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Controversy in Utah Over Jail Deaths and Secret Jail Operating Standards
by Matt Clarke
In Utah’s local jails, a record number of deaths in 2016 caused both civil liberties groups and state legislators to question the standards under which the facilities operate. But there are no jail standards under state law, and the standards adopted by counties are kept …
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More from this issue:
- Solitary Instead of Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoner Costs New Mexico Jail $2 Million, by R. Bailey
- Sixth Circuit: § 1983 Actions Classified as Personal Injury Claims, by David Reutter
- Family of Deceased Colorado Prisoner Accepts Settlement for $5.3 Million, New Policies, by Edward Lyon
- South Dakota Prisoner Fights Porn Ban in Federal Court, by Edward Lyon
- PLRA’s Administrative Remedies Requirement Tolls Limitations Time but Not Accrual Time, by David Reutter
- Jail’s Failure to Protect Juvenile from Sexual Assault Supports $25,000 Verdict, by David Reutter
- Jury Awards Federal Prisoner $675,000 in Retaliation, Excessive Force Bivens Case, by Jeremy Pinson
- Lawsuit Alleges Texas County Jailers Beat, Paralyzed Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Finds Wrongful Convictions in 11.6 Percent of Sexual Assault Cases from Pre-DNA Testing Era
- Prison Grievance Coordinator’s Responses Rendered Administrative Remedies Unavailable, by David Reutter
- With Help from ACLU, Parolee Wins $10,000 Settlement Plus $100,000 in Attorney Fees, by Derek Gilna
- Texas Settles Suit Over Rape and Beating of Transgender Prisoner
- With 27 Percent Unemployment, Jobs Crisis Hits Ex-prisoners the Hardest, by Steve Horn
- Maine: Superior Court’s Dismissal for Lack of Jurisdiction Not Supported by the Record, by Dale Chappell
- Canadian Woman Wins Settlement for Death of Son Born in Jail, by Derek Gilna
- New Orleans Parish Court System has Unconstitutional Funding Practices, by David Reutter
- NC Escape Attempt that Left Four Dead Leads to Reforms, Increased Punishment
- Mother of Prisoner Who Died at Texarkana Jail Challenges $200,000 Settlement; Nurse Pleads Guilty, by Matthew Clarke
- Privacy Interests Outweigh Public Interest in Disclosure of AUSA Termination Letter, by David Reutter
- New Rule Sparks Uprising at California Sex Offender Civil Commitment Facility, by Matthew Clarke
- Private Prison Operator Emerald Corrections Out of Business, by Steve Horn
- Two Chicago Prisoners, Released Due to Police Misconduct, Seized by ICE, by Derek Gilna
- $55,000 Settlement in Rape of Missouri Jail Prisoner
- Texas Uses Failed Private Prison to Hold Civilly Committed Sex Offenders, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Settles Suit Over Sexual Assault of Prisoner for $525,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Nevada County Settles Lawsuit Over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $500,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Judge Voids Contract Between Death Row Exoneree and Attorney, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Federal Prisoner’s Retaliation, Conspiracy Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Despite Lack of FCC Action, States Can Still Make Prison and Jail Calls Affordable, by Dale Chappell
- Georgia Medical Prison Rife with Dysfunction, Abuse and Dilapidated Conditions, by David Reutter
- Controversy in Utah Over Jail Deaths and Secret Jail Operating Standards, by Matthew Clarke
- Dozens of Lawsuits Against Correct Care Solutions for Sometimes Fatal Denial of Medical Treatment, by Matthew Clarke
- Los Angeles County Settles Lawsuit over Jail Prisoner’s Suicide for $1.7 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- Lake County, Indiana Establishes $8.2 Million Bond to Settle Jail Lawsuits
- Former Mexican Mafia General Turned Informant Receives $25,000 from GEO Group, 20 Years in Prison from Feds, by Matthew Clarke
- Minnesota Prisoner Wins Reprieve from Jail Debt in Federal Court, by Edward Lyon
- Virginia Prisoner Defeats Summary Judgment, Settles Religious Diet Case, by Edward Lyon
- Top Federal Death Penalty Lawyer Demoted, Reassigned, by Christopher Zoukis
- Protesters Blockade CoreCivic Headquarters in Nashville; 19 Arrests
- Washington Prisoner Has First Amendment Right to Threaten to File Suit, by Derek Gilna
- Colorado County Settles Lawsuit Over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $3.5 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Files Suit Against FDOC Over Mentally Ill Prisoner’s Starvation Death
- Ohio City, Medical Center Settle Lawsuit Over Jail Prisoner’s Death for $210,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Issues Injunction Over Conditions on Virginia’s Death Row, by Matthew Clarke
- Some Arizona Prison Logs Show Temperatures up to 119 Degrees; Others Falsified, by Matthew Clarke
- New CNN Film, “American Jail,” Shows How the Poor Get – and Stay – Incarcerated, by Steve Horn
- Illinois: $4.75 Million Settlement in Jail Seizure Injury Case, by David Reutter
- Oklahoma Prisoners, Advocacy Group File Short-lived Lawsuit Alleging Corruption, by Matthew Clarke
- California Supreme Court Modifies Settlement to Revise Parole Process, by Derek Gilna
- Florida Board Rules Convicted Prison Guard Can’t Collect Retirement Benefits, by Monte McCoin
- JPay Vulnerability Exploited by Idaho Prisoners for $225,000 in Credits, by Steve Horn
- Lawsuit, Ballot Initiative Seek to Reform Felon Disenfranchisement in Florida, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania: Class-action Suit Against USP Lewisburg Reinstated, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Rikers Island Beat Down Suit Settles for $165,000, but Victim Won’t See a Penny, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
- At the Federal Supermax, When Does Isolation Become Torture?, by Alan Prendergast
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- 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
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.
- Report Highlights Repeated Overdoses at Florida County Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Drug Overdose.
- California Grand Jury Report on Deaths at Riverside County Jails, Sept. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Public Records.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- 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).
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- New York Closes Rikers Infirmary as Broader Jail Shutdown Plan Stalls, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Inadequate Health Care Facilities, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Criminal Justice, Prison Conditions.

