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 bills would allow current COs to buy into the Michigan State Police hybrid plan with retroactive credit
Acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering, Sean “Diddy” Combs remains jailed at MDC Brooklyn while awaiting sentencing for prostitution-related charges
A former Contra Costa deputy convicted in a 2018 on-duty fatal shooting may have his record cleared after serving time as part of the San Quentin Fire Department
Dan Zhong’s lawyers have said he is willing to pay $144K per month to turn his home into a private jail to await trial
They recommend the Legislature require police to record interrogations in all felony cases as soon as the suspect enters the interrogation room
He has pardoned more than any Missouri governor in the past three decades
The case leads the state to become the first to set standards that will allow other transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery
His commentary addresses how presidents can influence the criminal justice system, and how they have a responsibility to translate that vision into practical results
The Supreme Court by a 5-2 vote forbid the state from imposing the death penalty in pending prosecutions, only to withdraw the order hours later as “prematurely issued”
Under mounting pressure to free convicts as a last act, Obama is planning at least one more batch of pardons and commutations before leaving office in two weeks
A lower-court judge had previously said the program violates offenders’ rights because hardly anyone is ever released
Attorney, C. Justin Brown argued for the release, saying the appeals process could take years and Adnan Syed has shown he is good candidate for release pending a new trial
The figures released earlier this month by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics show the state had the second-highest prison homicide rate in the country from 2001 to 2014
The secrecy law blocks anyone from getting information about individuals or entities participating in executions
Attorneys for Tommy Arthur said they should have a means to contact the courts if an execution goes awry
The organization helps young, low-income inner-city dropouts reclaim their lives
Inmates are offered multiple programs, such as anger management and parenting classes, aimed at preventing them from repeating mistakes
They asked a judge to order the DOC to provide improved monitoring and assessment of prisoners on suicide watch
He said spending hundreds of millions of dollars to keep fewer than 60 men in isolation undermines U.S. standing in the world and emboldens violent extremists
Attorneys said Brendan Dassey has no basis for his claims that his confession wasn’t voluntary and shouldn’t be released from prison
The court declared in a separate ruling that anyone who received a death sentence after a 2002 decision could be eligible for a new sentencing hearing
A judge ordered officials to continue using new measures to control dangerous heat levels for three medically vulnerable inmates on the state’s death row
Blagojevich is asking a U.S. appeals court to nullify his 14-year prison term and order a third sentencing hearing
Rene Lima-Marin was sent back to prison after being mistakenly released decades before serving his 98-year sentence
A remaining claim in the lawsuit alleges the state has abused its discretion in the methods and amounts of drugs used in past executions
The lawsuit accused the warden of forcing women to watch films depicting rape, and to divulge details about their sexual pasts while being filmed
A ballot initiative approved by voters to speed up death penalty appeals was put on hold to consider a lawsuit challenging the measure
The court sided with the inmate who sought DNA testing on a cigarette butt found near the scene that led to his sentence
His request comes as courts across the state are re-sentencing inmates sent away for life for murders they participated in as juveniles
The move comes amid a challenge of a state law that shields details about the lethal injection drugs the state plans to use
The pardons are the greatest number of individual clemencies granted in a single day by any president
The doors are locked for the high-risk offenders, but no matter the setting, the focus is on therapy instead of controlling the youth
A remaining challenge for IDOC is employing about 400 new staff needed for the expanded mental health system
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