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.
A Somerset County jury convicted Paul J. Kendrick of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death for killing Sgt. Mark Baserman in 2018
The scanning policy, backed by AFSCME, follows reports of fentanyl and synthetic drugs entering prisons through letters and legal mail
LASD says hundreds of millions have gone into staffing, medical care and infrastructure, while the attorney general alleges preventable deaths and neglect
The lawsuit references an inspection report detailing a surge in inmate-on-inmate and staff assaults, heightened use of force by officers and an uptick in drugs and contraband in the prison
Lancaster County Prison officials highlighted the work of employees throughout the facility in 2023, saying they had consistently gone beyond their everyday duties, particularly during logistical crises and complications with prisoners
Responses from officers included, “While at Trousdale I feel unsafe at all times,” and, “Correction Officers are working blocks by themselves. We haven’t had partners in over 2 years”
Among the states that reported lower recidivism, Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia all have pointed to reentry or other rehabilitative programs as part of the reason
Lawyers claim that the Alabama DOC’s rule on staying three feet away from the inmate during the nitrogen execution is unscientific and violates his right to practice religion
The former corrections officer was found not guilty of assault and reckless conduct charges for breaking an inmate’s nose and his own hand
The attorney said sometimes Deputy Arturo Atilano Valadez and other deputies were so exhausted that they took turns sleeping in jail cells
Seven prisoners were killed and 22 seriously injured in the riot at the maximum-security Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville
The CO smuggled dental molds in and out of the prison in September 2020 so that a Houston jeweler could create the grill
Corrections Officer Clive Lopez Jr. testified he had to fend off inmates during the deadly riot and that he didn’t feel safe initiating a lockdown
Though a settlement has been reached, the case isn’t over; the lawsuit will proceed against the Jackson County Jail’s healthcare
The riot at Lee Correctional Institution left seven dead and more than a dozen injured; it was the deadliest prison riot in the U.S. in the last 25 years
Correctional Officer Senior Yashea J. Chapel died Nov. 10 at a hospital following an asthma attack, an Alabama DOC spokesperson said
The remaining allegations in the lawsuit are made against specific corrections and police officers and include charges such as excessive force, battery, negligence, and failure to intervene
The December 1996 killings of check-cashing store owner Ira Epstein and Officer Charles Davis, working off-duty as a security guard, sparked an intense manhunt
“You were a coward then and you remain a coward today,” said Sandy Jackson, Officer Paul Verna’s widow
A change in Washington state law now requires the bailiffs to have an active commission through the state Criminal Justice Training Commission and to pass a background check
CDCR’s proposal calls for eliminating all unpaid work assignments and reducing hours for most prison workers from full-time jobs to half-time
“Removing barriers to reentry and providing justice-involved individuals with a second chance is critical to the rehabilitation process,” NYS DOCCS Acting Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said
The indictments follow three separate investigations that are part of the ongoing fight against staff members who smuggle in contraband, especially cellphones
Lt. Debra Clayton was shot and killed in a Walmart parking lot; a second officer was killed in a traffic collision during a manhunt for the suspect
The union said COs at four state prisons are having trouble managing high-risk prisoners who are benefiting from a new law enacted in 2022 that provides inmates with more recreation time
Andrew Jones, 36, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual abuse of a ward involving three inmates and one count of making false statements
CDCR prison officials have touted the revitalized degree as a pioneering program that could serve as a national model, created exclusively for incarcerated students
“Practices for reporting stabbings/slashings are so unregulated that the monitor no longer has confidence in the accuracy of the department’s data in this area,” the monitoring team said
“The execution will be carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, the method previously requested by the inmate as an alternative to lethal injection,” Gov. Kay Ivey said
Corrections is an ever-changing industry, and those changes are most obvious when we look at legal trends
Investigations into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center were launched following allegations of inhumane conditions and violation of civil rights
Three states — Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi — have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method but no state has attempted to use it
The former jail deputy’s basic corrections officer certification was revoked by the agency for life because he lacks “moral fitness”
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