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Prison Labor Bails Out State and County Budgets
Across the nation, state and local governments are facing gaping holes in their budgets. As a result many are turning to cheap or free prison labor, and in some cases prisoners have taken the place of free-world citizens laid off due to budget cuts. State and local agencies have increasingly ...
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More from this issue:
- The Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program: Why Everyone Should be Concerned, by Bob Sloan
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- First Circuit Upholds $101,750,000 in Damage Awards in FBI Misconduct Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Less Than Equal: State officials, including prejudiced human-rights commissioners, block Prisoner complaints, by Lance Tapley
- Prison Labor Bails Out State and County Budgets, by Gary Hunter
- All Eyes On the Court: An Interview with Attorney and Federal Court Monitor Fred Cohen, by Todd Matthews
- Cook County Strip, Body Cavity Searches Held Unconstitutional; Other Suits Pending, by Brandon Sample
- California Cuts Funding for Prop 36 Drug Treatment Programs, by Michael Brodheim
- Michigan Study Shows Incarceration Can Cause Illness in Loved Ones, by Gary Hunter
- Conviction of CIA Contractor Who Fatally Beat Afghan Detainee Upheld on Appeal
- Sexual Victimization Widespread in U.S. Correctional Facilities, by Brandon Sample
- Certificate of Merit in Medical Malpractice Suits Unconstitutional in Washington State, by Jimmy Franks
- Illinois Prisoners Bilked Out of Millions Through DOC Commissary Surcharges, by Joseph R. Dole
- A Tight Leash: Judges Micromanage Federal Offenders After Release, by Brandon Sample
- Texas Counties Give Up on Probationer Restitution Centers, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Transport Guards Accused of Forcing Prisoner to Perform Sex Acts, by Michael Brodheim
- Call Your Attorney from Jail, Go to Prison, by John Dannenberg
- Washington Sex Offender Relieved of Obligation to Register
- Texas Youth Commission Causes Consternation, Conflict in State Legislature, by Gary Hunter
- Ninth Circuit Strikes Down BOP Rule Limiting Early Release for RDAP Participants, by Brandon Sample
- California Prisoner Settles Medical Suit for $35,000
- California Enacts Non-Revocable Parole And Increased Credits To Reduce Prison Population, by John Dannenberg
- New Orleans Jail Conditions Found Unconstitutional, by Jimmy Franks
- Jury Awards $80,001 to New Hampshire Prisoner for Guard Beating
- California Prison Erupts, Hundreds Hurt in Riot, Multiple Causes Cited
- In Support of Ending Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Jimmy Franks
- GEO Group Prison Squalor Drives Idaho Prisoner to Suicide: $100,000 Settlement
- South Carolina Prisoner Does Easy Time, by Gary Hunter
- $100,000 Settlement in New York Prisoner’s Slip and Fall Claim
- $750,000 Settlement in Alabama Prisoner’s Heat Death
- Partial Summary Judgment Granted To PLN in FOIA Case against EOUSA, by Brandon Sample
- Shrinking Budgets Force States to Cut Corrections Spending, by Bob Williams
- $60,000 Settlement for Washington Prisoner Injured by Chemical Spill
- GEO Group Buys Just Care For $40 Million
- Texas Religious Group Policies May Violate First Amendment and RLUIPA; TDCJ Changes Policy
- $2.1 Million Awarded in New York Unjust Conviction Claim
- Four-Year Statute of Limitations Applies to § 1983 Claims Filed in Florida
- Washington DOC Ordered to Pay $174,000 for False Imprisonment
- Canadian Appellate Court Affirms $12,000 Judgment for Prisoner
- Eleventh Circuit Finds Administrative Remedies Unavailable When Prison Official Threatens Retaliation
- $3.1 Million Settlement to Wrongly Convicted Massachusetts Prisoner
- $80,000 Award in NY Prisoner’s Claim for Injuries Caused by Assault
- $200,000 Settlement in Florida Prisoner’s Suicide Death
- Texas Prison Guard Gets 24 Months in Federal Prison
- Fourth Circuit: Heck Bar Inapplicable to § 1983 False Imprisonment Suit
- Failure to Raise Issue in Rule 50 Motion Prohibits Argument on Appeal; $214,000 Verdict Upheld
- Massachusetts GPS Program Upheld by State Supreme Court, by Mark Wilson
- Indiana DOC Directive Limiting Educational Credit to Only One Associate’s Degree Violates Ex Post Facto Clause, by Brandon Sample
- Assessment of Prison Account Without Seizure of Funds Implicates Due Process in Third Circuit, by Mark Wilson
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Failure to Protect Suit, by Brandon Sample
- Defendants Denied Qualified Immunity in Tennessee Jail Detainee’s Death, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: California Jail Detainee’s Excessive Force Suit May Proceed, by John Dannenberg
- Texas to Eliminate Centralized Release of Prisoners
- News in Brief:
- Eighth Circuit Rejects Debt Offset of EAJA Fees; Supreme Court to Hear Case, by Mark Wilson
More from Gary Hunter:
- Affluenza Epidemic Rampant in Our Nation’s Criminal Justice System, June 9, 2017
- Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Accused of Ignoring and Instigating Prisoner Attacks, April 5, 2017
- California Health Care Facility Found Deficient and Unconstitutional, March 29, 2017
- Seventh Circuit: Jailhouse Lawyer’s Help No Reason to Deny Appointment of Counsel, Oct. 3, 2016
- Illinois: Exonerated Prisoner Calls $80,000 Award a Travesty, Retrial Ordered, Oct. 3, 2016
- Destined to Fail: the Negative Effect of Collateral Consequence Laws, Aug. 10, 2016
- Federal Guard Has Sex with Coworkers and Impregnated by Prisoner, Aug. 10, 2016
- Negligence not Grounds for Prosecution in Deaths of Wisconsin Prisoners, Aug. 5, 2016
- New York Based Ex-Offender Assistance Program Sues Landlord for Discrimination, Aug. 4, 2016
- Human Rights Report Reveals Inequities in U.S. Sentencing Practices, Aug. 3, 2016
More from these topics:
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Louisiana Officials Who Forced Prisoner to Work with Broken Surgical Screws in Ankle, May 1, 2025. Prison Labor, Qualified Immunity, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Deliberate Indifference, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Nearly 800 California Prisoners Battle Huge Los Angeles Wildfires—for About $1 an Hour, Feb. 15, 2025. Prison Labor, Emergency Aid Doctrine, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025. Prison Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Washington Prisoners Prep for Firefighting Career After Release, Jan. 15, 2025. Prison Labor, Education, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, jobs, Emergency Aid Doctrine.
- California Supreme Court: Jail Detainees Not Entitled to Minimum Wage, or Any Wages, Dec. 15, 2024. Prison Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Angola Prisoners Granted Limited Relief From “Farm Line” Work, Nov. 15, 2024. Prison Labor, Grounds for Relief, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Rural Areas Increasingly Reliant on Imprisoned Emergency Responders, Oct. 15, 2024. Prison Labor, Fire Hazards, Rural Prisons, Fair Labor Standards Act.
- German High Court Finds Low Prisoner Wages Unconstitutional, Sept. 15, 2024. Prison Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Missouri Sheriff Removed from Office for Using Detainee Labor on His Own Properties, Sept. 15, 2024. Guard Misconduct, Prison Labor.
- California Prisoner’s Generosity for Gaza Rewarded With Over $100,000, Aug. 15, 2024. Prison Labor, Advocacy.