 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 February 2004 -- Just released -- expert reports discussing in detail the conditions in California's Youth Authority Facilities. Read the: For background information on the class action lawsuit slamming conditions in the California Youth Authority, read the complaint that was filed in state court in January 2003. (The reports are lengthy and may take some time to download.) April 2004 -- In a First Amendment victory for prisoners and their correspondents, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a court order striking down a policy that prohibited many California prisoners from receiving mail containing printed material from the internet. Read the Ninth Circuit opinion here. You can also read the order issued by the federal District Court. January 2004 -- The Special Master appointed by the federal court to oversee reforms at Pelican Bay State Prison issued a stinging summary of corruption among high level prison officials, who thwarted investigations into prison guard misconduct. Read the San Francisco Chronical story (January 16, 2004) or the Special Master's Report. December 2003 -- The 2004 Supplement to The California State Prisoners Handbook, Third Edition (2001), is now available! The 225-page Supplement includes material updated through the end of September 2003. The price of the Handbook plus Supplement is $40 for prisoners and $182 for non-prisoners. The price to purchase the Supplement alone is $15 for prisoners and $50 for non-prisoners. More information and order form. November 18, 2003 --The California Department of Corrections and Board of Prison Terms have agreed to a stipulated permanent injunction to improve the timeliness of parole revocation proceedings. The Remedial Plan adopted under the injunction includes provisions for using alternative sanctions for minor parole violations, a probable cause hearing no more than 10 business days after a parolee is notified of charges, and a revocation hearing no later than 35 days after a parole hold is placed. The injunction is the result of a federal court finding that that delays in the parole revocation process violated due process protections. (Valdivia v. Davis (E.D. 2002) 206 F.Supp.2d 1068.) November 2003 -- Despite the California Supreme Court denial of a challenge to Governor Davis's "No-Parole" policy, (see more information on our Major Cases page), several courts have overturned parole recissions in cases where the recission was not based on "some evidence" and the Governor failed to make an individualized consideration of the case factors. See In re Capistran (2003) 107 Cal.App.4th 1299 and In re Smith (2003) 109 Cal.App.4th 489. In addition, Governor Schwarzenegger appears more likely to allow BPT grants of parole to stand; in his first few days in office, the new governor approved parole in one of two cases that he reviewed. You will need Acrobat Reader to view some of these documents. |
|
||
