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Lawsuit Over Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Fatal Asthma Attack Allegedly Triggered by Excessive Use of Pepper Spray
by Matt Clarke
The estate of a Philadelphia man who died of asthma in a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) prison filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the DOC and officials alleging he was denied adequate medical care after excessive amounts of pepper spray were deployed against …
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More from this issue:
- The Punishment Economy: Winners and Losers in the Business of Mass Incarceration, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Use of Solitary Confinement During Pandemic Detrimental To Prisoners and Not Slowing Spread of COVID-19, by Chad Marks
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Why Did a St. Louis Man Die in a Federal Prison Coronavirus Hotspot?, by Mike Fitzgerald
- Texas Prisons Close Amid Pandemic, by Jayson Hawkins
- The Importance of Establishing Veterans Benefits While in Prison, by Art Gage
- ICE Holding Cuban Detainee for 11 Years and Counting Following Florida Prison Release, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Alabama Prisons, Among Deadliest for COVID-19, Not Prepared to Vaccinate Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- Amid Widespread Calls for Abolition, Mariame Kaba Sheds Light With Latest Book, by Juliette LaMarr
- Massachusetts Uses Medical Parole to Avoid In-Custody Deaths From COVID-19, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Second Circuit Reinstates Acquitted New York City Man’s Claims of Police Due Process Violations and Excessive Use of Force by Jailers, by Matthew Clarke
- Music Project Brings Prisoners’ Stories to Life in Song, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Report: Massachusetts Prisons Continue to Fail on Mental Health Care, by Jayson Hawkins
- Federal Court: COVID-19 Vaccine Must be Available to All Oregon Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Idaho Supreme Court Orders Release of Death Penalty Related Documents, by David Reutter
- BOP’s Terminal Island Response Sparked COVID-19 Spread, by Mark Wilson
- Second Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Lawsuit Alleging New York Guard Sexually Assaulted Female Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Qualified Immunity Granted on Claim of Sleep Deprivation From Guard Noise During Suicide-Prevention Checks in California, by David Reutter
- Texas Moves to Deny Housing for Released Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- California State Prisoners Pay Teen’s School Tuition, by Edward Lyon
- Smoking on the Chain Gang, by David Reutter
- Medical Copays for Prisoners Suspended in Several States Due to COVID-19, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Washington State Governor Signs Bill Banning Private Prisons Statewide, by Juliette LaMarr
- Pandemic Medical Update: Vaccines, Variants and More, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Southern Republican Senators Criticize Third Pandemic Relief Bill for Giving Payments to Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Broad Support for North Carolina Bill to Bar Shackling Pregnant Prisoners, by Daniel Matheson
- Judge Slaps Arizona With $1.1 Million Fine Over Prison Health Care, by David Reutter
- With the majority of corrections officers declining the COVID-19 vaccine, incarcerated people are still at serious risk, by Wanda Bertram, Wendy Sawyer
- HRDC Wins FOIA Lawsuit filed in Washington State for Unredacted ICE Documents, by David Reutter
- Report: Private Company Rubber-Stamps Inspections of Abuse-Ridden ICE Detention Camps, by Kevin Bliss
- Family of San Quentin Prisoner Who Died of COVID-19 Due to “Horribly Botched Transfer” Files Lawsuit, by Douglas Ankney
- Report Calls for the End of Solitary Confinement at Michigan Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Washington Supreme Court Holds Ongoing Contempt Not Required to Impose Sanctions for Violating Injunction Against Releasing Sex Offender Records, by Matthew Clarke
- Repairing Credit After Release from Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- Report: Border Patrol Misappropriated Funds and Failed to Provide Proper Medical Care to Accurately Report Migrant Deaths, by Douglas Ankney
- Biden’s Justice Department Nomination Faces Aggressive Opposition From Senate Republicans, by Juliette LaMarr
- Lawsuit Over Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Fatal Asthma Attack Allegedly Triggered by Excessive Use of Pepper Spray, by Matthew Clarke
- Narrowing the Remedial Gap: Damages for Disability Discrimination in Outsourced Federal Programs, by Margo Schlanger
- COVID-19 Kills Jeffery Epstein’s Former Cellmate, by Edward Lyon
- News in Brief
- Banksy Artwork Appears on Jail in England, by David Reutter
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- 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
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- 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
More from these topics:
- Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Taser Use Doubled After Grand Jury Report on Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Staff Training.
- $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes, April 1, 2026. Clothing, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Chemical Spraying of Mentally Ill Inmates, Deliberate Indifference.
- $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, April 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Religious Practices, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, April 1, 2026. Restraints, Qualified Immunity, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Wrongful Use of Force.
- 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.
- Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, March 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- 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).
- $404,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Brutalized by Trio of Guards, Kept in Solitary for Two Years, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Retaliatory Segregation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.

