Lawsuit By California Youth Alliance Prompts County Probation Chiefs to Dissolve Secretive Nonprofit by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott On June 23, 2023, a group consisting of 55 of the 58 California county probation chiefs quietly disbanded the nonprofit they formed out of the public’s eye to provide …

Organizations Acting as Government Subject to Public Records, Open Meetings Laws by David Reutter by David Reutter A Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s decision that the Jefferson County Economics Development and Oversight Committee, Inc. (EDOC) is not subject to provisions of the State Public Records and Open …

Life Without Parole by Beth Schwartzapfel Life Without Parole Inside the secretive world of parole boards, where your freedom may depend on politics and whim. by Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project* Reynaldo Rodriguez was 19 with a young son, a good job and no criminal record when he shot and …

Legislation Removes Secrecy from Georgia Parole Board’s Proceedings, Decisions by David Reutter Legislation Removes Secrecy from Georgia Parole Board’s Proceedings, Decisions by David M. Reutter Unlike any other state agency, Georgia’s Board of Pardons and Paroles (GBPP) makes its major decisions behind closed doors, and virtually all the information contained …

Electronic Court Records Permissible in Florida, but Restricting Disclosure is Not by Florida’s Supreme Court has implemented rules related to court reporting services and the use of electronic recordings of court proceedings. The rules were promulgated as amendments to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and the Florida Rules of …

Nevada Prisoners Can Not Use State’s Open Meeting Law to Circumvent Psych Review by The Nevada Supreme Court has held that a life-sentenced prisoner cannot sue the state’s Psychological Review Panel (Panel) for damages under the Open Meeting Law due to the Panel’s denial of a psychological clearance needed to …

Nevada DOC Psych Hearings Not Exempt From Suit As Judicial Proceedings by Nevada State pro se prisoner Robert Stockmeier appealed the 2002 dismissal of his action against the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) for statutory procedure violations. A closed hearing led to his parole denial after uncharged accusations were heard …

Montana DOC Must Have Open Meetings On Proposals for Construction of New Prison by The Great Falls Tribune, a Montana newspaper, sued the state Department of Corrections (DOC) to compel it to conduct open negotiations regarding the construction of a new prison. The trial court held that the DOC didn't …