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California Lifers Paroled in Record Numbers
Prisoners serving life sentences in California have been paroled at a record rate since Governor Jerry Brown took office in January 2011 – a positive trend in the view of many advocacy groups, but one that causes worry among victims’ rights advocates despite statistics which reveal a recidivism rate …
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More from this issue:
- Jailhouse Medicine - A Private Contractor Flourishes Despite Controversy Over Prisoner Deaths
- Massachusetts: Lawsuit Filed to Stop Dog Searches of Prison Visitors, by Joe Watson
- Excited Delirium Syndrome: Medical Condition or Cover-Up?, by David Reutter
- New Mexico: Sharon Jones’s Strep Death Among Shocking Prison Tragedies in Lawsuits
- South Carolina Sheriff Resigns, Pleads Guilty to DUI
- Medical Marijuana Use by Arizona Probationer Cannot Support Violation
- Federal Lawsuit Claims Negligence Caused Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Heroin Overdose Death, by Christopher Zoukis
- Irish High Court Bars Extradition of Terror Suspect to U.S., Citing Inhumanity of Solitary Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- $2.5 Million Settlement in North Carolina Prisoner’s Dehydration Death
- Court’s Gag Order in Michigan Jail Corruption Case Reversed
- Failure to Timely Assert Affirmative Defense in Responsive Pleading Constitutes Waiver
- Report Finds Shortcomings at Santa Clara County, California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Tennessee Prisoner Awarded $60,000 for Guards’ Use of Excessive Force
- $3.5 Million for South Carolina Prisoner’s Death Due to Deliberate Indifference
- Deaf Prisoners Win Important Settlements in Kentucky and Maryland, by Derek Gilna
- Architects’ Ethics Panel to Consider Boycott of Execution Chambers and Prison Design, by David Reutter
- Pepper-spraying Sleeping Prisoner Unconstitutional, but Case Loses at Trial, by David Reutter
- “Fatal Neglect” Report Faults ICE Health Care for Deaths of Detained Immigrants, by Derek Gilna
- Ninth Circuit: Freezing Prisoner’s Funds Requires Pre-deprivation Process, by Mark Wilson
- Second Circuit Allows Muslim Prisoners’ Bivens Claims to Proceed, by Derek Gilna
- DOJ Settlement to Improve Conditions at Mississippi Juvenile Facility
- Colson Task Force Report Highlights BOP Issues, Makes Recommendations, by Derek Gilna
- Book Review: "Illegal to Legal: Business Success for (ex)Criminals, by R.L. Pelshaw", by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Claiming CMUs Lack Due Process on Appeal to D.C. Circuit, by Derek Gilna
- Delayed Washington Competency Evaluations and Treatment Violate Due Process, by Mark Wilson
- Sacramento County Settles Former Jail Prisoner’s Lawsuits for $3,800, by Matthew Clarke
- Privately-operated Texas Prison Rebounds, by Matthew Clarke
- Transparent Jumpsuit for Prison Transport May Violate Eighth Amendment
- Ninth Circuit: Improper ICE Detainer Constitutes Article III Injury, by Mark Wilson
- The Will of the People: Ex-prisoners Voted into Public Office, by Joe Watson
- California: Strip Searches of Prison Visitors No Longer Allowed
- Exonerated New York Prisoner Recovers $21.9 Million in Damages
- California Supreme Court Voids Ex Post Facto Sex Offender Residency Restrictions, by Derek Gilna
- Texas: $400,000 Settlement Award to Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner
- Lawsuits Challenge Release Debit Cards; Courts Rule Against Arbitration, by Derek Gilna
- Prison’s Censorship of Newsweek Upheld
- Sixth Circuit Allows Revival of Untimely Habeas Appeal Using Rule 60(b), by Matthew Clarke
- $550,000 Jury Award for Failure to Treat Prisoner’s Broken Jaw
- Kentucky Restores Voting Rights for Former Prisoners, then Reverses Course
- Defense Verdict in Kentucky Prisoner’s Death; Appellate Court Reverses, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Terre Haute Prisoner’s FTCA Suit, by Derek Gilna
- $2.5 Million Award for Wrongfully Convicted Former Michigan Prisoner
- Ninth Circuit Rules Judge “Abused Discretion” in Imposing Abstinence as Supervised Release Condition, by Derek Gilna
- $360,000 Verdict Against Indiana Sheriff for Denying Prompt Court Hearings
- Deaths of Prisoners in Indiana, California and Arkansas Linked to Flu Virus, by Joe Watson
- Texas Disciplinary Appeals Board Upholds Disbarment of State Prosecutor
- $11.3 Million Jury Award for Former Colorado Jail Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Lifetime Registration of Low-level Sex Offenders found Excessive, Unconstitutional in New Hampshire
- New Federal Law that Brands Sex Offenders’ Passports Faces Court Challenge, by Derek Gilna
- Use of Nutraloaf on the Decline in U.S. Prisons, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoners Hang Themselves in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Jails at a Rate that Dwarfs Other County Lockups, by Michael Lacey
- U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Idaho Supreme Court, Asserts “Federal Supremacy”, by Derek Gilna
- Texas Parole Records Mistake Could Cost Taxpayers Millions, by Gary Hunter
- 2015 Annual Anti-Private Prison Awards Announced
- Settlement in California Jail Suit Includes $4.8 Million in Attorney Fees, Costs, by Derek Gilna
- California Lifers Paroled in Record Numbers, by Christopher Zoukis
- D.C. Circuit Court Partially Stays FCC Order Capping Prison and Jail Phone Rates
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from Christopher Zoukis:
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
- Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
- With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
- A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its “Money of Mass Incarceration” Report, Aug. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Forfeiture, Effects of Mass Incarceration, Ability to Pay.
- Overtime Cuts Lead to Reduced Programming in California Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism.
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Parole, Prisoners' Rights.
- California Gave Every Student in Prison a Laptop. How Community Colleges Are Using Them, July 1, 2026. Education, Computers, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Access to Computers.
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026. Parole, Equal Protection Clause/Claims, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Credits, Prison Regulations.
- Detainee Deaths Went Unreported at Dallas County Jail, July 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Databases, Public Records.
- Prisoners’ Risk of Death In Custody More than Doubles in Solitary Confinement, July 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

