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New York: Former Rikers Guard Gets 30 Years for Civil Rights Violations, Conspiracy
by Monte McCoin
PLN has previously reported on the December 2016 conviction of former Rikers Island jail complex guard Brian Coll, 47, for his role in the 2012 death of detainee Ronald Spear. In 2014, New York City paid $2.75 million to settle the Spear family’s wrongful death …
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More from this issue:
- America’s Toxic Prisons: The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration, by Candice Bernd, Zoe Loftus-Farren, Maureen Nandini Mitra
- Ohio: Almost $3 Million Settlement in Suit Brought by Two Wrongfully Convicted Men, by Matthew Clarke
- $49,500 Settlement in Excessive Force Claim at Sacramento County Jail
- Inspector General Finds Substandard Conditions at California Jail Used by ICE, by Matthew Clarke
- Despite Class-action Settlement, Mental Healthcare Problems at CA Jail Persist, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report: Racial Disparities Persist, by Derek Gilna
- $415,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Tasered Prisoner Who Died in Texas Jail
- Filing Date of Operative Complaint Dictates if PLRA Exhaustion Applies
- Alaska Prisoners Stripped, Paraded on “Dog Leashes,” Held Naked for 12 Hours, by Christopher Zoukis
- Private Prison Forced to Produce Solitary Confinement Records
- Securus Fined $1.7 Million for Providing Inaccurate Information, FCC Approves Company Transfer Anyway, by Christopher Zoukis
- Rash of North Carolina Jail Deaths Due to Lack of Supervision and Medical Care, by David Reutter
- Prisoners in Kenya and New Zealand, Unlike Counterparts in U.S., Win Right to Vote, by Derek Gilna
- New Policies for Federal and State Prisoners Guarantee Feminine Hygiene Products, by Derek Gilna
- Twenty-six Indicted After Gang Investigation, Including Two Prison Guards, by Monte McCoin
- Idaho DOC Agrees to Provide Kosher Meals, Pay $93,000 Settlement
- Florida KKK Guards Convicted in Plot to Kill Former Prisoner
- Texas County Settles Suit Over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $250,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Innovative Use of Peanut Butter by Alabama Prisoners, by David Reutter
- New York to Spend $7.3 Million on College Programs for Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- California: Protest Over Bay Area Jail Conditions, by Dale Chappell
- Tablets and E-messaging Services Expand in Prisons and Jails, as do Fees, by Matthew Clarke, Edward Lyon
- Challenge to Three-drug Execution Protocol Revived by Eleventh Circuit, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: Strip Searches Due to Security Concerns Not Unconstitutional
- Alabama Supreme Court Holds Miller Entitled to Retroactivity
- Oregon Jailer Facing Sex Charges Improperly Denied Insanity Defense
- Indiana Prisoner Entitled to Kosher Meals Under RLUIPA
- Deadly Prison Riot in Delaware: 18 Prisoners Indicted, Slain Guard’s Widow Settles Suit for $7.55 Million, by Derek Gilna
- Maine: Court Does Not Need Jurisdiction Over Prisoner to Issue Order to Protect Child
- Missouri: $75,000 Settlement for Detainee’s Death Due to Untreated Ulcer
- Global Tel*Link Settles Mississippi Prison Bribery Case for $2.5 Million, by Christopher Zoukis
- New Mexico Prisoner Obtains Court Order to Allow Breastfeeding
- Colorado Federal Jury Awards $50,000 to Prisoner Assaulted by Deputy in Court, by Matthew Clarke
- Louisiana Prison Officials Sued for Trying to Block Investigation into Abuse of Disabled Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deaf Former Prisoner’s ADA Claims
- Prisons and Jails Impose More Restrictions on Mail, Visits to Curtail Contraband, by Matthew Clarke
- California Prisoners File Class-action Suit Seeking Hepatitis C Treatment, by Greg Dober
- Colorado: Defendants Settle After Death of Prisoner Denied Medical Treatment, by Matthew Clarke
- Ashes to Ashes: In Illinois, the Erasure of Incarcerated People Continues After Death, by Sybil Drew
- As Wyoming State Penitentiary Falls Apart, Officials Rush Repairs, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fifth Circuit: Louisiana Must Allow Prisoner to Wear Dreadlocks, by Matthew Clarke
- What’s Hidden Behind the Walls of America’s Prisons, by Heather Ann Thompson
- New York: Former Rikers Guard Gets 30 Years for Civil Rights Violations, Conspiracy, by Monte McCoin
- California: Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner Dies after Two Days in Restraint Chair; $5 Million Settlement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prison Administrators and Criminology Students Study Radical New Approach: Treat Prisoners Like Human Beings, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty Reform Law, by Christopher Zoukis
- Corruption Among Prison Guards in North Carolina Spurred by Low Pay, by David Reutter
- Tennessee Sheriff Offered “Church Release” to Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Florida Supreme Court Approves Use of Hypnotic Drug for Executions
- News in Brief
More from Monte McCoin:
- North Carolina Prison Guard Sues Over Religious Discrimination, March 5, 2019
- Israeli Supreme Court Orders Increased Personal Space for Prisoners, March 5, 2019
- Metropolitan Detention Center Guards Convicted in Sex Abuse Scandal, Jan. 8, 2019
- Harvard Student Group Advocates for Prison Education, Reform, Jan. 8, 2019
- Trump Establishes Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, Jan. 8, 2019
- Florida: Suit Continues Against CoreCivic for Rape of Developmentally Disabled Child, Dec. 7, 2018
- Military-Style Attack on Brazilian Prison Kills 20 Prisoners, One Guard, Dec. 5, 2018
- Former Jailhouse Lawyer Bobby Battle Dies at Age 80, Dec. 5, 2018
- States Implementing New Technology to Fight Contraband Smuggling Via Drone, Nov. 6, 2018
- Florida: Federal Prison Guard Sentenced for Accepting Bribe, Oct. 12, 2018
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- New Commission to Investigate Death and Abuse of 230 Black Children at Segregated Maryland Reformatory, Sept. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Prison Labor, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- Warden Out, Nineteen Guards Administratively Charged in Maryland Prisoner’s Death, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Protect (Staff).
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).

