×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Warden Turns Whistleblower, Claims Misconduct, Retaliation by Colorado’s DOC Director
by Dale Chappell
In October 2018, a warden who blew the whistle on an illegal hazardous-waste dumping scandal involving the head of Colorado’s prison system filed a lawsuit to compel the state to share the results of its investigations.
Angel Medina, former warden of the Cañon …
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
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:
- Environmental Groups Say the Fight to Shut Down “Alligator Alcatraz” Isn’t Over, July 1, 2026. Environmental Law, Injunctions, National Environmental Policy Act, Immigration Detention.
- Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Receiving Preferential Treatment at Texas Prison Camp, June 1, 2026. Transfers, DOC/BOP misconduct, Whistleblowing, Protected Speech, Prison Classification.
- Records Show Culture of Impunity Among Kentucky Prison Guards, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Whistleblowing, Evidence - Admissibility.
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Infections, Environmental Law, Water, Public Records Act.
- 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.
- As California Limits Water Use, People in Prison Face Punishment for Showering, Jan. 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Environmental Law, Water, Sanitation.
- Repairs at Arkansas Prison Wastewater Plant Keep Getting Delayed, Dec. 1, 2025. Environmental Law, Sewage, Water, Sanitation, Clean Water Act.
- Shady Firm Awarded $78 Million Contract for Services at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”, Aug. 1, 2025. Private Prisons, Environmental Law, Immigration.
- DOJ Tables Controversial Kentucky Prison to Claw Back $500 Million Budget, Aug. 1, 2025. Environmental Law, Rural Prisons.
- California Prison Plagued by Toxic Water and Chronic Illness, July 15, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Environmental Law, Plumbing, Sewage, Water.

