More from this issue:

1. Cheney and Gonzales Indicted in Connection with Private Prison in Texas, by Matthew Clarke
2. Michigan Sex Offender Freezes to Death on Street As Housing Crisis Continues, by Jimmy Franks
3. Massachusetts DOC Settles PLN Censorship Suit
4. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
5. Pro Se Muslim Prisoner Reaches Religious Rights Settlement Agreement with Virginia Prison Officials, by David Reutter
6. Washington DOC Pays Pro Se Prisoner $110,043 For Illegally Withholding Records
7. Lawsuits Challenge Prohibition on Prisoner Pen-Pal Services in Indiana, Florida, by David Reutter
8. Texas Court of Appeals Upholds $42.5 Million Award Against Wackenhut / GEO Group, by Matthew Clarke
9. OIG Audit Finds Major Deficiencies with BOP Health Care, by Brandon Sample
10. McNeil Island Prison Fined $28,400 for Improper Asbestos Removal
11. Jury Nullification: Power To The People, by Paul Butler
12. Cost of Defending Federal Death Penalty Cases on the Rise, by Brandon Sample
13. As Economy Falters, Rehabilitative and Substance Abuse Programs Get the Axe
14. $1.4 Million Settlement in Three-Day Long Sexual Assaults of Alaska Prisoners, by David Reutter
15. First Circuit Awards Defendant Costs Under FRCP 68; Plaintiff Rejected $10,000 Offer, Was Awarded $5,500, by Mark Wilson
16. Michigan Jail Officials Lied and Hid Documents in Lawsuit Over Prisoner’s Death, by David Reutter
17. Racial Impact Statements: An Effort to Eliminate Legal Racism, by Gary Hunter
18. BOP Settles Suit Over Telephone Access, Electronic FOIA Claims
19. Florida Judge Publicly Reprimanded for Trying to Ease Jail Overcrowding
20. $875,001 Verdict in Beating of Massachusetts Prisoner, by David Reutter
21. New Trial and JNOV Denial Upheld in $15,545,000 Michigan Prisoner Sexual Harassment Case, by Matthew Clarke
22. $155,000 Settlement in Sexual Assault of Washington Jail Prisoner
23. Florida U.S. District Court Rescinds Policy Restricting Access to Plea Agreements, by David Reutter
24. Alameda County, CA Settles Juvenile Detainee Strip Search Suit for $4.3 Million, by John Dannenberg
25. Protecting Your Health & Safety, by Brandon Sample
26. PLN Awarded Summary Judgment In FOIA Case Again, by Brandon Sample
27. California Prison’s Drinking Water Cited for Excessive Arsenic Levels, by John Dannenberg
28. Nevada Ramps Up Prisoner Deportations – Even Those Ineligible for Early Release, by Matthew Clarke
29. Indiana Court Denies Challenge to Monopolistic Prison Phone Contracts, by John Dannenberg
30. Oregon Detainee Paid $30,000 for 90 Days Illegal Jail Confinement
31. Oregon Prison Romance Nets Probation/Community Service
32. Ohio Supreme Court Restricts Public Access to Court Records, by David Reutter
33. Oregon Slow to Address Problems at Contract Juvenile Facilities
34. Empty Oregon Jail Has Cost $1.25 Million; Grand Jury Demands Humility and Creative Solutions, by Mark Wilson
35. Texas Lawmakers “Surprised” Over Hiring of Non-Citizen Prison Guards on Work Visas, by Matthew Clarke
36. Florida Judge Criticizes State’s Efforts to Seize Prisoner’s Federal Civil Rights Judgment, by David Reutter
37. California DOC Closes Prisoner Work/Restitution Center
38. Madoff Fraud Bankrupts JEHT Foundation, Hurts Criminal Justice Reform Efforts, by Matthew Clarke
39. Report Says New Mexico Prison Phone Companies Still Gouging Families, by Dave Maass
40. Michigan DOC Rehabilitation Programs Emphasize Education, Reentry Support, by Matthew Clarke
41. California DA Says Incarceration Rate a Measure of His Success – Despite Wrongful Convictions, Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Gary Hunter
42. Sheriff “Hollywood Hewett” Sentenced to 16 Months, by Mark Wilson
43. New York Jury Awards $1,400,006 to Former Prisoner for Beating by Guards; Punitive Damages Later Reduced, by David Reutter
44. Missouri Court Reverses $244,636 Incarceration Cost Award Against Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
45. $4.75 Million Settlement in Virginia Jail Construction Accident Case
46. Federal Prisoner Dies During Illicit Tryst With His Wife
47. Systemic Constitutional Violations at Ohio Juvenile Facilities Leads to Settlement in Class Action; Guards Attempt to Block Relief, by Brandon Sample
48. Supreme Court Holds Failure to Report to Prison Not a Violent Felony Under ACCA
49. New Texas Prison Hospital Approved
50. California Lifers Housed Out-Of-State in Federal Witness Protection Program Entitled to Appear in Person at Parole Hearings, by John Dannenberg
51. Colorado DOC Settles Suit Over Provision of Education Programs to Learning Disabled Prisoner
52. Florida Jail Supervisor Disciplined for Using Prisoner Labor for Brother’s Political Campaign
53. Oregon Prison Manager Indicted for Misusing Prison Credit Cards
54. Ninth Circuit: County Contractor that Counsels Bad-Check Writers Not Entitled to State Sovereign Immunity from Suit, by John Dannenberg
55. Ninth Circuit Strikes Down BOP Regulation Precluding Early Release for Prisoners Who Complete Drug Treatment, by Brandon Sample
56. South Carolina Prison Official Remained on the Job a Year After Indictment
57. Ninth Circuit: California Federal Habeas Petitioner Sufficiently Exhausts State Court Remedies When He Presents Facts Necessary to Support Constitutional Claim, by John Dannenberg
58. Prisoner’s Free Speech Rights Violated by Legal Mail Opened Outside His Presence; Qualified Immunity Denied, by David Reutter
59. $25,000 Settlement in Washington Detainee Contracting for TB in Seattle Jail
60. D.C. Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deliberate Indifference Gallstone Claim
61. Sixth Circuit Upholds Conviction and Sentences for Jail Guards Accused of Abusing, Killing Prisoners, by Brandon Sample
62. News in Brief:
63. Washington: Violation of Community Custody Conditions May Be Enforced While Offender Is Reincarcerated
64. Amnesty International Sources Given Journalistic Protection

More from David Reutter:

• Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
• Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
• Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
• California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
• Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
• Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
• Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
• New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
• New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
• Atlanta Jail Boasts Improvements Since Consent Decree, Reports from Monitor and ACLU Are More Critical, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Sanitation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Consent Decrees, Bail/Pretrial Release.
• $9.8 Million in Settlements Reached with South Carolina County and Wellpath in Gruesome Jail Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
• New York Juvenile Detention Officials Sued for Abusing Adolescents with Solitary Confinement, May 1, 2026. Sanitation, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Juvenile Prisons, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
• New Hampshire Officials Halt $700 Million Prison Replacement, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin.
• Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Overcrowding, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
• Six Maryland Guards Convicted in Prisoner’s Beating, Cover-up; § 1983 Suit Filed, May 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Obstruction of Justice, Wrongful Use of Force, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of.
• Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
• Judge Denies New York Prison Chief’s Motion to be Dismissed from Case Related to Robert Brooks’ Murder, May 1, 2026. Work Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Train/Supervise, Police--Excessive Force, Deliberate Indifference.
• Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, April 1, 2026. Injunctions, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.