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Washington State Pays $500,000 to Family of Man Who Died by Suicide
by Chad Marks
The family of Morgan Bluehorse, who committed suicide in solitary confinement at the age of 29, will receive $500,000 from the Washington state Department of Corrections, in a settlement reached November 13.
Bluehorse was a 29-year-old man when he found himself in an isolation …
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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 Chad Marks:
- Use of Solitary Confinement During Pandemic Detrimental To Prisoners and Not Slowing Spread of COVID-19, May 1, 2021
- COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, April 1, 2021
- Sequel: Three Additional Federal Executions Before Trump Left Office, March 1, 2021
- Connecticut: Summary Judgment Denied in Deliberate Indifference Case Where Facial Lesion Turned Out To Be Skin Cancer, Nov. 1, 2020
- Ford Foundation President’s Support to Replace Rikers With Other Jails Criticized, Oct. 1, 2020
- Wisconsin: Court Dismisses Prisoners’ Suit Over Asbestos, Mold on Procedural Grounds, Sept. 1, 2020
- New Jersey: Commission Recommends State Take 100 Steps to Improve Re-Entry for Ex-Prisoners, Sept. 1, 2020
- New York: Prisoner Kills Himself After Brutal Beating by Guards, Aug. 1, 2020
- Jury Award $700,000 to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted by Guards, Aug. 1, 2020
- Is the Death Penalty Slowly Dying Across the Nation?, June 15, 2020
More from these topics:
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Prisoners’ Risk of Death In Custody More than Doubles in Solitary Confinement, July 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, June 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Health care.
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Deliberate Indifference.
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Jail Suicide of Maryland Detainee Whose Emergency Hospitalization Order Was Ignored, June 1, 2026. Qualified Immunity, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Ombuds Report Doesn’t Rule Out Racism or Retaliation at Red Onion State Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Failure to Treat, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $250,000 Paid by Maine to Former Prisoner Held in Solitary Confinement—Which the State DOC Says Doesn’t Exist, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Americans with Disabilities Act, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- New York Juvenile Detention Officials Sued for Abusing Adolescents with Solitary Confinement, May 1, 2026. Sanitation, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Juvenile Prisons, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- 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.

