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.
Prison officials say the goal is to minimize correctional staff involvement as the state prepares to make firing squad its primary method by 2026
Ralph Leroy Menzies, convicted of a 1986 murder, was days away from execution when the court intervened
Gov. Gavin Newsom said many offenders had faced childhood trauma and mental health struggles that shaped their crimes
The inmate faces the possibility of a death sentence if convicted of the first-degree murder of Sgt. Mark Baserman
Johnny Johnson was convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl in 2002
Nearly all of Louisiana’s death row inmates asked the governor to grant them clemency on the same day back in June
A sentencing report states 9% of Tennessee’s voting-age population is disenfranchised because of a felony conviction
The CO faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the civil rights charge and five years and $250,000 on the obstruction charge
The judge ruled the inmate can either “engage in religious exercise at odds with his own beliefs,” or “remain incarcerated until at least April 2025"
The judge determined the CO was negligent, committed Eighth Amendment constitutional violations and failed to protect the inmate from cruel and unusual punishment
The ex-CO was convicted of perjury before the grand jury, but jurors couldn’t decide on other counts accusing her of trying to get other COs to cover up the attack
The CO convinced a jury she was illegally discriminated against for being a Muslim while at her job at a low-security prison facility
Some of the detainees are suing the county, claiming deputies fired more than 50 canisters of tear gas at a dorm housing several dozen inmates
The officer was working at the Special Treatment Unit when he got into a “physical altercation” with a civilly committed sex offender
Flaws in the ‘good time’ law that grant correctional incentive to inmates “failed Deputy Johnson and his family,” Alabama’s governor said
The former CO is being held without bond with charges alleging 39 individual sexual assaults and other counts that could net him up to 300 years in prison
A portion of the prison will be turned into a rehabilitation center in the style of Scandinavian correctional facilities
The Florida DOC plans to allocate $1 million to a new program that will make a small number of phone calls free for some inmates
The woman, who helped transport prisoners, accused the state of dismissing reports of discriminatory behavior and ultimately forcing her to seek another job
Anthony Sanchez is scheduled to be executed in September for the 1996 killing of a University of Oklahoma dance student
Most prisoners get their college tuition paid for by the federal Pell Grant program, which gives 30,000 more students behind bars some $130M in financial aid
Two inmates sued the Corrections Department, seeking recognition of Christian Identity, under a federal law that protects the religious freedom of people confined to prison
The settlement includes provisions to help lower the jail population at the Inmate Reception Center by diverting hundreds of people into mental health treatment
Currently, Mississippi has the highest imprisonment rate; The report states this is a key reason the state also has the nation’s lowest labor force participation rate
The group would analyze data on the state’s prison populations, recidivism rates, sentence proportionality and sentencing disparities
The county could be forced to pay $1.6 billion to $3 billion for “more than 3,000 claims alleging childhood sexual assault at various County and non-County facilities”
While everyone is acutely aware of the risks necessitating court security and the liability implications of security failures, actual progress toward security remains highly variable
Under the county jail’s voluntary work program, workers were paid $20 for 10 to 12 hours a day of manual labor at the single-stream recycling plant
The 51 clemency applications came after a bill to abolish the death penalty failed during Louisiana’s legislative session
The bills also make it possible for anyone sentenced for a serious crime as a child to be given the option of parole after 10 years
New standards include the use of soft restraints, rather than metal cuffs; the routine involvement of health professionals; and regular checks on restrained inmates
The former CO said the DOC failed to address a hostile work environment after she accused another CO of sexually assaulting, stalking and harassing her
The “clean slate” bill would automatically seal most recent convictions — 3 years after serving time or parole for a misdemeanor, and 8 years for felony convictions
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