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.
Jeremy Hall’s widow and a current CO say known threats and understaffing went unaddressed before the fatal incident
A Marion County grand jury urges urgent reforms at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, citing safety risks for both youth and staff
A New Jersey court ruled DOC failed to follow its own investigative procedures after a prisoner’s property went missing
“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”
The CO worked at the prison for about 24.5 years before retiring in 2015, a result of a racially hostile environment at the facility, according to court documents
A judge ruled the Somerset County Jail violated labor laws by failing to pay its COs an OT premium under a contract with the United States Marshal’s Service
The plan strengthens a compromise considered by legislators as they prepare to approve statewide jail standards for the first time in the state’s history
The lawsuit said Cuyahoga County ignored requests the CO made for breaks to check his blood, as well as appeals to avoid working past his regular, 12-hour shift
The move follows the quiet release of a convicted murderer more than a decade before the end of his sentence when a state judge approved a court order right before he retired
Thomas Creech was sentenced to life in prison, but less than 10 years later, he beat another man in custody to death and was sentenced to death
The Dutch national from Aruba was long suspected in the disappearance and death and pleaded guilty to the extortion of Natalee’s mother, Beth
Tony Klein’s sentence also includes five years of supervised release after prison; he had faced a possible life sentence
CDCR’s new regulations would give solitary inmates up to 20 hours of outside cell time per week, up from the 10 hours they are currently allowed
The plaintiffs fear going to work due to “persistently malfunctioning equipment, gross understaffing, gross incompetence of management and threats of retaliation”
James and Jennifer Crumbley, who are charged with involuntary manslaughter, are being held at the same jail as their son Ethan
The Broward County sheriff’s deputies will be fired as they face charges of alleged $500,000 fraud from federal aid programs meant to cushion COVID-19 impact
The deal with a disability rights group, if approved by a judge, requires state prisons to have mental health and medical staff who specialize in gender-affirming care
Lack of staff and training impedes policy adherence in the facility, according to 162-page report by federal monitors
State legislators study Norway’s rehabilitative incarceration model to combat high recidivism rates in California
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