More from this issue:

1. God’s Own Warden: If you ever find yourself inside Louisiana’s Angola prison, Burl Cain will make sure you find Jesus – or regret ever crossing his path, by James Ridgeway
2. Angola: A Prison Passion Play, by John Dannenberg
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. No Budget Cuts for Federal Prisons, by James Ridgeway
5. Death Sentences, Executions Remain at Low Levels, by Justin Miller
6. Dallas County Passes Jail Inspections ... Finally
7. Michigan Sex Offender’s Suicide Results in Changes to Sex Offender Registry Law, by Matthew Clarke
8. California Lifers: Deaths Exceed Parole Releases, by John Dannenberg
9. Background Checks that Bar Employment of Ex-offenders May Violate Civil Rights
10. Class-Action Settlement Cures Constitutional Violations at Pennsylvania Prison
11. Hawaii ACLU Files Suit on Behalf of Women Who Want to Marry Prisoners, by Alex Friedmann
12. Wrongful Convictions Prove Costly, Especially for the Wrongly Convicted, by Matthew Clarke
13. Guard Who Identified Over 100 Prison Rioters Pleads Guilty to Contraband Charge
14. Oregon Increases Sex Offender Registration Requirements
15. Washington Prison Video Surveillance Recordings Exempt from Disclosure Under Public Records Act, by Michael Brodheim
16. Florida Closes Oldest Boy’s School, Best Known for Abusive Past
17. Federal Investigation, Prosecution Targets Indiana Sheriff’s Officers, by Derek Gilna
18. Failure to Advise Defendant of Ineligibility for Early Release Credits Renders Guilty Plea Invalid
19. CCA Anti-Prison Rape Shareholder Resolution Fails to Pass
20. Ninth Circuit Rules that Washington DOC Religious Contractor Not a “State Actor”
21. Ohio Wrongful Conviction Results in $2.59 Million Settlement
22. Ninth Circuit Holds No Due Process Right Created by California’s Parole Scheme
23. Arizona Jails Refuse to Incarcerate Some Offenders
24. The Last Gasp: The Rise and Fall of the American Gas Chamber, by Scott Christianson (University of California Press, 2011)., by Julie Etter
25. California Study Finds State Prison Overcrowding Driven by County Policy Decisions, Not Violent Crime Rates
26. Pennsylvania County Prisons Not Reporting Critical Incidents
27. Former BOP Guard Convicted, Sentenced in Murder-for-Hire Case
28. Iowa Supreme Court Holds Billing for Fraudulent Prisoner Phone Calls Not a State Law Violation
29. No “Strike” Under PLRA When Some Claims are Heard on the Merits, by Brandon Sample
30. Tenth Circuit Voids Albuquerque’s Attempt to Ban Sex Offenders from Libraries, by Derek Gilna
31. $47,500 Awarded to Massachusetts Prisoner Held in Segregation Without Hearing
32. Second BOP Guard Convicted in Connection with Prisoner’s Murder, by Brandon Sample
33. Seven Florida Prison Guards Arrested
34. Washington Prisoners Have No Right to Inspect Records Under Public Records Act, by Brandon Sample
35. Pennsylvania Prison Guard Convicted in Drug Probe, Testifies Against Coworkers
36. Judge, Not Jury, Must Resolve Questions about Administrative Exhaustion
37. $500,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Prisoner’s Medical-Related Death
38. ACLU Report Proves Smart Criminal Justice Policy Reform is Possible, by David Reutter
39. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Order of Deferred Disposition Not a ‘Sentence’ Under Article 44.01(b)—Which Authorizes State to Appeal Illegal Sentence—Resolving Split Among State Courts of Appeals, April 15, 2025
• Fifth Circuit: Sentence Enhancement for Maintaining Drug Premises Not Satisfied Solely by Defendant’s Single, Conclusory Statement That He ‘Maintained’ Premises When Record Shows Mere ‘Use’ of Premises, April 15, 2025
• Illinois Pretrial Incarceration Becomes Less Random A Year After Elimination of Cash Bail, April 1, 2025
• Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
• California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
• Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025

More from these topics:

• ACLU Sues BOP Over Failure to Implement First Step Act Release Credits, May 1, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
• Arkansas Supreme Court Rules § 16-93-609(b)(2)(B), Relating to Parole Eligibility for Residential Burglary Conviction, Applies Retroactively to Defendant, April 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Bank Fraud/Robbery/Theft, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Eligibility for Parole.
• Crime Down But Incarceration Up In Tennessee, March 1, 2025. Crime, Statistics/Trends.
• Virginia Parole Board Skirts New Transparency Rules, Governor Walks Back Expanded Sentence Credits—Again, March 1, 2025. Local Rules, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Credits.
• Among World Nations, Individual U.S. States Near Top of List for Per Capita Incarceration, Feb. 15, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Prisoners-International, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
• Former South Carolina Jailer Spared Prison After Testimony Fails to Convict Former Sheriff, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures, Offense of Conviction.
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Parole Liability, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
• Nebraska Pioneers Diversion Program to Help Arrested Veterans Avoid Jail, Jan. 15, 2025. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Rehabilitation Act, Veterans.
• 1994 Crime Bill Turns 30: A Legacy of Controversy, Jan. 15, 2025. Crime, Statistics/Trends, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
• Oregon Supreme Court: Governor Can’t Revoke Commutation After Sentence Expires, Jan. 15, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Revocation Proceedings, Overreaching.