Lesson 1Limits on punishment: due process, disciplinary procedures, and grievance systemsThis section explains how due process restricts punishment in facilities, detailing disciplinary hearings, sanctions, and grievance systems, and guides staff on documenting, notifying, and responding to inmate complaints lawfully.
Progressive discipline and allowable sanctionsNotice, evidence, and hearing requirementsImpartial decision makers and bias concernsInmate grievance steps and time limitsRetaliation bans and grievance protectionsLesson 2Religious freedom and free exercise protections for inmatesThis section examines religious freedom in custody, covering free exercise protections, substantial burden tests, RLUIPA standards, and evaluating requests for diets, services, and items while ensuring safety, order, and neutrality.
Free exercise basics in correctional settingsRLUIPA standards and substantial burdenRecognizing sincere religious beliefsReligious diets, services, and chaplaincySecurity limits on religious items and ritualsLesson 3Liability and accountability for correctional staff (criminal, civil, administrative)This section outlines criminal, civil, and administrative liability for staff, explaining common offences, Section 1983 suits, qualified immunity basics, internal discipline, and how policies, training, and supervision reduce personal and agency risk.
Criminal misconduct and abuse of authorityCivil rights suits under 42 U.S.C. § 1983Negligence, deliberate indifference, and harmInternal discipline and professional standardsRisk reduction through policy and trainingLesson 4Legal obligations for supervision, reporting, and chain of custody of evidenceThis section covers legal duties in supervising inmates, reporting incidents, and preserving evidence, explaining documentation standards, chain of custody rules, and how mishandling records or evidence impacts prosecutions and staff liability.
Direct supervision duties and roundsIncident reporting timelines and contentUse-of-force and injury documentationEvidence collection and labeling rulesMaintaining secure chain of custodyLesson 5Rights related to health care, mental health, and disability accommodations (ADA in correctional settings)This section explains inmate rights to medical and mental health care and disability accommodations, covering deliberate indifference, treatment access, suicide prevention, ADA and Rehabilitation Act duties, and documentation of clinical decisions.
Serious medical needs and legal standardsAccess to sick call, triage, and referralsMental health care and suicide preventionADA eligibility, requests, and assessmentsReasonable modifications and safety limitsLesson 6Use-of-force law: legal standards, case law (e.g., Hudson v. McMillian, Graham v. Connor) and objective reasonablenessThis section explains legal standards for use of force, including objective reasonableness, proportionality, and key cases like Hudson and Graham, linking policy, training, reporting, and video evidence to legal review and accountability.
Constitutional bases for use-of-force rulesObjective reasonableness and totality testsHudson v. McMillian and excessive forceGraham v. Connor and force factorsReporting, video, and post-incident reviewLesson 7Constitutional rights retained by incarcerated persons (Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments)This section reviews constitutional rights surviving incarceration, focusing on Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment protections, explaining cruel and unusual punishment, equal protection, due process, and court balancing of rights with security.
Eighth Amendment and conditions of confinementExcessive force and failure to protect claimsMedical care and deliberate indifferenceProcedural due process in prison decisionsEqual protection and discrimination issuesLesson 8Statutory and regulatory rights under state law and Department of Corrections policiesThis section describes how state statutes and Department of Corrections regulations shape inmate rights and staff duties, covering policy hierarchies, rulemaking, notice to inmates, and violation impacts on litigation, audits, and discipline.
Sources of state correctional authorityDOC policy manuals and directivesAdministrative rulemaking and updatesInmate handbooks and rule notificationAudits, inspections, and compliance reviewsLesson 9Search and privacy law in prisons: cell searches, strip searches, mail, and electronic monitoringThis section addresses search and privacy rules in prisons, including cell and body searches, mail review, and electronic monitoring, explaining reduced privacy expectations, legal limits, documentation, and safeguards against abuse or retaliation.
Reduced privacy expectations in custodyCell and property searches and logsStrip searches and body cavity rulesLegal limits on mail review and seizurePhone, email, and video monitoring rules
