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Texas Prisons Stop Using Solitary Confinement as Punishment, but Thousands Kept in Administrative Segregation
by Matt Clarke
On September 1, 2017 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) changed its policy on prisoner discipline to eliminate solitary confinement as a punishment for violating institutional rules, though thousands of prisoners remain in segregation for other reasons.
According to the TDCJ, 76 state …
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More from this issue:
- Ex-Prisoner Awarded $150,000 after 'Savage Beating' Arranged by Guards, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Denial of Rastafarian Services, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Man Receives $4 Million
- Florida: DHS Snitch Busted for Trying to Sell Informant Status to Federal Prisoner, by Monte McCoin
- $550,000 Settlement for Georgia Prisoner Who Lost Leg Due to Improper Care
- BOP Director Resigns in Protest of Prison Reform Bill Clash, by Steve Horn
- Texas Prisons Stop Using Solitary Confinement as Punishment, but Thousands Kept in Administrative Segregation, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Holds Denial of Diabetic Diet During Lockdowns States Claim, by Matthew Clarke
- Confidential Settlement by Corizon in Arizona Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Flu
- Settlement Ends Forced Religious Classes in Tennessee Prison Industry Program
- Lawsuit Filed in Death of Kentucky Prisoner Held in Five-point Restraints, by Derek Gilna
- Michigan Jail Wrongful Death Suit Settles for $500,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Troubles at California Jail Lead Sheriff to Forgo Reelection, by Derek Gilna
- Wisconsin Paid Former Prison Employees $105,000 to Settle Harassment Cases, by Derek Gilna
- Virginia Parole Board Changes “Three-Strikes” Interpretation, by David Reutter
- Nevada DOC Settles Suit Over Prisoner Suicide for $93,000, by Matthew Clarke
- California: Whistle-blowing Prison Employee Fired, Loses Lawsuit, by Edward Lyon
- $9 Million Settlement for Illinois Man Wrongly Imprisoned for Murder, by Matthew Clarke
- ACLU Reaches Confidential Settlement in CIA Detainee Torture Lawsuit, by Derek Gilna
- UK Court Blocks Extradition of Accused Hacker to United States, by Christopher Zoukis
- North Carolina Prisoner Exonerated for Rape Collects $9.5 Million Settlement
- Federal Court Nullifies Seizure of Prisoner’s Civil Rights Award
- “Egregious” Lack of Care by Jail’s Medical Contractor Leads to $1 Million Settlement, by Dale Chappell
- Indiana’s SOMM Program Declared Unconstitutional by Federal Court, by Dale Chappell
- Lawsuit on Behalf of Prisoners in 1993 Lucasville Riot Challenges Ban on Media Access, by Edward Lyon
- New Virginia Law Requires Oversight of Jail Deaths
- Oregon: Former Clackamas Deputy, Probation Officer Sentenced for Child Rape, by Monte McCoin
- Exonerated Prisoner Awarded $15 Million for Misconduct by Baltimore Police, by Derek Gilna
- Office of Inspector General Finds Abuses at ICE Detention Facilities, by Christopher Zoukis
- Civil Commitment Used to Imprison Drug Users in Massachusetts, by Edward Lyon
- Illinois: $380,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Jail Prisoner Assaulted by Other Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee Judge Ends Sentence Reductions for Prisoners Who Agree to Sterilization; Receives Reprimand, by David Reutter
- Retaliatory “Rough Ride” by Prison Guards States Eighth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit Reverses Judgment in Favor of U.S. Citizen Held 3½ Years in Immigration Detention, by Matthew Clarke
- The Magnificent Seven, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Settlement in Class-action ADA Suit Against Shasta County, California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Supreme Court: Prevailing Prisoners Must Pay 25 Percent of Damage Awards Towards Attorney Fees, by Derek Gilna
- A&E Reality Show Puts Undercover Volunteers, Hidden Cameras in Jails, by Dale Chappell
- State Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Gaining Traction, by Christopher Zoukis
- Census Bureau will Count Incarcerated People in the Wrong Place Once Again in 2020 Census, Continues to Distort Democracy
- John Legend Fights for Criminal Justice Reform, by Christopher Zoukis
- Supreme Court Reverses Ninth Circuit Ruling Banning Pretrial Full-body Shackling, by Derek Gilna
- Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Reports Inaccurate Jail Violence Data, by Edward Lyon
- “Less Lethal” Tasers Continue to Kill Dozens of Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- Idaho Settles Religious Discrimination Suit Brought by Incarcerated Odinist
- The Prison Phone Industry Has Quietly Become Even More of a Duopoly, by Steve Horn
- Idaho Prisoner Swallows Razor Blade to Force Corizon to Provide Medical Care, by Monte McCoin
- Pennsylvania: SCI Graterford’s Replacement Slated to Open
- $10,000 Federal Jury Award in Texas Prisoner’s Suit Over Retaliatory Beatings, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuits Filed, Renewed Push to Block Cell Phones After Deadly South Carolina Prison Riot, by Steve Horn
- Nebraska Supreme Court Reverses Injunction Against Ban on Prisoner-Prisoner Marriages
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Partially Reinstates Mississippi Prisoner’s Suit Over Inadequate Mental Health Care
- Human Rights Defense Center Files Censorship Suit Against Illinois DOC, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
- Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails, by Matthew Clarke, Christopher Zoukis
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:
- New York Juvenile Detention Officials Sued for Abusing Adolescents with Solitary Confinement, May 1, 2026. Sanitation, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Juvenile Prisons, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its Mass Incarceration Report, May 1, 2026. Geriatric Classification, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Electronic Monitoring, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Uncounted COVID Deaths Reveal a Troubling Truth About Official Death Records, May 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Medical Records, COVID-19, Statistics/Trends, Databases.
- Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, April 1, 2026. Injunctions, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Fifth Amendment, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Prison Classification.
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary, April 1, 2026. Medical, Statistics/Trends, Commissary, Prison Regulations.
- New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner, March 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Staffing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.

