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Pennsylvania Correctional Emergency Response Teams Face New Scrutiny in “Noose” Controversy
by Derek Gilna
A Correctional Emergency Response Team, also known as CERT, is under investigation for allegedly placing a noose on the bunk of a Black prisoner, Aaron Tyson, at State Correctional Institution Houtzdale, in Pennsylvania.
After guards searched their dorm room, Tyson and his roommates noticed …
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More from this issue:
- The Way Prisoners Flag Guard Abuse, Inadequate Health Care and Unsanitary Conditions Is Broken, by Shannon Heffernan
- Collateral Consequences of Mass Incarceration, by Edward Lyon
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- New York Parole System Badly in Need of Repair, by Kevin Bliss
- Pandemic Update: News on Vaccines and Prison and Jail Staffing, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Urgent Need for Vaccine Administration in Prisons, Jails and Detention Centers, by Sharon Dolovich, Aaron Littman, Maya Chaudhuri
- Almost 300,000 Fell Ill and 2,000 Died from COVID-19 in U.S. Jails, Prisons, by Derek Gilna
- California Loses Round in Legal Fight to Deny Parole Based on Gang Affiliation, by David Reutter
- Was Indiana Women’s Prison Willfully Ignorant About COVID-19 Numbers?, by Matthew Clarke
- How a Private Prison Company’s Defamation Suit Against One of Its Critics Backfired, by Madison Pauley
- After $625,000 Settlement, Oregon Deputy Charged in Assault of Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s Office Sued in Federal Court for Treatment of Transgender Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Judge Slaps ICE, GEO Group Over “Abominable Performance” and Officials Who Lied During Testimony, by David Reutter
- No Summary Judgment on Oregon Prisoner’s Retaliatory Termination Claim, by Mark Wilson
- Minnesota State and Federal Prisoners COVID Case Surge Sparks ACLU Lawsuit, by Derek Gilna
- Missouri Prisoner Pleaded for Release Before Dying of COVID-19, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Ninth Circuit Finds California Prisoner’s Administrative Remedies Effectively Unavailable, by Mark Wilson
- Fourth Circuit Holds Prisoner’s Indefinite Period of Solitary Confinement at Virginia Supermax May Amount to Atypical and Significant Hardship, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Educational Aid Restored for State and Federal Prisoners, by Dale Chappell
- Progress Made in Fight Against Prison Gerrymandering But Battle Continues, by Douglas Ankney
- COVID-19: What Texas Must Do to Save Prisoners’ Lives, by Edward Lyon
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Lower Court’s Dismissal of California Prisoner’s Religious Freedom Lawsuit, by Mark Wilson
- Minnesota Prison Guard Fired for Excessive Force After Brawl Linked to Floyd Protests, by Anthony Accurso
- New Details Emerge on Senseless Death in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- Justice Department Report Documents Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center’s Poor Response to COVID-19 Crisis, by Kevin Bliss
- $1.1 Million Settlement in Kentucky Jail Sex Abuse Suit, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge in Georgia Grants Class Action Status to Prisoners’ Suit Against Global Tel*Link
- Global Tel*Link Hit with Sanctions For Discovery Violations in Georgia Prison Call Class Action, by Derek Gilna
- Fourth Circuit: ADA Relief Claims Improperly Dismissed in Virginia, by Mark Wilson
- Private Prison Companies Face Stock Crash, Credit Crunch, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Pays Prisoners Pennies on the Dollar to Fight Fires, All in the Name of Saving Money, by Dale Chappell
- Former BOP Director Norman Carlson, Who Developed Supermax Model, Dies at 86, by Kevin Bliss
- Mellon Foundation to Provide $5.25 Million in Program to Distribute Books to Prisoners, by Douglas Ankney
- Experts Find “Deplorable” Conditions at Mississippi’s Parchman Prison, by David Reutter
- ICE Refused Help in Containing Coronavirus in New Mexico Detention Centers, by Kevin Bliss
- Troubled Ohio Jail Faces Two More Lawsuits, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania Correctional Emergency Response Teams Face New Scrutiny in “Noose” Controversy, by Derek Gilna
- New Mexico Corrections Pays $1.4 Million to Settle Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Retaliation for Exposing Deficiencies in Corizon Medical Care, by Douglas Ankney
- Child Sexual Abuse: It’s Never Too Late to Speak Out, by Darrell Cochran
- No-Show Prison Workers Cost Mississippi Taxpayers Millions, by Joseph Neff, Alysia Santo
- Ninth Circuit Holds Intermediate Scrutiny Applies in Challenges to Facially Discriminatory Prison Regulations, by Matthew Clarke
- Overtime Payouts in California Prison System Approach $500 Million, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Florida State Prisons Scrub Key COVID Data From Website, Obscuring Magnitude of Inmate Deaths and Infections, by Laura Cassels
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Prisoners Have No Right to Paid or Unpaid Employment, by Matthew Clarke
- Legislative Exemption Let Fired Alaska Cop Be Rehired as Jailer, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Paid $2 Per Hour to Move COVID-19 Corpses in El Paso, Texas, by Matthew Clarke
- NY Federal Court Denies Summary Judgment on Claims of Improper Medication Seizure, Evidence Fabrication, Improper Frisk During Prison Visit, by Matthew Clarke
- Minnesota Man Out of Prison After Being Exonerated of Murder, by Edward Lyon
- Federal Court Again Orders California DOC to Remedy Continuing ADA Violations, by Derek Gilna
- $4.65 Million Settlement for Florida Female Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Beating by Guards, by David Reutter
- Decline in South Dakota State Prisoners Not Due to COVID, by Edward Lyon
- COVID-19: The Politics of Prisoner Vaccination, by Kevin Bliss
- DOJ Report: Carceral Population Falls, 2017-2018, by Matthew Clarke
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Tennessee DOC’s Hepatitis C Treatment Due to Lack of Funds, 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:
- Former Prison Dentist in Iowa Accused of Harassment, May 1, 2026. Sexual Harassment, Threats by Staff, Medical Misconduct, Dental Care.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- “Like the Walking Dead”: Smuggled Drugs Fuel Chaos Inside Ohio Prisons, May 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Security Systems, Drugs - Determination of.
- Watchdog Finds Barely 1 in 10 Complaints Against California Prison Staff Handled Adequately, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Evidence, Staff Training, Statutes of Limitation and Laches.
- Records Show Culture of Impunity Among Kentucky Prison Guards, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Whistleblowing, Evidence - Admissibility.
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- “Devil in the Ozarks” Gets 13 More Years for Escape, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Escapes, Security Systems, Authentication/Identification.
- 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.

