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 court filings, detainees said they were fed inedible “slop” and endured the “horrific stench” of sweat, urine and feces, in part because the rooms have open toilets
Todd Kohlhepp, who killed seven people, claimed the merchandise could help fund his prison transfer and shared ideas with outside contacts
The ex-Northern State Prison officer pleaded guilty to conspiracy and will lose his job, $6K in proceeds and the right to hold public office in N.J.
Jackson County agreed Monday to the settlement with James Ramirez
Officials have dropped all sanctions imposed on an Iowa inmate for his role in an alleged 2009 gang rape that he says never happened
Prosecutors raised the question of consent ahead of a retrial for Enock Arvizo, a former CO accused of raping an inmate
The DOC must make a series of changes at Wis. juvenile prisons to “drastically reduce” the use of solitary, pepper spray and shackles on young inmates
Prosecutors say city jail workers aren’t criminally negligent in the death of a woman who killed herself while in custody
If safety issues had been addressed at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, perhaps the murder of Sgt. Steven Floyd could have been prevented
Court settlement amounts against prisons and jails that did not provide deaf inmates with the ability to make legally entitled telephone calls have totaled in the millions
Before the legislation, COs had to wait for workers’ compensation to come in if they were hurt during an inmate attack or riot
An ex-prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan received an apology and a payment after a court said his rights were abused
Attorneys for the state argue, among other things, that there’s no constitutional right to workplace safety
Juvenile facility design and evidence-based programs are helping counties respond to a new landscape
The hospital is a non-secure extension of the jail with restrictions on visitations, the Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon is making it clear the county will not honor requests made by immigration officials to hold some immigrant inmates past their release dates
The transformation of the prosecutor’s traditional role and the collaboration with police has special significance in Milwaukee
The prison hospital houses close to 600 inmates who need medical and long-term care
Prison officials said there are security concerns in allowing a female inmate to breast-feed her infant during regular visiting hours
A federal judge in Houston is expected to decide in coming weeks whether inmates have the right to live in cooled housing areas when the mercury rises above 90 degrees
The former nurse who prosecutors believe could be responsible in the deaths of up to 60 Texas children has been indicted on two new murder charges
The high court threw out the sentences because a jury did not unanimously recommend the death penalty
Many argue that Prop 47 and 57 have done little to reduce the inmate population in California, and that those initiatives were more of a vocal public endorsement of rehabilitation efforts
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a judge’s order that delayed three executions after he declared Ohio’s lethal injection process unconstitutional
Ronell Wilson’s first death sentence was overturned because of an improper prosecution argument
The justices ruled 5-4 that Erick Davila could not bring a claim that his appeals lawyer was ineffective for failing to challenge the work of his trial lawyer
The lawyers wrote that the state is unlikely to prevail in any further appeals or if it retries the case without Brendan Dassey’s confession
Current law requires testing for those convicted of felonies and certain other offenses
A federal judge said tactics used at the prisons likely amount to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment
Under a long-held Massachusetts legal principle, courts typically erase the convictions of defendants who die before their direct appeals can be heard
Federal investigators for more than two years have been probing allegations of widespread inmate abuse at the prisons in Irma
A three-judge panel affirmed that Brendan Dassey was coerced into confessing and should be released from prison
The decision came six months after commissioners postponed the latest hearing so officials could investigate whether Patricia Krenwinkel was battered by Manson
