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 Derek Gilna:

• Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
• Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
• California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
• The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
• District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
• HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
• Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
• Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
• D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
• Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021

More from these topics:

• Illinois Jail Reprimanded for Denying Detainees Mail Based on Media Content, P.O. Box Return Address, Settles Detainees’ Suit with $111,825 Payment of Legal Fees, May 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Mail Regulations, Censorship, First Amendment, rights, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026. Injunctions, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, HRDC Litigation.
• HRDC Sues Colorado Jail for Prohibiting Dozens of Magazines and Books, May 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, Constitution, state, HRDC Litigation.
• 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.
• Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Censorship, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance.
• HRDC Sues Minnesota DOC Over Censorship Policy, Feb. 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment, HRDC Litigation.
• Arkansas Bans Outside Reading Material Sent to Prisons, Feb. 1, 2026. Reading Materials, Publications/Books, Banned Book Lists, Censorship, Securus.
• HRDC Sues Washington Jail for Rejecting PLN and Other Publications, Jan. 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment, rights, HRDC Litigation.
• HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-­Year-­Old Settlement of Censorship Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Settlements, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment.
• Louisiana Prisoner Granted Preliminary Injunction in Challenge to Jail Book Ban, Dec. 1, 2025. Reading Materials, Injunctions, Publications/Books, Censorship, First Amendment, rights.