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Empty Oregon Jail Has Cost $1.25 Million; Grand Jury Demands Humility and Creative Solutions
Empty Oregon Jail Has Cost $1.25 Million; Grand Jury Demands Humility and Creative Solutions
by Mark Wilson
The Wapato Jail in Multnomah County, Oregon was completed in 2004 at a cost of $58 million, but has sat empty ever since because the county can’t afford to operate the facility.
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More from this issue:
- Cheney and Gonzales Indicted in Connection with Private Prison in Texas, by Matthew Clarke
- Michigan Sex Offender Freezes to Death on Street As Housing Crisis Continues, by Jimmy Franks
- Massachusetts DOC Settles PLN Censorship Suit
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Pro Se Muslim Prisoner Reaches Religious Rights Settlement Agreement with Virginia Prison Officials, by David Reutter
- Washington DOC Pays Pro Se Prisoner $110,043 For Illegally Withholding Records
- Lawsuits Challenge Prohibition on Prisoner Pen-Pal Services in Indiana, Florida, by David Reutter
- Texas Court of Appeals Upholds $42.5 Million Award Against Wackenhut / GEO Group, by Matthew Clarke
- OIG Audit Finds Major Deficiencies with BOP Health Care, by Brandon Sample
- McNeil Island Prison Fined $28,400 for Improper Asbestos Removal
- Jury Nullification: Power To The People, by Paul Butler
- Cost of Defending Federal Death Penalty Cases on the Rise, by Brandon Sample
- As Economy Falters, Rehabilitative and Substance Abuse Programs Get the Axe
- $1.4 Million Settlement in Three-Day Long Sexual Assaults of Alaska Prisoners, by David Reutter
- First Circuit Awards Defendant Costs Under FRCP 68; Plaintiff Rejected $10,000 Offer, Was Awarded $5,500, by Mark Wilson
- Michigan Jail Officials Lied and Hid Documents in Lawsuit Over Prisoner’s Death, by David Reutter
- Racial Impact Statements: An Effort to Eliminate Legal Racism, by Gary Hunter
- BOP Settles Suit Over Telephone Access, Electronic FOIA Claims
- Florida Judge Publicly Reprimanded for Trying to Ease Jail Overcrowding
- $875,001 Verdict in Beating of Massachusetts Prisoner, by David Reutter
- New Trial and JNOV Denial Upheld in $15,545,000 Michigan Prisoner Sexual Harassment Case, by Matthew Clarke
- $155,000 Settlement in Sexual Assault of Washington Jail Prisoner
- Florida U.S. District Court Rescinds Policy Restricting Access to Plea Agreements, by David Reutter
- Alameda County, CA Settles Juvenile Detainee Strip Search Suit for $4.3 Million, by John Dannenberg
- Protecting Your Health & Safety, by Brandon Sample
- PLN Awarded Summary Judgment In FOIA Case Again, by Brandon Sample
- California Prison’s Drinking Water Cited for Excessive Arsenic Levels, by John Dannenberg
- Nevada Ramps Up Prisoner Deportations – Even Those Ineligible for Early Release, by Matthew Clarke
- Indiana Court Denies Challenge to Monopolistic Prison Phone Contracts, by John Dannenberg
- Oregon Detainee Paid $30,000 for 90 Days Illegal Jail Confinement
- Oregon Prison Romance Nets Probation/Community Service
- Ohio Supreme Court Restricts Public Access to Court Records, by David Reutter
- Oregon Slow to Address Problems at Contract Juvenile Facilities
- Empty Oregon Jail Has Cost $1.25 Million; Grand Jury Demands Humility and Creative Solutions, by Mark Wilson
- Texas Lawmakers “Surprised” Over Hiring of Non-Citizen Prison Guards on Work Visas, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Judge Criticizes State’s Efforts to Seize Prisoner’s Federal Civil Rights Judgment, by David Reutter
- California DOC Closes Prisoner Work/Restitution Center
- Madoff Fraud Bankrupts JEHT Foundation, Hurts Criminal Justice Reform Efforts, by Matthew Clarke
- Report Says New Mexico Prison Phone Companies Still Gouging Families, by Dave Maass
- Michigan DOC Rehabilitation Programs Emphasize Education, Reentry Support, by Matthew Clarke
- California DA Says Incarceration Rate a Measure of His Success – Despite Wrongful Convictions, Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Gary Hunter
- Sheriff “Hollywood Hewett” Sentenced to 16 Months, by Mark Wilson
- New York Jury Awards $1,400,006 to Former Prisoner for Beating by Guards; Punitive Damages Later Reduced, by David Reutter
- Missouri Court Reverses $244,636 Incarceration Cost Award Against Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- $4.75 Million Settlement in Virginia Jail Construction Accident Case
- Federal Prisoner Dies During Illicit Tryst With His Wife
- Systemic Constitutional Violations at Ohio Juvenile Facilities Leads to Settlement in Class Action; Guards Attempt to Block Relief, by Brandon Sample
- Supreme Court Holds Failure to Report to Prison Not a Violent Felony Under ACCA
- New Texas Prison Hospital Approved
- California Lifers Housed Out-Of-State in Federal Witness Protection Program Entitled to Appear in Person at Parole Hearings, by John Dannenberg
- Colorado DOC Settles Suit Over Provision of Education Programs to Learning Disabled Prisoner
- Florida Jail Supervisor Disciplined for Using Prisoner Labor for Brother’s Political Campaign
- Oregon Prison Manager Indicted for Misusing Prison Credit Cards
- Ninth Circuit: County Contractor that Counsels Bad-Check Writers Not Entitled to State Sovereign Immunity from Suit, by John Dannenberg
- Ninth Circuit Strikes Down BOP Regulation Precluding Early Release for Prisoners Who Complete Drug Treatment, by Brandon Sample
- South Carolina Prison Official Remained on the Job a Year After Indictment
- Ninth Circuit: California Federal Habeas Petitioner Sufficiently Exhausts State Court Remedies When He Presents Facts Necessary to Support Constitutional Claim, by John Dannenberg
- Prisoner’s Free Speech Rights Violated by Legal Mail Opened Outside His Presence; Qualified Immunity Denied, by David Reutter
- $25,000 Settlement in Washington Detainee Contracting for TB in Seattle Jail
- D.C. Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deliberate Indifference Gallstone Claim
- Sixth Circuit Upholds Conviction and Sentences for Jail Guards Accused of Abusing, Killing Prisoners, by Brandon Sample
- News in Brief:
- Washington: Violation of Community Custody Conditions May Be Enforced While Offender Is Reincarcerated
- Amnesty International Sources Given Journalistic Protection
More from Mark Wilson:
- Indiana Prisoner Sues Prison Abolition Group, Wins $1,097 Default Judgment, April 26, 2024
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis, Feb. 1, 2024
- Former Oregon Prison Nurse Gets 30 Years for Raping Prisoners, Dec. 1, 2023
- After Ninth Circuit Refuses to Compel Arbitration, National Class Certified in HRDC’s Challenge to Jail and Prison Debit Card Fees, Oct. 15, 2023
- Seventh Circuit Revives Illinois Prisoner’s Claim Over Knee Surgery Delayed 29 Months, Oct. 15, 2023
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit, Finding Grievance Procedure Availability an Open Question, Oct. 15, 2023
- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, Sept. 15, 2023
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, Sept. 15, 2023
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, Sept. 15, 2023
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, Sept. 15, 2023
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.
- 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).
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Money/Property, Bail/Pretrial Release, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding.
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Montana Switches to Sending Prisoners to a Private Prison in Mississippi, April 1, 2026. Out of State Transfers, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Overcrowding.
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Immigration Detention.
- Idaho DOC Transfers Prisoners to Arizona Facility Run by CoreCivic, April 1, 2026. Out of State Transfers, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Overcrowding.
- Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Parole, halfway houses, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Report Finds Persistent Overcrowding Drives Cascade of Problems at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Staffing, Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Bail/Pretrial Release, Indictment/Information.

