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.
Clark County’s district attorney is seeking death warrants for three inmates, but ongoing legal battles, drug challenges and past failures leave the state’s first execution in nearly two decades uncertain
Officials say the two Lee Correctional Institution corrections officers face misconduct charges tied to smuggling, including one who allegedly “married” an inmate in secret
The confrontation began after Alexis Cardenas, who had been released on traffic warrants, refused to leave the Harris County Jail
The two former Southern Regional Jail employees pleaded guilty to violating the inmate’s civil rights by not protecting him from being physically assaulted by other COs
The judge’s decision comes from multiple incidents at the Metropolitan Detention Center, including a caught-on-video stabbing
The ex-warden, along with eight other Waupun staff members, have been charged with inmate abuse and misconduct following probes into two deaths at the facility
The inmate has already been sentenced to life after pleading guilty in the March escape from a Boise hospital, but the murder charge is in a different county
The 24-person deal included releasing a Russian assassin to free journalists, suspected spies, political prisoners, and others
As the state of Alabama plans additional nitrogen gas executions, questions and disagreements continue over what happened at the first one.
The state said in its argument before the state Supreme Court that lethal injection, electrocution and firing squad all fit existing death penalty protocols
The Walker County CO agreed to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter involving reckless conduct in the inmate’s 2023 death
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office body cam video shows the inmate was practically invisible when the K-9 sniffed him out, bit down on his forearm and dragged him into the open
The bill creates a federal prison ombudsman to collect complaints via a hotline and online form, then investigate and report dangerous conditions to the AG and Congress
“What will happen to you and your body when I’m located & you didn’t report me: you overlook’d me continuously?” the letter said
The CO is charged with one count of negligent homicide in connection with the shooting death of Lt. Rodney Osborne at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
Investigators were tipped off to the laundering activity when deputies listened to the Harris County Jail inmate’s calls and observed his high balance in his commissary account
Michigan DOC said the men, convicted in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were transferred to federal prisons for “general safety concerns” for the facility and defendants
The new rules cap the costs of phone calls and video calls in prisons, allowing easier access for people in custody to contact people on the outside
A lawsuit filed by the man’s family claims that, contrary to policy, the Garfield County courthouse jail is monitored by dispatchers instead of COs, violating state law
The man, who was in custody for a fatal brawl, was convicted of aiding two inmates’ escape by cutting a fence hole at the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center in 2023
Idaho DOC officers were preparing to transport the inmate from a Boise hospital back to prison when the inmate’s accomplice outside the hospital began shooting
Ruben Gutierrez was sent to death row after being convicted of capital murder for the 1998 killing of 85-year-old Escolastica Harrison
The Wayne County jail has agreed to implement processes for identifying people with disabilities when they arrive and programs to ensure access to treatment
The Missouri DOC is launching a $1 million special investigations unit designed to further staunch the flow of illegal material to inmates
The Federal Prison Oversight Act establishes an independent ombudsman for the BOP to field and investigate complaints
The Wisconsin DOC said it “will continue to take action for the betterment of our institutions, safety of our staff and the wellbeing of those who are in our care”
The April 6, 2023, blaze, which injured 15 Rikers Island jail staffers and five inmates, was set by a 30-year-old inmate with a history of starting jailhouse fires
The CO said he injured his knee during a struggle with an inmate; upon his return to work, his supervisor assigned him a dangerous task, despite restrictions on detainee contact
If passed by voters, the ballot measure would end mandatory work requirements for state prisoners, instead making jobs for those incarcerated voluntary
When bail was posted for Drake Partington, his half-brother Billy falsely claimed to be Drake and did not correct officers during the inmate release procedure, court records show
The judge called on the state to revise heat policies, citing issues like insufficient shade, lack of work breaks and failure to provide prisoners with sunscreen
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said that the state is seeking an execution date for Joseph Corcoran, a man convicted in the killings of four people in 1997
The lawsuit sought to force West Virginia to spend $330 million to improve prison and jail conditions statewide and fill worker vacancies
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