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California Prisoners Still Forced to Drink Arsenic-Laced Water
by David M. Reutter
Prisoners at California’s Kern Valley State Prison in Delano are being slowly poisoned through their drinking water. The “state of the art” facility opened at a cost of $379 million in 2005; the water problem was discovered within weeks of the prison’s opening, but years later …
Prisoners at California’s Kern Valley State Prison in Delano are being slowly poisoned through their drinking water. The “state of the art” facility opened at a cost of $379 million in 2005; the water problem was discovered within weeks of the prison’s opening, but years later …
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More from this issue:
- Prison Legal News Interviews Former Prisoner and Famous Actor Danny Trejo, by Paul Wright
- Illinois Federal Court Denies Prisoner Release Order at Cook County Jail, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Treasury Department Finds Prisoners’ Fraudulent Tax Returns Taxing, by Derek Gilna
- Prosecutors Who Commit Misconduct Are Rarely Disciplined, by Matthew Clarke
- Habeas Hints: Expert Testimony in Habeas Cases, by Kent A. Russell
- Idaho: Prison Doctor’s Treatment Fell Below Standard of Care, by David Reutter
- California DOC Complies With Population Reduction Order in Plata v. Brown, by John Dannenberg
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Grant of Injunctive Relief in Ex Post Facto Challenge to Marsy’s Law, by Michael Brodheim
- Habeas Unavailable for Federal Prisoners’ Medical Claims
- State Secrets Doctrine Requires Dismissal of Suit Involving CIA Torture Flights
- Merger Creates Largest Private Prison Medical Provider in U.S., by David Reutter
- $4,000 Settlement for Arkansas Prisoner Pepper Sprayed by Guards
- Virginia DOC Settles Lawsuit to Improve Communication for Deaf Prisoners
- U.S. Supreme Court: No Monetary Damages Against States Under RLUIPA
- Placement in Maximum Security Facility May Trigger Due Process Protections; Religious Diet Claims Remanded
- $1.2 Million Awarded Against PHS After Florida Jail Prisoner Paralyzed
- Fifth Circuit Vacates Dismissal of Habeas Challenge to Texas Parole Changes
- Report Finds Prior Incarceration Hinders Upward Economic Mobility, by Matthew Clarke
- California Prisoners Still Forced to Drink Arsenic-Laced Water, by David Reutter
- Judge Rejects Challenge to BOP’s Special Administrative Measures, by Brandon Sample
- Supreme Court Allows § 1983 Challenge to Texas Post-Conviction DNA Testing Law
- Washington Supreme Court Upholds Decision Against State Attorney General for Failure to Comply with Public Records Act
- Provision in Florida Law Prohibits Compensation to Wrongfully Convicted, by David Reutter
- U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Wrongful Conviction Suit Against New Orleans DA, Vacates $14 Million Judgment, by Derek Gilna
- Oklahoma Gladiator Discipline Results in Prisoner’s Death
- Ohio Prison Industry Cranks Out Crappy Toilet Paper, by David Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Seeks $28.2 Billion Budget
- Prison Records Officer Entitled to Qualified Immunity; No Evidence of Deliberate Indifference to Sentencing Errors, by Mark Wilson
- Washington Prison Guards Sue Prisoners, by Brandon Sample
- $17.5 Million Verdict for Diabetic Prisoner in New York
- Louisiana Attorney Permanently Disbarred but Not Criminally Charged for Pimping Child to Jail Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Insider Trading Charges Against Private Prison Consultant Rejected, by David Reutter
- Voting Rights Must Be “Earned” Back, Says Iowa Governor, by Brandon Sample
- Hawaii State Auditor Blasts Private Prison Contracting; State Renews Contract Anyway
- New York Prisoners Man Call Centers
- Fifth Circuit Upholds $355,000 Award Against Dallas County in Jail MRSA Case
- Federal Court Dismisses PLN’s Texas Prison Censorship Suit; Appeal Pending
- State Ordered to Reimburse Prisoner Who Was Not Allowed to Complete College Classes
- Texas Prison Phones and Emails Generate Less Revenue Than Expected
- Washington State Regulatory Agency Finds AT&T Failed to Disclose Prison Collect Call Rates, by Brandon Sample
- American “Corrections”, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Oregon Jail Pneumonia Death Lawsuit Settles for $905,000, by Mark Wilson
- Los Angeles Jail Guards Beat Prisoner in Front of ACLU Monitor, by David Reutter
- Terminated South Carolina Wardens Awarded a Total of $882,000, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Michigan Prisoner’s Denial of Toothpaste Suit
- California: Court Monitoring of Conditions at Pelican Bay State Prison Terminated
- Illinois Prison Guards Scam Workers’ Comp, by Brandon Sample
- Seventh Circuit: Court May Not Revoke Supervised Release via Videoconference, by Matthew Clarke
- Big Win for Open Government in Vermont Legislature: Attorney Fees Now Mandated for Prevailing Plaintiffs in Public Records Lawsuits, by Allen Gilbert
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Arizona’s Felon Disenfranchisement Law, by David Reutter
- $450,000 Settlement in Alabama Jail Prisoner’s Death, by David Reutter
- News In Brief
More from David Reutter:
- 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
- Fourth Circuit Revives Deliberate Indifference Claim for Baltimore Detainee Served Rotten Food, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Clarifies Revocation Appeal Provides “Procedurally Appropriate Mechanism” for Raising Rogers Challenge to Unannounced Supervised Release Conditions, Vacates Revocation Judgment Based on Null Standard Conditions, March 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing BOP Prisoner’s Medical Claim, Finds Prison Officials Made Administrative Remedies Unavailable, March 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, March 1, 2026
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- 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.
- Showers at St. Louis County Jail Riddled with Mold, Report Finds, March 1, 2026. Food, Overcrowding, Plumbing, Water, Sanitation.
- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- ICE Wants to Spend $38 Billion to Turn Warehouses into Detention Camps, March 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Sewage, Water, Shelter, Immigration Detention.
- Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion, March 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), State Legislation, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Guards in Los Angeles County Now Wearing Body Cameras, Jan. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Food, Water, Vermin, Security Systems.
- As California Limits Water Use, People in Prison Face Punishment for Showering, Jan. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Environmental Law, Water, Sanitation.
- Broken Water Pipe Leads to Unsanitary Conditions at Montana State Prison, Dec. 1, 2025. Disabled Prisoners, Plumbing, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Supplies.
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Suit by Civilly Committed Texan, Dec. 1, 2025. Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Conditions of Confinement, Complaints, Grievances, Civil Commitment.

