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Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners
by Matt Clarke
On February 14, 2021, a winter storm with temperatures far below freezing swept through Texas causing an unprepared electrical grid to falter and resulting in at least 57 deaths. The storm caused widespread power outages and rolling blackouts. The frigid temperatures and lack of power …
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More from this issue:
- Jail Suicides in Massachusetts Point to National Crisis: Challenging Legislatures to Say Not One More, by Jennifer Honig
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Government Refuses to Follow Federal Court’s Discovery Order After Being Caught Recording Attorney Meetings with Prisoners at Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, by Derek Gilna
- Pandemic Medical Update: “Herd Immunity” at Prisons?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Governor Ends Good Time Offer for Prisoners Taking COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Reutter
- Confidential Settlement in Case Involving Alleged Pattern of Racist Misconduct in Michigan Prisons, by Casey Bastian
- Connecticut Lawmakers Refuse to Address Corrections Issues During Pandemic, by Anthony Accurso
- California Trans Women Struggle For Protection Under Prison Rape Elimination Act, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Jail Administrators Fired After Woman Gives Birth in Cell, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Holiday Cards for Prisoners: Let’s End Collective Punishment in U.S. Prisons, by Sandy Rozek
- COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, by Chad Marks
- Virginia Settles Two Lawsuits Over Misuse of Solitary Confinement, by Daniel A. Rosen
- COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Job Hunting Especially Difficult for Ex-Offenders, by Kevin Bliss
- Activist, Political Prisoner, and Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal Diagnosed With COVID-19, Energizing Calls for His Release, by Juliette LaMarr
- U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions, by David Reutter
- Florida Prison Guard Indicted in Prisoner Death by Blunt Force Trauma, by David Reutter
- Michigan Begins Video Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic, by David Reutter
- Hawaii Fails to Provide Video of Two Prison Disturbances, by Edward Lyon
- California Prison Factories Fined For Exposing Unwitting Workers to COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
- "Conservative New York County Enacts Progressive Transgender Prisoner Policy", by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s 18 U.S.C. § 111 Conviction for Assaulting Federally Contracted Private Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn’t Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight, by Casey Bastian
- COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All, by Derek Gilna
- COVID-19 Continues Rampage Through Pennsylvania State Prisons, by Derek Gilna
- Alabama Jails and Prisoners Swamped With COVID-Related Problems, by Daniel A. Rosen
- $105,000 Settlement in Wisconsin Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, by David Reutter
- How States Exclude People With Criminal Records From Jury Service, by Dale Chappell
- Study Shows Misaligned Economic Incentives Fuel Mass Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
- California Enacts Legislation Strengthening Protections for LGBTQ Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Baltimore Demolishes Maryland’s Oldest Penitentiary, Burying Its Nostalgia And Nightmares, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Books: “Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty”, by Robert Dunham
- Florida Senator Wants to Keep Ex-Prisoners from Earning the $15 Minimum Wage Increase, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Prisoner Becomes Activist for LBGTQ Rights in California Prisons
- Parnall Correctional Facility in Michigan Copes with Scabies Outbreak, by Kevin Bliss
- People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations, by Andrea Fenster
- Fourth Circuit: Deaf North Carolina Prisoner Should be Allowed Direct Videophone Calls to Communicate with Deaf Community, by David Reutter
- Ransomware Attack on GEO Group Exposes Sensitive Information, by Matthew Clarke
- Hundreds of Virginia Inmates Await Parole Consideration Under New Law, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Colorado’s Governor Bows to Pressure in Denying State Prisoners Priority COVID-19 Vaccinations, by Derek Gilna
- Experts Divided on Drug Court Effectiveness, by Kevin Bliss
- More Than 40 Immigrants Have Died in ICE Custody, by Anthony Accurso
- Secrecy Surrounded Flurry of Late-Term Federal Executions Under Donald Trump, by Derek Gilna
- New Advocacy Group for New Mexico Prisoners Created, by Dale Chappell
- Vermont Prisoner’s Death Under Investigation: Did Implicit Bias Play Role?, by Kevin Bliss
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, March 1, 2026
- Missouri Judge Heavily Sanctions DOC for “Deliberate Disregard for the Authority of This Court” in Suit Over Prisoner’s Suicide, March 1, 2026
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, April 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sewage, Shelter, Vermin.
- Showers at St. Louis County Jail Riddled with Mold, Report Finds, March 1, 2026. Food, Overcrowding, Plumbing, Water, Sanitation.
- Washington Appellate Court Uses Personal Restraint Petitions Mooted by Prisoners’ Transfers to Order Remedial Measures at Troubled Juvenile Lockup, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Staffing, Plumbing, Lockdowns, Juvenile Prisons.
- Two Mississippi Prisons Lose Power During Winter Storm, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Exposure to Cold, Negligence/Reckless Endangerment.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff, Feb. 1, 2026. Escapes, Plumbing, Jail Specific, Security Systems.
- Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures, Feb. 1, 2026. Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Labor, Work Conditions/Safety, Exposure to Cold, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Report on Baltimore Jail Reveals Human Waste Dripped from Ceilings, Feb. 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Food, Plumbing, Sewage, Security Systems.
- $600,000 Awarded So Far in Disgraced Georgia Sheriff’s Trial for Abusing Detainee in Restraint Chair, Jan. 1, 2026. Exposure to Cold, Restraints, Qualified Immunity, Damages - Compensatory, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Broken Water Pipe Leads to Unsanitary Conditions at Montana State Prison, Dec. 1, 2025. Disabled Prisoners, Plumbing, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Supplies.
- Federal Injunction Bars ICE from Crowding Detainees in Unsanitary “Hold” Rooms in New York City Office, Nov. 1, 2025. Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Totality of Conditions, Food, Overcrowding, Plumbing, Sanitation, Bedding, Hygiene Supplies, Prisoner Legal Assistance, Legal Materials, Law Library Access/Adequacy, Summary Judgment, Injunctions, Class Certification, Immigration Detention.

