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.
Prosecutors say the officer fired three shots during the unauthorized pursuit and continued illegal searches off jail grounds
Melanie Austin, a 34-year veteran at the Missouri DOC, alleges she faced race and age discrimination, as well as retaliation and a hostile work environment
Corrections officers and facility officials were accused of beating inmates during “forced extractions” in a high-security wing of the prison in 2021
The case, which began in 2012, alleged the DOC did not pay COs for work done once they arrived at their prison
More than 436,000 former felons in Florida remain ineligible to vote because of legislative intervention
A federal jury found Bucks County violated the privacy of thousands of former county inmates by posting confidential information on a publicly accessible database
The Department of Corrections is ending a requirement that group-worship activities accommodate a minimum of five inmates
Prisoner mail policy helps reduce the risk of contraband entering the jail and cuts staff time required to check incoming mail
Bucks County disagreed with the court’s interpretation that it willfully violated the Criminal History Records Information Act, known as CHRIA, through “reckless disregard or indifference”
Onetime inmate Gregory Koger brought the lawsuit
Jail officials acknowledged the program was built on biblical principles but said it was open to all faiths
Knowing your facility’s policy will help keep you confident and competent in your decisions and actions
The lawsuit is seeking a judgement that the AG does not have the power to prohibit Ocean County from sharing info with other agencies
The inmate had his throat slit during a 2017 riot at a state prison in Clayton
The former CO is suing the Pennsylvania DOC, several colleagues and supervisors for creating a hostile work environment
Probation officer Lisa Griffey said she was racially harassed by her white co-workers
The Kansas and Missouri affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union have sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of an inmate
A group of inmates accused the state of failing to honor an agreement to cool a prison that inmates said was oppressively hot
The Alaska Department of Corrections has agreed to policy changes to accommodate Muslim inmates
The three officers have been put on leave, pending further investigation
The inmate was stabbed 92 times in the neck and torso with an ice pick
Vanessa Lynn Gibson asserted that sexual reassignment surgery is essential medical care and denying the surgery violates the Eighth Amendment
The three men claim staff inside the Men’s Central Jail either delayed or denied access to a halal diet, copies of the Quran or time for weekly prayer
The Denver County Sheriff’s Department says it has since changed its policy to ensure pregnant inmates in any stage of labor are immediately taken to hospital
Cathy Woods, 68, will continue to seek additional damages
The inmate has been housed in a men’s facility for the last 17 months
Some inmates could get up to $10,000
The COs were suspended for refusing to shave their beards they keep for religious reasons
North Carolina’s highest court began weighing a claim Monday by six inmates on death row who say they are there because of racial discrimination in jury selection
The state will appeal the decision
Sarah Coogle is ‘hopeful’ change will come to CDCR policy
Jennifer Cromartie, a CO at the Tutwiler women’s prison, filed the complaint and a request for a jury trial on Aug. 7
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