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Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law
Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law
by Joe Watson
A man who spent over 17 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit became the first Colorado prisoner to receive damages from the state under a new compensation law.
In September …
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More from this issue:
- Twenty-Five Years of Prison Legal News, by Paul Wright
- HRDC Litigation Project Update – 25th Anniversary Edition, by Lance Weber
- News in Brief
- Ohio Prisoner Represents Himself, Beats Attempted Murder Charges
- Dehydration Death of North Carolina Prisoner Prompts Investigations, Firings, Resignations, by Christopher Zoukis
- When is a Person too Insane to Execute?, by Matthew Clarke
- Disabled Minnesota Prisoner Settles Discrimination Lawsuit for $10,000, Other Relief, by Robert Warlick
- Convictions Affirmed for Two Former Rhode Island Guards Who Assaulted Prisoners
- Maryland County Jail Guards Receive Rights Mirroring Those of State Prison Guards
- $500,000 Settlement in Georgia Prisoner’s Death while on Work Crew
- Easing Residency Restrictions Helps Curb Homelessness Among Registered Sex Offenders, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Prisoner Receives $50,000 Settlement for Beating by Ohio Jail Guard, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Vacates Massachusetts Prisoner’s $325,956.36 Damages, Attorney Fee Award, by Matthew Clarke
- Due Process Requires Notice Prior to Court-Ordered Deduction from Prisoners’ Accounts, by David Reutter
- California Pays $585,000 to Settle Suit by Prisoner Who Lost Eye Due to Poor Medical Care, by Michael Brodheim
- Iowa DOC May Not Switch Administrative Law Judges in Mid-Disciplinary Process, by Matthew Clarke
- The Wal-Mart Model: Not Just for Retail, Now It’s for Private Prisons Too!, by Carl Takei
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Dallas County Jail Excessive Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Files Lawsuit after Being Pepper Sprayed in Restraint Chair, by Derek Gilna
- $50,000 Settlement for Prisoner’s Suicide at Iowa County Jail, by Gary Hunter
- Maine Sheriff, Mired in Controversy, Defeated in Re-election Bid
- Georgia Jail Pays $937,500 in Wrongful Death Settlement
- Former Prisoner Left Blind by Assault Obtains Reversal of FTCA Claim, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Orders New Trial due to Shackling of Prisoner Plaintiff, by Lonnie Burton
- New Jersey, Ohio DOCs Significantly Reduce Phone Rates
- $7,500 Award for Ohio Prisoner in Slip and Fall Accident, by David Reutter
- Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law, by Joe Watson
- Accuracy of Widely-Used Polygraph Machine Under Fire, by Derek Gilna
- The Persistence of Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- Lifetime GPS Monitoring of Sex Offenders Upheld in South Carolina, by Lonnie Burton
- Oregon Mental Patient’s Death Nets $1.4 Million, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon Parole Board Orders Must Explain Decisions, but Orders Defined to Include Administrative Review Responses, by Mark Wilson
- Human Rights Groups, Environmentalists Oppose New Federal Prison on Former Coal Mine in Kentucky, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Ninth Circuit Upholds $106,000 in Damages Plus Attorney Fees for Withheld Evidence, by Mark Wilson
- ICE Settles New York Immigration Raid Lawsuit for $1 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- California Probation Cannot Exceed Maximum for Unpaid Restitution, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
More from Joe Watson:
- 3 Murders in 10 Months at Oklahoma Prison Run by CCA, Jan. 3, 2018
- Missouri’s Release of Pot Dealer Doing LWOP Gives Hope to Nonviolent Drug Offenders Incarcerated Nationwide, Nov. 28, 2017
- Former Sheriff Arpaio Guilty of Criminal Contempt, Receives Presidential Pardon, Nov. 6, 2017
- IRS Audit Prompts New Mexico County to Convert Bonds Used for ICE Facility, Oct. 10, 2017
- TN Prison Counselor Suspended for Posting Insults on Facebook, Aug. 30, 2017
- Wiccan Prisoner Settles with NV DOC Over Denial of Hardbound Religious Books, Aug. 7, 2017
- Settlement for IN Man Deprived of Critical Meds While Incarcerated in County Jail, Aug. 7, 2017
- NV Prisoner with Hand Injury Settles for Used TV, Medical Evaluation and $40.70 in Copying Fees, Aug. 7, 2017
- IN Woman Settles Wrongful Arrest Lawsuit, Aug. 7, 2017
- $7,500,000 Class-Action Settlement for Illegal Strip-Searches in Camden, NJ , Aug. 7, 2017
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.
- New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Cancer, Failure to Treat, State Legislation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- 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.
- New Jersey Governor’s Order Allows People with Prior Felony Convictions to Serve on Jury Duty, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, State Legislation, Restrictions, discrimination, Jury Selection.
- One in 10 Prison Admissions Is Now for Technical Parole Violation, March 1, 2026. Parole Conditions, State Legislation, Restrictions, discrimination, Revocation Proceedings.
- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion, March 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), State Legislation, Reduction of Prison Population.
- by Jo Ellen Nott I n a significant victory for the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and those with arrest records, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1836, known as the “Clean Slate” Act, on January 16, 2026. The legislation, March 1, 2026. Collateral consequences of prison, State Legislation, housing, Restrictions, discrimination, Prior Convictions - Expungement or Reversal of.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs, Feb. 1, 2026. Staffing, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, State Legislation.

