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.
Lawsuits allege inmates were held for months in near-total darkness with unsafe conditions at Miami Correctional Facility
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
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
Investigators said the April incident began with a routine cell shakedown, where Tarrant County Jail employees located a shank and razor in the inmate’s cell
Four of the COs pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and a fifth pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Jefferson City Correctional Center inmate
Former Trump Administration Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was ordered to serve a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena
The findings are the latest in a series of independent investigations that have blamed the sheriff’s department and its staff for contributing to San Diego County jail deaths
Four officers were charged with second-degree murder and a fifth was charged with involuntary manslaughter; the COs were part of the Missouri DOC Emergency Response Team
“He deserved nothing less than today’s final justice for the savage, barbaric, and torturous acts of suffering he inflicted upon Layla-Dawn before then ending her life,” the victim’s mother said
During a preliminary hearing for possessing contraband, the inmate’s girlfriend passed along an envelope to an unidentified person in an attempt to deliver it to the inmate
One of the Yellowstone County jail inmates used a makeshift knife to repeatedly stab one of the COs in the back of the head, documents state
Julian Assange has spent five years in a British high-security prison, fighting to avoid extradition to the U.S. and winning court rulings that have delayed any transfers
Doctor testifies against the inmate’s insanity defense and that he was faking aspects of his mental illness
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision did not give evidence to refute allegations that it has failed to follow the state’s limits on solitary confinement
Paul Flores was convicted in October 2022 and sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life for the murder of Kristin Smart
After receiving an infraction, the inmate hired another inmate to murder a State Farm Correctional Center employee and a Victim Services Unit investigator
For 12 months, Guidehouse Inc. consultants will visit prisons, work with Georgia DOC personnel and conduct research to recommend system changes
The inmate was resentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2002 kidnapping and murder of a D.C. police lieutenant’s son
The cop, who had worked for Pearl PD for about six months after having worked at other law enforcement agencies in the Jackson area, pleaded guilty in March
Eric Nantell was a sergeant at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in July 2018 when three COs assaulted an inmate in a shower, according to court documents
Prosecutors said they couldn’t determine if the incident was intentional, as one deputy claimed the inmate’s “own momentum” caused his head to hit the wall
The bill would overturn a DOC practice of recording and retaining phone calls for extended periods to assist in investigations of jail misconduct or public safety threats
A jury convicted Former President Donald Trump of falsifying business records at his own company; the charge carries up to four years in prison
The lawsuit alleges the CO failed to shut the inmate’s cell door, allowing two or three other prisoners to follow him inside and assault him
Lt. Joel Garcia was fired, then reinstated and placed on administrative leave in connection to a Tarrant County Jail inmate’s death
A review of the inmate’s phone conversations and mail revealed that he had ordered the failed hit, which targeted his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend
Waupun Correctional Institution’s warden is charged with misconduct in public office; the other eight staff members, including COs, face charges of felony inmate abuse
The most dramatic reform would take juvenile detention out of the control of the Probation Department and instead place it under Youth Development’s oversight
NYC’s mayor said he vetoed the ban because the DOC “would no longer be able to protect people in custody, or the union workers charged with their safety, from violent individuals”
MOST POPULAR
- Wash. inmate, accomplice accused of stealing from ill veterans in ICU in ‘truly shocking’ scheme, feds say
- Ex-N.Y. corrections officer seeks to withdraw guilty plea in death of Robert Brooks
- 3 keys to writing effective jail reports
- Report: Prison reforms estimated to cost $346M over 10 years
- Court bailiffs in 2 Wash. counties to be disarmed after change in state law