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Violence, Security Lapses and Media Attention Lead to Reforms at Georgia Prison
A series of investigative news reports by Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Joy Lukachick, published from February to December 2013, revealed numerous problems in Georgia’s prison system – particularly at Hays State Prison (HSP), located around 40 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee – and resulted in lawsuits, security improvements and …
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More from this issue:
- Violence, Security Lapses and Media Attention Lead to Reforms at Georgia Prison, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prison Phone Justice Campaign: Recent Developments
- Bankruptcy Injunction Covers Pre-petition Incarceration Costs, but Not Those that Accrue Afterwards
- What Are the Odds of Complete Reversal After Conviction in the Second Circuit?, by Peter Schmidt
- The Effects of Private Prison Confinement in Minnesota on Offender Recidivism
- Confronting Prison Slave Labor Camps and Other Myths, by James Kilgore
- Ninth Circuit: 9-Year Detention Pending Civil Commitment Proceeding Warrants Habeas Relief
- Possession of Rape Video Warrants Restitution; Victim Awarded Over $1 Million Thus Far; Supreme Court Grants Cert.
- California: Felons with Prior Juvenile Strikes Excluded from County Jail Placement Under Realignment Act
- PA Prison Lieutenant Fired After Assisting in Criminal Investigation
- PLN Settles Censorship Suit Against Texas County Jail for $175,000
- New Trial Granted in Jail Strip Search Case Following Jury Verdict; $385,000 Settlement, by Matthew Clarke
- California: State Prisoner Cannot Serve Concurrent Sentence in County Jail
- Iowa: Bad Faith or Misconduct can Overcome Mental-Process Privilege in Disciplinary Case
- Prisoner Assaulted in Tennessee Jail Settles Suit for $530,000, by Derek Gilna
- Arrested: What to do When Your Loved One’s in Jail, by Wes Denham, by John Dannenberg
- California: Sexually Violent Predator Entitled to Jury Trial on Petition Seeking Conditional Release
- Medical Parole for Texas Prisoners on the Decline, by Matthew Clarke
- Qualified Immunity Denied to Prison Psychiatrist who Prescribed Lethal Drug Combination; $450,000 Settlement
- Court Employee Fired for Helping Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner Prove His Innocence, by Christopher Zoukis
- NY Prisoner’s Youthful Age Considered in Modifying Prison Disciplinary Sanction
- Eighth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Excessive Use of Force, Retaliation
- Islamic Organization Petitions to Let Muslim Women Prisoners Wear Hijabs, by Christopher Zoukis
- West Virginia Sex Offender Does Not Have Right to Attend Specified Church
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Wiccan Prisoners’ Establishment Clause Claim
- Rules Governing Lethal Injections Not Required under Georgia Law
- Deliberate Indifference Medical Claim Accrues Upon Discovery of Injury and its Cause
- Private Corrections Institute Issues First Annual Awards for Activism, Advocacy and Reporting on Private Prisons
- Criminal Background Checks Criticized for Incorrect Data, Racial Discrimination, by Derek Gilna
- Former Kansas Prisoner’s Sexual Misconduct Suit Overcomes Qualified Immunity
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Six-Day Contraband Watch Conditions
- Reflections on the No More Jails Campaign in Champaign County, Illinois, by James Kilgore
- Ninth Circuit Questions Constitutionality of Requiring Jail Prisoners to Wear Pink Underwear, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania Jail Official Indicted for Groping Co-workers, by Christopher Zoukis
- Solitary Confinement’s Invisible Scars, by Five Oman Mualimm-ak
- Lawsuit, Whistleblower Allege Rape by Guards at New Mexico Prison
- Ninth Circuit: Immigration Detainees Must be Afforded Opportunity to Challenge Continued Detention after Six Months
- Discretionary Immunity Dismissal of Ohio Prisoner’s Negligence Claims Reversed
- Restitution Not Owed for Arrest Costs, West Virginia Court Holds, by Derek Gilna
- Washington: No Public Funds for Deferred Prosecution Treatment Programs
- Short-term Deprivation of Toilet Paper Does Not Violate Detainee’s Rights
- Justice Department Reports: Correctional Populations Declining at Slower Pace, by Derek Gilna
- Jails Market Electronic Cigarettes to Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- Crime Declines while Anti-crime Funding Increases, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026
- Nevada Prisoners, Families Call Out Predatory Tablet Program, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit: Error in Granting Judgment Prior to Adjudging Spoliation Motion, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity in Strip Searches Resulting from Anonymous Tips, Sept. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- BOP Denies Providing Substandard Dialysis Treatment Despite Prisoners’ Deaths, Court Filings, Understaffing and Lack of Oversight, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Staffing, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- $800,000 Settlement Reached in Hawai‘i Jail Suicide Case, Sept. 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Train/Supervise, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- $5.4 Million Jury Verdict Against Riverside County in Suit Over Jail Fentanyl Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Drug Overdose, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Atlanta Jail Begins Turning Away Misdemeanor Arrestees, Sept. 1, 2026. Escapes, Staffing, Security Systems, Consent Decrees.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- What 911 Calls Reveal About Jail Operations, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Statistics/Trends, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Staff Training.

