More from this issue:

1. Alabama Forced to Confront Criminal Justice Reform, by David Reutter
2. Low Pay, Long Hours Fuel Increasing State Prison Staffing Problems, by Derek Gilna
3. PLN Exclusive: Illinois Prisoner Exonerated, Released after Ten Years, by Derek Gilna
4. How Prison Phone Calls Became a Tax on the Poor
5. ACLU Report: Women Uniquely Harmed by Solitary Confinement, by Matthew Clarke
6. UK Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Solitary Confinement, by Christopher Zoukis
7. Disputed PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Issues Properly Resolved in Bench Trial
8. $8,000 Settlement for Medical Maltreatment by BOP; Court Finds Experts Not Required, by Derek Gilna
9. Corrections Agencies Use Obamacare to Pay for Prisoners’ Medical Care, by Christopher Zoukis
10. L.A. County Audit Recommends More Contract Oversight for Probation Department, by Derek Gilna
11. Delaware Supreme Court Suspends Prosecutor for Misconduct, by Christopher Zoukis
12. $15 Million Award for Prisoner Rendered Paraplegic Due to Medical Malpractice Affirmed, by David Reutter
13. Florida’s Private Prison Movement Alive and Well, by David Reutter
14. Audits Expose Irregularities in Iowa Prison System Spending, by Derek Gilna
15. Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Ex-prisoner’s § 1983 Action Regarding Computer Disk, by Derek Gilna
16. Lawsuit Claims Florida Teen Raped, Beaten in Prison Initiation Ritual
17. Fourth Circuit Upholds Denial of Summary Judgment to Guards in Excessive Force Suit
18. BOP Pays $70,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Sexually Abused Transgender Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
19. $30,000 Settlement for New York Prisoner Assaulted by Guard
20. California Supreme Court Rules in Prisoner’s Favor in Compassionate Release Denial, by Gary Hunter
21. Nonviolent Michigan Offenders Can Seek Expungement Under New Law, by David Reutter
22. Prisoner Rights Advocates Disappointed with Pace of Obama Clemency Initiative, by Derek Gilna
23. Former U.S. Attorney General’s Legacy: Too Little, Too Late, by Derek Gilna
24. Medically Unacceptable Biopsy States Eighth Amendment Claim
25. Prisoners in Chicago Learn Skills, Improve Neighborhoods by Demolishing Vacant Homes, by Gary Hunter
26. Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
27. California Jail’s Psychotropic Medication Policy Leads to Lawsuit, Settlement, by David Reutter
28. Idaho Prison Population Drops, Out-of-State Prisoners Re-turned, by Christopher Zoukis
29. Delaware Prisoners Sue DOC Alleging Sexual Assaults by Prison Doctor, by Christopher Zoukis
30. Seventh Circuit: Former Parolee May Sue Over Delayed Release from Parole
31. Hawaii Prisons Experience Security Failures, Other Troubling Incidents, by David Reutter
32. Second Circuit: Truth of Arrest Remains Despite Connecticut “Erasure” Law, by Mark Wilson
33. Second Circuit: Administrative Remedies Unavailable for Beating at Holding Facility
34. BOP Recognizes Humanist Religion after Prisoner Files Suit, by Derek Gilna
35. A “Quantum Leap” Isn’t Far Enough for the Prison Phone Industry, by Carrie Wilkinson
36. Suit Filed Over New Hampshire DOC’s Restrictive Mail Policy
37. Warden’s Decision to Quarantine Handicapped Person in Unaccommodated Cell Actionable; $200,000 Settlement
38. Tennessee Sheriff’s Denial of Public Records Merits Attorney Fee Award
39. Why is California Thumbing its Nose at a Federal Court?, by Caleb Mason
40. New York: $35,000 Awarded for Three-week Illegal Confinement, by Mark Wilson
41. Fourth Circuit Finds 20 Years in Solitary an Atypical and Significant Hardship, by David Reutter
42. California’s Inspector General Cites Abuses at High Desert State Prison, by Derek Gilna
43. $1,000 Jury Award in Texas Prisoner’s Excessive Use of Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
44. Ninth Circuit: Witnesses Cannot Refuse to Testify at Civil Trial
45. Supreme Court Reverses SORNA Notification Requirement when Sex Offenders Move Overseas, by Derek Gilna
46. Lawsuit Filed Over Death of Pepper-sprayed, Mentally Ill California Prisoner, by Gary Hunter
47. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
48. 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:

• En Banc Eleventh Circuit Announces All Parents, Including Those Convicted of Child-Sex Offenses, Enjoy Fundamental Right to Live With Their Children, Holding Alabama Residency Prohibition Subject to Strict Scrutiny, Aug. 1, 2026. Sex Offender Residence, Parental rights, Fourteenth Amendment, rights.
• Conviction Tossed for Former Alabama Prisoner Paroled After 42 Years, July 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Wrongful Conviction, Forensic Sciences, Eyewitness Identification, Brady Rule violations.
• Michigan Supreme Court Announces Betts Decision Invalidating 2011 SORA as Ex Post Facto Punishment Applies Retroactively to Defendants on Collateral Review, July 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Retroactivity, Ex Post Facto, Constitution, state, Constitutional Challenges/Law.
• Sixth Circuit Announces Federal Coercion and Enticement Statute Requires Knowledge of Victim’s Minor Status, Deepening Circuit Split, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• Montana Supreme Court: Due Process Prohibits Courts From Relying on Unproven Charging Allegations When Imposing Sex Offender Registration Duty, Announces First-Impression Rule Limiting Review to Elements of Conviction, March 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Administrative Exhaustion, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Qualifying Offenses, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
• Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Sexual Assault of a Child Statute Sweeps More Broadly Than Federal SORNA Tier Offenses, March 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Qualifying Offenses, Plain Error, Elements of Offense, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• Third Circuit Announces “Commencement of the Instant Offense” in Guidelines § 4A1.2(e) Unambiguously Refers Only to Specific Offense of Conviction, Not Relevant Conduct, Nov. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Adequacy of Criminal History Category, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
• Florida Appeals Court Finds Rationale for “Sexual Predator” Label on Former Prisoner’s Drivers License, Oct. 1, 2025. Sex Offender Registration, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Sexually Dangerous Persons/Sexual Violent Predators, Prisoners' Rights.
• Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Gave Massive Handouts to ICE and Private Prison Industry, Aug. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, GEO Group/Wackenhut, Immigration.
• Shady Firm Awarded $78 Million Contract for Services 
at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”, Aug. 1, 2025. Private Prisons, Environmental Law, Immigration.