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.
The Salinas Valley State Prison lieutenant alleges his treatment reflects a broader ‘code of silence’ that punishes staff who report abuse within CDCR
Corey Proulx died after being punched by a then-16-year-old inmate and striking his head on the pavement
Byron Black was convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two daughters in 1988 while on work-release for another shooting
Juan Archuleta misused alcohol and heroin and became sick — sometimes experiencing tremors and seizures — when he stopped
Advocates for overhauling the nation’s drug laws are hopeful that Biden’s pardons lead state lawmakers to pardon and expunge minor drug offenses from people’s records
“Unethical” medical experiments were performed on mostly Black inmates at its Holmesburg Prison from the 1950s through the 1970s
Alex Friedmann was convicted of hiding guns, ammunition, handcuff keys and hacksaw blades inside the walls of Nashville’s new jail while it was being built
The president is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses
Allegations include everything from the beating of inmates by correctional officers to broken toilets infested with maggots
John Ramirez challenged state prison rules that prevented his pastor from touching him and praying aloud during his execution, saying his religious freedom was being violated
J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao reported to the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday morning; authorities have not said which facility they will go to
Alex Friedmann claimed he was being punished for his years of advocacy on behalf of prisoners prior to his arrest
The 52 inmates who each sought a $1 million payment were among 77 prisoners at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison who had been given overdoses of the Pfizer vaccine by prison nursing staff
There have been 237 vacated convictions in recent years linked to former Sgt. Ronald Watts
Gov. approved measures to seal criminal records and free dying inmates but denied bids to restrict solitary confinement and boost inmates’ wages
“AB 2632 establishes standards that are overly broad and exclusions that could risk the safety of both the staff and incarcerated population within these facilities,” he said
Colette Peters cautioned that it’ll take time to turn around the Justice Department’s largest component, with 122 facilities, 159,000 inmates and a budget of more than $8 billion
Migrants within the Torrance County Detention Facility in N.M. describe broken plumbing, insect infestations, insufficient access to medical care and water
Porfirio Duarte-Herrera was convicted in 2010 of killing a hot dog stand vendor using a motion-activated bomb atop a car parked at the Luxor casino
Randy Halprin, 45, was among the inmates who escaped from a Texas prison in Dec. 2000, committing numerous robberies and killing Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins
The Federal Prison Oversight Act would require the Justice Department to create a prisons ombudsman to field complaints about prison conditions
The pair has pushed for improvements to inmate conditions and medical care for nearly three years
Defense argued the two performed as trained when confronted with a man who was “delusional, hallucinating, combative” and high on methamphetamine
The indictments are the latest development in a state criminal probe that resulted in significant fallout, including the departure of the state’s corrections commissioner
Suit alleges jail’s contracted medical provider said she was withdrawing from drugs, not in labor, and some jail staffers and medical staff laughed at her
Attorneys for Benjamin Cole, 57, who killed his 9-month-old daughter, Breanna, in 2002, argued that he is severely mentally ill
The organization Both Sides of the Wall called for the strike Mon. morning to address reforms to Alabama’s sentencing and parole laws
In exchange with Gov. Phil Bryant, Favre suggested “the prison industry possibly as a builder” for his volleyball stadium
Mass. CO Matthew Tidman remains hospitalized after inmate’s assault with 15-lb. barbell
The corrections worker is alleged to have shared information in violation of the department’s informational technology, confidentiality and ethics policies
Two longtime jail employees alleged in sexual discrimination lawsuits they were reprimanded when they repeatedly failed to pass screening machines
A judge ordered that Syed’s conviction be vacated as she OK’d the release of the now-41-year-old who has spent more than two decades behind bars
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels has called on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to halt all paroles in the state
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