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 court found that over-the-counter medication did not cause Robert McCauley’s positive methamphetamine test and upheld his termination under the state’s zero-tolerance drug policy
The incidents detailed in the lawsuit failed to possess the “similarity and specificity” required to establish a de facto policy of letting drugs into the jail
The ACLU is only challenging the ban on gender-affirming medication, not the portion of the law that outlaws department funding of gender-reassignment surgeries
A judge decided to release the widow of gunman Omar Mateen who killed dozens of people at the Florida nightclub and is accused of helping him
Ammon Bundy, who was recently acquitted in the armed occupation of the national wildlife refuge in Oregon, testified in his fellow occupiers’ defense
The state’s lawyer said the law deals with the virtual world in the same way that states keep sex offenders out of playgrounds and other places children visit
Gov. Asa Hutchinson scheduled execution dates for eight inmates in an attempt to resume the death penalty after a nearly 12-year hiatus
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review appeals in three Texas death row cases, including one where a man pleaded guilty to a triple slaying
The justices agreed to take up the appeal from Marion Wilson, who was convicted for his role in killing a CO in 1996
Advocates say it will give much-needed help to people recently released from prison and jail
The federal prison population is on the decline, but a new attorney general who talks tough on drugs and crime could usher in a reversal of that trend
The state Supreme Court said a federal regulation makes the jail records an advocacy group seeks exempt from disclosure
The bill would make it a felony for an inmate to expose officers to bodily fluids or human waste
The state could end its practice of allowing judges to hand down death sentences despite a jury’s recommendation
Sessions signaled Thursday his strong support for the government’s continued use of private prisons, reversing an Obama directive to phase out their use
A recidivist gang member whose record includes a 2010 robbery conviction and a 2014 conviction for GTA murdered Officer Keith Boyer ten days after his release on parole
The goal is to reduce the state’s prison and jail population, in part by steering one-time offenders toward jobs and careers in hopes they don’t commit more crimes
“I want the world to see the importance of this program”
When Chief Matthew Mann’s van was struck head on, the inmates he trained jumped into action to save his life
Some lawmakers are pushing for an outside ombudsman’s office for the department where complaints about the department policies and actions could get an independent review
Ahmet Hopovac sued the DOC and his community corrections supervisor, claiming the DOC owed “a duty of care to protect him from assault by the gang members”
William Morva killed a hospital security guard and sheriff’'s deputy during an escape that sparked a manhunt that shut down Virginia Tech’s campus
At issue is whether a contested sedative is powerful enough to put inmates into a deep state of unconsciousness before two drugs paralyze them and stop their hearts
Mikal Deen Mahidi pleaded guilty to killing an off-duty police officer during a multistate crime spree in 2004
Mentoring is an old-school solution to a historically vexing puzzle: how to manage prison reentry in a state where 60 percent of people are locked up again within three years
A number of senators want to eliminate minimum mandatory sentences, revamp the bail system and raise the age of those sent to juvenile court from 18 to 21
A proposed bill would require correctional facilities to offer inmates preparing for release the opportunity to apply for driver’s licenses or non-operator IDs
Nearly 65 percent of inmates meet medical criteria for substance use disorder, but 11 percent receive treatment while incarcerated
The Oklahoma DOC said 30 percent of officer positions are left unfilled, partially due to low pay
Jarrett Adams is one of nearly 200 people the Innocence Project has freed since it was founded — and one of only three exonerees who have become lawyers
The measure would expand existing programs at the state’s prisons that provide basic education and job training
The appeals court agreed with the state that a law that protects the identity of the state’s execution team applies to those who supply the execution drug
Jeremy Meeks took the internet by storm in 2014 with his “hot” mugshot
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