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U.S. Supreme Court Holds California’s Prison Overcrowding Violates Eighth Amendment, Must be Remediated by Population Reduction
by John E. Dannenberg
In a landmark ruling upholding provisions of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) that permit specially convened three-judge federal court panels to order reductions in state prison populations due to overcrowding (18 U.S.C. § 3626(a)(3)), a bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, affirmed …
In a landmark ruling upholding provisions of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) that permit specially convened three-judge federal court panels to order reductions in state prison populations due to overcrowding (18 U.S.C. § 3626(a)(3)), a bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, affirmed …
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More from this issue:
- U.S. Supreme Court Holds California’s Prison Overcrowding Violates Eighth Amendment, Must be Remediated by Population Reduction, by John Dannenberg
- California: Controversy Surrounds Governor’s Grant of Clemency to Son of Political Friend, by Michael Brodheim
- $5.25 Million Paid to Former Ohio Prisoner for Wrongful Murder Conviction
- Deaths of Three North Carolina Prisoners Raise Suspicions, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington DOC Agrees to Change Sexual Abuse Policies, by David Reutter
- San Francisco Blanket Jail Strip Search Policy Upheld in Ninth Circuit En Banc Ruling, by Michael Brodheim
- Why I Care About Prisoner Rights, by David Hudson
- Low Rates in Michigan DOC Phone Contract Demonstrate Actual Cost of Prison Phone Services, by Alex Friedmann
- Paroled Killers Rarely Re-Offend, by Michael Brodheim
- Anti-Private Prison Group Rips Revolving Door for Federal Employees After CCA Hires Former BOP Director
- Ninth Circuit: Prison Visitation Privileges May be Temporarily Restricted for Legitimate Penological Reasons
- New York Parolee Detained Without Hearing; City Not Entitled to Summary Judgment, by Mark Wilson
- State Audit Finds Maryland Prison Employees Misused Funds in Prisoner Accounts, by Matthew Clarke
- The Incredible Honey Bun Behind Bars, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Applies Houston Mailbox Rule to § 1983 Actions
- Former Virginia Beach Sheriff Received Insider Information on Jail Contract, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit: Habeas Petition Challenging Recent Parole Denial Not Considered Successive, by Matthew Clarke
- California Prisoner’s Life Sentence Upheld for Tossing Food Tray at Guard, by Michael Brodheim
- Vermont Parole Law Change Violates Ex Post Facto Clause
- Tenth Circuit Vacates Class Certification in Jail Conditions Suit; Case Settles Following Remand, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: Despite Award of Only Nominal Damages, Attorney Fees Appropriate in § 1983 Wrongful Death Suit
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies Erroneous Conviction Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Fourth Circuit Upholds Federal Civil Commitment Statute Against Constitutional Challenge
- Third Circuit Holds Blanket Policy of Strip Searching Arrestees, Absent Reasonable Suspicion, is Constitutional; Cert Granted, by Michael Brodheim
- Ninth Circuit Holds PLRA Fee Cap for Court-Appointed Counsel Also Applies to Paralegal Fees
- Six New Jersey Jail Guards Arrested for Assaulting Prisoners
- Washington: Eye Gouging Assault Severely Injures Airway Heights Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- Inmate Accident Compensation Act Does Not Preclude Bivens Remedy
- Deficient Medical Care Leads to Preventable Death of Seattle, Washington Jail Prisoner
- In-Prison Filmmaker Prepares Next Release, by David Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Report Puts Price Tag on Preventing Prison Rape, by Matthew Clarke
- Georgia: Child Support Contempt Findings Create Debtor’s Prisons, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania DOC Agrees to Comply with Clean Air Act at Four Prisons, by David Reutter
- Former Deputy Sheriff Gets LWOP for Murder of California Prison Guard
- $16 Million Federal Jury Award in Texas Jail Beating Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Pre-Release Officer’s Federal Convictions Affirmed
- Baltimore Jail’s Warden, Seven Guards Suspended Pending Excessive Force Investigation
- Seventh Circuit Finds Appeal is Timely Despite E-Filing Error
- Failure to Protect May Raise Claim Under Federal Tort Claims Act, by Matthew Clarke
- New York: Double Jeopardy Prohibits Imposition of Post-release Supervision Once Defendant is Released from Custody
- Fifth Circuit Clarifies Procedure for PLRA Failure-to-Exhaust Dismissals
- A Cage by Any Other Name is Still a Cage: Mentally Ill California Prisoners Caged, by Michael Brodheim
- Ninth Circuit Denies Arizona Prisoner Access to Dedicated Discharge Account
- Queer (In)justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States, by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie and Kay Whitlock (Beacon Press, Feb. 2011), 216 pages, $27.95, by Daniel R. Schaffer
- “America’s Sheriff” Begins Serving Federal Prison Sentence
- News In Brief
More from John Dannenberg:
- Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual, 2d Ed., by Dan Manville, March 5, 2015
- Systemic Changes Follow Murder of Colorado Prison Director, July 10, 2014
- The Redbook – A Manual on Legal Style, April 15, 2014
- Arrest-Proof Yourself, by Dale Carson and Wes Denham, March 15, 2014
- Arrested: What to do When Your Loved One’s in Jail, by Wes Denham, Feb. 15, 2014
- California Parole Board Agrees to Implement Policy to Fix Terms at Lifers’ Initial Hearings, Jan. 15, 2014
- FCC Order Heralds Hope for Reform of Prison Phone Industry, Dec. 15, 2013
- Federal Court Orders California to Release 9,600 More Prisoners, Aug. 15, 2013
- Valley Fever Declared a Public Health Emergency at Two California Prisons; Court Orders Prisoner Transfers, July 15, 2013
- Plata and Coleman Showdown in California, June 15, 2013
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.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Atlanta Jail Boasts Improvements Since Consent Decree, Reports from Monitor and ACLU Are More Critical, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Sanitation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Consent Decrees, Bail/Pretrial Release.
- Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $9.8 Million in Settlements Reached with South Carolina County and Wellpath in Gruesome Jail Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).
- NaphCare Pays $875,000 to Settle New York License Violations, Banned from State for Five Years, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- New Hampshire Officials Halt $700 Million Prison Replacement, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin.
- $2.135 Million Partial Settlement Reached in Schizophrenic Detainee’s Death from “Gross Medical Neglect” at South Carolina Jail, May 1, 2026. Prison Health Services, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Texas Officials Testify That Cost to Air Condition Prisons Tops $1.5 Billion, May 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).

