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$3.1 Million Settlement for Washington Jail Detainee’s Death
“Will You Get Back Up?”
by Douglas Ankney
In November 2017, Piper Travis was arrested for failure to appear on two misdemeanor counts of stealing a TV and a $3.48 bag of Easter candy from a Walmart in Washington state. On November 20 the 34-year-old from Whidbey …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- NBC Sends Anchorman Lester Holt to Prison as Part of its “Justice for All” Series, by Chad Marks
- The Cost of Prison Censorship: Florida Taxpayers to Pay $1.2 Million in HRDC Case
- $8,500 Settlement in Allegheny County Jail Sexual Harassment Suit, by David M. Reutter
- $860,000 Settlement in Suit Over Michigan Female Prisoner’s Suicide, by David M. Reutter
- Organization Connected to Missouri Prison Director Gets No-Bid Contract, by Scott Grammer
- Federal Prisoner Challenges Constitutionality of Death Penalty; Gets Plea Deal for Life Without Parole, by Matthew Clarke
- Court Orders Changes to Alabama Prison System After 15 Suicides; Feds Threaten Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Department of Justice Report Shows Small Decrease in U.S. Prison Population, by Scott Grammer
- Compassionate Releases Needed for an Aging Prisoner Population, by Edward Lyon
- Florida Supreme Court Issues Death Penalty Rulings, by Edward Lyon
- Washington State Settles Suit Over 15-Hour-a-Day Lockdown of Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- South Carolina: Lawsuit Alleges Medical Staff, Guards Negligent in Baby’s Death, by Bill Barton
- Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System, by Alec Karakatsanis, by Sam Feldman
- Arizona Court Grants Partial Summary Judgment to PLN in Censorship Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Finds that War on Drugs Kept Black Men from Higher Education, by Scott Grammer
- Maryland: Parole Changes Needed for Life-Sentenced Prisoners, by Chad Marks
- Man Mistakenly Released 13 Years Ago Won’t Have to Return to Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Allegheny County Settles Three Lawsuits Over Medical Care at County Jail, by Dale Chappell
- West Virginia Regional Jails Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David M. Reutter
- Seventh Circuit: Failure to Provide Medical Accommodation is Deliberate Indifference, by Kevin Bliss
- Three Deaths in Three Days at Illinois Prison Spur Calls for Greater Transparency, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Sheriff Tells Judge that County Won’t Pay for Prisoners’ Food, Medical Care, by Bill Barton
- No Fourth Amendment Violation for Abusive Group Strip Search of Female Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Pattern of Abuse and Mismanagement at North Carolina Jail, by David M. Reutter
- $3.1 Million Settlement for Washington Jail Detainee’s Death, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit: Non-Medical Prison Staff Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by Douglas Ankney
- New Jersey: Appellate Court Shoots Down $7.5 Million Verdict in Prison Whistleblower Case, by Chad Marks
- Nevada Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Native American Religion Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Why Not Let Prisoners Vote While Incarcerated?, by Bill Barton
- Ex-Offenders Work for Organization that Repairs and Sells Vehicles at Low Cost, by Douglas Ankney
- Court Declines to Seal Records in Michigan Prisoner’s Excessive Force Case, by David M. Reutter
- New York: Prisoners Have No Expectation to Privacy During Jail Phone Calls, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Jury Awards $113.7 Million to Prison Guards Required to Work Without Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Muslim Civil Rights Group Files Discrimination Suit Over Virginia Jail’s “God Pod”, by Matthew Clarke
- Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Violence, Cover-ups at Rikers Island Jail, by Dale Chappell
- Prison’s Refusal to Allow Wiccan Services Must be Reviewed for Compelling Governmental Interest, by Kevin Bliss
- Conditions Lawsuit Against Indiana County Jail Certified as a Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Terminates Consent Decree for Muslim Services in Texas Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prisoner’s Use of Another Prisoner’s Phone PIN Constitutes Identity Theft, by Mark Wilson
- Sex Offenders Excluded from Florida Shelters During Hurricane, by David M. Reutter
- Pennsylvania’s Buck County Liable for Illegally Disclosing Criminal Records, by David M. Reutter
- Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Muslim Prisoner on Correspondence Ban, by Edward Lyon
- Judge Orders Federal Prisoner with Cancer Released Due to Poor Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Eleventh Circuit: Tasing of Inert Detainee is Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- Appellate Court Holds Louisiana Prisoner’s Medical Malpractice Claim May Proceed, by David M. Reutter
- How High-Priced Drugs Cripple Prison Health Care – and Reform, by Priti Krishtel
- HRDC Lawsuit Proceeds Over Care Provided to Florida Prisoner Who Starved to Death, by David M. Reutter
- Victim Notification Law Plagues Alabama’s Parole System, by Kevin Bliss
- Louisiana Enters into Subscription Model Contract for HCV Treatment, by David M. Reutter
- Washington DOC Medical Director Fired for Negligence, by Dale Chappell
- Louisiana Prison Industry Program Puts Profits Before Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- Virginia Death Row Conditions Subjected Prisoners to Risk of Harm, by David M. Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Plans to Ramp up Federal Death Penalty, by Chad Marks
- Behind Bars, Co-Pays Are a Barrier to Basic Health Care, by Victoria Law
- Oregon Transgender Prisoner Must be Housed Alone or with Other Transgender or NonCisgender Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- Alabama Prisoners Bring Awareness of Abusive Conditions Through Hunger Strikes, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Beyond Estelle: Medical Rights for Incarcerated Patients, by Greg Dober
More from Douglas Ankney:
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, Feb. 1, 2026
- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, Feb. 1, 2026
- Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, Feb. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry, Feb. 1, 2026
- Fifth Circuit Rules Against Louisiana Prisoner Seeking to Recoup Money Made at Angola Prison Rodeo, Jan. 1, 2026
- Report on “Pay-to-Stay” Fees Makes Strong Case for Their Repeal, Jan. 1, 2026
- Maryland Agrees to Pay $30,000 to Prisoner Who Was Beaten by Guards While Handcuffed, Jan. 1, 2026
- Alabama Supreme Court Denies DOC’s Improper Venue Objection, Jan. 1, 2026
- Third Circuit Rules Awarding BOP Prisoners 54 Days of Good Time Per Year Is Pro-Rated, Jan. 1, 2026
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal, Jan. 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Food, Settlements, First Amendment, rights, Dismissal.
- 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.
- America’s Deadliest Jails: Tarrant County Edition, Nov. 1, 2025. Wrongful Death, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- $2.4 Million Paid to Indiana Prisoners Sickened With Legionnaire’s Disease by Contaminated Water, Nov. 1, 2025. Contagious Disease -- Misc., Water, Settlements, Municipal Liability, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $1.8 Million Settlement Reached Following CDCR Data Breach, Nov. 1, 2025. DOC/BOP misconduct, Medical Records, Settlements, Class Certification, Disclosure of Records, Class Notice, Public Records, Restitution, Trust Accounts.
- $3.6 Million Paid by Minnesota County After Hemophiliac Jail Detainee Died from Brain Bleed, Nov. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Settlements, Americans with Disabilities Act, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Class-Action Suit at BOP “Rape Club” in California Settled for Record $116 Million, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements, Injunctions, Class Actions.
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025. Retaliation, Settlements, Defamation, Employment Deprivation.
- $1.2 Million in Settlements Reached in Suit Over Sacramento Jail Murder, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $18,000 for New York Prisoner Who Alleged Guards Planted Shank in Cell, May 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Cell Searches, Settlements.

