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U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions
by David M. Reutter
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on December 9, 2020, filed a lawsuit alleging that the state of Alabama is “deliberately indifferent” to unconstitutional conditions persisting at its state prisons, facilities that “are riddled with prisoner-on-prisoner and guard-on-prisoner violence,” according to Assistant U.S. Attorney …
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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 David Reutter:
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Revives Prisoner’s Claim Based on Guard’s Thwarting of Administrative Remedies, Aug. 1, 2025
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025
- Qualified Immunity Denied for Iowa Prison Doctor’s MRI Delay for Non-Medical Reasons, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference, Compassionate Release.
- Washington County Pays $300,000 to Jail Detainee Denied Treatment for Kidney Stone, Feb. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Deliberate Indifference.
- $450,000 Paid for Michigan Jail Detainee’s Fentanyl Death, Incarcerated Husband Prevails in Claim for Part of Payout, Feb. 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death, Feb. 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Alabama and Wexford Health Pay Undisclosed Settlement for Delays Costing Prisoner Partial Foot Amputation, Feb. 1, 2026. Wexford Health Services, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Infections, Deliberate Indifference.
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026. Transportation, Excessive Force, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Deliberate Indifference.
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Pending Appeal/Sentencing.
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).

