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.
“You have these brand, spanking new, inexperienced officers being led to the slaughter,” a former CDCR lieutenant said. “Security measures are non-existent.”
With 850 correctional officer vacancies, the city turned to population reduction strategies, including fast-tracking cases and emergency bail reviews
Sgt. Mark Baserman died of brain injuries after being kicked and punched in a 2018 attack at SCI-Somerset; a panel of 12 jurors will decide if the inmate should face the death penalty
Ruling issued Monday halts enforcement of residency requirements in the measure known as Jessica’s Law
Complaint says jailers regularly put stun guns in a “drive stun” mode designed to cause continuous pain to someone resisting an officer
The three men convicted of killing three boys in 1993 have gained wide support from those who say they were wrongly convicted
Proposal would have allowed adults 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of pot, consume it in nonpublic places as long as no children were present, and grow it in small private plots
Proposition 19 would make marijuana essentially as legal as alcohol in California
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments for and against Senate Bill 1070, the attempt by Arizona lawmakers to crack down on illegal immigration in their state
‘When she talked to us, we listened. All of us loved Mother York.’
The suit claims only bibles are allowed in the jail
Research by Iowa State University sociology professor looks at the costs of different crimes
Corrections staff suffers as the California Department of Corrections faces an uphill battle
Opportunities for at-risk teenagers to avoid gang life
The Kentucky inmate has filed over 5,000 lawsuits since 2006
Man said his constitutional rights were violated because a jail didn’t provide him the newspapers or TV shows he wanted
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is awarding $50 million in grants over the next five years for HIV research
The commissioner came in as a reformer committed to reducing the recidivism rate that he said was the result of failed get-tough policies
Case had charged that rule against inmate voting disproportionately disenfranchised minority voters
The lawer was refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during a divorce hearing and was jailed for criminal contempt of court
Complaint says jail officials violating several of the magazine’s and inmates’ constitutional rights
Federal government is currently looking into his treatment of inmates, whom he forced to wear pink underwear, among other things
The U.S. Supreme Court has stepped into four Georgia death penalty cases in the last year or so, and it could yet again intervene
Hasan’s lawyer is also asking for a change of venue
A decision in Orange County says deputies didn’t violate rights by making a woman take off her religiously mandated headscarf for security reasons
In overturning his conviction, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said last week that Pittsburg police had engaged in tactics — sometimes called the Miranda two-step — that the U.S. Supreme Court condemned in a 2004 ruling
A judge threw out the results which registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent
Inmates’ attorneys say Ohio fails to consistently enforce mandatory training requirements
Jailers say that comparing fingerprints against national database will determine whether inmates are here legally
Hadley Jons posted that defendant was guilty before trial ended