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.
Dr. Beth Fischgrund alleged she was fired and defamed after reporting safety threats and staff misconduct at Salinas Valley State Prison
A body scanner revealed a concealed firearm in Arquishia Brown’s bra after she was booked at Bay County Jail
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The family of the victim, Lisha Gayle, and the prosecutor objected to the execution of Marcellus Williams, saying they wanted his sentence commuted to life in prison
Freddie Owens was convicted of the 1997 killing of a Greenville convenience store clerk during a robbery; while on trial, he killed an inmate at a county jail
Combs, 54, was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — a place that’s been described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy”
Boise PD responded to what they thought was an active shooter at the hospital; an IDOC officer was shot by a police officer who mistook him to be a gunman near the entrance
The ex-Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office deputy admitted that he smuggled drugs and a phone into an inmate, including fentanyl and cocaine, for distribution among other inmates
The music mogul is charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking; the indictment lists allegations that go back to 2008
A judge ordered a former New Mexico prison medical provider to pay $100 per day for withholding public records from the Human Rights Defense Center for nearly four years
The policy shift comes after a judge in August ruled he would vacate an elderly man’s sentence if he was sent to MDC Brooklyn, citing the jail’s “barbaric conditions”
The inmate shared specific details of who he planned to contact “on the outside” and that he would have them shoot the prosecutor while she was in her car
The settlement also requires CDCR to distribute a policy memorandum to employees that better protects the rights of visitors who have to undergo strip searches
Because of previous escape attempts, the inmate had shackles on her legs, wrists and waist during the ride; she was still able to roll down a window in the van and jump out
Three bags of “crystal like substance” were discovered in the Staton Correctional Facility CO’s vehicle after an officer and K-9 conducted a sniff search in the facility’s parking lot
Prison officials say the policy prevents perpetrators from gaining fame and stops inmates from sending coded messages, keeping prisons safer
Weinstein has been in and out of Bellevue Hospital since returning to Rikers Island in April after his 2020 rape and sexual assault convictions were overturned for a new trial
The union representing the COs supported the legislation due to privacy concerns after the repeal of law 50-a, which removed privacy protections
The inmate was already serving a life sentence for previous violent crimes; the DOJ said last year that it would not seek the death penalty against him in Bulger’s killing
Trump’s case “stands alone, in a unique place in this Nation’s history,” the judge wrote
The bill would have allowed inmates convicted of murders before June 5, 1990, and who have served at least 25 years, to seek parole
State regulators warned the county that Los Padrinos did not reach a mandated ratio of one officer per 10 youths for 15 of 87 shifts in July
The agreement includes a behavior management program and a skills-based curriculum with daily structured activities at the Manson Youth Institution
Danilo Cavalcante escaped in 2023 from Chester County Prison by crab-walking up between two walls in an exercise yard, then climbing over razor wire and jumping from a roof
The inmate and an accomplice befriended a Florida State University college student and his sister before jumping them; The victim was beaten and had his throat slit
The trainer was standing in front of Lt. Rodney Osborne to give him additional instructions when he pulled the trigger, hitting Osborne just above his protective vest
A total of 981 people have died in Georgia prisons since 2021, including 207 this year alone, according to numbers from the Department of Corrections commissioner
State prosecutors suggested setting the minimum at no longer than four weeks between executions
The Pitchess Detention Center South Facility inmate reported the incident to jail staff, who discovered that several vehicles had also been struck by bullets
The law was touted by lawmakers as a way to make bail procedure uniform across the state and to limit violent criminals from being released before seeing a judge
To compensate for shortages, prison administrators regularly schedule OT shifts for officers, something the union said makes a dangerous job even more dangerous
The council’s plan “lays out our road map to help transform the lives of people leaving prison and reentering society while making our communities safe,” the governor said
A 2017 lawsuit led to a consent decree banning punitive confinement and the use of pepper spray at Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake Schools
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