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Prison Officials Limit Prisoner Communications During COVID-19 Crisis
by Derek Gilna
Prisoners struggling to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic — often without masks, sufficient cleaning supplies or the ability to social distance — are crying for help to the outside world by any means possible. Some prison authorities have responded by cutting off their access to phones and …
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More from this issue:
- These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills, by Connor Sheets, AL.com, with ProPublica
- North Carolina Prisoner Escapes to Flee Coronavirus Death Sentence, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Company Hawking Prison Phone Monitoring Technology as Way to Discover Coronavirus Infections, by Matthew Clarke
- Thinking in a Pandemic: Let the People Go, by Joseph Margulies
- BOP Loses Fight Against Orders to Release Ohio Prisoners Threatened By Coronavirus
- Staying Alive: A Doctor’s Guide for Prisoners on Staying Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- ‘Prisons Are No Place for a Pandemic:’ Advocates Fight to Free Their Loved Ones, by Victoria Law
- Former Missouri Jail Prisoner Ordered to Repay $1.3 Million Settlement for Faking Injuries But Whereabouts Unknown, by Jayson Hawkins
- GEO Jail in New York City Sees Rapid Spread of Coronavirus
- Coronavirus Kills Michigan Prisoner Days Before His Release After Serving 44 Years, by Chad Marks
- Prison Postcards: Official Accounts Differ from Prisoner Accounts as the Pandemic Spreads, by Ken Silverstein
- Interview: David Fathi of ACLU’s National Prison Project on Criminal Justice Reform in the Age of Coronavirus, by Ken Silverstein
- Coronavirus Pandemic Could Vastly Reduce Prison Voting, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit Says COVID-19-Wracked Miami Jail Can’t Be Forced to Give Prisoners Soap, Masks, by David M. Reutter
- Ohio Prisoner with Coronavirus Released Without Use of Preventative Measures; Cases Inside Soaring, by Kevin Bliss
- Large Scale Releases and Public Safety, by Peter Wagner
- Alabama Reopens Ancient Prison to Quarantine COVID-19 Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- COVID-19 Cases Soar at Federal Prisons in California; Half at Lompoc Have the Coronavirus, by Derek Gilna
- CoreCivic Detention Center Demanded Detainees Sign Liability Release to Receive Masks, by David Reutter, Kevin Bliss
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, by Christopher Zoukis
- Unsealed Documents Expose Treatment Failures at San Diego Jail, by Anthony Accurso
- Rhode Island Corrections’ Union President Fined for Excessive Political Donations, by Bill Barton
- Prison Officials Limit Prisoner Communications During COVID-19 Crisis, by Derek Gilna
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
- Hawaii Institutes Non-Contact Visits at Another Prison to Control Contraband, by Kevin Bliss
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, by Christopher Zoukis
- Number of California Prisoners Falling; Lifer Population Declines Slightly as Well, by Edward Lyon
- Kansas County Jails People for Unpaid Medical Bills, by Douglas Ankney
- $200,000 Awarded to Missouri Prison Guard Over Sexual Harassment, Retaliation, by Matthew Clarke
- New ACLU Study Says COVID-19 Deaths in Prison Will Soar Without More Releases, Fewer Arrests, by Derek Gilna
- Deplorable Conditions at South Carolina Prisons Prompt Call for UN Intervention, by Edward Lyon
- Louisiana Governor’s Inaction Prevents Release of Grandmother Hospitalized with COVID-19, by Kevin Bliss
- First Prisoners and Staff, Including a Warden, Dead from COVID-19 in Louisiana; Hundreds Infected, by David Reutter
- Report: Oaks of Justice Pitch to Help Prisoners Return Home Appears Shady, by Bill Barton
- Florida Continues to Use Slave Labor During Coronavirus Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
- Interview: Don Specter of the Prison Law Office on California Prisons, COVID-19 and Governor Newsom, by Ken Silverstein
- Report: Tennessee Prison Population Climbs, Bucks Nationwide Trend, by David Reutter
- Audit: Massachusetts Department of Corrections Failed to Provide Timely Health Care or Reentry Services, by Douglas Ankney
- Mississippi Jail to Stay Open Despite Massive “Financial Trouble”, by Chad Marks
- Sandoval County, New Mexico Settles Public Records Lawsuit with Human Rights Defense Center, by Derek Gilna
- Nebraska Prison Employee Labor Agreement Contains Unusual Provision, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Federal Guard Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexually Abusing Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Coronavirus Crisis: Wisconsin Releases Around 1,600 Prisoners, an ‘Inconsequential’ Number
- California Prison Reform Results in Housing Challenges for Former Prisoners, by Anthony Accurso
- Sign the Papers! Alabama Prisoners Get Masks for COVID-19 but With Strings Attached, by Edward Lyon
- HRDC Settles California Jail Censorship Suit for $143,500, Consent Decree, by Derek Gilna
- Innocence Project Working to Prove Arkansas Executed Innocent Man, by Edward Lyon
- More Than 200 Convicted of Corruption at Baltimore Department of Corrections; More Charges Announced, by Kevin Bliss
- $500,000 Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Beaten During Seizure, by David Reutter
- Tenth Circuit Reinstates Colorado Prisoner’s Claim that Requires BOP to Release Him from Imprisonment for Marijuana Possession, by Matthew Clarke
- $500,000 Settlement From Psychiatrist for Failing to Treat New Mexico Prisoner Who Committed Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Prison Officials Ordered to Not Retaliate Against Prisoner, by David Reutter
- $2,800 Verdict As Jury Finds Pennsylvania Jail Discriminated Against Women Prisoners in Reentry Center, by David Reutter
- Nevada Supreme Court Holds Firefighting Prisoner Cannot Challenge Worker’s Compensation Based on Prison Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Tornado Rips Through South Carolina, Displacing Federal Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Gallup Poll Shows Growing Opposition to Death Penalty, by Douglas Ankney
- Federal Judge Keeps Heat on Florida to Implement Amendment 4 Voter Restoration for Ex-Felons, by David Reutter
- 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:
- FCC Backtracks on 2024 Order to Cut Prison Phone and Video Rates by Half, Aug. 1, 2025. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Private Phone Contractors, Securus.
- HRDC Collaborates on Prison Telecom Cost Report to Washington Lawmakers, Aug. 1, 2025. Electronic Tablets, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates.
- Guards Used “Blast Grenades” to Break Up Mob Attack in California Prison, July 15, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Prisoner Privileges, Telephone Access.
- A Colorado Jail Has Banned In-Person Visits Since the Pandemic, July 15, 2025. Visiting, Attorney Visits, Extended Family Visiting, Video Visitation.
- Free Calls in Massachusetts Lead to Defunded Prison Programs, July 15, 2025. Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors.
- Colorado Passes New Law to Expand Prisoner Visitation Rights, July 15, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Extended Family Visiting, Video Visitation.
- Securus/JPay Video Calling Service Potentially Threatened by New Rate Caps, Jan. 15, 2025. JPay, Inc., Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Securus.
- FCC Slashes Prison and Jail Phone Rates, Caps Video Call Cost, Eliminates “Site Commission” Kickbacks, Oct. 15, 2024. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Federal Funds, Private Phone Contractors, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
- Georgia Sheriff Takes $160,000 Kickback from Pay Tel for Video Visitation, July 1, 2024. Government Misconduct, Video Visitation, Private Phone Contractors.
- Florida County Makes Free Jail Phone Calls Available, April 1, 2024. Telephones, Telephone Access, Telephone Rates, Securus.

