Heading section
Agencies must deal with inmate filed litigation on a regular basis. Litigation defense is time consuming, costly, stressful and requires a high level of skilled expertise, any of which can be frustrating for administrators with limited resources. Recognizing the need for legal technical assistance in the corrections field, NIJO offers a variety of services to assist agencies and their legal counsel to successfully mitigate and defend their agencies in prisoner filed lawsuits. These include:
Johnny "Rusty" Bates, MD
Dr. Bates is uniquely qualified to offer expert services as both as a practicing physician with 35 years in practice and 25 years of experience in correctional medicine and as the owner of a correctional health care company. This experience allows him to testify on standard of care issues and policy, procedure, and healthcare administration questions. He has consulted with attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants in medical malpractice action and civil rights/Section 1983 litigation across the country. His expert services include record review, deposition testimony, and trial testimony. Attorney references are available upon request.
Dr. Rusty Bates has led QCHC as its President & Chief Executive Officer since he founded the company in 2005.
Dr. Bates has been Board Certified in Internal Medicine since 1987 and is licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Dr. Bates recently became Board Certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Bates is a Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) by the American Association for Physician Leadership (formerly the American College of Physician Executives), and a Certified Professional in Health Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Dr. Bates also successfully met the requirements to obtain the Certified Correctional Healthcare Professional-Physician credential from the NCCHC. The CCHP–Physician credential is designed to recognize expertise among physicians practicing in the specialized field of correctional health care. Dr. Bates is also a frequent speaker on correctional healthcare and addiction medicine.
To find out more or to contact Dr. Bates about medical expert advice, please contact NIJO.
Blake Hamilton, NCCE, has significant trial experience in both Federal and State Courts. He has also worked on briefs and/or argued before the Utah Court of Appeals, Utah Supreme Court, the 9th & 10thCircuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Hamilton’s primary practice areas are civil rights litigation and governmental entity defense. He currently serves as general counsel for the Utah Peace Officers Association and the National Institute of Jail Operations, as well as conflict counsel for the Utah Fraternal Order of Police. He has represented governmental entities and their employees through the Utah Local Government Trust, Utah Counties Insurance Pool, Utah Risk Management Mutual Association, Utah Highway Patrol Association, and Professional Law Enforcement Association.
Mr. Hamilton is a member of Durham Jones & Pinegar’s Board of Directors and is the chair of the firm’s Governmental Entity Defense group. He also co-chaired the Wills for Heroes committee, which provides wills and other estate planning services for emergency first responders and their families for the past six years and is listed in the 2015 Utah Business Magazine as one of Utah’s “Legal Elite.”
To find out more or to contact Mr. Hamilton about legal representation, technical assistance or litigation consultation, please contact NIJO.
Captain Sean Stewart, NCCE, CJE, is a Jail Commander with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona. He is recognized as one of the top expert witnesses in the US representing correctional facilities, retained 34 times as an expert witness during last from 2011-2018. Stewart has over 25 years of correctional experience. He is the Division Commander of Housing Operations and has overseen multiple management
and tactical operations in his career. Stewart is an NCCE (National Certified Corrections Executive) through NIJO and instructs on legal-based issues and operations nationally. He currently serves on the NIJO Jail Advisory Council.
To find out more or to contact Captain Stewart about legal representation, technical assistance or litigation consultation, please contact NIJO.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Corrections Litigation Consultation
-
-
-
-
-
- Expert Witnesses
-
-
-
-
-
- Deposition
-
-
-
-
-
- Legal Representation
-
-
-
-
-
- Testifying Skill Courses Training
-
-
-
-
-
- Technical Assistance
-
-
-
-
-
- Compliance Monitoring
-
-
-
-
-
-
Johnny "Rusty" Bates, MD
Dr. Bates is uniquely qualified to offer expert services as both as a practicing physician with 35 years in practice and 25 years of experience in correctional medicine and as the owner of a correctional health care company. This experience allows him to testify on standard of care issues and policy, procedure, and healthcare administration questions. He has consulted with attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants in medical malpractice action and civil rights/Section 1983 litigation across the country. His expert services include record review, deposition testimony, and trial testimony. Attorney references are available upon request.
Dr. Rusty Bates has led QCHC as its President & Chief Executive Officer since he founded the company in 2005.
Dr. Bates has been Board Certified in Internal Medicine since 1987 and is licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Dr. Bates recently became Board Certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Bates is a Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) by the American Association for Physician Leadership (formerly the American College of Physician Executives), and a Certified Professional in Health Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Dr. Bates also successfully met the requirements to obtain the Certified Correctional Healthcare Professional-Physician credential from the NCCHC. The CCHP–Physician credential is designed to recognize expertise among physicians practicing in the specialized field of correctional health care. Dr. Bates is also a frequent speaker on correctional healthcare and addiction medicine.
To find out more or to contact Dr. Bates about medical expert advice, please contact NIJO.
Blake Hamilton, esq.
Blake Hamilton, NCCE, has significant trial experience in both Federal and State Courts. He has also worked on briefs and/or argued before the Utah Court of Appeals, Utah Supreme Court, the 9th & 10thCircuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Hamilton’s primary practice areas are civil rights litigation and governmental entity defense. He currently serves as general counsel for the Utah Peace Officers Association and the National Institute of Jail Operations, as well as conflict counsel for the Utah Fraternal Order of Police. He has represented governmental entities and their employees through the Utah Local Government Trust, Utah Counties Insurance Pool, Utah Risk Management Mutual Association, Utah Highway Patrol Association, and Professional Law Enforcement Association.
Mr. Hamilton is a member of Durham Jones & Pinegar’s Board of Directors and is the chair of the firm’s Governmental Entity Defense group. He also co-chaired the Wills for Heroes committee, which provides wills and other estate planning services for emergency first responders and their families for the past six years and is listed in the 2015 Utah Business Magazine as one of Utah’s “Legal Elite.”
To find out more or to contact Mr. Hamilton about legal representation, technical assistance or litigation consultation, please contact NIJO.
Sean Stewart
Captain Sean Stewart, NCCE, CJE, is a Jail Commander with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona. He is recognized as one of the top expert witnesses in the US representing correctional facilities, retained 34 times as an expert witness during last from 2011-2018. Stewart has over 25 years of correctional experience. He is the Division Commander of Housing Operations and has overseen multiple management
and tactical operations in his career. Stewart is an NCCE (National Certified Corrections Executive) through NIJO and instructs on legal-based issues and operations nationally. He currently serves on the NIJO Jail Advisory Council.
To find out more or to contact Captain Stewart about legal representation, technical assistance or litigation consultation, please contact NIJO. 
English