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The History of Prison Legal News
In May 1990, the first issue of Prisoners’ Legal News (PLN) was published. It was hand-typed, photocopied and ten pages long. The first issue was mailed to 75 potential subscribers. Its budget was $50. The first 3 issues were banned in all Washington prisons, the first 18 in all Texas …
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More from this issue:
- The History of Prison Legal News, by Paul Wright
- Twenty Years of PLN in Court
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Private Manufacturers Use Cheap Arkansas Prison Labor, by Matthew Clarke
- Virginia Jail Prisoner Awarded $7,500 after Being Beaten By Guards
- Sex for Contraband Racket Unravels After Kansas Prisoner Has Abortion, by David Reutter
- Housing Mentally Ill Violent Offender in Nursing Home Leads to Rape, by Matthew Clarke
- Georgia Law Creates Homeless Sex Offender Colony, by David Reutter
- $5,000 Award in New York Prisoner’s Retaliation Suit
- Cornell Wins $19.5 Million Alaska Contract; CCA Protest Denied, by Matthew Clarke
- Early Release Scam Results in Arrests, by Brandon Sample
- $99,999 Settlement for Michigan Prisoner Damaged by Second-Hand Smoke
- CA Prisoner Erroneously Validated as Prison Gang Member; Clears His Name, Has Records Expunged, $1.04 Million in Fees Awarded, by Michael Brodheim
- Study Finds Pharmacological Treatment of Opiate Dependence Under-Utilized in State and Federal Prisons, by Michael Brodheim
- Washington LFOs Issued Before July 1, 2000 Expire in 10 Years
- Ninth Circuit: Federal Receiver May be Sued for Breach of Contract, by Michael Brodheim
- Ohio Prisoner Awarded $40,000 for Sexual Assault
- Missouri DOC Targeted by State Auditors
- California: Failure to Maintain Relevant Data Renders CDCR Unable to Effectively Monitor and Manage its Operations, by Michael Brodheim
- Illinois Jail Agrees to Pay $290,000 & Annuity Payments to Settle Excessive Force Suit
- Iraq: Unrest at Abu Ghraib as Camp Bucca Closes, by Matthew Clarke
- Ion Spectrometry Scans Resume at BOP Facilities
- Methadone Vending Machines Installed in British Prisons
- Faith-Based Substance Abuse Program Contracts May Violate Florida’s Constitution, by David Reutter
- Missouri Jail Prisoner Awarded $5,000 in Failure to Protect Case
- Tennessee Jail Agrees to Pay $5,000 for Withholding Prisoner’s Leg
- State of Washington Settles Suit for $400,000 After Released Sex Offender Goes on Crime Spree, by Michael Brodheim
- Political Uproar Follows NC Court Ruling that Life Sentence is 80 Years, by David Reutter
- King County, WA Pays $125,000 for Assault on Juvenile Prisoner
- DOJ Releases Report on Staff Sexual Abuse of Federal Prisoners, by Justin Miller
- $900,000 Settlement in Washington State Suit Over Parolee Murdering Woman
- Fifth Circuit Orders Discovery in Katrina Prisoner Evacuation Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Colorado Guards Rarely Jailed for Sexual Abuse of Prisoners
- Mississippi Earned Time Policy Violates Ex Post Facto Clause
- Are Debtors’ Prisons Making a Comeback in Indiana?, by Justin Miller
- Closed Door Justice: Court Seeks Disbarment of Attorney in Secret, by Brandon Sample
- Washington Prisoner’s Rape Claim Results in $60,000 Settlement
- Cost of Capital Punishment Comes Under Increased Scrutiny in a Struggling Economy, by Justin Miller
- PLRA Attorney Fee Caps Constitutional, Third Circuit Decides
- $12,000 Award to Wheelchair-Bound NY Prisoner for Fall off Loading Ramp
- 17,698 DNA Profiles Missing from Wisconsin Database, by Matthew Clarke
- Kentucky Supreme Court: Retroactive Application of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions Unconstitutional
- Kern County Settles False Arrest Lawsuit for $5.5 Million, by Michael Brodheim
- CCA Agrees to Pay $1.3 Million to Settle Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Suit
- $932,900 Award to Hawaii Prisoner Rendered Infertile Due to Inept Medical Care
- Flushing Junk Down Jail Toilets Damages Sewer System, Prompts $2.3 Million Settlement in California Lawsuit
- Gloucester County, New Jersey Settles Jail Strip Search Class Action for $4 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- $27,500 Settlement for Washington Prisoner’s Public Records and RLUIPA Claims
- Opening Legal Mail Outside BOP Prisoner’s Presence States Constitutional Claim
- Alternative Prisoner Phone Service Company Files Unsuccessful Suit, by David Reutter
- Bivens Case by Disabled Prisoner Against Federal Prison Officials Remanded; Settles for $15,000
- News in Brief:
More from Paul Wright:
- From the Editor, May 1, 2026
- From the Editor, April 1, 2026
- From the Editor, March 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Feb. 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Jan. 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Dec. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, Nov. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, Oct. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, Aug. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Illinois Jail Reprimanded for Denying Detainees Mail Based on Media Content, P.O. Box Return Address, Settles Detainees’ Suit with $111,825 Payment of Legal Fees, May 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Mail Regulations, Censorship, First Amendment, rights, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026. Injunctions, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, HRDC Litigation.
- HRDC Sues Colorado Jail for Prohibiting Dozens of Magazines and Books, May 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, Constitution, state, HRDC Litigation.
- Arkansas Board of Corrections Settles Sunshine Law Charges, Caving to Governor’s Power Grab, May 1, 2026. Retaliation for Litigating, State Legislation, Public Records Act, Constitution, state, Community Confinement/Home Detention.
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Wrongful Death, Suicides, Access to Media, Public Records Act.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.
- Alaska Prisoner’s Discipline for Violating Invalidated Rule Tossed, March 1, 2026. Disciplinary Hearings, Access to Media, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Censorship, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance.
- HRDC Sues Minnesota DOC Over Censorship Policy, Feb. 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment, HRDC Litigation.
- Arkansas Bans Outside Reading Material Sent to Prisons, Feb. 1, 2026. Reading Materials, Publications/Books, Banned Book Lists, Censorship, Securus.

