More from this issue:

1. Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, by Christopher Zoukis
2. Early Prison Release for Gangsta Rapper Sped Up by Coronavirus, by Edward Lyon
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Prioritizing Jails Over Hospitals Has Made Rural US More Vulnerable to COVID-19, by Jack Norton, Jasmine Heiss
5. May Update: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
6. Recent Exonerees Give the Public Advice on Being Locked Down: You Have No Idea, by Dale Chappell
7. Lawsuit: Release Prisoners in Virus Tinderbox to Home Confinement, by David Reutter
8. Prison Postcards: Prisoners Write About Fears, Incompetence, at Their Facilities, by Ken Silverstein
9. Rikers Island Prisoners Helped with Preparations to Bury the Coronavirus Dead
10. Federal Judge “Troubled” by Arizona Prison Director’s Response to Coronavirus; State Rep Calls it “Reckless”, by Dale Chappell
11. California Publishes Use of Force in Prisons Report, by Anthony Accurso
12. Connecticut Prisoners Win Lawsuit After Hepatitis Exposure, by Edward Lyon
13. Nevada Prisoner Prevails in Good Time Deprivation Appeal, by Edward Lyon
14. California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
15. Arkansas Supreme Court Denies Prisoner Preliminary Injunction on Religious Issues, by Anthony Accurso
16. Federal Court Grants Default Summary Judgment in Favor of Indiana Prisoner as Sanction for State’s Lies, by Dale Chappell
17. How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?, by Peter Wagner, Emily Widra
18. Suit: Mississippi Man Sentenced to Two Days Hangs Himself After Jail Kept Him 52 Days Longer, by Douglas Ankney
19. Emergency Cancellation of Attorney Visits Subject to Court Oversight, by David Reutter
20. Undisclosed Settlement in Kentucky Case a Textbook Case of Negligent Privatized Prison Medical Care, by David Reutter
21. Illinois Supreme Court: Settlements with Private Companies When Contracted for Government Service Are Public Record, by Kevin Bliss
22. Coalition Fights to Ensure Jailed Voters in Arizona Can Vote, by Scott Grammer
23. Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19 Opportunity to release prisoners with little public safety risk is clear, by Sharon Dolovich
24. Multiple Indictments, Prison Sentences, for Guards and Officials at Violence-Plagued Cleveland Jail, by Edward Lyon
25. Another Prisoner Dies at Tennessee Prison Run By CoreCivic, by Matthew Clarke
26. Texas Prison Health Care Costs at Record High Despite Population Reduction, by Matthew Clarke
27. DOJ to Treat Immigrants Like Criminals by Collecting DNA Samples, by Kevin Bliss
28. Minnesota Prison Bans “No Touch” Rule, by Edward Lyon
29. Alabama Grandma Sentenced to Life on Drug Charge Finally Paroled, by David Reutter
30. ICE Diverts Needed Face Masks from Medical Professionals, by Kevin Bliss
31. Paroled New Yorker Wrongfully Confined; Awarded $3,250, by Kevin Bliss
32. Michigan Permits Prisoners to Seek Financial Assistance for College, by Bill Barton
33. New Yorker Held Three Years at Rikers Island Before Acquittal, by Matthew Clarke
34. Arizona DOC Raids Prisoner-Generated Funds to Pay for Lock Repairs; Whistleblower Says Records Being Falsified, by Matthew Clarke
35. Kentucky Governor’s Executive Order Restores Voting Rights for Felons, by David Reutter
36. Women Advocate for the Release of COVID-19 At-Risk Prisoners in Indiana, by Kevin Bliss
37. D.C. Juvenile Offender Finally Released After 26 Years Behind Bars, by Bill Barton
38. Arizona Court Denies Emergency COVID-19 Motion, by David Reutter
39. Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic
40. Santa Rita Jail Accused of Slave Labor in California Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
41. Open Prison: Lessons from the Past, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
42. $25 Million Jury Award to Baltimore City Prisoner For Guards Setting Up Retaliatory Gang Attack, by Dale Chappell
43. Chatham County Jail Reverses On Book Ban But Limits Number of Publications, by David Reutter
44. Third Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Dry Cell Suit, by David Reutter
45. Leaving Prison for a Real Home in California, by Edward Lyon
46. Health Care Services Killing Women at Virginia Prison, by David Reutter
47. $120,000 Settlement for Minnesota Woman Forced to Remove Hijab for Booking, by David Reutter
48. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
• California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
• Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
• Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
• In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
• Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024

More from these topics:

• Florida Prisoner Whose Case Ended LWOP for Juveniles Released, Sept. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Sentences - Length/Severity of.
• Washington Prisoner’s Sentence Vacated After Attorney Calls and Visits Were Recorded, Aug. 15, 2024. Attorney Client, Prisoner Privileges, Disclosure of Records, Recordings, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of.
• Alabama Denies Parole to Dead Prisoner, Aug. 15, 2024. Wrongful Death, Conditions of, Sentences - Length/Severity of, Compassionate Release.
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces § 9-1.2(d) Sets Range of Sentences for Intentional Homicide of Unborn Child but Does Not Convert Offense Into Murder for Life-Sentence Enhancement, March 15, 2024. Sentences - Length/Severity of.
• Wisconsin Supreme Court: Jail Time Must Be Credited When Charge Causing Jailing Read in At Sentencing, Jan. 1, 2024. Sentencing, Good Time, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Credits.
• New Mexico Ends Juvenile Life Without Parole, Retroactively Applies Rule to Previously Convicted Minors, Dec. 15, 2023. Parole, Three Strikes, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of.
• New Mexico Supreme Court Announces Trial Courts Retain Common Law Jurisdictional Authority to Correct Illegal Sentences, Allows Defendant to Withdraw Plea After Sentence Correction Involving Additional Parole Time, Nov. 1, 2023. Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Knowingly and Voluntarily Made.
• Even as U.S. Jail Population Declines, Average Length of Stay Rises, Sept. 1, 2022. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Length/Severity of.
• First Circuit: Procedurally Unreasonable for District Court to Base Upward Variance on Defendant’s Prior Arrests, Aug. 15, 2022. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Prior Arrests.
• California Court of Appeal: Trial Court Required to Provide Notice and Consider Information Provided by Parties Before Ruling on CDCR Recommendation to Recall Sentence Pursuant to § 1170(d)(1), Jan. 15, 2022. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of.