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.
In one incident, the CO wrote “Property of G. Smead” on a trainee’s body; both trainees were left restrained in handcuffs until other officers released them
CDCR leaders cite aging facilities, healthcare and staffing costs as key drivers behind a budget that has not declined with the prison population
Multiple 911 calls during the 2008 abduction revealed coordination failures, leading to the passage of the Denise Amber Lee Act to strengthen dispatcher training
The order means that it could be four more months until justices decide whether a newly organized firing squad or the electric chair are legal methods of execution
Inmates will be allowed access to limited services, including substance use treatment and mental health diagnoses
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 182 inmates over “some of the most brutal death row conditions in the country”
The lawsuits were dismissed after the inmates’ attorneys and the DOC said improvements to inmate living conditions had been made
Javarick Gantt, a deaf man who relied on sign language to communicate, was found dead inside his cell last October
DCFS and Family Services allegedly wrongfully incarcerated children in juvenile detention after a court ordered them to be released to their guardian
The woman sued over alleged mistreatment while in custody, but decided not to proceed the day before the trial was set to begin
The state’s latest attempt to end nearly 12 years without an execution is to pass a new shield law to protect the identities of drug providers
Tragedy might have been avoided if correctional officers had pressed medical staff for a more thorough check of an inmate’s condition
The state has sought to prevent the video from being released to the public, claiming the footage poses a security risk at the prison
Several other states, including California and Georgia, allow for a multi-day execution process
Prior to the ruling, execution warrants in the state were only valid for the day noted on the court order
“Failure to obey a direct order of an ADOC employee” is now a high-level violation that will lead to losing three years of accrued good time
The draft terms for the court-ordered overhaul of state prison healthcare include setting a ratio of care providers to prisoners and appointing officials to monitor department compliance
Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Isaiah Cordero was killed by a violent felon, on bail twice over, during a Dec. 29 traffic stop
Robert Fratta, 65, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection for hiring two people to kill his estranged wife in 1994
New law will help ensure that phone rates are “reasonable” for families trying to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one
The Fresno County, California rule allowed suspects arrested for certain lower-level felonies and misdemeanors to be released soon after, without having to put up bail money
Kelly Ann McCann, convicted of fourth-degree assault, also sentenced to community service and probation for concussing a police officer
Bryan Kohberger’s housing classification, after extradition from Pennsylvania, is being determined by Latah County Jail staff
Union presses prison officials to make necessary repairs to ensure the N.C. federal prison is a safe working environment
Larimer County’s pioneering program connects defendants facing mid-level felony charges with support from mental health professionals to speed up court proceedings
Amber McLaughlin’s scheduled execution for murdering a former girlfriend will be the first of an openly transgender woman
The order came after a Kankakee County judge said the provisions were unconstitutional
Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, was convicted nearly 50 years ago for killing her abusive husband
Curtis Brown’s handwritten letter promised to use his federal stimulus money to pay for someone to kill the judge
Two 2022 called-off execution attempts have led to a top-to-bottom internal review of the Alabama death penalty process
President of the Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association calls the plan “unfair, unequal and devastating”
The shift to video arraignments foretells how things might be done differently in the future
Interim Somerset County sheriff says “we gotta do something about” $11.92 per hour starting pay which makes it difficult to recruit and retain deputies
MOST POPULAR
- Lawsuit: Officers ignored dying prisoner’s needs
- N.C. governor launches new initiative to increase successful reentry after prison
- Kentucky attorney general files suit against state parole board
- Lawsuit: Transgender inmate harassed in Baltimore men’s jail
- Calif. sheriff’s dept. accused of recording attorney-inmate phone calls