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Tenth Circuit Rules on $3.38 Million Verdict in CCA Prison Sexual Abuse Case
In February 2012, a federal jury in New Mexico awarded $3.38 million to three female prisoners who were raped by Anthony Townes, a guard at the Camino Nuevo Women’s Correctional Facility, which was operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Townes, who had previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the …
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More from this issue:
- “This Man Will Almost Certainly Die”
- Missouri County Settles Suit Over Jail Prisoner’s Suicide for $260,000
- Heck Satisfied if Ruling Fails to Address Issues but Reverses Conviction
- Reforms at New Orleans Jail Slow to Materialize; Death Reporting Problematic, by David Reutter
- Michigan Prison Guards Fired Following Suicide Bet
- Pennsylvania: DA Apologizes for Undisclosed Gifts
- Private Jail Contractor’s Insurance Excludes Coverage of Detainee’s Death
- South African Prison Evacuated Due to Squalor; Two Prisoners Die from Rat-Borne Disease, by Christopher Zoukis
- Photo of Prisoner Beaten by Georgia Gang Members Posted Online
- Tennessee Sheriff’s Willful Denial of Public Records Merits PLN Attorney Fee Award
- Wardens “Retire” from Two California Women’s Prisons
- Ferguson, Missouri Under Fire for Revenue-based Criminal Justice System, by Christopher Zoukis
- Tennessee District Attorney Ends Sterilization in Plea Bargains; Prosecutor Fired, by David Reutter
- Another Appeal in New York Post-Release Supervision Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Warden, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace Charged in Texas Corruption Scandal, by Matthew Clarke
- Corrections Officials Stealing Prisoners’ Identities a Growing Problem, by Christopher Zoukis
- Corizon Faces Suit for Failing to Administer Tube Feedings to Pennsylvania Prisoner
- Tenth Circuit Rules on $3.38 Million Verdict in CCA Prison Sexual Abuse Case, by Derek Gilna
- Corizon, CCA Settle Lawsuit Over Solitary Confinement of Elderly Woman, by Matthew Clarke
- New Study Documents Lower Pre-arrest Incomes for Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Are French Prisons Radicalizing Muslim Prisoners?, by Joe Watson
- Prison Survival Guides Find Audience Beyond Soon-to-be Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Merits Ruling on Procedurally Flawed Grievance Satisfies PLRA
- Father of Four Dies in Privately-operated Texas Jail; Civil Suit Expected
- Phoenix Fire Investigators and Insurance Company Implicated in Wrongful Prosecutions, by Joe Watson
- Missouri: Habeas Corpus Granted to Prisoner Denied Jail Credit
- If the Risk is Low, Let Them Go
- California Prison Employees Reap Staggering Overtime Payments, by Christopher Zoukis
- Attica Prison Guards Who Viciously Beat Prisoner Avoid Jail Time but Lose Jobs
- Fifth Circuit Holds Louisiana Prisoner May Sue Over Failure to Credit Good Time , by Matthew Clarke
- $500,000 in Settlements after Utah Prisoner Dies when Medical Technician Doesn’t Show up for Work, by Christopher Zoukis
- Missouri Governor Doesn’t Have to Serve as Public Defender
- More Suicides, Overdoses and Murders in California Prisons, According to Death Review Report, by Joe Watson
- Ninth Circuit Declines to Enforce Procedural Bar When Prison Officials Waive Rule
- Prison Rodeos: A Bunch of Bull?, by David Reutter
- New Mexico County Officials Settle Jail Prisoner’s Suit for $750,000
- Ninth Circuit Adopts Test to Excuse Exhaustion of Administration Remedies for Retaliatory Threats
- Connecticut Prisoners File Suit Over Exposure to Radon Gas, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Prominent Texas Capital Defense Attorney Suspended for a Year
- Potential Class-action Suit over Domestic Violence “Victim Fees” in Georgia
- Widespread Failures at Crime Labs Continue to Plague Criminal Justice System , by Derek Gilna
- Private Prison in Texas Closes after Riot Renders it Uninhabitable, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
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:
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Exercise, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guards/Staff, Staff Training.
- Now Under Federal Receivership, New York City’s Rikers Island Jails Still Have No Plan to Improve, No Firm Date to Close, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Eighth Amendment.
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Sexual Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Stun Guns/Tasers.
- After Judge’s Letter, at Least 22 Former FCI Dublin Prisoners Granted Compassionate Release, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Release and Reentry, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Compassionate Release.
- Suit Filed Over Fatal Beating of New York Prisoner That Sparked Massive Guard Strike, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Jail Misconduct, Americans with Disabilities Act.
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions in Texas Juvenile Detention, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Sentencing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Protect (Juveniles), Juvenile Prisons.
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025. War on Terror, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Terrorism.
- California Prisoners Sue Gynecologist for Sexual Abuse, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Class Certification.

