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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:
- 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
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- 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
More from these topics:
- Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, 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.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).
- “Like the Walking Dead”: Smuggled Drugs Fuel Chaos Inside Ohio Prisons, May 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Security Systems, Drugs - Determination of.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- $1.25 Million Paid for Special Needs Teen’s Fatal Beating in Houston Jail, May 1, 2026. Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Oklahoma DOC Paid Prison Guards $35.5 Million in Overtime in 2025, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Staff Training.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Watchdog Finds Barely 1 in 10 Complaints Against California Prison Staff Handled Adequately, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Evidence, Staff Training, Statutes of Limitation and Laches.

