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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:
- 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
- Fourth Circuit Revives Deliberate Indifference Claim for Baltimore Detainee Served Rotten Food, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Clarifies Revocation Appeal Provides “Procedurally Appropriate Mechanism” for Raising Rogers Challenge to Unannounced Supervised Release Conditions, Vacates Revocation Judgment Based on Null Standard Conditions, March 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing BOP Prisoner’s Medical Claim, Finds Prison Officials Made Administrative Remedies Unavailable, March 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, March 1, 2026
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Exposure to Heat, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Infections, Environmental Law, Water, Public Records Act.
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Failure to Treat, Totality of Conditions, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Deliberate Indifference.
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, State Legislation.
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Dental Care, Private Contractors, Staffing.

