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For Journalists Covering Prisons, the First Amendment is Little Help
by Jonathan Peters, Columbia Journalism Review
“Each prison is a fiefdom, and the warden is at the top of the feudal system.”
That’s how Gary Fields, who covered criminal justice for The Wall Street Journal, put it in 2012, discussing the government policies and practices that make it difficult ...
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Lawsuit Challenging Phone Kickbacks at Massachusetts Jail Survives Motion to Dismiss
- Kentucky Prison Guards Settle Sexual Harassment Suit for $1.5 Million, by David M. Reutter
- Wisconsin State Prison Sergeant Rats Out Prisoner Informants, by Edward Lyon
- Teachers’ Unions Divest Stock Holdings in Private Prisons, by David Reutter
- Delaware: Inadequate Medical Care Results in Prisoner’s Death, by Kevin Bliss
- California State Retirement Systems Split on Decision to Divest from Private Prisons, by Scott Grammer
- Former Rikers Island Prisoner Awarded $500,000 Plus Attorney Fees, by Dale Chappell
- Colorado: $190,000 Settlement for Prisoners Ordered Released but Kept in Jail for Inability to Pay $55 Fee, by Matthew Clarke
- Scabies Outbreak at Michigan Women’s Prison Under Corizon Health, by Edward Lyon
- The Lackawanna County Seven: And Then There Were Five, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Settlement Reached over Visitation, Communication with Prisoners’ Children at Indiana Jail, by Scott Grammer
- Corizon Health Strikes Out in Arizona, by Edward Lyon
- Warden Turns Whistleblower, Claims Misconduct, Retaliation by Colorado’s DOC Director, by Dale Chappell
- New York City Settles Kalief Browder Lawsuit for $3.3 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- Strip and Body Cavity Searches: Looking for Contraband in all the Wrong Places, by Matthew Clarke
- Connecticut Sued to End Prison Gerrymandering, by Scott Grammer
- Securus Files Suit Alleging FDOC Improperly Entered into Prison Phone Contract, by Chad Marks
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal in Prison Gang Assault Case, by Edward Lyon
- New York City Pre-trial Detainees Exposed to Freezing Temperatures at Federal Jail, by Edward Lyon
- $4.75 Million Settlement for Pennsylvania Teenager’s Withdrawal Death in Jail, by David M. Reutter
- Middlesex County, New Jersey Settles Solitary Confinement Suit, by Dale Chappell
- Conflict of Interest in Texas Rangers’ Investigation of Deaths at LaSalle-Operated Jails?, by Matthew Clarke
- Michigan Prisoner Obtains $2,000 Settlement in Group Strip Search Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Georgia Pays More Than $3 Million to Settle Prison Medical Negligence Suits, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Tennessee County Settles Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Use of Force Claim for $160,000, by Douglas Ankney
- New York: Federal Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Against Jail for Providing Insufficient Diet, by Dale Chappell
- Women Prisoners Disciplined More than Men, but Staff Training is Changing That, by Dale Chappell
- New York Muslim Prisoner Wins Injunction to Pray on Recreation Yard
- Mitigating Factors Counter Government’s Interest in Forced Psychotropic Medication
- Minnesota Lawmakers Look at Prison Reforms, by Chad Marks
- New Jersey DOC Settles Sexual Abuse Suit, but More Cases are Pending, by Derek Gilna
- For Years, Errors in Iowa’s Felon List Have Disenfranchised Eligible Voters, by Matthew Clarke
- San Bernardino County, California Sheriff’s Office Settles Civil Rights Suit, by Derek Gilna
- New Mexico Medical Technician Wins $150,000 Jury Award for Abuse by Jailers, by Edward Lyon
- Nevada: Muslim Prisoner Awarded $39,260 in Damages Plus Attorney’s Fees
- Arkansas Governor Addresses Prisoners at College Graduation Ceremony, by Scott Grammer
- 2018 Awards for Activism, Advocacy Against the Private Prison Industry
- Iowa: Prisoners Entitled to Full Hearing on Termination of Parental Rights, by David Reutter
- Oregon Prison Industry Program Nets Record $28.5 Million as Prisoners Earn $1.25/Hour, by Mark Wilson
- $1.1 Million Fee Award in California Prison Segregation Lawsuit
- Ex-Prisoner Awarded $1.06 Million for Sexual Assault by Former Nebraska Jailer, by Dale Chappell
- California Jail Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over Conditions of Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania DOC, Mental Health Contractor Settle Wrongful Death Suit for $27,500, by Derek Gilna
- Texas Prisons, We’ve Got Some Questions About Your Commissary Vendors, by Stephen Raher
- Alabama DOC Stonewalling Federal Investigation; Eight Prisoners go on Hunger Strike, by Douglas Ankney
- Georgia: Court Certifies Class Action for Prisoners Held Beyond Their Release Date, by Derek Gilna
- Wisconsin Prisoner Not Due Credit for Time Spent Free after Erroneous Release, by Scott Grammer
- Alabama DOC Refuses Muslim Spiritual Adviser in Execution Chamber, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Ohio: Mandamus Action Moot Where Relief Has Been Granted
- Class Certification in Missouri Prisoners’ Hepatitis C Suit Upheld
- Mugshots.com Operators Arrested, Face Extradition to California, by Chad Marks
- California Prison Psychiatrists Blow Whistle on Poor Mental Healthcare, Falsified Records, by Steve Horn
- For Journalists Covering Prisons, the First Amendment is Little Help, by Jonathan Peters
- Study Says Mass Incarceration Contributes to Poverty and Hunger, by Derek Gilna
- “It Smelled Like Death”: Reports of Mold Contamination in Prisons and Jails, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Congressional Report Finds Misconduct by BOP Administrators Often Ignored, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Hawaii Supreme Court: Pretrial Solitary Wrong, but Warden Protected by Qualified Immunity, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio County Jail Settles PLN Censorship Suit for $45,000, by Steve Horn
- Incorrigible: The First Step Act and the Carceral State, by Marie Gottschalk
More from Jonathan Peters:
More from these topics:
- FBI Visit to Oklahoma Woman in Response to Social Media Post Sparks Debate on Free Speech, May 15, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Religious Discrimination, FBI, First Amendment, rights, Police State-Surveillance, Social Media.
- Eleventh Circuit Revives Claim Against Florida Jail That Forced Detainee to Scan Legal Mail Into Computer with Memory Chip, March 1, 2024. Jail Specific, Supervisory Liability, Municipal Liability, Legal Mail, First Amendment, rights, Attorney/Client.
- Eleventh Circuit Addresses First Amendment, Due Process Interests in Georgia Prisoner Emails, Jan. 1, 2024. Electronic Monitoring, Qualified Immunity, Due Process, First Amendment, rights, Attorney Misconduct/Disqualification, Email and IP Addresses, Prison Mail, Legitimate Penological Interests.
- DOJ Concludes Louisville Police Engaging in Patterns of Unconstitutional Conduct, Nov. 1, 2023. Police Misconduct, Protests, First Amendment, rights, Relevant Conduct.
- CoreCivic Fails to Defeat California’s Anti-SLAPP Law at Ninth Circuit, Must Pay $45,630 in Attorney Fees, Oct. 15, 2023. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Settlements, First Amendment, First Amendment, rights.
- SCOTUS Announces First Amendment Requires Mens Rea of Recklessness for ‘True Threats’ Conviction, Aug. 1, 2023. First Amendment, rights, Mental Health Experts, Reckless Endangerment/Risk of Injury.
- Ninth Circuit Rules Honking One’s Car Horn Is Not Protected by the First Amendment, May 4, 2023. First Amendment, Searches - Automobile.
- Minneapolis Police Department Surveillance Operation Kneels on the Neck of the First Amendment, Feb. 15, 2023. First Amendment, Electronic Surveillance.
- Federal Judge Rules Arizona Law Making It Illegal to Film Cops Within 8 Feet Is Unnecessary, Sept. 26, 2022. Police Misconduct, First Amendment, rights, Recordings.
- Wait,What? Florida DOC Bans Tee Shirts Promoting Prisoner Visits, Sept. 16, 2022. Protests, Visiting, First Amendment, rights.