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Florida’s Private Prison Movement Alive and Well
With the promise of saving taxpayer dollars to house a growing prisoner population during a cyclical crime wave in the early 1990s, Florida decided to experiment with private prisons. From the start, those involved in the push to privatize were tainted with ethical conflicts, and more than two decades …
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More from this issue:
- Alabama Forced to Confront Criminal Justice Reform, by David Reutter
- Low Pay, Long Hours Fuel Increasing State Prison Staffing Problems, by Derek Gilna
- PLN Exclusive: Illinois Prisoner Exonerated, Released after Ten Years, by Derek Gilna
- How Prison Phone Calls Became a Tax on the Poor
- ACLU Report: Women Uniquely Harmed by Solitary Confinement, by Matthew Clarke
- UK Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Solitary Confinement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Disputed PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Issues Properly Resolved in Bench Trial
- $8,000 Settlement for Medical Maltreatment by BOP; Court Finds Experts Not Required, by Derek Gilna
- Corrections Agencies Use Obamacare to Pay for Prisoners’ Medical Care, by Christopher Zoukis
- L.A. County Audit Recommends More Contract Oversight for Probation Department, by Derek Gilna
- Delaware Supreme Court Suspends Prosecutor for Misconduct, by Christopher Zoukis
- $15 Million Award for Prisoner Rendered Paraplegic Due to Medical Malpractice Affirmed, by David Reutter
- Florida’s Private Prison Movement Alive and Well, by David Reutter
- Audits Expose Irregularities in Iowa Prison System Spending, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Ex-prisoner’s § 1983 Action Regarding Computer Disk, by Derek Gilna
- Lawsuit Claims Florida Teen Raped, Beaten in Prison Initiation Ritual
- Fourth Circuit Upholds Denial of Summary Judgment to Guards in Excessive Force Suit
- BOP Pays $70,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Sexually Abused Transgender Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- $30,000 Settlement for New York Prisoner Assaulted by Guard
- California Supreme Court Rules in Prisoner’s Favor in Compassionate Release Denial, by Gary Hunter
- Nonviolent Michigan Offenders Can Seek Expungement Under New Law, by David Reutter
- Prisoner Rights Advocates Disappointed with Pace of Obama Clemency Initiative, by Derek Gilna
- Former U.S. Attorney General’s Legacy: Too Little, Too Late, by Derek Gilna
- Medically Unacceptable Biopsy States Eighth Amendment Claim
- Prisoners in Chicago Learn Skills, Improve Neighborhoods by Demolishing Vacant Homes, by Gary Hunter
- Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Jail’s Psychotropic Medication Policy Leads to Lawsuit, Settlement, by David Reutter
- Idaho Prison Population Drops, Out-of-State Prisoners Re-turned, by Christopher Zoukis
- Delaware Prisoners Sue DOC Alleging Sexual Assaults by Prison Doctor, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit: Former Parolee May Sue Over Delayed Release from Parole
- Hawaii Prisons Experience Security Failures, Other Troubling Incidents, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit: Truth of Arrest Remains Despite Connecticut “Erasure” Law, by Mark Wilson
- Second Circuit: Administrative Remedies Unavailable for Beating at Holding Facility
- BOP Recognizes Humanist Religion after Prisoner Files Suit, by Derek Gilna
- A “Quantum Leap” Isn’t Far Enough for the Prison Phone Industry, by Carrie Wilkinson
- Suit Filed Over New Hampshire DOC’s Restrictive Mail Policy
- Warden’s Decision to Quarantine Handicapped Person in Unaccommodated Cell Actionable; $200,000 Settlement
- Tennessee Sheriff’s Denial of Public Records Merits Attorney Fee Award
- Why is California Thumbing its Nose at a Federal Court?, by Caleb Mason
- New York: $35,000 Awarded for Three-week Illegal Confinement, by Mark Wilson
- Fourth Circuit Finds 20 Years in Solitary an Atypical and Significant Hardship, by David Reutter
- California’s Inspector General Cites Abuses at High Desert State Prison, by Derek Gilna
- $1,000 Jury Award in Texas Prisoner’s Excessive Use of Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Witnesses Cannot Refuse to Testify at Civil Trial
- Supreme Court Reverses SORNA Notification Requirement when Sex Offenders Move Overseas, by Derek Gilna
- Lawsuit Filed Over Death of Pepper-sprayed, Mentally Ill California Prisoner, by Gary Hunter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Revives Prisoner’s Claim Based on Guard’s Thwarting of Administrative Remedies, Aug. 1, 2025
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025
- Qualified Immunity Denied for Iowa Prison Doctor’s MRI Delay for Non-Medical Reasons, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process, Feb. 1, 2026. Threats by Staff, DOC/BOP misconduct, First Amendment, rights, Fifth Amendment, Access to Computers.
- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, DOJ CRIPA Actions.
- Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release.
- Two Mississippi Prisons Lose Power During Winter Storm, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Exposure to Cold, Negligence/Reckless Endangerment.
- New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits, Feb. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Authority and Jurisdiction, Access To Courts.
- Idaho Prisons Are Full. Costs for Incarcerating Inmates in Jails and Out of State Are Skyrocketing, Feb. 1, 2026. Out of State Transfers, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Overcrowding.
- CoreCivic Pays $82,500 for First COVID-19 Death at San Diego ICE Lockup, Nov. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, COVID-19, Federal Tort Claims Act, Failure to Train/Supervise, Detention - Generally.
- $1.8 Million Settlement Reached Following CDCR Data Breach, Nov. 1, 2025. DOC/BOP misconduct, Medical Records, Settlements, Class Certification, Disclosure of Records, Class Notice, Public Records, Restitution, Trust Accounts.
- Federal Government, CoreCivic Slow-Walk Class-Action Challenges to Forced Labor of ICE Detainees, Nov. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Prison Labor, Class Certification, Class Notice, Sovereign Immunity, Immigration Detention.
- $950,000 Awarded to Trans Maryland Prisoner Dropped on Her Face by Guards, Nov. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Retaliation for Organizing, Retaliatory Segregation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Discrimination (Transgender), Failure to Protect (Transgender), Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Damages - Compensatory, Wrongful Use of Force.

