South Carolina — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Prison audit suggests separating gang members, letting inmates earn more ‘good time credit’

“South Carolina should improve prison officers’ training, better manage gang members and penalize their leaders, and offer inmates more opportunities to shave time off their sentences to incentivize good behavior, according to a state audit presented to legislators Monday. A lengthy review by the Legislative Audit Council also found inconsistencies in how and whether inmates and visitors are searched for contraband. And it’s unclear how much contraband — such as cellphones, which have allowed inmates to carry on their criminal enterprises — is found because it’s not being properly tracked, the audit found.“

Charleston Post and Courier

August 26, 2019

Death in Prison, Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesAugust 26, 2019Charleston Post and Courier, South CarolinaComment

Bailey: Corrections Department didn’t want to hear his story, Legislature and Warren Buffett should.

“Bryan Stirling, SCDC’s director, should want to hear out his critics, not shut them up. If he doesn’t, the Legislature should. Warren Buffett, too, might want to ask what’s going on in one of his companies, even one far from Omaha.“

Charleston Post and Courier

June 1, 2019

InformantsPhillip ReevesJune 1, 2019Charleston Post and Courier, South CarolinaComment

Commentary: SC prisons need far more guards — and far more transparency

“Despite the redactions, the report makes clear the corrections department has far understated just how dire the staffing shortage is behind the prison walls. While the department has said that 1 in 4 correctional officer jobs are vacant, the report shows the state would have to double the current staff to more than 4,000 to meet industry standards.“

Charleston Post and Courier

January 12, 2019

Death in PrisonPhillip ReevesJanuary 12, 2019Charleston Post and Courier, South CarolinaComment

SC officials won’t evacuate prison ahead of hurricane

“Despite an evacuation order encompassing the prison’s location in Jasper County issued Monday, S.C. Department of Corrections officials decided not to remove inmates at the Ridgeland Correctional Institution as of that afternoon, SCDC spokesman Dexter Lee said in an interview with The State.“

The State

September 11, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesSeptember 12, 2018The State, South CarolinaComment

SC prison doctors agree inmates don’t get proper hepatitis testing, care

"'It is my opinion, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that SCDC’s policies and practices regarding hepatitis C testing deviate from the standard of care,' said James Grubbs, an infectious disease physician who has worked for the prisons system since 2016."

The State

August 14, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyAugust 16, 2018The State, South Carolina

After deadly SC prison riot, prisoners nationwide may go on a hunger, labor strike

"The group is encouraging prisoners to participate in work strikes, sit-ins, boycotts and hunger strikes from Aug. 21 until Sept. 9, according to the statement. A series of demands have been issued, including improving conditions in prisons, paying a fair wage for prison labor, providing the possibility of parole to all prisoners, allowing access to rehabilitation programs, increasing funding at state rehabilitation services and restoring voting rights to felons."

The State

August 13, 2018

Death in Prison, Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyAugust 14, 2018The State, South Carolina

Lawsuits Filed, Renewed Push to Block Cell Phones After Deadly South Carolina Prison Riot

"In the two months following an April 15, 2018 riot at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina that left seven prisoners dead and at least 22 injured, the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) has renewed its push to get the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve jamming contraband cell phones in prisons and jails. Additionally, several prisoners who were wounded during the riot have filed lawsuits alleging that staff at the facility failed to protect them from foreseeable violence."

Prison Legal News

July 1, 2018