Legal
Legal issues in the correctional system encompass various topics, including inmate rights, staff conduct, and compliance with state and federal laws. This directory offers articles and resources on the legal aspects of correctional facility operations, helping staff stay informed about the regulations and policies that govern their work. Understanding legal responsibilities is essential for minimizing liability and ensuring facilities operate within the law. For more information, explore our section on Corrections Policies.
The former corrections electronics technician admitted to trafficking fentanyl, meth, knives and contraband cellphones into the Bonne Terre facility
James Osgood was convicted of killing Tracy Lynn Brown and declined to appeal his sentence, saying he deserved to die
Derek Chauvin, convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed in prison and is now serving his sentence in a different facility
Bill comes in response to an investigationthat found one in five inmates at the state’s 41 fire camps have been convicted of violent crimes, including attacks on officers
Randy Chaviano will get a new trial in 2005 shooting
Law says a judge must reduce a death sentence to life in prison without parole if he determines race was a significant factor to impose the penalty
Reform movement calls for fewer prisons, shorter sentences, and lower incarceration rates
Juan Farias Mendoza died in 2007 after a physical exchange with detention officers in one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jails
Offenders say they were held past their release dates and deserve compensation
Legal troubles often stem from military service, judges say
Officials to consider whether juveniles convicted of killing someone may be locked up for life with no chance of parole
Judges already can bar testimony when the police do something to influence a witness
Mark Jordan was suspended without pay from his job as a corrections officer at the state prison in Concord in March 2010 after a fight in the parking lot after work
A jury trial date has been set in a lawsuit linked to the 2002 suicide of Shawnee County Jail inmate Anthony Stapleton
Conviction reversed due to lawyer errors
The jails, backed by the Obama administration, say people in jail have little, if any, expectation of privacy
A Bay Area federal CO who said she was harassed and repeatedly assaulted by a male co-worker after breaking up with him sued the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, alleging that it ignored her many pleas for protection
Court found that Lyralisa Stevens is not entitled to a gender change operation while serving 50 years to life
Man claims he was raped by fellow inmates
Case could lay the groundwork for similar appeals by as many as 20 other inmates
Corrections officials deny allegations that it targets vulnerable groups
Released man was jailed for hitting cop
Robert Bostic’s calls from jail are critical evidence, prosecutor Ken LaRue argued
The state alleges that “Project Freedom Fund” charged inmates and their families a $350 consulting fee for legal services, marketing themselves as a watchdog agency over inadequate public defenders
The inmate, Eric Schnetz who was serving a one-year sentence for domestic violence suffered a broken neck and subsequent loss of the use of his arms and legs during a tackle in 2004
The commission’s vote was in response to a law signed by President Obama last Aug. 3 that established lower penalties for crack offenses and eliminated a mandatory five-year prison term for simple possession of crack
It is projected that the reform law will save taxpayers $46.3 million over three years
The inmate crews provide a vital work force in a state where wildfires burn hundreds of homes and tens of thousands of acres in a typical year
ACLU brought the lawsuit against the Moncks Corner jail for allowing only religious material and turning away the monthly newsletter Prison Legal News
Some minimum-security inmates volunteer for the farm, where they grow tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn and other crops
Under the bill, prisoners would be billed for the cost of housing, feeding and medical care
Under the Secure Communities program, initiated by President Obama, the fingerprints of anyone booked into a county jail are automatically cross-checked against immigration databases
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