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New Yorker Held Three Years at Rikers Island Before Acquittal
by Matt Clarke
A man from New York City was held three years in a Rikers Island jail before a Brooklyn jury acquitted him October 1, 2019 of a knife-point armed robbery.
Mike Colon, 51, was just eight months out of prison when four police cars slid …
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More from this issue:
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, by Christopher Zoukis
- Early Prison Release for Gangsta Rapper Sped Up by Coronavirus, by Edward Lyon
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prioritizing Jails Over Hospitals Has Made Rural US More Vulnerable to COVID-19, by Jasmine Heiss, Jack Norton
- May Update: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Recent Exonerees Give the Public Advice on Being Locked Down: You Have No Idea, by Dale Chappell
- Lawsuit: Release Prisoners in Virus Tinderbox to Home Confinement, by David Reutter
- Prison Postcards: Prisoners Write About Fears, Incompetence, at Their Facilities, by Ken Silverstein
- Rikers Island Prisoners Helped with Preparations to Bury the Coronavirus Dead
- Federal Judge “Troubled” by Arizona Prison Director’s Response to Coronavirus; State Rep Calls it “Reckless”, by Dale Chappell
- California Publishes Use of Force in Prisons Report, by Anthony Accurso
- Connecticut Prisoners Win Lawsuit After Hepatitis Exposure, by Edward Lyon
- Nevada Prisoner Prevails in Good Time Deprivation Appeal, by Edward Lyon
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Court Grants Default Summary Judgment in Favor of Indiana Prisoner as Sanction for State’s Lies, by Dale Chappell
- Arkansas Supreme Court Denies Prisoner Preliminary Injunction on Religious Issues, by Anthony Accurso
- How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?, by Emily Widra, Peter Wagner
- Suit: Mississippi Man Sentenced to Two Days Hangs Himself After Jail Kept Him 52 Days Longer, by Douglas Ankney
- Emergency Cancellation of Attorney Visits Subject to Court Oversight, by David Reutter
- Undisclosed Settlement in Kentucky Case a Textbook Case of Negligent Privatized Prison Medical Care, by David Reutter
- Illinois Supreme Court: Settlements with Private Companies When Contracted for Government Service Are Public Record, by Kevin Bliss
- Coalition Fights to Ensure Jailed Voters in Arizona Can Vote, by Scott Grammer
- Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19 Opportunity to release prisoners with little public safety risk is clear, by Sharon Dolovich
- Multiple Indictments, Prison Sentences, for Guards and Officials at Violence-Plagued Cleveland Jail, by Edward Lyon
- Another Prisoner Dies at Tennessee Prison Run By CoreCivic, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Prison Health Care Costs at Record High Despite Population Reduction, by Matthew Clarke
- DOJ to Treat Immigrants Like Criminals by Collecting DNA Samples, by Kevin Bliss
- Minnesota Prison Bans “No Touch” Rule, by Edward Lyon
- ICE Diverts Needed Face Masks from Medical Professionals, by Kevin Bliss
- Alabama Grandma Sentenced to Life on Drug Charge Finally Paroled, by David Reutter
- Paroled New Yorker Wrongfully Confined; Awarded $3,250, by Kevin Bliss
- Michigan Permits Prisoners to Seek Financial Assistance for College, by Bill Barton
- New Yorker Held Three Years at Rikers Island Before Acquittal, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona DOC Raids Prisoner-Generated Funds to Pay for Lock Repairs; Whistleblower Says Records Being Falsified, by Matthew Clarke
- Kentucky Governor’s Executive Order Restores Voting Rights for Felons, by David Reutter
- Women Advocate for the Release of COVID-19 At-Risk Prisoners in Indiana, by Kevin Bliss
- Arizona Court Denies Emergency COVID-19 Motion, by David Reutter
- D.C. Juvenile Offender Finally Released After 26 Years Behind Bars, by Bill Barton
- Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic
- Santa Rita Jail Accused of Slave Labor in California Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
- Open Prison: Lessons from the Past, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Chatham County Jail Reverses On Book Ban But Limits Number of Publications, by David Reutter
- $25 Million Jury Award to Baltimore City Prisoner For Guards Setting Up Retaliatory Gang Attack, by Dale Chappell
- Third Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Dry Cell Suit, by David Reutter
- Leaving Prison for a Real Home in California, by Edward Lyon
- Health Care Services Killing Women at Virginia Prison, by David Reutter
- $120,000 Settlement for Minnesota Woman Forced to Remove Hijab for Booking, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Alabama’s Non-Solution to the Crisis Overtaking Its Prisons, April 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements, Testimony or Documents, False Statements/Perjury.
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, False Statements/Perjury, Possession or Use of Firearms, Abuse of Position of Trust.
- How AI Integration Used by Law Enforcement Fails the Public, Feb. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, False Arrest, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- Aphantasia: Why Truthful Witnesses Can Sound Like Liars, Jan. 1, 2026. Jury Instructions, False Statements/Perjury, Self-Authentication, Voir Dire, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Eyewitness Identification, Character/Reputation/Propensity.
- Five New York Prison Guards Charged with Employment Fraud, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Workers' Compensation, False Statements/Perjury, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- Ninth Circuit Holds Untruthful Responses to Questions Government Is Not Permitted to Ask on Visa Application Is Still Fraud if Responses Could Have Influenced Decision to Grant Request for Visa, Oct. 15, 2025. False Statements/Perjury, Essential Elements of Crime, Fraud and Deceit, Immigration Law/Offenses, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Assault by Police, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Police Misconduct, Stun Guns/Tasers, Immigration, False Arrest, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- First of 10 Guards Charged with Killing of New York Prisoner Pleads Guilty, July 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury.
- SCOTUS Announces Only ‘False’ Statements Made to FDIC Are Criminalized Under 18 U.S.C. § 1014, Not Statements That Are ‘Misleading’ but True, May 15, 2025. Sentencing, False Statements/Perjury.
- Washington DOC On Hot Seat Over “Unexpected Fatalities,” Missed Autopsies, May 1, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, False Statements/Perjury.

