2018

2 entries from 2018.

May 11

Oklahoma Gov. Fallin signed SB 1140, shielding religious-exemption foster and adoption agencies

On May 11, 2018, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 1140, allowing private, state-licensed child-placement agencies to decline foster-care or adoption placements, counseling, or referrals that conflict with the agency's written religious or moral convictions. The bill passed the Senate 33-7 and the House 56-21 before Fallin's signature. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including Oklahomans for Equality and the ACLU of Oklahoma, said the law licenses agencies to turn away qualified prospective parents.

March(1)

Mar 25

Connecticut prison officers struck and pepper-sprayed inmate J'Allen Jones, who died; medical examiner ruled the death a homicide

On March 25, 2018, correctional officers at Connecticut's Garner Correctional Institution struck, hooded, and pepper-sprayed J'Allen Jones, a 31-year-old incarcerated man in a schizophrenic crisis, who then lost consciousness and died. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, but a Department of Correction internal review found no use-of-force violation and imposed one-day suspensions on the officers and a nurse. The department fought for years to keep video of the death sealed, until a judge ordered its public release in 2026.