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.
David Kingsley, the only officer found guilty at trial, was caught on video lifting inmate Robert Brooks by the neck before the fatal assault
Frank Athen Walls was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in the state’s 19th execution in 2025
Ghislaine Maxwell’s habeas petition argues that suppressed evidence and false testimony led to a wrongful conviction in her 2021 sex trafficking trial
Officer Verna’s two sons, who were 4 and 9 years old at the time of his death, both went on to join the LAPD and appeared in court throughout the trial
This is the second lawsuit in recent months by former Metropolitan Detention Center employees alleging retaliation and substandard conditions at the jail
Broome County Sheriff says the agreement establishes “clear LGBTI Guidelines, which were previously nonexistent”
A jury convicted Grady Wayne Wilkes of capital murder in Officer Buechner’s death, and of attempted murder in the wounding of two other officers
“It is incredibly important our hardworking correctional officers get paid what they deserve,” Gov. Jim Justice said
The suit accuses the Bureau of Prisons of failing to do enough to prevent sexual abuse at FCI Dublin, despite serious incidents going back to the 1990s
The CO felt contraction-like pains at work, but her supervisor kept her at her post for hours despite her requests to leave, according to the lawsuit
“Stabbings and slashing will exceed 300 this year with 6,000 uses of force — much high than other jail systems,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Powell said
During each robbery, the man handed notes to tellers claiming he was a vigilante helping law enforcement and asking that they “please” place bills in an envelope
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office requested a price increase from $45 to $55 per head/per day to offset higher staffing and maintenance costs
Judge: Inmate’s constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment may have been violated after officials repeatedly scheduled his execution
Sgt. Gilbert Polanco died from COVID-19 after state officials ordered the transfer of infected inmates into his prison from another facility
The lawsuit is seeking $109,000 in lost wages, an additional $1M for future lost wages/pension benefits and $500,000 for other compensatory damages
Before Casey White’s escape last year, he was already essentially serving a life sentence following multiple felony convictions in 2019
Recruiting and operating organized crime gang members and bosses as long-term confidential criminal informants is a dangerous game for law enforcement officers
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
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