AELE LAW LIBRARY OF CASE SUMMARIES:
Corrections Law for
Jails, Prisons and Detention Facilities
Escape
Hospital employee taken
hostage by inmate was properly awarded $500,000 in damages against private
security company that took the prisoner to the hospital for medical treatment
under contract with the state of Tennessee. Company employees were negligent
in failing to both stay in hospital room with inmate and in allowing prisoner
access to a weapon which he used to escape and kidnap employee and drive
away with her in her car. Willis v. Settle, 162 S.W.3d 169 (Tenn. App.
2004), review denied, Tennessee Supreme Court (2005). [N/R]
Texas Department
of Criminal Justice could not be held liable for death of a police officer
killed by seven escaped prison inmates using captured prison guards' weapons
eleven days after their escape. This use of the weapons to kill a police
officer was too remote in time to satisfy the requirements for an exception
to immunity under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Texas Department of Criminal
Justice v. Hawkins, No. 05-03-01789-CV, 169 S.W.3d 529 (Tex. App. 2005).
[N/R]
Prisoner could not seek, under 42 U.S.C.
Sec. 1983, to challenge being charged with escape while those charges were
pending. Further, even if he were convicted, a habeas corpus petition,
rather than a federal civil rights action, would be the proper way to challenge
the conviction in federal court. Any claim for money damages, additionally,
was barred under Heck v. Humphrey, No. 93-6188, 512 U.S. 477 (1994), until
and unless a conviction occurred and was subsequently set aside. Thomas
v. Barker, No. CIV. 1:CV05-0665, 371 F. Supp. 2d 636 (M.D. Pa. 2005). [N/R]
The victim of a carjacking by a New York
state prisoner who escaped while being transported from one correctional
facility to another could not collect damages against the state. She failed
to show that there was any special duty to protect her in particular from
the inmate, or that she relied on the performance of such a duty. Even
if correctional officers failed to properly perform their duties in connection
with the custody and control of the prisoner, that was a violation of a
general duty for the benefit of the public as a whole and not for the benefit
of any specific individual. The state was therefore entitled to immunity
from liability. Leonido v. State, No. 99960, 784 N.Y.S.2d 331 (Ct. Cl.
2004). [N/R]
Determination that prisoner should be placed
in administrative segregation, as he was a safety and security risk in
the general prison population, was adequately supported by evidence of
the violent and "heinous" nature of his previous escape attempt,
his threats to escape and kill persons involved in his prosecution, and
testimony concerning recent activities and communications indicating a
renewed interest in escape. Blake v. Selsky, 781 N.Y.S.2d 802 (A.D. 3d
Dept. 2004). [N/R]
County could not be held liable for death
of murder victim allegedly killed by detainee who removed an electronic
home monitoring restraint and escaped home detention before committing
the crime. The county and its agencies had no "special duty"
to protect the victim from the crime, and an exception to statutory immunity
for injury and death that occurs within the grounds of buildings used in
performance of public functions did not apply. Kennerly v. Montgomery Cty.
Bd. of Commissioners, 814 N.E.2d 1252 (Ohio App. 2d Dist. 2004). [N/R]
Correctional agency, officials, and employees had
no duty to protect a specific individual from assault by an escaped prisoner.
Woman assaulted by inmate who escaped from a technical college at a prison
facility therefore could not be awarded damages. Alabama Department of
Corrections v. Thompson, 855 So. 2d 1016 (Ala. 2003). [N/R]
County sheriff's alleged non-use of handcuffs
or shackles while transporting prisoner who escaped was insufficient to
support a claim for damages under Texas law for escaped prisoner's subsequent
alleged assault and robbery of plaintiff. Lopez v. McMillion, No. 04-03-0021-CV,
113 S.W.3d 447 (Tex. App. 2003). [N/R]
County could not be held liable for failing
to protect community member against being shot and killed by a "house
arrestee" who escaped after removing his home monitoring device. The
county had no special relationship with the shooting victim which imposed
a duty to protect him against this risk, and the county, in failing to
take any action to recapture the house arrestee, did not do anything to
create the danger to the victim. Kennerly v. Montgomery County Board of
Commissioners, 257 F. Supp. 2d 1037 (S.D. Ohio 2003). [N/R]
Prisoner who escaped while on work release
was barred from appealing a judgment denying his claim to recover his wages,
which were paid to the correctional institution and treated as forfeited
or abandoned due to his escape. Intermediate Missouri appeals court rules
that "escape rule" applies in that state to allow a court to
dismiss either a criminal appeal or an appeal in a civil case based on
a prisoner's escape from custody. Spencer v. Ouverson, No. WD 60109, 98
S.W.2d 69 (Mo. App. W.D. 2002). [N/R]
Alabama Supreme Court overrules prior caselaw
providing that all state officials have no duty to protect unforeseeable
members of the public from harm resulting from escaped prisoners. New rule,
except for parole officials, is that the trial court must consider, on
a case-by-case basis whether there was a duty to protect third parties
and whether the defendant officials were entitled to qualified immunity
defense. Ryan v. Hayes, #1001578, 831 So. 2d 21 (Ala. 2002). [2003 JB Mar.]
Youth adjudicated a juvenile delinquent did
escape from a "detention facility" within the meaning of a New
York criminal statute, McKinney's Penal Law Sec. 205.10, subd. 1, when
he jumped out of the window of a cabin at a camp operated by the N.Y. State
Division for Youth. People v. Juarbe, 749 N.Y.S.2d 665 (Sup. 2002). [N/R]
Township could not be held liable for escapee's
death from being struck and killed by an automobile while fleeing from
a police station where she had been handcuffed to a ballet bar in the booking
room because another intoxicated detainee was already occupying the lone
holding cell. Kruger v. White Lake Township, Nos. 222904, 223337, 648 N.W.2d
660 (Mich. App. 2002). [2002 JB Dec]
County was not liable to parents under
42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 for escaped prisoner's actions in killing one of their
sons based on policies or customs that allegedly allowed the prisoner to
escape. In shooting at the parent's sons, the prisoner did not act under
color of state law, and the county was not aware that the victims of the
prisoner's actions, as opposed to the public at large, faced any special
danger from the escaped prisoner. Gaston v. Houston County, Texas, 196
F. Supp. 2d 445 (E.D. Tex. 2002). [N/R]
A state statute, Tenn. Code Ann. Sec. 39-16-605,
applied to the escape of a prisoner from a private facility in Tennessee
when the prisoner was convicted of an offense in Montana and placed in
the private prison under a contract between the Montana correctional authorities
and the private prison company. The court ruled that such prisoners were
not "unlawfully imprisoned." Tennessee v. Lankford, 51 S.W.2d
212 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2001). [N/R]
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied review
of the case, rejecting a petition for certiorari arguing that such incarceration
of an out-of-state prisoner in a private for-profit facility without consent
or waiver of extradition denied the inmate due process and made his Tennessee
conviction for escape void. McKeon v. Tennessee, No. 01-922, cert. denied,
2002 U.S. Lexis 741. [N/R]
292:61 N.Y.C. was not liable for escaped
prisoner's shooting and injuring of a man who attempted to subdue him during
a bar robbery; even if city had knowledge of prisoner's violent propensities
and tendency to escape, there could be no liability without a "special
relationship" to the plaintiff based on prior contact or assurances
of protection. Kiernan v. City of New York, #QDS: 22703794, Supreme Court,
N.Y. County, Judge Stallman, reported in New York Law Journal, Jan. 19,
2001.
289:4 Prisoners who had allegedly been mistakenly
released early from Maryland prisons were properly rearrested as escapees;
state officials were entitled to qualified immunity for obtaining escape
arrest warrants for former prisoners and having them taken back into custody.
Henderson v. Simms, No. 99-1706, 223 F.3d 267 (4th Cir. 2000).
275:170 Convicting prisoner of disciplinary
offense of escape violated due process when hearing was presented with
"no shred of evidence of the inmate's guilt"; such a conviction
violated prisoner's rights even if it did not violate any constitutionally
protected liberty interest. Burnsworth v. Gunderson, #97-16599, 179 F.3d
771 (9th Cir. 1999).
269:70 Deputy sheriff who took recaptured
escapee to emergency room for treatment of injuries had a duty to protect
other members of the public there from the possibility of injury from the
prisoner's renewed escape attempt; lawsuit against sheriff reinstated by
Florida appeals court. Sams v. Oelrich, 717 So. 2d 1044 (Fla. App. 1998).
242:20 Escape of trustee prisoner from county
jail, and his subsequent assault and rape of elderly female store owner,
was not sufficient basis for a claim of violation of constitutional rights
by jail personnel; injured plaintiff did not show that there was any special
duty to protect her, and risk to her was no greater than to members of
the general public in the area. Davis v. Fulton Co., Arkansas, 90 F.3d
1346 (8th Cir. 1996).
243:38 Utah was immune from suit for damages
based on alleged negligent failure to recapture prisoners who escaped from
halfway house or to prevent them from murdering mountain cabin owners and
kidnapping owners' two minor daughters. Tiede v. State of Utah, 915 P.2d
500 (Utah 1996).
244:52 Michigan corrections department was
not liable for escaped prisoner's murder of man at home he broke into;
prisoner's own criminal actions, rather than allegedly "insecure prison
system" was the cause of the death. Peters v. Dept. of Corrections,
546 N.W.2d 668 (Mich. App. 1996).
250:152 West Virginia correctional agency
could not be liable for wrongful death of woman murdered by two escaped
inmates unless there was coverage under state's insurance policies. Jeffrey
v. W. Va. Dept. of Public Safety, 482 S.E.2d 226 (W.Va. 1996).
239:165 Pennsylvania court rules that prisoner's
escape from custody while in work release program made him ineligible for
workers' compensation benefits when later injured on job he took while
attempting to avoid recapture. Graves v. Workmen's Compensation Appeal
Board (Newman), 668 A.2d 606 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1995). [Cross-reference: Workers'
Compensation].
231:37 Ohio and Florida courts hold that
state correctional departments are not liable for crimes committed by escaped
prisoners. Hurst v. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 72
Ohio St. 3d 325, 650 N.E.2d 104 (1995); Dept. of Corrections v. McGhee,
653 So.2d 1091 (Fla. App. 1995) and Dept. of Corrections v. Burnett, 653
So.2d 1102 (Fla. App. 1995).
234:86 Update: Federal government not liable
for brutal assault and rape of woman by prisoner who escaped from work
release halfway house he was placed in by Bureau of Prisons, federal appeals
court rules. Bailor v. Salvation Army, 51 F.3d 678 (7th Cir. 1995).
238:156 California state statute providing
immunity to government entities and employees for injuries or deaths "caused
by" escaping prisoners applied in case where detained juvenile herself
was injured while trying to escape. Ladd v. Co. of San Mateo, 50 Cal.Rptr.2d
309, 911 P.2d 496 (Cal. 1996).
217:4 Woman brutally beaten and raped by
prisoner who escaped from work release halfway house was not entitled to
damages from U.S. Bureau of Prisons, operators of halfway house or her
own employer, which provided services to prisoners. Bailor v. Salvation
Army, 854 F.Supp. 1341 (N.D.Ind. 1994).
218:21 Maine was not liable under state law
for alleged theft of car by escaped prisoners. Abt & Co., Inc. v. Maine,
644 A.2d 460 (Me. 1994).
226:151 N.Y. police officer, allegedly injured
while pursuing arrestee who was attempting to escape custody, may sue arrestee
for damages under state law. Baiamonte v. Buongiovanni, 615 N.Y.S.2d 415
(A.D. 1994).
Court rules that Oklahoma law made county
exempt from liability for injuries that escaped inmate inflicted on married
couple. Cummings v. Board of Co. Com'rs., 861 P.2d 997 (Okl. App. 1993).
Sheriff was not liable for fire started by
inmate who escaped from work release program; inmate's actions were not
reasonably foreseeable. U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Camp, 831 P.2d
586 (Mont. 1992).
Prisoner's escape for three days while his
civil rights lawsuit was pending did not result in dismissal of his lawsuit
under the "fugitive from justice" rule. Perko v. Bowers, 945
F.2d 1038 (8th Cir. 1991).
Correctional officials not liable for escaped
prisoner's murder of three; officials had no "special relationship"
with victims. Massey v. Dept. of Corrections, 451 N.W.2d 869 (Mich. App.
1990).
Use of deadly force against escaping inmate
who attacked guard with a spear did not violate eighth amendment. Robles
v. Otero de Ramos, 729 F.Supp. 920 (D. Puerto Rico, 1989).
Sheriff liable for negligence in escape of
confessed murderer who abducted woman and her son for 13-hours two days
after escape. Edwards v. State, 556 So.2d 644 (La. App. 1990).
Officers injured during course of attempted
escape could not pursue federal civil rights suit against jail management.
deJesus Benavides v. Santos, 883 F.2d 385 (5th Cir. 1989).
Sheriff was not liable to spouse of man killed
by jail escapees; no duty owed under state law. Robinson v. Estate of Williams,
721 F.Supp. 806 (S.D. Miss. 1989).
Department of corrections was not liable
for escaped prisoner's unforeseeable rape and murder of woman. Shepard
v. S.C. Dept. of Corrections, 385 S.E.2d 35 (S.C. App. 1989).
Emotional damage from burglary by escapees
not compensable. Medal v. State, 488 N.Y.S.2d 442 (A.D. 2 Dept. 1985).
No liability for transporting mentally ill
detainee in unequipped car allegedly allowing him to escape and be shot.
Weber v. State, 483 N.Y.S.2d 866 (A.D. 3 Dept. 1985). Correctional officers
had no duty to prevent rape of woman by escaped prison inmate. Henderson
v. Bradford, 523 N.E.2d 64 (Ill. App. 1988).
No liability for using deadly force to prevent
escape of mentally ill prisoner when objectively reasonable to believe
less violent method would not work. Clark v. Evans, 840 F.2d 876 (11th
Cir. 1988).
Prison camp superintendent not liable for
escaped prisoner's murder of woman he married and her daughters and kidnap/sexual
assault of her son. Massey v. Grant, 679 F.Supp. 711 (W.D. Mich. 1988).
Lawsuit against sheriff for escaped prisoner's
alleged attack on a couple in their home was barred by sovereign immunity.
Parker v. Murphy, 510 so. 2d 990 (Fla. App. 1987).
No liability for escapee's wresting deputy's
pistol which he fired at innocent bystander. Collie v. Hutson, 334 S.E.2d
13 (Ga. App. 1985).
Memphis decision clouds officers' authority
to shoot fleeing felons during jail or prison break. Newby v. Serviss,
590 F.Supp. 591 (W.D. Mich. 1984).
Sworn evidence must accompany proceedings
for summary judgment. Read v. Thomas, 679 S.W.2d 467 (Tenn. App. 1984).
Standards justifying escapes set forth. Jorgensen
v. State, 688 P.2d 308 (Nev. 1984).
Prior convictions admissible in escape incident.
Diggs v. Lyons, 741 F.2d 577 (3rd Cir. 1984).
Only inmate in jail escapes with patrol car
due to alleged negligence of deputy. Finnigan v. Blanco Co., 670 S.W.2d
313 (Tex. App. 1984).
Incomplete investigation of escape plans
results in new hearing for prisoner. Keleman on Behalf of Tumminia v. Coughlin,
473 N.Y.S.2d 618 (App. 1984). $525,000 awarded due to sheriff's negligence
in permitting trustee to escape with car and rape woman. Bass v. Morgan
Co. Sheriff, U.S. Dist. Ct. Birmingham (Ala. 1983).
Certain reasons may defend inmates for their
conduct in kidnapping or escaping. State v. Little, 312 S.E.2d 695 (N.D.
App. 1984).
Prison could be liable for rape committed
by inmate placed on work program. Newsome v. Dept. of Trans. of State of
Florida, 435 So.2d 887 (Fla. App. 1983).
Co. not liable for death caused by escapees.
Federer v. Co. of Sacramento, 190 Cal.Rptr. 187 (App. 1983).
No double jeopardy occurs when escaped inmates
are subject to prison disciplinary action as well as to criminal prosecution.
State v. Killebrew, 340 N.W.2d 470 (Wis. 1983).
No federal action for death by inmate made
a trustee. Nishiyama v. Dickson Co., Tenn., 573 F.Supp. 200 (M.D. Tenn.
1983).
State liable for rape committed by work-release
inmate; evidence concerning plaintiff's trauma as a result of defense admissible.
Division of Corrs. v. Wynn, 438 So.2d 446 (Fla. App. 1983).
Possible liability for reclassification of
inmate who subsequently escaped and shot man during robbery. Smith v. Dept.
of Corrections, 432 So.2d 1338 (Fla. App. 1983).
No liability for criminal conduct of escapees
who shot offduty police officer. Chivas v. Koehler, 333 N.W.2d 509 (Mich.
App. 1983).
No liability for juvenile mental inmate who
fails to return from "pass" and subsequently kills another. Sherrill
v. Wilson, 653 S.W.2d 661 (Mo. 1983).
Possible liability for criminal conduct (rape)
of "walkaway" inmate from work program on road project for Department
of Transportation. Newsome v. Dept. of Transportation of State of Florida,
435 So.2d 887 (Fla. App. 1983).
State of Arizona may be held liable for criminal
acts of escapee. Ryan v. State, 656 P. d 597 (Ariz. 1982).