More from this issue:

1. Forms of Judicial Deference in Prison Law, by Sharon Dolovich
2. Louisiana Public Service Commission Votes to Lower Prison and Jail Phone Rates, by Mel Motel
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. FBI Reports Drop in Violent Crime; DOJ Reports Increase
5. Venezuelan TV Station Fined $2.16 Million for Prison Reporting, by Matthew Clarke
6. Dramatic Increase in Percentage of Criminal Cases Being Plea Bargained, by Matthew Clarke
7. Pennsylvania: Former BOP Warden Pleads Guilty to Cover-up
8. Despite Budget Crunch, Texas Rarely Grants Medical Paroles, by Matthew Clarke
9. Iraqi Prison Breaks Likely Inside Jobs
10. Contraband Smuggling a Problem at Prisons and Jails Nationwide, by Matthew Clarke
11. NH Corrections Officer, Suspended After Fight, Obtains Back Pay Plus $250,000 in Damages and Attorney Fees
12. California Lawsuit Challenges Voting Prohibition on County-level Offenders
13. Louisiana Sex Offender Internet Restrictions Unconstitutional
14. Law Enforcement Forfeiture Corruption Scandal in Michigan Includes Police Chief
15. Massachusetts Prisoners Receive Refunds for Illegal Fees Imposed by Sheriff
16. Obama Pardons Two Turkeys, No Prisoners in 2012, by Derek Gilna
17. Scientific Advances in Arson Investigations Reveal Wrongful Convictions, by Michael Rigby
18. Georgia Judge Removed from Bench for Misconduct, Files Lawsuit Claiming Conspiracy
19. Virginia Considers Privatizing State’s Civil Commitment Center, by Joe Watson
20. New Mexico Slaps Private Prison Companies with $1.4 Million in Fines
21. States Seek Federal Medicaid Reimbursements to Offset Prison Medical Costs
22. Oregon-Washington Prison Employee Logs 19-Hour Days
23. Nation’s Largest Private Prison Companies Trying to Do the REIT Thing
24. Tenth Circuit Cites PLN Case in Denying Oklahoma Newspaper’s FOIA Request
25. California and Oregon Prison Guards Fire Shots to Break up Fights
26. North Carolina Governor Pardons Wilmington 10
27. Cook County, Illinois Lowers Jail Phone Rates, by Mel Motel
28. California: Del Norte County DA Described as “Idiotic”
29. 9th Circuit: Class-action by Civilly Committed Sexually Violent Predators May Proceed on Claims for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
30. First Circuit: RLUIPA Does Not Provide Relief from Transfer to Remote Prison where Opportunities for Religious Exercise are Limited
31. News in Brief

More from Matthew Clarke:

• Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
• Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
• Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
• Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
• Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
• In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
• Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
• D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
• Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
• Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
• Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its Mass Incarceration Report, May 1, 2026. Geriatric Classification, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Electronic Monitoring, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
• Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary, April 1, 2026. Medical, Statistics/Trends, Commissary, Prison Regulations.
• Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Qualifying Offenses, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Child Pornography.
• SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Reform Act Does Not Authorize Automatic Extension of Supervised Release When Defendant Absconds, Resolving Circuit Split, April 1, 2026. Sentencing, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
• U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
• U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, March 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Bail/Pretrial Release, Arrest/Arraignment.
• Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Medical, Statistics/Trends, Mental Health, Health care.
• Alaska’s DOC Was $24 Million Over-Budget Last Year, Spent Most on Overtime, March 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Guards/Staff.
• Acquitted Conduct Sentencing: Not Guilty – But Punished Anyway, March 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Legislation, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.