271:104 Prisoner's entire federal civil rights lawsuit jury trial may be conducted via video conferencing, with prisoner participating from another state in which he is presently confined; Prison Litigation Reform Act's explicit authorization for the use of video transmission for pretrial proceedings did not bar use of such technology for entire trial. Edwards v. Logan, 38 F.Supp.2d 463 (W.D.Va. 1999).
     238:147 Federal Prison Litigation Reform Act becomes law, makes numerous changes in prison litigation, including scope of injunctive orders, standards for termination of injunctive orders, amount of attorneys' fees, standard for prisoner release orders in overcrowding cases, prisoner payment of filing fees and court costs, barring inmates who repetitively file frivolous suits from further filings, no awards for mental/emotional distress in the absence of physical injury, and revocation of federal prisoner's good time credits if they file malicious lawsuits or testify falsely, among other highlights. PROBATION
     272:122 Requiring atheist probationer to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as a condition of probation violated his First Amendment rights, but award of $1 in nominal damages was proper, since county probation officials would not have had reason to believe, at the time, that this was a violation of his rights. Warner v. Orange Co. Dept. of Probation, #95-7055, 173 F.3d 120 (2nd Cir. 1999).
     [N/R] Probation employees were entitled to absolute immunity from liability from claim that they submitted an inaccurate presentence report in connection with a prisoner's conviction. Hill v. Sciarrotta, #97-2161, 140 F.3d 210 (2nd Cir. 1998).