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Maine Prison in Turmoil
By the time Warden Jeffrey Merrill revealed on June 3 that three Maine State Prison employees had been put on paid leave as a result of a state police investigation of an inmate’s death in April, probes of corruption and other issues at the 925-prisoner lockup had already cast a …
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More from this issue:
- Texas Prisoners Still Dying in Houston Jails, Among Other Problems, by Gary Hunter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit: Special Parole Review Request Doesn’t Toll AEDPA Limitations
- Megan’s Law Preempts Local New Jersey Sex Offender Ordinances
- “Habeas Hints”, by Kent A. Russell
- Perpetrators and Enablers of Torture in the US, by Corey Weinstein
- Maine Prison in Turmoil, by Lance Tapley
- Obama Promises Guantanamo Will Close and Torture Will End ... but When?, by Matthew Clarke
- Human Rights Watch Report Calls to Reform PLRA, by David Reutter
- Florida Prison Guards Fired, Suspended for Shocking Children with Stun Guns, by David Reutter
- Problems at Washington’s Civil Commitment Center Continue, by Matthew Clarke
- Southern California Jails Addicted to ICE Money, by Matthew Clarke
- CA Prison Medical Care Receiver: Three Top Officials Ousted, Controversial Building Plan Opposed, by Matthew Clarke
- California Sheriffs Appropriate Rehabilitation Funds for Security Needs, by Michael Brodheim
- Sacramento County Jail Settles Excessive Force Suit For $260,000
- Nebraska Prison Officials Must Pay Attorney’s Fees in Kosher Diet Case; Found in Contempt After Excrement Discovered in Prisoner’s Food, by Brandon Sample
- PLN Files Public Records Suit Against San Francisco County, Sheriff’s Office
- Columbia Jail Journal: The Compelling, Exclusive Inside Story of the Columbia Three, by James Monaghan, Brandon Press, 277 pages, by David Preston
- Florida DOC and Keefe Gouge Prisoners on Commissary Sales, by David Reutter
- $1.8 Million Settlement in Beating of Florida Jail Prisoner
- Pennsylvania Jail Mired in Scandal ... Again
- Montana, Michigan Towns Vie to Fill Prisons with Guantanamo Detainees
- $4.7 Million Settlement for Brain Damage Caused by Washington Jail Negligence
- Michigan Changes Overtime Rules; $4 Million Savings on Prison Budget
- Glomar Response to Prisoner’s FOIA Request Insufficient
- Texas Parole Board’s Hearing on Imposition of Sex Offender Conditions Inadequate, by Matthew Clarke
- PLN Prevails in Motion to Unseal Settlement in CCA Class Action FLSA Case
- $6 Million Settlement in Beating Death of California Detainee
- $500,000 Settlement for Fatal Beating of Phoenix Jail Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Los Angeles County Agrees to Pay $7,000,000 to Beaten Juvenile Prisoner
- Ohio County Jail Agrees to Pay $75,000 For Locking Up Poor
- Small Amounts of Marijuana Not “Dangerous Contraband” Under New York Law, Court Rules
- Audit Finds California Parolees Sometimes Slip Through Bureaucratic Cracks
- Maryland Prisoners Make Flags
- Mississippi Prisoners Make Collect Call for Jesus
- Clerk Erred in Refusing to File Unsigned 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Motion
- Aramark Discontinues, Loses Prison Food Service Contracts, by David Reutter
- Injunction Against Missouri Sex Offender Halloween Restrictions Issued, Then Vacated, by Matthew Clarke
- Mentally Ill NC Prisoners Injured in Separate Incidents, by Gary Hunter
- $145,000 Settlement in Iowa Prisoner’s Self-Mutilation Mental Health Claim, by David Reutter
- Missouri DOC Permits Gift Books in Response to PLN Demand Letter
- Hawaii to Remove Prisoners from CCA Facility Over Abuse Charges, by Ian Urbina
- Military Psychologist Implicated in Abusive Interrogations, by David Reutter
- Indigent Connecticut Prisoners Entitled to Copies of Records Under FOIA Without Charge
- Duration of Confinement in Segregation Affects Due Process Inquiry
- Second Circuit Reinstates New York Jail Guard’s Excessive Force Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- California: City Liable for $237,000 Hospital Bill for Prisoner’s Medical Care
- Oakland, CA Police Policy of In-Field Public Strip Searches Without Arrest or Warrant Found Unconstitutional
- Florida: For Sentence Calculation Purposes, Civil Commitment Detention Same as Jail Confinement
- District Court Erred in Sua Sponte Dismissal of Prisoner’s Challenge to Conditions of Confinement
- Florida Gain Time Law Application Violates Ex Post Facto Clause
- Ninth Circuit: Refusal to Allow Cross-Examination of Lab Technician Violates Due Process, by Brandon Sample
- Ohio Jail Officials Face Federal Charges, Investigation, by Brandon Sample
- BOP Warden Does Not Have Authority to Reduce Prisoner’s Sentence Under Rule 35(b), by Brandon Sample
- News in Brief:
- Oregon Illegal Detention Suit Settled for $30,000
- Sixth Circuit: Dismissal of Due Process and Equal Protection Claims Upheld; Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Issue Remanded
More from Lance Tapley:
- “Natural Causes Killed Victor: A Death in Solitary,” a folk opera by George Swanson (DVD, 55 minutes), Jan. 10, 2017
- Bonnie Kerness: Pioneer in the Struggle Against Solitary Confinement, July 9, 2014
- No Death Penalty for Maine Prisoner, April 15, 2014
- A Rare Look Inside the Maine State Prison's "Supermax", March 15, 2014
- Prison Reforms Under Maine’s New DOC Commissioner, March 15, 2013
- Solitary Confinement: Bad for Chimps, Okay for Humans?, Oct. 15, 2012
- Reform Comes to Maine Supermax: New commissioner cuts population by more than half; prisoner rights advocates help in the reform, Sept. 15, 2011
- Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, by Robert Perkinson, Metropolitan Books/Holt, 484 pp (October 2010), $20.00 paperback, May 15, 2011
- Maine Governor Rakes in Private Prison Money, Shows Appreciation, April 15, 2011
- Mass Torture in America: Notes from the Supermax Prisons, Feb. 15, 2011
More from these topics:
- “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.
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Exposure to Heat, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Infections, Environmental Law, Water, Public Records Act.
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Failure to Treat, Totality of Conditions, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Deliberate Indifference.
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, State Legislation.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed, April 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise.

