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Illinois Agrees to Sweeping Prison Health Care Reforms
by Matt Clarke
In a consent decree filed in federal district court on January 3, 2019, Illinois agreed to overhaul medical care in its Department of Corrections (DOC).
The resolution of the nine-year-old litigation was prompted by repeated reports of preventable prisoner deaths. The agreement includes …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Former Angola Major Found Guilty – Twice – in Excessive Force Case, by Scott Grammer
- Report and Video of Arizona Prison Riot Released, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Prisoner Harassed and Assaulted by Guard Loses in Court of Claims
- Long-Term Recidivism Studies Show High Arrest Rates, by Matthew Clarke
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Summary Judgment in Failure to Protect Case
- Two-Year Investigation, Litigation and Settlement Ends Segregation, Mistreatment of LGBTQ Prisoners at California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Major Prison Telecom Merger Canceled; Victory for Campaign for Prison Phone Justice!
- Kansas Federal Court Awards Prisoner $250,000 for Guard’s Excessive Force, by Matthew Clarke
- BOP Official Who Ordered More Prisoners Sent to Private Prisons Hired by GEO Group, by Scott Grammer
- Meek Mill and Michael Rubin Start Criminal Justice Reform Organization, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity for Jail Guard Accused of Sexual Abuse, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Awards $3,750,000 in Damages for Sexual Assault by Prison Guards, by Chad Marks
- Prison Policy Initiative Issues Report on State of Prison Phone Justice, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement Provides for Improved Competency Procedures for Jailed Mentally Ill in Washington State
- Delaware: No Convictions in Second Vaughn Riot Trial, by Kevin Bliss
- Landlords Challenge Ordinance that Protects Former Prisoners’ Rental Rights, by Douglas Ankney
- Federal Prison Employee Sentenced for Defrauding Prisoners’ Families, by Scott Grammer
- Continued Problems with Mental Health Care, Suicides in Alabama DOC, by Kevin W. Bliss
- New Mexico Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Policy of Denying Transport to Medical Appointments During Lockdowns, by Matthew Clarke
- Judge Initially Plays Pass-the-Buck with Proposal to Hire Suicide Prevention Expert
- Kansas Slaps Corizon Health with Millions in Fines for Contract Violations, by Chad Marks
- Florida Fleeces Prisoners with High Canteen Prices, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Eleventh Circuit Agrees Prosecutor is Entitled to Qualified Immunity in Retaliation Case, by Chad Marks
- “Free” Prisoner-Made Furniture Gets Ohio Prison Industry Officials in Hot Water, by Chad Marks
- New York: 58-Month Prison Sentence for Former Jail Union Boss Who Took Bribes, by Chad Marks
- Lack of Outdoor Recreation for D.C. Jail Prisoners “Dehumanizing”, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Private Halfway Houses Plagued with Escapes, Drugs, Sex and Violence, by Chad Marks
- $625,000 Settlement for Virginia Jail Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Ulcer
- Oklahoma: Sovereign Immunity Prohibits Lawsuits Over Prisoner Medical Care
- New York: Liability Established in Claim Over Assault by Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- $301,000 Awarded in Lawsuit Over Suicide at Illinois Jail, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Cell Phones Sold in Commissary at South Carolina Jail, by Scott Grammer
- Oregon: Knowledge of Injury and Defendants’ Causal Role Required for Accrual of § 1983 Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Search for Mental Health Care Ends Tragically at Florida Jail, by David M. Reutter
- New Jersey Prisoner Who Suggested Date to Nurse Has Disciplinary Action Reversed
- Illinois Agrees to Sweeping Prison Health Care Reforms, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Files Censorship Suit Against Tennessee County Jail
- Prisoner’s Death from Methadone Over-Prescription Results in Summary Judgment, Settlement, by David Reutter
- $525,000 Settlement for Loss of Federal Prisoner’s Eye
- $10 Million Awarded Against Corizon and Oregon County for Jail Detox Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongful Death, Whistleblower Suits Filed After Prisoner Dies at New Orleans Jail, by David M. Reutter
- New York: $775,000 Judgment for Prisoners Searched in Freezing Weather
- Cancellation of Illinois Prison Debate Class Debated in Court, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Washington State: Jury Awards $549,000 to Prisoner Denied Pain Medication, by Chad Marks
- States Rack Up Tens of Millions of Dollars in Prison Guard Overtime Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Private Prisoner Transport Firm Closes After Escape; Problems Continue to Plague Industry, by Matthew Clarke
- Beating of Michigan Jail Prisoner Results in $36.6 Million Verdict,$12.9 Million Settlement, by Chad Marks
- Wisconsin Pays Largest Civil Rights Settlement in State’s History –$18.9 Million – for Juvenile Offender’s Suicide Attempt, by Chad Marks, Derek Gilna
- Unlicensed Interns to Perform Psych Tests on Utah Prisoners, by Scott Grammer
- Hospice Programs Provided in Pennsylvania Prisons, by Ruth Hoskins
- CoreCivic Creates Nonprofit Foundation, Ostensibly to Reduce Recidivism, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Vacates Dismissal of Suit by Civilly Committed Sex Offender, by Matthew Clarke
- Claim Denied; No Proof New York Prison Guards Acted Within Scope of Their Employment
- Inspector General: California Prison Guards Violate Use of Force Policies Half the Time, by Steve Horn
- Staffing Shortage at Ohio Legislative Oversight Committee has Interns Inspecting Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Humane Treatment for Terminally Ill Prisoners, by Kevin W. Bliss
- The Uphill Road to Prisoners’ Rights, by F.T. Green
- Virginia Court Improperly Denied Transgender Prisoner’s Name Change, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorney-Client Privilege Under Attack in Jails Across the Nation, by Douglas Ankney
- Incarceration Decrease? Drop in Prison Numbers Called “Anemic”, by Ted Gest
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Vermont Prisoner Sexually Abused at Private Prison in Michigan Receives $750, by Steve Horn
- Horrific Deaths, Brutal Treatment: Mental Illness in America’s Jails, by Gary A. Harki
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less, April 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Consent Decrees.
- The Same Company that Built Guantanamo Bay Is Building Kansas City’s World Cup Jail, April 1, 2026. Advocacy, Prison Reform, Cost of Prison Systems, Immigration Detention.
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary, April 1, 2026. Medical, Statistics/Trends, Commissary, Prison Regulations.
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails, April 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Health care.
- New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner, March 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Staffing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Medical, Statistics/Trends, Mental Health, Health care.
- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- Two Re-Entry Non-Profit Leaders in Tennessee and Massachusetts Accused of Criminal Charges, Nov. 1, 2025. housing, jobs, halfway houses, Health care, Restrictions, discrimination, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Bank Fraud/Robbery/Theft, Mandatory Minimums.
- Former Prisoner Informant Appointed Deputy Director of BOP, July 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Informants, War on Drugs, Pardons/Clemency, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Trading Guns for Drugs.
- Over One-Third of Older Texas Prisoners Suffering Cognitive Impairment, July 15, 2025. Geriatric Classification, Medical, Failure to Treat, Elderly Defendants.

