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Middlesex County, New Jersey Settles Solitary Confinement Suit
by Dale Chappell
In September 2018, Middlesex County, New Jersey agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit and give prisoners held in a secure housing unit more freedom.
“It’s no longer possible to lock someone in solitary confinement and throw away the key,” Deputy …
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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 Dale Chappell:
- Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, June 1, 2025
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- After Exposing Prison Horrors, Incarcerated Whistleblowers Are Moved to Solitary, Feb. 1, 2026. Whistleblowing, Retaliatory Segregation, Work Strikes, Totality of Conditions, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $404,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Brutalized by Trio of Guards, Kept in Solitary for Two Years, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Retaliatory Segregation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal, Jan. 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Food, Settlements, First Amendment, rights, Dismissal.
- U.S. District Court in Arizona Grants Summary Judgment in Favor of Prisoner Denial of Forms for Challenging 455 Days of Solitary, Jan. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Chemical Spraying of Mentally Ill Inmates, Deliberate Indifference.
- HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-Year-Old Settlement of Censorship Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Settlements, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment.
- First Circuit Greenlights Rhode Island Prisoner’s Damages Suit for Disastrous 450-Day Solitary Confinement, Dec. 1, 2025. Eighth Amendment, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Deliberate Indifference.
- $4 Million Settlement Reached in Class Action Challenge to Conditions at Shuttered St. Louis “Workhouse” Jail, Dec. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Settlements, Class Certification.
- Suicidal West Virginia Prisoner Granted Transfer From 13-Year Solitary Confinement, Dec. 1, 2025. Contempt (Civil Procedure), Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- $6.49 Million Settlement for 600,000 Prisoners in Massive CorrectCare Data Breach Class Action, Dec. 1, 2025. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Damages, Settlements, Privacy Act/Rights.
- Suit by Mentally Disabled Detainees at South Carolina Jail Secures Class Certification; No Action on Damning DOJ Report, Dec. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), DOJ CRIPA Actions, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).

