More from this issue:

1. These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills, by Connor Sheets, AL.com, with ProPublica
2. North Carolina Prisoner Escapes to Flee Coronavirus Death Sentence, by David Reutter
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Company Hawking Prison Phone Monitoring Technology as Way to Discover Coronavirus Infections, by Matthew Clarke
5. Thinking in a Pandemic: Let the People Go, by Joseph Margulies
6. BOP Loses Fight Against Orders to Release Ohio Prisoners Threatened By Coronavirus
7. Staying Alive: A Doctor’s Guide for Prisoners on Staying Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
8. ‘Prisons Are No Place for a Pandemic:’ Advocates Fight to Free Their Loved Ones, by Victoria Law
9. Former Missouri Jail Prisoner Ordered to Repay $1.3 Million Settlement for Faking Injuries But Whereabouts Unknown, by Jayson Hawkins
10. GEO Jail in New York City Sees Rapid Spread of Coronavirus
11. Coronavirus Kills Michigan Prisoner Days Before His Release After Serving 44 Years, by Chad Marks
12. Prison Postcards: Official Accounts Differ from Prisoner Accounts as the Pandemic Spreads, by Ken Silverstein
13. Interview: David Fathi of ACLU’s National Prison Project on Criminal Justice Reform in the Age of Coronavirus, by Ken Silverstein
14. Coronavirus Pandemic Could Vastly Reduce Prison Voting, by David Reutter
15. Eleventh Circuit Says COVID-19-Wracked Miami Jail Can’t Be Forced to Give Prisoners Soap, Masks, by David M. Reutter
16. Ohio Prisoner with Coronavirus Released Without Use of Preventative Measures; Cases Inside Soaring, by Kevin Bliss
17. Large Scale Releases and Public Safety, by Peter Wagner
18. Alabama Reopens Ancient Prison to Quarantine COVID-19 Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
19. COVID-19 Cases Soar at Federal Prisons in California; Half at Lompoc Have the Coronavirus, by Derek Gilna
20. CoreCivic Detention Center Demanded Detainees Sign Liability Release to Receive Masks, by David Reutter, Kevin Bliss
21. Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, by Christopher Zoukis
22. Unsealed Documents Expose Treatment Failures at San Diego Jail, by Anthony Accurso
23. Rhode Island Corrections’ Union President Fined for Excessive Political Donations, by Bill Barton
24. Prison Officials Limit Prisoner Communications During COVID-19 Crisis, by Derek Gilna
25. Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
26. Hawaii Institutes Non-Contact Visits at Another Prison to Control Contraband, by Kevin Bliss
27. New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, by Christopher Zoukis
28. Number of California Prisoners Falling; Lifer Population Declines Slightly as Well, by Edward Lyon
29. Kansas County Jails People for Unpaid Medical Bills, by Douglas Ankney
30. $200,000 Awarded to Missouri Prison Guard Over Sexual Harassment, Retaliation, by Matthew Clarke
31. New ACLU Study Says COVID-19 Deaths in Prison Will Soar Without More Releases, Fewer Arrests, by Derek Gilna
32. Deplorable Conditions at South Carolina Prisons Prompt Call for UN Intervention, by Edward Lyon
33. Louisiana Governor’s Inaction Prevents Release of Grandmother Hospitalized with COVID-19, by Kevin Bliss
34. First Prisoners and Staff, Including a Warden, Dead from COVID-19 in Louisiana; Hundreds Infected, by David Reutter
35. Report: Oaks of Justice Pitch to Help Prisoners Return Home Appears Shady, by Bill Barton
36. Florida Continues to Use Slave Labor During Coronavirus Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
37. Interview: Don Specter of the Prison Law Office on California Prisons, COVID-19 and Governor Newsom, by Ken Silverstein
38. Report: Tennessee Prison Population Climbs, Bucks Nationwide Trend, by David Reutter
39. Audit: Massachusetts Department of Corrections Failed to Provide Timely Health Care or Reentry Services, by Douglas Ankney
40. Mississippi Jail to Stay Open Despite Massive “Financial Trouble”, by Chad Marks
41. Sandoval County, New Mexico Settles Public Records Lawsuit with Human Rights Defense Center, by Derek Gilna
42. Nebraska Prison Employee Labor Agreement Contains Unusual Provision, by Matthew Clarke
43. New York Federal Guard Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Abusing Prisoners, by David Reutter
44. Coronavirus Crisis: Wisconsin Releases Around 1,600 Prisoners, an ‘Inconsequential’ Number
45. California Prison Reform Results in Housing Challenges for Former Prisoners, by Anthony Accurso
46. Sign the Papers! Alabama Prisoners Get Masks for COVID-19 but With Strings Attached, by Edward Lyon
47. HRDC Settles California Jail Censorship Suit for $143,500, Consent Decree, by Derek Gilna
48. Innocence Project Working to Prove Arkansas Executed Innocent Man, by Edward Lyon
49. More Than 200 Convicted of Corruption at Baltimore Department of Corrections; More Charges Announced, by Kevin Bliss
50. $500,000 Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Beaten During Seizure, by David Reutter
51. Tenth Circuit Reinstates Colorado Prisoner’s Claim that Requires BOP to Release Him from Imprisonment for Marijuana Possession, by Matthew Clarke
52. $500,000 Settlement From Psychiatrist for Failing to Treat New Mexico Prisoner Who Committed Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
53. Florida Prison Officials Ordered to Not Retaliate Against Prisoner, by David Reutter
54. $2,800 Verdict As Jury Finds Pennsylvania Jail Discriminated Against Women Prisoners in Reentry Center, by David Reutter
55. Nevada Supreme Court Holds Firefighting Prisoner Cannot Challenge Worker’s Compensation Based on Prison Pay, by Matthew Clarke
56. Tornado Rips Through South Carolina, Displacing Federal Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
57. Gallup Poll Shows Growing Opposition to Death Penalty, by Douglas Ankney
58. Federal Judge Keeps Heat on Florida to Implement Amendment 4 Voter Restoration for Ex-Felons, by David Reutter
59. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
• Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
• Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
• Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
• Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
• Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
• Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
• California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
• Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
• Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
• $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
• Oregon Reaches $49 Million Settlement with State Prisoners in COVID-19 Class-Action, Aug. 1, 2026. COVID-19, Eighth Amendment, Settlements, Class Certification, Qualified Immunity.
• $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.
• SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Compassionate Release.
• California Gave Every Student in Prison a Laptop. How Community Colleges Are Using Them, July 1, 2026. Education, Computers, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Access to Computers.
• $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Public Records Act, False Imprisonment.
• Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
• Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Settlements, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
• Arkansas Supreme Court Bows to Governor’s Board of Correction Takeover, June 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Settlements, State Legislation, Authority and Jurisdiction.