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Colorado: $190,000 Settlement for Prisoners Ordered Released but Kept in Jail for Inability to Pay $55 Fee
by Matt Clarke
El Paso County, Colorado has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who remained in jail for 27 days because she was unable to pay a $55 fee, even after a judge ordered her release on a personal recognizance bond.
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Lawsuit Challenging Phone Kickbacks at Massachusetts Jail Survives Motion to Dismiss
- Kentucky Prison Guards Settle Sexual Harassment Suit for $1.5 Million, by David M. Reutter
- Wisconsin State Prison Sergeant Rats Out Prisoner Informants, by Edward Lyon
- Teachers’ Unions Divest Stock Holdings in Private Prisons, by David Reutter
- Delaware: Inadequate Medical Care Results in Prisoner’s Death, by Kevin Bliss
- California State Retirement Systems Split on Decision to Divest from Private Prisons, by Scott Grammer
- Former Rikers Island Prisoner Awarded $500,000 Plus Attorney Fees, by Dale Chappell
- Colorado: $190,000 Settlement for Prisoners Ordered Released but Kept in Jail for Inability to Pay $55 Fee, by Matthew Clarke
- Scabies Outbreak at Michigan Women’s Prison Under Corizon Health, by Edward Lyon
- The Lackawanna County Seven: And Then There Were Five, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Settlement Reached over Visitation, Communication with Prisoners’ Children at Indiana Jail, by Scott Grammer
- Corizon Health Strikes Out in Arizona, by Edward Lyon
- Warden Turns Whistleblower, Claims Misconduct, Retaliation by Colorado’s DOC Director, by Dale Chappell
- New York City Settles Kalief Browder Lawsuit for $3.3 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- Strip and Body Cavity Searches: Looking for Contraband in all the Wrong Places, by Matthew Clarke
- Connecticut Sued to End Prison Gerrymandering, by Scott Grammer
- Securus Files Suit Alleging FDOC Improperly Entered into Prison Phone Contract, by Chad Marks
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal in Prison Gang Assault Case, by Edward Lyon
- New York City Pre-trial Detainees Exposed to Freezing Temperatures at Federal Jail, by Edward Lyon
- $4.75 Million Settlement for Pennsylvania Teenager’s Withdrawal Death in Jail, by David M. Reutter
- Middlesex County, New Jersey Settles Solitary Confinement Suit, by Dale Chappell
- Conflict of Interest in Texas Rangers’ Investigation of Deaths at LaSalle-Operated Jails?, by Matthew Clarke
- Michigan Prisoner Obtains $2,000 Settlement in Group Strip Search Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Georgia Pays More Than $3 Million to Settle Prison Medical Negligence Suits, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Tennessee County Settles Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Use of Force Claim for $160,000, by Douglas Ankney
- New York: Federal Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Against Jail for Providing Insufficient Diet, by Dale Chappell
- Women Prisoners Disciplined More than Men, but Staff Training is Changing That, by Dale Chappell
- New York Muslim Prisoner Wins Injunction to Pray on Recreation Yard
- Mitigating Factors Counter Government’s Interest in Forced Psychotropic Medication
- Minnesota Lawmakers Look at Prison Reforms, by Chad Marks
- New Jersey DOC Settles Sexual Abuse Suit, but More Cases are Pending, by Derek Gilna
- For Years, Errors in Iowa’s Felon List Have Disenfranchised Eligible Voters, by Matthew Clarke
- San Bernardino County, California Sheriff’s Office Settles Civil Rights Suit, by Derek Gilna
- New Mexico Medical Technician Wins $150,000 Jury Award for Abuse by Jailers, by Edward Lyon
- Nevada: Muslim Prisoner Awarded $39,260 in Damages Plus Attorney’s Fees
- Arkansas Governor Addresses Prisoners at College Graduation Ceremony, by Scott Grammer
- 2018 Awards for Activism, Advocacy Against the Private Prison Industry
- Iowa: Prisoners Entitled to Full Hearing on Termination of Parental Rights, by David Reutter
- Oregon Prison Industry Program Nets Record $28.5 Million as Prisoners Earn $1.25/Hour, by Mark Wilson
- $1.1 Million Fee Award in California Prison Segregation Lawsuit
- Ex-Prisoner Awarded $1.06 Million for Sexual Assault by Former Nebraska Jailer, by Dale Chappell
- California Jail Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over Conditions of Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania DOC, Mental Health Contractor Settle Wrongful Death Suit for $27,500, by Derek Gilna
- Texas Prisons, We’ve Got Some Questions About Your Commissary Vendors, by Stephen Raher
- Alabama DOC Stonewalling Federal Investigation; Eight Prisoners go on Hunger Strike, by Douglas Ankney
- Georgia: Court Certifies Class Action for Prisoners Held Beyond Their Release Date, by Derek Gilna
- Wisconsin Prisoner Not Due Credit for Time Spent Free after Erroneous Release, by Scott Grammer
- Alabama DOC Refuses Muslim Spiritual Adviser in Execution Chamber, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Ohio: Mandamus Action Moot Where Relief Has Been Granted
- Class Certification in Missouri Prisoners’ Hepatitis C Suit Upheld
- Mugshots.com Operators Arrested, Face Extradition to California, by Chad Marks
- California Prison Psychiatrists Blow Whistle on Poor Mental Healthcare, Falsified Records, by Steve Horn
- For Journalists Covering Prisons, the First Amendment is Little Help, by Jonathan Peters
- Study Says Mass Incarceration Contributes to Poverty and Hunger, by Derek Gilna
- “It Smelled Like Death”: Reports of Mold Contamination in Prisons and Jails, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Congressional Report Finds Misconduct by BOP Administrators Often Ignored, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Hawaii Supreme Court: Pretrial Solitary Wrong, but Warden Protected by Qualified Immunity, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio County Jail Settles PLN Censorship Suit for $45,000, by Steve Horn
- Incorrigible: The First Step Act and the Carceral State, by Marie Gottschalk
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Most of Relief Ordered in Class-Action Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutionally Inadequate Mental Health Care in Alabama Prisons, Oct. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Upholds Denial of Qualified Immunity to Jail Supervisors Who Ignored Detainee’s Cranial Abscesses, Oct. 1, 2026
- 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
More from these topics:
- $700,000 Paid by West Virginia for Jail Death, Claims Against Wexford Health Pending, Oct. 1, 2026. Wexford Health Services, Restraints, Settlements, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Deliberate Indifference.
- $5 Million Paid by Washington for Attempted Rape of Seattle Woman by Mentally Ill Prisoner Released to Halfway House, Oct. 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Train/Supervise, halfway houses, Criminal Sexual Abuse, Prison Classification.
- Prisoners At Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer” Settle Conditions Suits for $1.2 Million, Whistleblower Alleges Staff Mistreatment, Oct. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Medication, Settlements, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Immigration Detention.
- 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.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.

