More from this issue:

1. Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
2. $41,850 Settlement in Heart Attack Death at California Jail, by Kevin Bliss
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. $33,000 Settlement For Pro Se Arizona Prisoner Assaulted by Guard, by Matthew Clarke
5. New York City Paid McKinsey & Company Millions for Failed Program to Reduce Jail Violence, by Douglas Ankney
6. Illinois Prison Guilty of Censoring Free Speech Over Facebook Posts, by Kevin Bliss
7. NY State Prisons Finally Stop Using Faulty Drug Testing Equipment; Class Action Lawsuit Filed by Victims, by Anthony Accurso
8. Massachusetts Supreme Court Orders DOC to Free Terminally Ill Prisoners After DOJ Investigates Mistreatment, by Bill Barton
9. All 50 States Report Prison Understaffing, by Brian Sonenstein
10. Tenth Circuit Holds BOP’s Change in Policy and Delivery of Censored Issues at ADX Super Max Prison Moots PLN’s Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
11. Continuing Problems at Texas Jail Roil County’s Relationship with GEO Group, by Matthew Clarke
12. More States Restore Felony Voting Rights, by David M. Reutter
13. Former Captain at Louisiana Private Prison Sentenced for Conspiracy to Violate Ban on Cruel and Unusual Punishment, by Bill Barton
14. Fund to Pay Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners in Michigan Is Broke Once Again, by David Reutter
15. Prison Plays Go on the Road, Teach Prisoners Life Skills, by Dale Chappell
16. Former Prisoners Find Career Success and Help Others to Achieve the Same, by Kevin Bliss
17. Audit: Privatizing Florida’s Prison Health Care Was Costly and Deadly Mistake, by David Reutter
18. California Prison Officials Put Hold on Policy That Led to “Gladiator Fights”, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
19. $1 Million Paid by Snohomish County Jail to Settle Detainee’s Opioid Withdrawal Death Lawsuit, by Douglas Ankney
20. Massachusetts Prison Retaliates Against Prisoners for Assault on Guards; Court Grants Preliminary Injunction in Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
21. Kim Kardashian West Declares War on Mass Incarceration, by Edward Lyon
22. $1 Million Settlement in Atlanta Detainee’s Death From Untreated Diabetes, by David Reutter
23. Florida Lowers Minimum Age for Prison Guards But Fails to End Staff Shortages, by David Reutter
24. Artificial Intelligence for Surveillance Spreading to Prisons Around the Globe, by Jayson Hawkins
25. Suicide Rate of BOP Guards Keeps Increasing, Sets New Record, by Dale Chappell
26. What’s It Like Inside? Early Snapshots from Prisons During the Coronavirus Pandemic, by Ken Silverstein
27. Prisons and Jails Are Vulnerable to COVID-19 Outbreaks, by Nicole Wetsman
28. Prosecutors Sue Firm for Selling Bureau of Prisons Adulterated Food, Spices, by David Reutter
29. 1.25 Million Corizon Settlement in Mentally Ill Michigan Prisoner’s Dehydration Death, by David Reutter
30. Another Settlement in Sexual Assault Case at Pennsylvania Lackawanna County Prison, by David Reutter
31. As Coronavirus Spreads, New York Governor Exploits Prison Labor to Produce Hand Sanitizer, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
32. Ninth Circuit Reverses Suit Over Fees Charged Prepaid Debit Cards Given To Released Prisoners, by Bob Williams
33. Funding and Leadership Failures Result in Less Criminal Justice Data, by Anthony Accurso
34. Virginia Governor Suspends Policy After Eight-Year-Old Strip Searched During Prison Visit, by Bill Barton
35. The Ongoing Push to End Outrageous Prison Phone Charges, by Anthony Accurso
36. Former Prisoners Succeeding in Hospitality Industry, by Edward Lyon
37. Washington State Pays $500,000 to Family of Man Who Died by Suicide, by Chad Marks
38. California’s New “Progressive” Governor Seeks to Halt Parole for Some Murderers and “Serious” Offenders, by Bill Barton
39. California Exonerees Not Quite Innocent Under the Law, by Anthony Accurso
40. Major Outbreak of Legionnaires’ at Coleman Women’s Work Camp, by Kevin Bliss
41. Sixth Circuit Holds Ohio Rule Requiring Merit Affidavit Inapplicable in BOP Prisoner’s Tort Action, by Matthew Clarke
42. Illinois Prisoner Locked Up Decades Without a Conviction or Sentence, by Bill Barton
43. They Went to Jail. Then They Say They Were Strapped to a Chair for Days., by Maurice Chammah
44. Muslim Georgia Prisoner Wins RLUIPA Reversal in 11th Circuit Over Vegetarian Meals, by David Reutter
45. $110,000 Settlement for Outed Wisconsin Prisoner Informant, by Edward Lyon
46. $70,000 Settlement For Oregon DOC Prisoner Dying from Flu, by Edward Lyon
47. Opioid Epidemic Keeps Climbing at California Prisons, and Claiming Lives of Released Prisoners as Well, by Jayson Hawkins
48. $1.5 Million Settlement in Georgia Youth’s Rape at Juvenile Detention Center, by David Reutter
49. $1.25 Million Jury Award to Rikers Prisoner Over Jail Beating, by Edward Lyon
50. Are Prison Law Libraries Adequate?, by Dale Chappell
51. PrimeCare Medical Pays Bulk of $252,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by David Reutter
52. Arizona Prison Water Woes Ease Up, by Jayson Hawkins
53. Seventh Circuit Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against Wisconsin Prisoner’s Medical Negligence Claim, by Kevin Bliss
54. Precedential Settlement Eliminates Solitary Confinement on Pennsylvania’s Death Row, by David Reutter
55. Pennsylvania Board Revokes Psychologist’s License Over Prisoner Suicides, by David Reutter
56. GEO Group, Largest Private Prison Contractor, Cranks Up Political Contributions During Trump Years, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
57. $596,475 in Fees and Damages Awarded Against NY DOCCS For Contempt in Denying Pain Medication to Blind Prisoner, by Chad Marks
58. News in Brief
59. $425,000 Settlement in Arkansas Detainee’s Death from Asthma Attack, by David Reutter

More from Brian Sonenstein:

• All 50 States Report Prison Understaffing, April 1, 2020
• Since 1996, U.S. Agriculture Department Gave Over $277 Million to Fund Local Jail Construction, March 5, 2019
• 2017 Has Already Seen Several Prison Rebellions, March 2, 2017

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.
• Atlanta Jail Boasts Improvements Since Consent Decree, Reports from Monitor and ACLU Are More Critical, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Sanitation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Consent Decrees, Bail/Pretrial Release.
• Fourth Circuit Revives North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit Blaming Lazy Guards for Assault by Detainee, May 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Deliberate Indifference.
• Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).
• 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. Drug Overdose, Overcrowding, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
• Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
• $1.25 Million Paid for Special Needs Teen’s Fatal Beating in Houston Jail, May 1, 2026. Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
• Oklahoma DOC Paid Prison Guards $35.5 Million in Overtime in 2025, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Staff Training.
• 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. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
• Prisons in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula “in a Death Spiral” Due to Under-Staffing, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Rural Prisons, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Assaults on Staff.