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.
Attorneys debated whether alleged coercion should factor into sentencing despite acquittals on trafficking charges
Body camera video includes staff commenting that the inmate was on the floor “all day from day shift” at the Cuyahoga County Jail
A new law requires inmates to serve set portions of sentences and expands pathways to try juveniles as adults
The judge wrote a reasonable jury could conclude the medical care David B. Rossman received during his stay at the Centre County Correctional Facility “does not pass constitutional muster”
Under one of the proposed bills, a court could not sentence an individual under 19 years old when the crime was committed to imprisonment for life without parole eligibility
The 55-year-old prisoner, suing as Jane Doe, claims the Georgia Department of Corrections has a ban on providing gender-affirming surgery to transgender inmates
A deputy captain in charge of enforcing policies at FCI Dublin emphasized the prison is now in better shape — recounting increased policy training, as well as twice as many cameras at the facility
The inmate struck the Washington State Penitentiary CO in the face multiple times; while at the hospital, the CO was unable to remember the attack
The judge laid out a litany of problems and staffing issues at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, noting many problems stem from a simple reality — with salaries starting at just over $45,000 for COs, it’s hard to find people willing to work there
The council suggests retraining corrections officers, reducing inmate numbers for individual cells, enhancing staff amenities and creating re-entry beds for post-release transition
The new law requires solitary confinement to “only be used as a last resort, in the least restrictive manner and for the shortest period of time safely possible”
The lawsuit argued that Alabama DOC’s rule mandating a three-foot distance between the reverend and inmate during nitrogen execution was “hostile toward religion”
The lawsuit references an inspection report detailing a surge in inmate-on-inmate and staff assaults, heightened use of force by officers and an uptick in drugs and contraband in the prison
Lancaster County Prison officials highlighted the work of employees throughout the facility in 2023, saying they had consistently gone beyond their everyday duties, particularly during logistical crises and complications with prisoners
Responses from officers included, “While at Trousdale I feel unsafe at all times,” and, “Correction Officers are working blocks by themselves. We haven’t had partners in over 2 years”
Among the states that reported lower recidivism, Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia all have pointed to reentry or other rehabilitative programs as part of the reason
Lawyers claim that the Alabama DOC’s rule on staying three feet away from the inmate during the nitrogen execution is unscientific and violates his right to practice religion
The former corrections officer was found not guilty of assault and reckless conduct charges for breaking an inmate’s nose and his own hand
The attorney said sometimes Deputy Arturo Atilano Valadez and other deputies were so exhausted that they took turns sleeping in jail cells
Seven prisoners were killed and 22 seriously injured in the riot at the maximum-security Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville
The CO smuggled dental molds in and out of the prison in September 2020 so that a Houston jeweler could create the grill
Corrections Officer Clive Lopez Jr. testified he had to fend off inmates during the deadly riot and that he didn’t feel safe initiating a lockdown
Though a settlement has been reached, the case isn’t over; the lawsuit will proceed against the Jackson County Jail’s healthcare
The riot at Lee Correctional Institution left seven dead and more than a dozen injured; it was the deadliest prison riot in the U.S. in the last 25 years
Correctional Officer Senior Yashea J. Chapel died Nov. 10 at a hospital following an asthma attack, an Alabama DOC spokesperson said
The remaining allegations in the lawsuit are made against specific corrections and police officers and include charges such as excessive force, battery, negligence, and failure to intervene
The December 1996 killings of check-cashing store owner Ira Epstein and Officer Charles Davis, working off-duty as a security guard, sparked an intense manhunt
“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
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