×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Arizona Prisoner Receives $175,000 after Guards Read His Legal Mail, Shared it with FBI and Prosecutors
by Matt Clarke
On May 7, 2019, Maricopa County, Arizona agreed to pay a prisoner $175,000 to settle claims related to jail guards reading his legal mail, sharing it with the Attorney General and FBI, and failing to deliver his letters to his attorney.
Thomas Orville Bastian, …
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
- Alaska Pays $400,000 to Settle Jail Prisoner’s Wrongful Death Suit, by Douglas Ankney
- Report: Summit Food Services Provides Inadequate Nutrition at Missouri Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Maricopa County Pays $300,000 to Settle Lawsuit Over Arpaio-Era Prisoner Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi Prison Deaths Spike for Second Year; Disturbing Photos Revealed, by Matthew Clarke, David M. Reutter
- Illinois DOC Interferes with Prisoners’ College Program by Removing Books, by Edward Lyon
- Lawsuits Challenge Florida Law that Undermines Voting Rights Ballot Initiative, by David M. Reutter
- Third Circuit Affirms Refusal to Appoint Successive Counsel in Prisoner’s Civil Rights Case, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Sheriff Places Own Head on the Chopping Block for Budget Cuts, by Kevin Bliss
- $2 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over California Jail Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- California Court of Appeal Reverses Convictions for Possession of Marijuana in Prison, by Dale Chappell
- Second Circuit: Discharge Health Plan Part of In-Custody Mental Health Treatment When Pretrial Detainees Released, by Edward Lyon
- Oregon Supreme Court Reverses Course: Secretly Taping Prisoner’s Statements Does Not Violate Right to Counsel, by Mark Wilson
- Arizona DOC Publishes, Then Rescinds, Prison Tour Policy that Excluded Public Officials and Media, by Matthew Clarke
- Denver Tries to End Private Prison Companies’ Halfway House Contracts, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit: Woman Gave Birth Alone in Colorado Jail Cell, by Kevin Bliss
- Connecticut Prison Writing Program Leads to Lawsuits, by David M. Reutter
- Third Circuit: Showers Part of Prison Operations for ADA and RA Purposes, by David M. Reutter
- Investigations into Texas Jail Deaths Find Thousands of Guards Untrained, on Temporary Licenses, by Matthew Clarke
- Former DOC Employee Awarded $300,000 in Workplace Sexual Harassment Case, by Matthew Clarke
- New York State Prisoner Wins Medical Malpractice Suit, Awarded $30,000, by Edward Lyon
- As Climate Changes, High Temperatures Plague Prisons and Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Hawaii Prisoner’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit Settles for Paltry $10,000, by Edward Lyon
- The Sentencing Project Issues Report on Reducing Excessive Punishment for Violent Crimes, by Matthew Clarke
- California Federal Court Orders City to Pay $150,000 for Failure to Comply with Jail Settlement, by Chad Marks
- Fourth Circuit: Three Tasings in 70 Seconds May Constitute Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- California Prisoner Wins $365,000 Settlement for Assault by Jail Guards, by Scott Grammer
- Denial of Summary Judgment for Prison Officials Affirmed in West Virginia Excessive Force Case, by Scott Grammer
- Michigan Prisoner Prevails in First Amendment Retaliation Case; $30,000 in Damages and Attorney Fees, by David M. Reutter
- Cook County, Illinois to Pay $1.7 Million for Former Marine’s Suicide in Jail, by Douglas Ankney
- Court Grants Remittitur in Former Prison Teacher’s Sexual Harassment Case – Total Award of $6.4 Million Plus Fees, Costs, Interest, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Prisoner Receives $175,000 after Guards Read His Legal Mail, Shared it with FBI and Prosecutors, by Matthew Clarke
- Author John Grisham Pens Editorial Criticizing Death Penalty in North Carolina, by Scott Grammer
- Santa Clara County Jail Captain Accused of Misconduct, Retires, by Scott Grammer
- Family of California Prisoner Who Committed Suicide Settles Suit for $595,000, by Scott Grammer
- California County Settles Jail Death for $300,000, by Edward Lyon
- Alabama Jail Prisoner Accused of Conspiring to Get Pregnant, Claiming Rape, by Douglas Ankney
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of New Mexico Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims, by Scott Grammer
- North Carolina Prisoners Sue Over Gang Violence, Obtain $62,500 Settlement
- Hepatitis C Treatment Ordered in North Carolina Prisons, by David M. Reutter
- $157,000 Settlement in Michigan DOC Employee Discrimination Case, by David M. Reutter
- Congressional Black Caucus Institute Accepts Donations from Private Prison Companies, by Matthew Clarke
- Exploiting Prisoners on Prime Time, by Edward Lyon
- Three Louisiana Prisoners Cleared in 1994 Rape of Another Prisoner, by David M. Reutter
- Veteran Oregon Jail Guard Indicted and Jailed, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Court Sanctions New Mexico Corrections Department Over Out-of-State Legal Mail, by Matthew Clarke
- Survey: Jail Population Down but Incarceration Rates Higher for Whites, Women, by Jayson Hawkins
- Why Our Movement Can’t Afford to Ignore Private Prison Corporations, by Caroline Isaacs
- Audit Finds Mississippi Private Prison Plagued by Violence, Run by Gangs, by Kevin Bliss
- Infamous Louisiana Sheriff on His Way Out, by David M. Reutter
- San Francisco to Cut Costs for Jail Phone Calls, Commissary Sales, by Edward Lyon
- Vermont Supreme Court Remands Prison Correspondence Claim, by Edward Lyon
- Class Certified in Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Parole Violation Procedures, by David M. Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mentally Ill Prisoners’ Suit Against GEO Group Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Douglas Ankney
- California Tried to Fix Its Prisons. Now County Jails Are More Deadly, by Jason Pohl, Ryan Gabrielson
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:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- “Like the Walking Dead”: Smuggled Drugs Fuel Chaos Inside Ohio Prisons, May 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Security Systems, Drugs - Determination of.
- Watchdog Finds Barely 1 in 10 Complaints Against California Prison Staff Handled Adequately, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Evidence, Staff Training, Statutes of Limitation and Laches.
- Records Show Culture of Impunity Among Kentucky Prison Guards, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Whistleblowing, Evidence - Admissibility.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, April 1, 2026. Legal Mail, Attorney Visits, First Amendment, rights, Immigration Detention, Attorney/Client.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.

