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 Lorain County corrections officer will return to duty and receive $30,000 in back pay following a use of force dispute
Paul Kendrick remains on death row for the 2018 attack that led to Sgt. Mark Baserman’s death inside SCI-Somerset
Gov. Kevin Stitt cited the victim’s family’s forgiveness in granting clemency to Tremane Wood, convicted in a 2002 murder
Commissioner Louis Molina promised a federal judge on Tuesday that meaningful changes would be made within days
How long has it been since someone has taken a good look at the way you are utilizing your staff?
Though an officer ostensibly made his rounds, he did not physically enter the video arraignment room as required by policy – during which time an inmate overdosed
A change in intake procedures meant to cut down on CO overtime meant hundreds of inmates went without full medical screenings
Alex Banta now faces up to life in prison for actions the jury said led to the death of inmate Larry Earvin
The bill would prohibit inmates convicted in eight violent crime categories from using good behavior credits to reduce their sentences
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved spending $49.5 million to end a lawsuit brought by COs for unpaid overtime
“Gross understaffing,” “uncontrolled gang activity,” and inmates having “unfettered access to contraband” were among the DOJ’s findings
The changes would put the Orange County jail system ahead of other facilities statewide, a disability rights attorney said
In a lawsuit, the nurse blames jail staff for creating an unsafe environment by not supervising inmates while in the infirmary
The jury found that the DOC failed to properly accommodate the officer’s disability and then subsequently retaliated against him
Attorneys for the inmates are seeking to get the state’s new firing squad and century-old electric chair declared unconstitutional
The bill prohibits anyone convicted of a crime that involved killing another person with a deadly weapon from shortening their prison sentence
The inmates, who sued saying they were given ivermectin unknowingly to treat their COVID-19, are no longer being held in the county facility
The city committed to paying hiring and retention bonuses for correctional officers
“It is time for the jail culture to stop supporting behaviors that are forbidden by policy,” the monitors wrote
The new guidelines say a jail barring inmates from taking prescribed medication to block opioid addiction would run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act
The state has not executed an inmate since 2010
A jury said the sheriff’s office violated the inmate’s rights under federal disability laws by failing to properly train staff
Senate Bill 448 would create a commission to oversee the DOC’s administration of healthcare
The law also removes a section in state statute that says “every able-bodied inmate shall be put to and kept at” work
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has criticized the plan to close the jail without a replacement
The lawsuit claims the staff at the jail lack adequate training and policies in medical and mental health screening
Larry Earvin, whose death was ruled a homicide, died five weeks after the 2018 incident
Officials say that the entry-level position of juvenile justice specialist at the facility has a turnover rate of 298%
Officials may not reveal where they obtain lethal injection drugs, even under a court order
“It’s just a very bad mess,” said a court-appointed monitor
On March 23, 2021, a correctional officer and nurse were murdered by two inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary
“The conversation on bail reform has gotten divorced from the data,” said Brad Lander
The images had been “circulating through the MDCR workplace, via text and Twitter,” the arrest report said
