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Guard Commits Suicide Amidst Allegations in Federal Prison
by Jayson Hawkins
Officer Phillip Tippett, 47, died on Christmas Day 2020, shooting himself with a gun he brought into Coleman, a federal prison complex in Sumter County, Florida.
Joe Rojas, a spokesperson for the AFGE Council of Prisons union, said Tippett had been under investigation due …
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More from this issue:
- The 10 Worst Sheriffs in America, by Nicole Audrey Spector
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Auditor Slams California ICE Facility That Released Detainees With COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
- Sen. Warren Investigation Exposes Broken Prison Accreditation System, by Jayson Hawkins
- Kentucky Consolidated Local Government Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David Reutter
- 25 Years of the AEDPA: Where do We Stand?, by Dale Chappell
- Prisoners Released Without COVID Tests Face Difficult Reentry, by Jayson Hawkins
- Pandemic Medical Update, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Former Georgia Sheriff Deputies Denied Immunity in Criminal Case for Taser Death of Unarmed Man, by David Reutter
- Law Passes Requiring Parents in New York Prisons to be Housed Close to Their Children, by Kevin Bliss
- Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner Dies in 101-Degree Cell, by Edward Lyon
- Trump Pardons Highlight System’s Flaws, by Jayson Hawkins
- Prioritizing Incarcerated People for Vaccine Quickly Reduced COVID in IL Prisons, by Brian Dolinar
- Massachusetts Medical Parole Cases and COVID-19 Prisoner Deaths, by Edward Lyon
- Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID at Chesapeake, MD Jail Reaches Settlement, by David Reutter
- DOJ: Florida Women’s Prison Subjects Prisoners to Unconstitutional Risk of Sexual Abuse, by Kevin Bliss, David Reutter
- New Hampshire Prisoner Sues to Enforce Conditions of Consent Decree, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Supermax Closing After Lawsuit Filed Seeking to Reduce Use of Solitary, by Anthony Accurso
- Court Orders In-Person Inspection of Michigan Facility to Determine COVID-19 Policy Compliance, by David Reutter
- Inspection Reports Reveal Filthy Conditions In Arizona Prison Kitchens, by Jimmy Jenkins
- Prison Overcrowding Continues During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
- NY Prisoner Entitled to Release Upon Reaching Conditional Release Date, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Leases Closed Private Prison to Use as State Facility, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Find Their Voice in Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, by Edward Lyon
- Texas Republican Representative Proposes Renaming Prisons With Names Honoring Enslavers, Oppressors and Convict Leasers, by Matthew Clarke
- Draconian Use of Solitary Confinement in North Carolina, by Keith Sanders
- Inspector General Calls California Prison Reform Efforts a $10 Million Failure, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Man Dies Soon After Exonerated of Sex Offense, by Edward Lyon
- Sixth Circuit Refuses to Extend Bivens to BOP Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Activism and Art Team Up to Abolish Mass Incarceration, by Keith Sanders
- Connecticut Prisoner Population Lowest in Over Three Decades Due to Coronavirus, by Douglas Ankney
- DWN Report Shows ICE Facilities Were Community Superspreaders of COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
- State Prison System Takes Over County Jail, by Edward Lyon
- PA Lawsuit Claims Allegheny County Jail Sergeant Brutalized Disabled Women, by David Reutter
- GEO Group Puts Money, Lobbyist into Defeating Bill to Prohibit Private Prisons in Virginia, by David Reutter
- Six Howard County, Indiana Jail Guards Fired Over Sexual Assaults and Harassment of Prisoners, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Guard Commits Suicide Amidst Allegations in Federal Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fourth Circuit Holds Immigrant Children’s Mental Health Care Should Be Up to Professional Standards, by David Reutter
- Federal Agencies Rack Up Nearly One Thousand Arrest-Related or In-Custody Deaths in Two Years, DOJ Report Finds, by David Reutter
- Pew Study Shows Crime Falls but Spending on Jails Soar, by David Reutter
- State Auditor Report Critical of Texas Prison Agribusiness, by Matthew Clarke
- Amending the 13th Amendment, by Edward Lyon
- Auditor Appalled at Lack of Spending Controls in Mississippi Prison System, by David Reutter
- Washington Gives Right to Vote to 20,000 People Previously Incarcerated, by Juliette LaMarr
- Pushing Back on Prison Labor, by Lilah Burke
- Fourth Circuit Holds Deaf Federal Civilly Committed Sex Offender Has First Amendment Right of Access to Point-to-Point Videocalls in BOP Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Lawsuit in Prisoner Overdose at San Diego Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Microsoft Invests in Digital Incarceration, by Jayson Hawkins
- Resources for Understanding Today’s Prison System, by Kevin Bliss
- NC Prisoner Survives Summary Judgment for Two Excessive Force Claims, by David Reutter
- Staff Shortages in Georgia Prisons Reach Crisis Levels, by Keith Sanders
- Colorado Grants COVID-19-Related Clemencies, by Edward Lyon
- U.S. DOJ Statistics on Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Perpetrators, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Jayson Hawkins:
- Bad Lawyering, Bankruptcy Torpedo Suit Over Delaware Prisoner’s Death, July 15, 2023
- Senators Rail at DOJ Failure to Report In-Custody Deaths, June 15, 2023
- Financial Pressure Finally Brings Police Reform, June 15, 2023
- “Slap On the Wrist” for California Bail Agents Who Hired Bounty Hunter Who Killed Their Client, May 1, 2023
- MTV Documentary Shines Light on Art Behind Bars, May 1, 2023
- Arizona Prisoner Condemned Again for Cellmate’s Murder, May 1, 2023
- U.S. Response to Haitian Crisis: Fund More Prisons, April 1, 2023
- Former State Prison Guards in Georgia Sentenced for Prisoner Assaults and Cover-Up, April 1, 2023
- After Years of Hard Work and Dedication, Adnan Syed Is Freed by Serendipity, March 15, 2023
- Time to Find the Key, March 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- 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.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- 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.
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Records Show Culture of Impunity Among Kentucky Prison Guards, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Whistleblowing, Evidence - Admissibility.

