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Tenth Circuit Misses Chance to Limit Long-Term Solitary Confinement
Tenth Circuit Misses Chance to Limit Long-Term Solitary Confinement
by Derek Gilna
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a prisoner’s more than three-decades-long stint in solitary confinement, sidestepping an opportunity to meaningfully address the appropriateness of such long-term isolation.
Thomas Silverstein, 62, has been …
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More from this issue:
- $1.56 Million Settlement for Texas Jail Death Due to Drug Withdrawal, by Matthew Clarke
- Pharmacist Associations Take Stand Against Death Penalty, by Greg Dober
- Crime Labs Still in Crisis, by Matthew Clarke
- The Spread of Electronic Monitoring: No Quick Fix for Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- News in Brief
- Maine Jail Raises Pigs to Feed Prisoners, Expands Organic Farm
- Third Circuit: Lack of Training for Jail Guards Bars Summary Judgment; $150,000 Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds One-Hour Law Library Access, by Mark Wilson
- New York: Companies Settle Claims for Discriminating against Ex-Felons, by Gary Hunter
- California Supreme Court Restricts Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles
- Deferred Sentence Completion Automatically Restores Civil Rights in New Mexico, by Mark Wilson
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Suit; $26,875 Settlement on Remand, by Lonnie Burton
- Dismissal of Challenge to Texas City’s Sex Offender Restrictions Reversed, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Courts Must Give Notice before Amending Judgment, by Mark Wilson
- Civilly Committed Sex Offenders Increasingly Released in Wisconsin, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit Over Suicide of Oregon Prisoner Settles for $100,000, by Mark Wilson
- Reading Death Row Prisoner’s Legal Mail States Sixth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit: No Supervisory Qualified Immunity for Prisoner Suicide, by Mark Wilson
- $345,000 Settlement in Michigan Detainee’s Suicide, by David Reutter
- Book Review: Abolishing the Broken U.S. Juvenile Justice System, by Hannah K. Gold
- San Antonio, Texas Leads the State in Jail Suicides, by Matthew Clarke
- Dismissal of Wrongfully Convicted Prisoner’s Fabricated Evidence Claims Upheld on Appeal, by David Reutter
- New York Settles Wrongful Conviction Claim for $2.7 Million, by Michael Brodheim
- Tasering Detainee as Corporal Inducement Violates Eighth Amendment, by David Reutter
- Video Shows Tulsa Jail Prisoner Subjected to “Horrific” Treatment Prior to Death
- Fifth Circuit Dismisses Female Immigration Detainees’ Sexual Assault Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Overdose, Taser and Restraint Chair Combine to Kill Washington Prisoner
- $12,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Denied Medication, by David Reutter
- Report Highlights Health Concerns Related to Coal Ash Dump at Pennsylvania Prison, by David Reutter
- Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better, by Maya Schenwar, by Gary Hunter
- Doctor of Death: Former Jail Physician Leaves Trail of Prisoner Deaths, Injuries, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prison Guard Union Sues Mentally Ill Prisoners
- Second Circuit: Requiring Pretrial Detainees to Perform Forced Labor Unconstitutional; $15,000 Settlement on Remand, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington Enacts Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law; County Reneges on $10.5 Million Settlement with Exonerated Prisoners
- Second Circuit Affirms Muslim Prisoner’s Right Not to Drink Water during Ramadan, by Lonnie Burton
- New York Appellate Court Reverses Dismissal of Rikers Island Wrongful Death Suit, by David Reutter
- Unauthorized Oregon “Offense Surcharges” Reversed, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon: State Must Prove Defendant’s Ability to Pay Attorney Fees, by Mark Wilson
- Sixteen Maryland Prison Guards Sentenced for Severely Beating Prisoner
- Forty Defendants, Including 24 Guards, Convicted in Widespread Corruption Scandal at Baltimore City Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Maryland Cannot Compel Retroactive Sex Offender Registration
- Unexhausted Oregon Parole Claims Not Cognizable, by Mark Wilson
- Philadelphia Traffic Court Abolished; Seven Judges Convicted
- California Prisoner’s Conviction for Smuggling Tobacco Overturned, by Lonnie Burton
- Tenth Circuit Misses Chance to Limit Long-Term Solitary Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- Tennessee County Not Required to Pay for Medical Costs after Prisoner’s Release, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Lost and Improperly Destroyed Evidence Thwarts Post-Conviction DNA Testing, by Matthew Clarke
More from Derek Gilna:
- Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
- HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
- Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
- Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
- D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021
More from these topics:
- Prisoners At Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer” Settle Conditions Suits for $1.2 Million, Whistleblower Alleges Staff Mistreatment, Oct. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Medication, Settlements, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Immigration Detention.
- Fatal LAPD Arrests Show Systemic Failure in Handling Mental Health Crises, Oct. 1, 2026. Shootings, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Mental Health, Staff Training.
- Mississippi DOC Held Mentally Unwell Prisoners in Solitary, Many Died Because of It, Sept. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Staff Training, Deliberate Indifference.
- Mental Health Diversion from New York State Jails Varies Widely by County, Sept. 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Alternative Sentencing, Mental Health, State Legislation.
- Isolation and Medical Neglect at Illinois’ Joliet Treatment Center Drive Prisoners to Set Fatal Fires, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Security Systems, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Court Shuts Down Arizona Attempt to Fill Medical Staff Vacancies with Under-Qualified Providers, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Injunctions, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Oregon Agrees to $2.3 Million Settlement After Guards Toss Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary, Taunt Him Until He Kills Himself, Aug. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Immigration Detention, Monell Liability.
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health.
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, July 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Mental Health, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.

