cruel and unusual punishment
Oregon High Court OKs 112-Year Sentence for School Shooter
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 112-year sentence of a young man who shot 26 of his high school classmates after killing his parents in 1998.
Read moreJudge OKs Settlement Requiring Texas to Cool Prison
Putting prison officials on notice throughout the sunbaked South, a federal judge on Tuesday approved a class-action settlement requiring Texas to install air conditioning in a state prison near Houston.
Read moreMom Says Ohio School Allowed Fake Cop to Assault Son
An Ohio mother claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that officials in the Akron school district allowed a man impersonating a police officer to handcuff and threaten to stun her child under the guise of a fake “scared straight” program purportedly aimed at deterring kids from committing crimes.
Read moreMississippi Sued Over ‘Unforgiving’ Voting Ban For Ex-Cons
A federal class action filed Tuesday accuses Mississippi of enforcing an arcane lifetime voting ban that keeps citizens convicted of certain felonies from ever being able to vote.
Read moreKiller Who Could Choke on Own Blood Gets 2nd SCOTUS Stay
Ridden with rare tumors, a man described by a prosecutor as a “homicidal energizer bunny” won his second stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read moreOklahoma Approves of New Nitrogen Gas Execution Method
Oklahoma officials announced Wednesday the end of a three-year-old moratorium on executions as they plan on using a first-of-its-kind nitrogen gas inhalation method to get around difficulties in getting lethal injection drugs.
Read moreOhio Death-Row Inmates Lose Bid to Halt Executions
The Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected two death-row inmates’ efforts to block their executions, finding they did not prove Ohio’s lethal injection drugs cause serious pain and suffering.
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Iowa Officials Accused of Mistreating Juveniles at Boys’ Home
Three juveniles claim in court that Iowa’s Boys State Training School violates the rights of offenders with mental health problems by providing grossly inadequate health care and subjecting them to physical restraints and solitary confinement.
Read moreStudy Finds Most Ohio Death-Row Inmates Are Impaired
A new report finds that most, if not all, of the 26 Ohio prisoners scheduled to be executed over the next three years have significant impairments that limit their legal culpability and may preclude them from execution under the Eighth Amendment.
Read moreJudge Temporarily Blocks Houston Law Aimed at Homeless
A Houston ordinance that bars homeless people from sleeping in tents on public property may violate their rights against cruel and unusual punishment, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, blocking the law with a temporary restraining order.
Read moreFederal Judge Orders Texas to Cool Down Prison
Texas prison officials have been deliberately indifferent to the hazards of sweltering summer heat in a lockup near Houston, a federal judge ruled, ordering the state to reduce the temperature in inmate housing areas to 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
Read moreDivided Sixth Circuit Lifts Ban Against Executions in Ohio
The en banc Sixth Circuit ruled 8-6 Wednesday to overturn an injunction against Ohio’s lethal-injection protocol, clearing the way for the state to move forward with scheduled executions.
Read moreFederal Judge Orders Reforms in Wisconsin Juvie System
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and civil-rights attorneys to work together to agree on changes to the state’s juvenile prison system, which has been the target of multiple lawsuits this year.
Read moreOhio Optometrist Says Sex-Offender Punishment Doesn’t Fit Crime
An Ohio optometrist sued to challenge the revocation of his license and the constitutionality of the state’s sex-offender registration statute, claiming it imposes excessive punishment on misdemeanor offenders.
Read moreOhio Execution Protocol Headed for En Banc Review
Ohio’s three-drug execution protocol, which includes the use of a controversial sedative, will be argued before the entire Sixth Circuit, after a successful petition by the state.
Read morePanel Urges Continued Ban on Oklahoma Death Penalty
A bipartisan commission unanimously recommended Tuesday that Oklahoma continue with its two-year-old moratorium on the death penalty, citing “disturbing” findings that had its members question if executions of innocent people are prevented.
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