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Many Sheriffs Tempted by Lack of Oversight or Fiscal Accountability
Loaded on Sept. 23, 2018
by Matthew Clarke
published in Criminal Legal News
October, 2018, page 26
Filed under:
Police Misconduct,
Jail Misconduct,
Government Misconduct.
Locations:
Alabama,
Tennessee,
United States of America.
by Matt Clarke
It is a perfect storm of temptation. Many sheriffs in America have little oversight, independent sources of revenue with little fiscal accountability, low salaries, and a lot of power. This leads some of them to pocket funds intended for other purposes.
Some Alabama sheriffs …
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More from this issue:
- Washington Supreme Court Strikes Down Pornography Prohibition as Unconstitutionally Vague, by Christopher Zoukis
- Sixth Circuit Rules Relying on Search Warrant Based on ‘Bare Bones’ Affidavit Objectively Unreasonable, Grants Motion to Suppress, by David Reutter
- Victims’ Rights Laws a Threat to Due Process
- Federal Court Suppresses Evidence Where Consent to Search Vehicle Obtained Via Google Translate, by Christopher Zoukis
- Private DNA Lab Under Fire for Faulty Analysis, by Christopher Zoukis
- ICE Utilizes Military-Style Shock Tactics to Round up Immigrants
- Louisiana Supreme Court Holds Counsel’s Failure to Challenge ‘Stark Contrasts’ in Witness ID and Defendant’s Appearance Constituted IAC, by Dale Chappell
- Sixth Circuit: Procedural Error and Plain Error for Judge to ‘Surprise’ Defendant and Impose an Upward Variance
- Hawaii Supreme Court Vacates Conviction Because Defendant’s Waiver of Right to Testify Deficient Under State’s Tachibana Colloquy Requirement, by David Reutter
- New Jersey Supreme Court Holds Inventory Search May Not Serve as Ruse for Investigatory Search, by Dale Chappell
- Federal Judge Effectively Ends Albuquerque’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Program as Too Focused on Revenue and Not on Due Process, by Derek Gilna
- Your Papers, May I See Your Papers?, by Christopher Zoukis
- Hair Analysis a Useful but Not Foolproof Forensic Tool, by Derek Gilna
- 1st Circuit: No Protective Sweep Where Identified Suspects Already in Custody at Time of Warrantless Search, by David Reutter
- $9 Million Settlement in Baltimore Wrongful Conviction Case, by Christopher Zoukis
- Civil Forfeiture Often Focuses on Profit Instead of Public Safety
- Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association Backpedals on Its Pre-Trial Detainee Figures, by Derek Gilna
- Idaho Supreme Court Rules Dead-Body Reporting Statute Unconstitutional As Applied to Defendant, by Richard Resch
- Federal Judge Extends Stay of Executions in Louisiana, by Betty Nelander
- Houston Forces Parolees out of City Under New Rule
- From the Big Box to the Big House: Walmart Helps Tennessee Prosecutors Felonize Shoplifting, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Supreme Court Announces Greater Privacy Protections Under State Constitution for Impounded Vehicles Than Provided by Fourth Amendment, by Richard Resch
- New York, Faced With Millions in Payouts for Prosecutorial Misconduct, Becomes First State to Create Oversight Commission, by Derek Gilna
- Fired Director of New York’s Criminal Forensic Science Division Alleges ‘Catastrophic’ DNA Errors, by Christopher Zoukis
- Many Sheriffs Tempted by Lack of Oversight or Fiscal Accountability, by Matthew Clarke
- 11th Circuit Rules Immigration Judges are United States Judges for Purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 115(a)(1)(B), by David Reutter
- Study Indicates Link Between Officer Fatigue and Public Complaints, by Betty Nelander
- ACLU Questions Trade Secrets Protecting DNA Testing Algorithms, by Dale Chappell
- $28.1 Million Jury Verdict for Wrongful Convictions Upheld by 8th Circuit, by Kevin Bliss
- Eric Schneiderman Pushed Laws Opposing Abuse of Women as He Stands Accused of Abusing Them Himself, by Steve Horn
- Archaic Disciplinary System Allows Chicago Police to Delay Punishment, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Supreme Court Tosses Evidence Holding Dog Sniff of Nervous Driver with Prior Drug Charges was Unreasonable, by Dale Chappell
- New Jersey AG Intervenes in Possible Wrongful Conviction Case, Considers Reforms, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Order Granting New Trial Due to Newly Discovered Evidence, by Christopher Zoukis
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Sua Sponte Jury Instruction on Self-Defense Also Applies to Lesser-Included Charges, by Dale Chappell
- NY Court of Appeals Affirms Dismissal of DWI for Improper Breathalyzer Refusal Warning, by Dale Chappell
- 10th Circuit: Oklahoma’s Second-Degree Burglary Not an ACCA Qualifying Offense, by David Reutter
- New Jersey Supreme Court Holds 2014 Amendment to Megan’s Law Violates Ex Post Facto Clause, by Dale Chappell
- California Court of Appeal Holds Box Cutter Not ‘Inherently’ Deadly Weapon, by Dale Chappell
- Kentucky Supreme Court Overrules Flawed Brindley Opinion and Announces Commonwealth Cannot Appeal Judgment of Acquittal, by Dale Chappell
- Eight Death Row Prisoners Opt for Untested Nitrogen Gas Over Inhumane Lethal Injection, by Betty Nelander
- Prosecutors Use Their Power to Help Reform Criminal Justice
- Iowa Supreme Court Announces Actual Innocence Claim Is Freestanding Claim That Can Be Made Even After Guilty Plea, by Dale Chappell
- NY Court of Appeals Holds Trial Court’s Failure to Advise Defense of Jury Note Contents Constitutes Reversible Error, by Dale Chappell
- Insurance, Courts Protect Cops from Liability, by Dale Chappell
- The Broad Reach of Carpenter v. United States, by Paul Ohm
- Plainclothes Officers, 6 percent of NYC Police Force, Involved in 31 percent of Fatal Police Shootings, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
- From Abuse of the Body to Abuse of the Mind: Police Use Psychologically Coercive Interrogation Techniques to Produce False Confessions, by Christopher Zoukis
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Hospital Keeps Sending Detainees Back Without Care to County Jail in Colorado, May 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies, Feb. 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Securus.
- County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Religious Practices, First Amendment, rights, Religious Freedom/Worship.
- New York City Mayor’s Order Opening Rikers Island to ICE Declared Illegal, Jan. 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Injunctions, Deportation/Removal/Exclusion, Enforcement of Immigration Laws.
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Summary Judgment, Limitations, Municipal Liability, Criminal Sexual Abuse.




