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.
ICE
Gov. Wes Moore directed state agencies to continue cooperating on criminal matters while limiting formal immigration enforcement agreements
A New York budget hearing testimony highlighted accelerating attrition, stalled HALT reform proposals and efforts to rebuild prison staffing levels
A judge ordered an end to extended solitary confinement and stacked disciplinary sanctions tied to refusal to work
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
Cities and counties will receive $130 billion in aid for COVID-19 response
Along with damages, the inmate is seeking to be transferred out of Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women
It’s the Commission of Correction’s third lawsuit attempt to force the sheriff to abide by the rules imposed on local jails
The family of inmate Daniel Ruiz claims the transfer of infected inmates into the prison led to his death
Though other federal courts had already determined a prison visitor must be given the option to leave rather than submit to a strip search, the 9th Circuit had not spoken sufficiently to clearly establish that right in its jurisdiction
People convicted of felonies will become eligible to have their rights restored once they serve their prison time
Claims include ignoring an active suicide attempt, forcing a child to drink from a toilet and slamming a teen’s head into a window so hard it cracked the glass
An investigator with the Office of the State Inspector General alleges that her boss suspended her “in an effort to insulate his own position”
The St. Louis City Justice Center has no showers for people in wheelchairs, which, according to the suit, violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act
ICE
New guidance has resulted in immigration officials declining to take custody of people who have served sentences for burglary, drug trafficking and other crimes
As Nebraska is seeking to expand its prison capacity, other states are taking a different approach
The death penalty would be blocked for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder or delusional disorder
The lawsuit alleges multiple MDOC staff members ignored the inmate’s pleas for help, accused her of lying, and mocked and laughed at her
Isaac Legaretta is facing termination for declining a vaccination; Dona Ana County said it stands behind its policy
The state can’t put anyone to death now because its supply of lethal injection drugs expired and it has not been able to buy any more
The lawsuit comes several months after the DOJ opened a statewide civil investigation into release practices at DOC facilities
Right now, inmates can choose between electrocution and the current default method of lethal injection
The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam, who has said he will sign it into law
Officers won’t book anyone unless they’re charged with an offense in a list of certain felonies and misdemeanors that are crimes committed against other people
Bills will be introduced “in the near future” that would replace all capital sentences with a sentence of life in prison without parole
“There is a strong culture of silence in the prison system,” an attorney representing two women said
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