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 We Will Act Act law lets corrections officers and police use legal means — including jamming and hacking — to neutralize drones near prisons and other protected areas
Mark Holdren, 41, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and Johnathan Walters, 33, was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the assault in the Southern Regional Jail
The bills would allow current COs to buy into the Michigan State Police hybrid plan with retroactive credit
The city’s DOC must report all complaints from detainees at the city’s two jails since 2017
The state legislature is scheduled to make a final vote on the budget on Friday
Jim Zeigler has criticized the plan to lease two new privately run men’s prisons as a poor use of taxpayer dollars
The bill has a retroactive application date of Jan. 1, 2010
Firing squads have not been used in the U.S. for more than a decade
A new directive “essentially takes the imposition of mandatory minimum terms ‘off the table’ for all current and future non-violent drug defendants”
“Lives are at stake every single day at the Oklahoma County jail,” Rep. Jason Lowe said
“This needs to be addressed and no one else is addressing it. These detainees are crying for your help,” an organizer said
The order lifts the prohibition on judges imposing bail on defendants accused of certain low-level offenses during the pandemic
The ruling left the possession of small amounts of controlled substances, from LSD to heroin and cocaine, legal under state law
The study concluded that the prisons should remain open for now, largely due to the negative economic impact closure could have on the areas
Twenty lawsuits were filed by current and former inmates who say they were direct victims of sexual misconduct
The county sheriffs oppose the bill, saying it doesn’t address their need to separate dangerous inmates from others
More than 20,000 people stand to regain their voting rights when the law takes effect next year
An 87-year-old law is blocking the way for states to start jamming contraband cellphones being used inside prisons
Gov. Andrew Cuomo must give legislative leaders at least 90 days’ notice of the closures instead of the usual one-year notification requirement
Officials were accused of negligence and constitutional rights violations in a 2018 riot in which seven inmates were killed and more than a dozen others injured
Haddrick Byrd claimed the CO’s chronic whistling “was offensive to his beliefs and disruptive to his prayer”
“This bill will hopefully take one of the small burdens off a family’s plate in its hours of need,” a senator said
Prisons and jails will not be allowed to hold inmates in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days
The funding scuffle centers on a $140 million budget reduction that would require the DOC to come up with a plan to shut down at least four state prisons
The violence started with a fight between two Pelican Bay State Prison inmates in a high-security yard in 2017
The suit seeks an order banning direct contact with inmates by DOC employees and contractors who refuse vaccines
The bill would allow GEO to continue operating the jail until its contract with ICE expires in 2025
Senate Bill 258 would require officials to create regulations in the handling of transgender inmates, including providing “cultural competency” training for staff
The lawsuit claims the CO had a history of similar attacks on new medical staff as a “form of training exercise”
Linda Macauley claims county officials violated her husband’s civil rights by not preventing him from dying by suicide
The governor signed legislation Wednesday making Virginia the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty
The lights have been stuck on since as early as Nov. 25 because of a malfunction in the system that controls them
The settlement calls for the release of low- to medium-risk inmates who are within nine months of their release date
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- Cell phone search by probation officer ruled invalid
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- Violent attack on Ga. prison nurse points to major security breach
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