.5 Million in Funding from Maine DOC Over a Single Trans Prisoner by A dustup over trans athletes in high school sports between Pres. Donald J. Trump (R) and Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) spilled over into that state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) on April 8, 2025, when …

Suboxone Manufacturer’s Delayed-Release Buprenorphine Injections Show Promise at Maine Jail

Article • March 1, 2025 • from PLN March, 2025

Filed under: Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Drug Overdose, Drug Treatment/Rehab

Suboxone Manufacturer’s Delayed-Release Buprenorphine Injections Show Promise at Maine Jail by The stock price of Richmond, Virginia-based Indivior PLC was down 20% in the first 12 days of February 2025, after delayed approval from the federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of label changes on its Sublocade medication—a single injection …

Mentally Incompetent Maine Defendants Sent to South Carolina Wellpath Lockup Called “Essentially Prison”

Article • January 15, 2025 • from PLN January, 2025

Filed under: Private Contractors, Bankruptcy, Mental Health, Involuntary Treatment/Drugging

Mentally Incompetent Maine Defendants Sent to South Carolina Wellpath Lockup Called “Essentially Prison” by Pre-trial detainees found not criminally responsible in Maine are being quietly transferred from the state’s Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta to Columbia Regional Care Center, a South Carolina psychiatric lockup owned by Wellpath, Inc. Wellpath has …

News in Brief

Article • December 15, 2024 • from PLN December, 2024

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: Wiregrass Daily News reported that Mobile Metro Jail guard Timothy Lee Scarbrough, 39, was arrested on September 9, 2024, and charged with first-degree sodomy for the alleged sexual assaulting of a detainee who was still under the effects of anesthesia after eye surgery. Scarbrough had …

Maine State Prison Warden Replaced As Misconduct Allegations Investigated

Article • October 15, 2024 • from PLN October, 2024

Filed under: Guard Misconduct, Disciplinary Hearings

Maine State Prison Warden Replaced As Misconduct Allegations Investigated by An investigation into staff misconduct at Maine State Prison (MSP) resulted in replacement of its top leader. New Warden Nathan Thayer began work on May 20, 2024. Meanwhile, state Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Randall Liberty had no update on …

Solitary Confinement Prompts Lawsuit in Massachusetts, Hunger Strike in Maine

Article • September 15, 2024 • from PLN September, 2024

Filed under: Hunger Strikes, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement Prompts Lawsuit in Massachusetts, Hunger Strike in Maine by A suit filed by six Massachusetts prisoners on July 1, 2024, alleges that conditions in what the state Department of Corrections (DOC) calls a “Secure Adjustment Unit” (SAU) are no different from solitary confinement—something state legislators outlawed in 2018. …

First Circuit Tolls Claim for Maine Jail Death from Date of Detainee’s Injury, Rather Than When He Died

Article • August 15, 2024 • from PLN August, 2024

Filed under: Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Pretrial Detention and Detainees

First Circuit Tolls Claim for Maine Jail Death from Date of Detainee’s Injury, Rather Than When He Died by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney Of the many hurdles prisoners and jail detainees face, the statute of limitations for a civil rights claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is among the first. …

HRDC Awarded Over $130,000 in Legal Costs and Fees for Defendant’s “Bad Faith” in Maine Records Lawsuit

Article • April 1, 2024 • from PLN April, 2024

Filed under: Attorney Fee Awards, Public Records Act, HRDC Litigation

HRDC Awarded Over $130,000 in Legal Costs and Fees for Defendant’s “Bad Faith” in Maine Records Lawsuit by David Reutter by David M. Reutter On January 16, 2024, Maine’s Superior Court for Kennebec County ordered state officials to pay $130,600.02 in attorney fees and legal costs to PLN’s publisher, the …

Maine Prison Official Charged with Theft and Bribery in Decade-Long Kickback Scheme

Article • February 1, 2024 • from PLN February, 2024

Filed under: DOC/BOP misconduct, Corrections Audits, Kickback Scheme, Fraud and Theft Loss

Maine Prison Official Charged with Theft and Bribery in Decade-Long Kickback Scheme by A deputy prison superintendent with the Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) was arrested and charged with theft and bribery on July 25, 2023. Gerald E. Merrill, 61, is accused of using his state-issued credit card over the …

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Risk Management, ME, Proposed Order, Public Records, 2024

Brief • January 16, 2024

Filed under: Public Records, Public Records Act

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Risk Management, ME, Proposed Order, Public Records, 2024 CAPITAL JUDICIAL CENTER AUGUSTA COURTS I COURT STREET, SUITE 101 AUGUSTA, MAINE 04330 II) Ill :3 (.) .,:. Ill 0:: r;:: us POSTAGE P Hic:Y BOWE ~~~ ~f ~~330 $ 000.630 M1 1 :J006068209 JAN 16 2024 …

Maine Ends Prison Gerrymandering

Article • January 1, 2024 • from PLN January, 2024

Filed under: Voting, Census, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute

Maine Ends Prison Gerrymandering by Maine became the latest state to end prison gerrymandering on June 30, 2023, when Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed LD 1704/HP 1093 into law and joined 16 other states to count prisoners at their home address instead of the prison where they are incarcerated. The …

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Risk Management, ME, Order, Public Records, 2023

Brief • December 21, 2023

Filed under: Public Records, Public Records Act

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Risk Management, ME, Order, Public Records, 2023 STATE OF MAINE KENNEBEC, ss. SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV-21-131 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, ) ) ) ) Plaintiff, ) ORDER V. MAINE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION SELF-FUNDED RISK MANAGEMENT POOL, Defendant ) ) ) ) ) …

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Association Self-Funder Risk Management Pool, ME, Order, Denial of FOIA Request, 2023

Brief • December 21, 2023

Filed under: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

HRDC v. Maine County Commissioners Association Self-Funder Risk Management Pool, ME, Order, Denial of FOIA Request, 2023 STATE OF MAINE KENNEBEC, ss. SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV-21-131 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, Plaintiff, V. MAINE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION SELF-FUNDED RISK MANAGEMENT POOL, Defendant ) ) ) ) ) ORDER …

News in Brief

Article • December 1, 2023 • from PLN December, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: Within 48-hours of booking into the Morgan County Jail on August 29, 2023, Miles Rea Batson, 39, had two second-degree assault charges added to his public intoxication charge as well as another for disarming a law enforcement agent. WHNT in Huntsville reported that during booking …

Last Maine Parolee Released

Article • December 1, 2023 • from PLN December, 2023

Filed under: Probation, Parole & Supervised Release

Last Maine Parolee Released by Steven R. Clark, 68, the last prisoner eligible for parole since Maine abolished its parole system in 1976, was released after receiving approval from the state Parole Board on June 9, 2023. He had been denied parole in 2018 but had been granted parole previously …

News in Brief

Article • November 15, 2023 • from PLN November, 2023

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: Three jail guards in the Yellowhammer State were hit with drug smuggling charges in August 2023 and another the month after. WAFF in Huntsville reported that Morgan County Jail guard Bobby Simmons, 19, was arrested on August 3, 2023, when he was charged with promoting …

HRDC v. MCCA Self-Funded Risk Management, Letter Re Payment Made to Risk Pool, Public Records, 2023

Brief • September 27, 2023

Filed under: Public Records, Public Records Act

HRDC v. MCCA Self-Funded Risk Management, Letter Re Payment Made to Risk Pool, Public Records, 2023 PretiFlaherty Portland, ME Augusta, ME Concord, NH Jeffrey T. Edwards Boston, MA jedwards@p;eti.com 207.791.3209 Washington, DC September 27, 2023 Carol J. Garvan, Esq. ACLU P.O. Box 7860 Portland, ME 04112-760 RE: Human Rights Defense …

HRDC v. MCCA Self-Funded Risk Management, Supplement Documentation Pertaining to Payment in Settlement, Public Records, 2023

Brief • September 21, 2023

Filed under: Public Records, Public Records Act

HRDC v. MCCA Self-Funded Risk Management, Supplement Documentation Pertaining to Payment in Settlement, Public Records, 2023 PretiFlaherty Portland, ME Augusta, ME Concord, NH Jeffrey T. Edwards Boston, MA jedward~@preti.com Washington, DC 207791 .3209 September 21, 2023 Carol J. Garvan, Esq. ACLU P.O. Box 7860 Portland, ME 04112-760 RE: Human Rights …

The Lecturer at the Lockup: Maine Prisoner Is First to Teach College Courses from His Cell

Article • September 15, 2023 • from PLN September, 2023

Filed under: Education, Video Visitation

The Lecturer at the Lockup: Maine Prisoner Is First to Teach College Courses from His Cell by Professor Leo Hylton’s class is like almost every other at Colby College in Maine. Students form a circle with their chairs around their professor. His course on prison abolition – the movement to …