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Escape is Latest Problem at Troubled Privately-run Texas Jail
In October 2015, Phillip Henry Freeman disappeared from the Liberty County Jail near Houston, Texas. He was recaptured living in a wooded area in Arkansas in late January 2016. His escape was the latest in a slew of problems at the 281-bed facility, which is operated by New Jersey-based …
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More from this issue:
- Ohio Pays More Than $9.6 Million to Three Men Wrongfully Convicted in 1975 Murder, by Lonnie Burton
- Federal Transgender Prisoner Allowed to Wear Feminine Clothing at Video Trial
- New Jersey: Jail Time for Unpaid Littering Fine Results in Civil Suit
- Fifth Circuit Holds Court May Compel Attorney to Represent Indigent Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court of Appeals Upholds Termination of Prisoners’ Parental Rights
- Colorado: Demonstrators Clash with Police over Seizure of Jury Nullification Pamphlets, by Joe Watson
- Prisoner Suicides and Attempts Increasing in Texas, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorneys with Disciplinary Records Part of Flaw in Pennsylvania’s Death Penalty System, by David Reutter
- Louisiana’s High Incarceration Rate Economically Motivated, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: Staff Misleading Prisoner about Grievance Process Excuses Failure to Exhaust, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Appellate Court Modifies Use of Polygraphs for Paroled Sex Offenders
- Local Police Department Disbanded in Wake of Speed Trap Embezzlement Scheme, by Christopher Zoukis
- The Financial Firm that Cornered the Market on Jails, by Arun Gupta
- Ohio: Garnishment from Exempt Funds in Prison Account States Mandamus Claim
- Despite Lack of State License, ICE Family Detention Center Continues Operating
- Settlement in Baltimore Prison Conditions Class-action Suit
- Defense Attorneys Seek Access to DNA-Matching Software’s Source Code, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas District Attorney and Prosecutor Accused, Cleared of Misconduct, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner’s Escape from Illinois Jail Aided by Former Guard, Incompetence, by Christopher Zoukis
- Jailers in California, Georgia Acquitted of Abusing Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Philadelphia Prison Guards Face Prison Time for Contraband Smuggling
- Rikers Island Guard Trainers Lose Lawsuit for Failure to Repay Loan
- Arkansas Judge Resigns after Sexual Favors Allegations
- Peanut Company Executives Appeal Prison Sentences in Rare Corporate Prosecution, by Christopher Zoukis
- Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Family Sues over Death after Beating by Guards
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Qualified Immunity for Prisoner’s Rape, Affirms for One Jailer
- Prisoners Say They Paid a Bloody Price for a Guard’s Injury, by Tom Robbins
- Australia, New Zealand and UK Have Higher Proportion of Prisoners in Private Prisons
- Overcrowding in Arkansas Prisons, Jails Spurs Call for Reforms, by David Reutter
- Georgia: Dozens of Indictments for Prison Contraband Smuggling, by David Reutter
- Youths Still Dying in Florida Juvenile Detention Centers from Abuse, Neglect, by David Reutter
- Georgia Prisoner Caught Sneaking into Prison Charged with Escape
- Michigan Prison Officials Held in Contempt for Violating Ramadan Order, by David Reutter
- Study Examines Professional License Restrictions for Ex-offenders, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Strikes Do Not Count as Strikes for Georgia PLRA
- Delaware Prisoners Demand Education, Rehabilitation, by Monte McCoin
- $60,000 for Nevada Prisoner Forced to Remove His Own Teeth, by Derek Gilna
- Chicago Pays $4.95 Million to Family of Prisoner Who Died After Police Beating, by Lonnie Burton
- Red Light Traffic Camera CEO Sentenced for Corruption in Ohio and Illinois
- Ban the Box Movement Spreads to More States, Municipalities
- New York Prisoner’s $150,001 Judgment Reversed Due to Hearsay Evidence
- Judge Orders Missouri DOC to Disclose Names of Pharmacies that Supply Execution Drugs; Appellate Court Reverses, by Lonnie Burton
- Medicare Penalties Await Released Prisoners Who Apply After Age 65, by Derek Gilna
- $1.5M Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Beating, by Lonnie Burton
- PCI Announces 2016 Awards for Private Prison Activism, Advocacy and News Reporting
- Tragic Justice: Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners Die Shortly After Exoneration, by Matthew Clarke
- The Violent American Epidemic You Won’t Hear About: Why Prison Abuse Goes Unreported and Unpunished, by Daniel Denvir
- When an Old Law Makes it Hard to Fix a Troubled Jail, by Alysia Santo
- Obama Sets Record for Commutations Granted, and for Those Denied, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Court Certifies Class in Texas Prison Excessive Heat Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Escape is Latest Problem at Troubled Privately-run Texas Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Alabama DOC Terminates $1 Billion Contract with YesCare, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Corizon, Private Contractors, Suicides, Employee Litigation.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Infections, Environmental Law, Water, Public Records Act.
- 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.

