×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Opioid Epidemic Keeps Climbing at California Prisons, and Claiming Lives of Released Prisoners as Well
by Jayson Hawkins
With opioid overdoses claiming the lives of over 68,000 Americans annually, detention facilities have reported a corresponding rise in drug-related deaths among those incarcerated or recently released. (See PLN, September 2019, p. 1.) California’s nearly three dozen penal institutions recorded 997 overdoses in 2018, …
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:
- Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- $41,850 Settlement in Heart Attack Death at California Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $33,000 Settlement For Pro Se Arizona Prisoner Assaulted by Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- New York City Paid McKinsey & Company Millions for Failed Program to Reduce Jail Violence, by Douglas Ankney
- Illinois Prison Guilty of Censoring Free Speech Over Facebook Posts, by Kevin Bliss
- NY State Prisons Finally Stop Using Faulty Drug Testing Equipment; Class Action Lawsuit Filed by Victims, by Anthony Accurso
- Massachusetts Supreme Court Orders DOC to Free Terminally Ill Prisoners After DOJ Investigates Mistreatment, by Bill Barton
- All 50 States Report Prison Understaffing, by Brian Sonenstein
- 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
- Continuing Problems at Texas Jail Roil County’s Relationship with GEO Group, by Matthew Clarke
- More States Restore Felony Voting Rights, by David M. Reutter
- Former Captain at Louisiana Private Prison Sentenced for Conspiracy to Violate Ban on Cruel and Unusual Punishment, by Bill Barton
- Fund to Pay Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners in Michigan Is Broke Once Again, by David Reutter
- Prison Plays Go on the Road, Teach Prisoners Life Skills, by Dale Chappell
- Former Prisoners Find Career Success and Help Others to Achieve the Same, by Kevin Bliss
- Audit: Privatizing Florida’s Prison Health Care Was Costly and Deadly Mistake, by David Reutter
- California Prison Officials Put Hold on Policy That Led to “Gladiator Fights”, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- $1 Million Paid by Snohomish County Jail to Settle Detainee’s Opioid Withdrawal Death Lawsuit, by Douglas Ankney
- Massachusetts Prison Retaliates Against Prisoners for Assault on Guards; Court Grants Preliminary Injunction in Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
- Kim Kardashian West Declares War on Mass Incarceration, by Edward Lyon
- $1 Million Settlement in Atlanta Detainee’s Death From Untreated Diabetes, by David Reutter
- Florida Lowers Minimum Age for Prison Guards But Fails to End Staff Shortages, by David Reutter
- Artificial Intelligence for Surveillance Spreading to Prisons Around the Globe, by Jayson Hawkins
- Suicide Rate of BOP Guards Keeps Increasing, Sets New Record, by Dale Chappell
- What’s It Like Inside? Early Snapshots from Prisons During the Coronavirus Pandemic, by Ken Silverstein
- Prisons and Jails Are Vulnerable to COVID-19 Outbreaks, by Nicole Wetsman
- Prosecutors Sue Firm for Selling Bureau of Prisons Adulterated Food, Spices, by David Reutter
- 1.25 Million Corizon Settlement in Mentally Ill Michigan Prisoner’s Dehydration Death, by David Reutter
- Another Settlement in Sexual Assault Case at Pennsylvania Lackawanna County Prison, by David Reutter
- As Coronavirus Spreads, New York Governor Exploits Prison Labor to Produce Hand Sanitizer, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Suit Over Fees Charged Prepaid Debit Cards Given To Released Prisoners, by Bob Williams
- Funding and Leadership Failures Result in Less Criminal Justice Data, by Anthony Accurso
- Virginia Governor Suspends Policy After Eight-Year-Old Strip Searched During Prison Visit, by Bill Barton
- The Ongoing Push to End Outrageous Prison Phone Charges, by Anthony Accurso
- Former Prisoners Succeeding in Hospitality Industry, by Edward Lyon
- Washington State Pays $500,000 to Family of Man Who Died by Suicide, by Chad Marks
- California’s New “Progressive” Governor Seeks to Halt Parole for Some Murderers and “Serious” Offenders, by Bill Barton
- California Exonerees Not Quite Innocent Under the Law, by Anthony Accurso
- Major Outbreak of Legionnaires’ at Coleman Women’s Work Camp, by Kevin Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Holds Ohio Rule Requiring Merit Affidavit Inapplicable in BOP Prisoner’s Tort Action, by Matthew Clarke
- Illinois Prisoner Locked Up Decades Without a Conviction or Sentence, by Bill Barton
- They Went to Jail. Then They Say They Were Strapped to a Chair for Days., by Maurice Chammah
- Muslim Georgia Prisoner Wins RLUIPA Reversal in 11th Circuit Over Vegetarian Meals, by David Reutter
- $110,000 Settlement for Outed Wisconsin Prisoner Informant, by Edward Lyon
- $70,000 Settlement For Oregon DOC Prisoner Dying from Flu, by Edward Lyon
- Opioid Epidemic Keeps Climbing at California Prisons, and Claiming Lives of Released Prisoners as Well, by Jayson Hawkins
- $1.5 Million Settlement in Georgia Youth’s Rape at Juvenile Detention Center, by David Reutter
- $1.25 Million Jury Award to Rikers Prisoner Over Jail Beating, by Edward Lyon
- Are Prison Law Libraries Adequate?, by Dale Chappell
- PrimeCare Medical Pays Bulk of $252,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by David Reutter
- Arizona Prison Water Woes Ease Up, by Jayson Hawkins
- Seventh Circuit Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against Wisconsin Prisoner’s Medical Negligence Claim, by Kevin Bliss
- Precedential Settlement Eliminates Solitary Confinement on Pennsylvania’s Death Row, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Board Revokes Psychologist’s License Over Prisoner Suicides, by David Reutter
- GEO Group, Largest Private Prison Contractor, Cranks Up Political Contributions During Trump Years, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- $596,475 in Fees and Damages Awarded Against NY DOCCS For Contempt in Denying Pain Medication to Blind Prisoner, by Chad Marks
- News in Brief
- $425,000 Settlement in Arkansas Detainee’s Death from Asthma Attack, by David Reutter
More from Jayson Hawkins:
- Bad Lawyering, Bankruptcy Torpedo Suit Over Delaware Prisoner’s Death, July 15, 2023
- Senators Rail at DOJ Failure to Report In-Custody Deaths, June 15, 2023
- Financial Pressure Finally Brings Police Reform, June 15, 2023
- “Slap On the Wrist” for California Bail Agents Who Hired Bounty Hunter Who Killed Their Client, May 1, 2023
- MTV Documentary Shines Light on Art Behind Bars, May 1, 2023
- Arizona Prisoner Condemned Again for Cellmate’s Murder, May 1, 2023
- U.S. Response to Haitian Crisis: Fund More Prisons, April 1, 2023
- Former State Prison Guards in Georgia Sentenced for Prisoner Assaults and Cover-Up, April 1, 2023
- After Years of Hard Work and Dedication, Adnan Syed Is Freed by Serendipity, March 15, 2023
- Time to Find the Key, March 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- $280,000 Paid for South Carolina Detainee’s Death in Charleston Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Contractor Liability, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Monell Liability.
- New Commission to Investigate Death and Abuse of 230 Black Children at Segregated Maryland Reformatory, Sept. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Prison Labor, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons.
- Isolation and Medical Neglect at Illinois’ Joliet Treatment Center Drive Prisoners to Set Fatal Fires, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Security Systems, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Report Highlights Shortage of Wheelchairs at Michigan Women’s Prison, Sept. 1, 2026. Disabled Prisoners, Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Deliberate Indifference.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Ohio Finds Guards and Medical Staff Failed to Render Life-Saving CPR to Detainee, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $4.5 Million Paid by Cook County for Detainee Suicide in Chicago Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Deliberate Indifference.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.
- $10.19 Million Paid for Retired California Prison Guard’s Death in Colorado Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.

