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PLN Loses Final Round in FDOC Writer Pay Ban / Censorship Suit by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a Florida district court’s grant of judgment to the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) in a lawsuit filed by PLN challenging the FDOC’s writer pay ban and policy of …
Article • July 15, 2008
Oregon Death Row Prisoner Awards Victims $58.5 Million by In September, 2007, an Oregon death row prisoner settled a wrongful death action brought by his victim’s family. The deal awards the family approximately $58.5 million, barring the prisoner from profiting from the story of his crimes. Just before Christmas, 2001, …
Maryland Son of Sam Statute Violates First Amendment by The Court of Appeals of Maryland vacated the judgment of the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in an action brought by the state attorney general against a prisoner for allegedly violating the state's Son of Sam' statute. Ronald W. Price was …
Article • May 15, 2007
Florida Son of Sam Law Upheld by The Florida District Court of Appeals for the First District, affirmed the Bradford County Circuit Court's decision to impose a lien against Danny Rolling, a convicted serial murderer, and his former wife (London), for proceeds of a book, art work, and autographs related …
California-Based Prison Supplier Awarded $2,250,000 For Fraud, Unfair Competition by California-Based Prison Supplier Awarded $2,250,000 For Fraud, Unfair Competition On April 30, 2002, a federal jury in San Jose, California, awarded Ferguson Safety Products (FSP)--a small Santa Cruz based manufacturer of jail and prison supplies--$2,250,000 against Defendant Bob Barker Company …
Florida DOC Clamps Down on Prisoner Writers by David Reutter by David M. Reutter In an effort to limit prisoners' free speech rights, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) has taken steps to prohibit prisoners from engaging in a business or profession. For some years now, the FDOC has had …
Article • June 15, 2006 • from PLN June, 2006
Nevadas Son of Sam Statute of Violates First Amendment by Mark Wilson Nevadas Son of Sam Statute of Violates First Amendment by Mark Wilson The Nevada Supreme Court held that the States Son of Sam law violates the First Amendment. In 1977, New York enacted the nations first Son of …
Texas Prisoner Writers Retaliation Lawsuit Proceeds by David Reutter Texas Prisoner Writers Retaliation Lawsuit Proceeds by David M. Reutter A Texas federal district court has granted in part and denied in part prison officials motion to dismiss Texas prisoners lawsuit alleging he was retaliated against for having articles published criticizing …
PLN Loses Florida Writer Pay Ban/Censorship by David Reutter Lawsuit: Appeal Pending by David M. Reutter A Florida federal district court has held that PLN has not suffered, and is not currently suffering, a significant First Amendment injury from Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) rule, policies, or procedures that ban …
Connecticut Prison Writers Settle Lawsuit, Writing Program Reinstated by Michael Rigby Connecticut Prison Writers Settle Lawsuit, Writing Program Reinstated by Michael Rigby Eight Connecticut prisoners who were sued by the state after the publication of their book, Couldn't Keep It To Myself: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters , will get …
PLN Sues Florida DOC Over Censorship and Writer Punishment by On January 12, 2004, Prison Legal News filed suit in federal district court in Jacksonville, Florida, against James Crosby, Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections and Chester Lambdin, the Warden of the Charlotte Correctional Institution, Joseph Thompson, warden 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 …
Article • December 15, 2002 • from PLN December, 2002
Son of Sam II Law Enacted in California by Son Of Sam II Law Enacted in California In a legislative move designed to circumvent a recent California Supreme Court ruling holding that California's "Son of Sam" law (which prohibited prisoners from profiting from their crime stories) was unconstitutional, Senate Bill …
Article • December 15, 2002 • from PLN December, 2002
California's "Son of Sam" Law Held Unconstitutional by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg The California Supreme Court overturned the state law confiscating a convicted felon's profits derived from any form of expressive material that recounted the exploits connected with his/her conviction. Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in …
Article • March 15, 2002 • from PLN March, 2002
New York Court Limits "Son of Sam" Law by New York Court Limits "Son of Sam" Law A New York appellate court affirmed a trial court ruling that, absent a state felony conviction and a complaint by the victim, the Crime Victims Board lacked authority to compel criminals to forfeit …
Washington Media Royalties Sentencing Condition Reversed by A Washington State Court of Appeals modified the sentence of childrapist Mary R. Letourneau by striking a requirement that inperson contact with her own children be supervised and lifting the prohibition on her profiting from any commercialization related to her crimes. In early …
Article • February 15, 1998 • from PLN February, 1998
Rhode Island Ban on Royalties to Felon Authors Struck Down by The supreme court of Rhode Island held that the state's Criminal Royalties Distribution Act (CRDA) of 1983, Title 12, chapter 25.1 of the general laws of Rhode Island, is unconstitutional. The CRDA requires that any funds felons receive from …