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$11.5 Million Awarded in Suits Over Wisconsin Jailer’s Sexual Assaults
by Matt Clarke
On February 3, 2017, a jury in Madison, Wisconsin awarded two women $11.5 million in the first two of five federal lawsuits brought by former Polk County jail prisoners who were sexually abused by former guard Darryl Christensen. The awards came a year after Christensen, …
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More from this issue:
- Ninth Circuit Blocks Deportation of ICE Detainee Who Received $125,000 for County Jail Rape, by Derek Gilna
- Oregon Juvenile Prisoners Denied Law Libraries, Legal Assistance; Claims Not Heck-Barred
- Report Critical of BOP’s Solitary Confinement Policy for Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- French Officials to Install Phones in 50,000 Prison Cells, by Monte McCoin
- Total Cost of Pretrial Detention Estimated at up to $140 Billion Annually
- $637,500 Settlement for Texas Jail Suicide
- California Jail Doctor Faces Medical Board Discipline for Negligent Care, by Monte McCoin
- North Carolina Brothers Settle Lawsuit Over 31 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Policy Initiative Report Addresses Jail Populations, by Derek Gilna
- California Billionaire Pushes States to Adopt “Marsy’s Law”, by Matthew Clarke
- Record Number of Florida Prisoners Died in 2016, 2017, by David Reutter
- Canada to Apologize, Pay $10.5 Million to Former Guantanamo Detainee, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoner Abuse at Parchman: Minimum Punishment and Impeded Investigations, by David Reutter
- Louisiana Prisons Present Immense Environmental Dangers, by Daniel Horowitz
- New York: Prison Disciplinary Witness Request Improperly Denied
- CoreCivic Prison in Tennessee Plagued with Problems, by David Reutter
- Texas: Federal Court Grants Injunction Against Discriminatory Money Bail System, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Suicides a Problem in Oklahoma, by Matthew Clarke
- New FAMM Report Offers Solutions for BOP Recidivism, by Derek Gilna
- Texas State Jail Guard Indicted for Leaking Video of Tear Gassing
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit
- $11.5 Million Awarded in Suits Over Wisconsin Jailer’s Sexual Assaults, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Experiences Continued Problems with Aramark, by Christopher Zoukis
- Poor and Mentally Ill Languish in Mississippi Jails for Months or Years Awaiting Indictments, by David Reutter
- Lawsuit Alleges Inadequate BOP Mental Health Treatment in SMU, by David Reutter
- Missouri Supreme Court: Restitution Must be for Losses “Due to” Crime of Conviction
- Stipulation to Admit Video Created Error When Video Was Excluded at Trial
- Class Certified in Lawsuit Alleging Flaws in Illinois’ Prison Healthcare System
- Co-pays Deter Prisoners from Accessing Medical Care, by Christopher Zoukis
- Pennsylvania: $20,000 Settlement for Prisoner’s ADA Claim
- Virginia: Undocumented Immigrant Receives $12,000 Settlement for Overdetention, by David Reutter
- $7.9 Million Award Against New York County and Medical Contractor in Jail Suicide Case
- Estimated 10.35 Million Prisoners Worldwide, Three Million in Pre-trial Detention, by Derek Gilna
- Clock is Ticking on Understaffing in Florida’s Prison System, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Upholds $1.25 Million Jury Award for Missouri Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon County Pays $1.1 Million for Death of Detainee Mocked by Guards
- Indiana Jail’s Overdetention of Pretrial Detainees Erroneously Denied Class-action Status
- Lawsuits Challenge Treatment of Pregnant Prisoners at Milwaukee County Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Washington Civil Rights Suit Not Tolled by State Presentment Statute, by Lonnie Burton
- Arkansas Conducts Four Executions in One Week Due to Expiring Lethal Injection Drugs, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Attorney’s 15-Year Sentence for Fake Bribery Scam
- TRO Requires Pennsylvania Jail to Provide Hormone Treatment
- Unable to Find Work, Some Former Prisoners Become Entrepreneurs, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Holds PLN Lawsuit Challenging ADX Censorship Not Moot, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: No Summary Judgment for 11-Year ACL Surgery Denial
- HRDC Files Class-action Suit Over CDCR Debit Release Cards, by Derek Gilna
- Kentucky County Jail Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit for $75,000, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Sexual Harassment Lawsuits, Settlements Rock Missouri Department of Corrections, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
- Prison Broke: The Missouri Department of Corrections Can’t Escape its Own Worst Habits, by Karen Dillon
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- New Jersey Lawmakers Pass “Female Incarcerated Person’s Rights Protection Act”, July 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Staff Training, Mothers in Prison.
- Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard, June 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Evidence, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- 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. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise.
- Private Prison Firm GEO Group Reports Record $254 Million Profit After New ICE Contracts, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, GEO Group/Wackenhut, Systemic Medical Neglect, Immigration Detention.
- 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.
- The DOJ Orders Prison Inspectors to Drop LGBTQ+ Protections, Jan. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Corrections Audits, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Discrimination (Transgender), Failure to Protect (Transgender).

