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California Muslim Prisoner Defeats Summary Judgment Order in Mixed Appellate Ruling
by Ed Lyon
Darrell Eugene Harris is a Muslim prisoner confined in California’s prison system. He filed a civil rights suit raising state and federal claims against prison guard S. Escamilla.
Harris alleged that Escamilla removed his Koran from a protective cover, threw it on the ground …
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More from this issue:
- Louisiana Sex Offender Restrictions, Harsh Laws Prolong Prison Sentences
- Defense Investigator Jailed for Initially Refusing to Testify in Death Penalty Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania: Allegheny County Jail Settles Sexual Assault Claim for $32,000
- Dog-Sniff Search Policy Allowed Under Massachusetts Law, but APA Procedures Required
- BOP’s Violation of Alcohol Policy Ends in Expungement, Reversal of Disciplinary Sanctions, by Dale Chappell
- Over-Incarceration a Worldwide Problem, Report Finds, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Can Face Discipline Yet Still Sue Guard for Excessive Force Under Heck
- Mississippi: Former Jailer Acquitted of Criminal Charges in Prisoner’s Death, by Kevin Bliss
- Oklahoma County Pays $150,000 to Settle Suit Over Jail Suicide, by Derek Gilna
- Class-Action Status Granted in Civil Rights Suit Over Disenfranchised Indiana Jail Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- New York’s Prison-to-Shelter Pipeline is Poor Option for Parolees, by Dale Chappell
- Deductions from Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Trust Account Require Notice
- Female Texas Prison Guards Allege Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Discrimination, by Edward Lyon
- Surprise Shutdown of Maine Prison Leads to Controversy, Court Order, by Christopher Zoukis
- Polls Show People Favor Rehabilitation over Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
- New Mexico Prisoners Suffer and Die Under Privatized Health Care, by Edward Lyon
- Ohio Jail Detainee Receives $500,000 Settlement for Assault by Guard
- Maryland Adopts Prison Mailbox Rule for Post-Conviction Petitions
- $7,500 Settlement in Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Suicide
- San Diego County Targets Reporter Who Exposed Sky-High Jail Death Rate, by Dale Chappell
- Litigation Surrounding Radon Exposure at Connecticut Prison Moves Forward, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- #MeToo Movement, Misconduct Claims Impact Federal and State Judges, by Edward Lyon
- Magistrate Judge Must Have Jurisdiction Prior to Entering Final Judgment
- Maricopa County, Phoenix Settle Lawsuit Over Mentally Ill Prisoner’s Death for $7.25 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- Arkansas DOC Says Water is Safe, but Most Tests Not Conducted in Housing Units, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Texas Prison Officials Demoted, Fired after Disciplinary Quota System and Planted Contraband Exposed
- States Implementing New Technology to Fight Contraband Smuggling Via Drone, by Monte McCoin
- $7 Million Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Suicide at Private Prison
- More Legal Cases Involving Transgender Prisoners in Multiple States, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fourth Circuit: Failure to Transfer Mentally Ill Prisoner to Hospital Not Actionable
- Fighting the Fees that Force Prisoners to Pay for Their Incarceration, by Jean Trounstine
- Ninth Circuit: Prisoner’s Disciplinary Appeal Exhausted Claim of Having to Work on Religious Holiday, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Prisoners Seek to Enforce Settlement Provisions in Ashker Litigation, by Kevin Bliss
- The Secret World of Missouri DOC Internal Death Investigations, by Kevin Bliss
- Why Prison Reform is Not Enough to Fix the U.S. Criminal Justice System, by Ed Chung
- Aramark Gets Pennsylvania DOC Food Procurement Contract
- California Muslim Prisoner Defeats Summary Judgment Order in Mixed Appellate Ruling, by Edward Lyon
- CCS Seeks to Hide Internal Review in Jail Detainee’s Death; $180,000 Settlement, by David Reutter, R. Bailey
- Alaska Supreme Court Reverses Disciplinary Case Where Prisoner Not Allowed to Call Witnesses, by Matthew Clarke, David Reutter
- Contraband Found in Prisoner’s Rectum Supports Conviction, by David Reutter
- Federal District Court Holds Ohio Prison Cannot Cut Rastafarian Prisoner’s Hair, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Sues Oklahoma County Jail for Censoring Books, by Steve Horn
- Exonerated Prisoner Invests Portion of $20 Million Settlement to Start Barber School, by Derek Gilna
- Death Sentences and Executions Ebbing in the “Capital of Capital Punishment”, by Edward Lyon
- Denver Pays $100,000 to Settle DOJ Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Diabetic Deputy, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington: Jail Detainee Obtains $1 Million Settlement for Spinal Injury, by Steve Horn
- Public Outcry Forces Florida DOC to Back Down on Limits to In-Person Visitation, by David Reutter
- Podcast Produced by Wisconsin Prisoner Tackles Criminal Justice Topics, by Steve Horn
- Justice Sotomayor Slams Solitary Confinement, but Supreme Court Declines to Accept Colorado Solitary Case, by Derek Gilna
- Arkansas: $21,000 Settlement in Jail Release Debit Card Class-Action Suit, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
- On the Inside: The Chaos of Arizona Prison Health Care, by Jimmy Jenkins
More from Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Gender Discrimination -- Women, Strip Searches, Hygiene Supplies, Discrimination (Transgender).
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Pending Appeal/Sentencing.
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Summary Judgment, Limitations, Municipal Liability, Criminal Sexual Abuse.
- SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Rastafarian Hair-Cutting Case, Jan. 1, 2026. RLUIPA, Religious Practices, Damages - Compensatory, Wrongful Use of Force, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- Amnesty International Report Claims Torture and Enforced Disappearances at “Alligator Alcatraz”, Jan. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Totality of Conditions, Detention - Generally, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Michigan Warden Whose Guards Gave Prisoner Plastic Bag Used in Suicide, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Hawaii Prison Warden Reinstated After Being Fired in 2014 for Sexual Harassment, Dec. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Supervisor-Staff Harassment, Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Employee Litigation.
- One Guard Pleads Guilty, Another Receives Light Sentence in New York Prisoner’s Killing, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Obstruction of Justice, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- New Jersey Breaks Ground on New $330 Million Women’s Prison After Raid at Old Facility, Dec. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Prison Rape Elimination Act.

