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US DOJ Finds California Alameda County Jail in Violation of Constitution and ADA
by Matt Clarke
On April 22, 2021, the Civil Rights Division (CRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a notice to Alameda County, California and its Santa Rita Jail, finding that both engage in practices which violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ …
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More from this issue:
- Mississippi Supreme Court Applies Pro Se Leniency in Reversing Dismissal of Prisoner’s Lawsuit Challenging Prison Disciplinary Action, by Matthew Clarke
- Nominal Representation Without Actual Representation: One Person, No Vote, by Edward Lyon
- Louisiana Bars Problem Doctors from Practicing Medicine in Most Hospitals. So They Treat Incarcerated People Instead., by Addy Baird
- California Female Prisoners Used as Honey Trap Bait for Rapist Guard, by Edward Lyon
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, by Derek Gilna
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, by Derek Gilna
- Modest Decline in Prison and Jail Populations in Spring 2021, by Matthew Clarke
- FCC Takes Further Action on Prison and Jail Phone Rates, by Chuck Sharman
- Seventh Circuit: PLRA Mandates Dismissal for Deceit on IFP Application, by David Reutter
- Federal BOP Overwhelmingly Denies Compassionate Releases During COVID, by Daniel A. Rosen
- HRDC Sues Florida DOC Over Censorship, for the Third Time in 18 Years, by Chuck Sharman
- Fourth Circuit: No Privacy Expectation Exists for Prisoner in Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV, by David Reutter
- Pandemic Medical Update: The Delta Surge, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- These Meds Prevent Overdoses. Few Federal Prisoners Are Getting Them, by Beth Schwartzapfel
- Massachusetts Cop Indicted for Lying About Checking Cell of Prisoner Who Died of Drug Overdose
- New Clemency Rules Expected to Expedite Civil Rights Restoration in Florida, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Files Environmental Lawsuit Against Phosphate Company Pollution, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- HRDC Sues Illinois DOC Under FOIA, Again, for GTL Contract Details, by Chuck Sharman
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, by Derek Gilna
- San Diego Jail Approves Free Phone and Video Calls
- Lawsuit Over Alabama Private Mega-Prison Leases Dismissed, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Eighth Circuit Holds Lack of “Clearly Established” Law Requiring Staffer to Notify of Prisoner’s Suicide Risk Prevented Damages, by Dale Chappell
- EPA Slams GEO Over Disinfectant Use at Private Prison, Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction to Stop It, by Dale Chappell
- $10 Million Settlement in Taser Death of Mentally Ill Man in South Carolina Jail, by David Reutter
- Criminal Justice System Encourages Racism According to MIT Study, by Kevin Bliss
- $750,000 Settlement in South Dakota Pretrial Detainee’s Overdose Death, by David Reutter
- US Marshalls Terminate Contract with GEO Snitch Camp at Queens NY Detention Facility, by Douglas Ankney
- Florida’s Brutal Prison System Will Continue to Subsidize Rural Economies, With No Meaningful Reform in Sight, by David Reutter
- California Begins Transfer of Prisoners to Facilities Consistent with Prisoners’ Gender Identity, by Douglas Ankney
- US DOJ Finds California Alameda County Jail in Violation of Constitution and ADA, by Matthew Clarke
- Report Shows COVID-19 Reduced Life Expectancy for Prisoners in Florida, Same Likely for Other States, by David Reutter
- Ohio Guard Added to Sex Offender List and Sent to Prison for Sex with Detainee
- $350,000 Settlement for New Mexico Pretrial Detainee in ‘Failure to Protect’ Claim, by David Reutter
- The Killing Fields: Three Alabama State Prisoners Murdered in Five Days, by Edward Lyon
- New Mexico Jail Sued For Allowing Woman Prisoner to Die of Infections, by Keith Sanders
- Beating Death in Oahu Jail Ends With Acquittal of Mentally Ill Killer, by Kevin Dayton
- $2.1 Million Awarded in Beating Ordered by Kentucky Jail Guard
- Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Federal Prisoner’s Bivens Action Challenging Due Process in 280-Day SHU Stay and Alleging Retaliation, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Lawsuit For CoreCivic Causing BOP Detainee’s Prolonged Detention Without Court Appearance or Attorney, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuit Filed Over Rodent Infestation at New Mexico Prison, by David Reutter
- Illinois Prison Guard Charged for Assaulting a Prisoner
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, by Derek Gilna, Douglas Ankney
- Decapitated Prisoner Shows CDCR Safety Standards Still Headed in the Wrong Direction, by Matthew Clarke
- The U.S. Department of Justice Creates Risk Assessment Tool to Help Determine Who is Eligible for Early Release Under First Step Act
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- California Appeals Court Holds Habeas Action Over Censorship of Tattoo Magazine Mooted By Delivery, by Matthew Clarke
- Two Albuquerque Jailers Indicted for Killing Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorney Fees Awarded Against CoreCivic After Defamation Suit Dismissed, by David Reutter
- Tenth Circuit Rejects Government’s Appeal Over Recorded Attorney Calls and Visits at Private Prison in Leavenworth, by Dale Chappell
- Prisoner’s Suicide in Sherburne County Minnesota Jail Results in $2.3 Million Settlement, by Keith Sanders
- $30,001 Jury Verdict Over Discriminatory ICE Notification Policy By Minnesota Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules on Medical Parole Despite Death of Prisoners Who Sought Judicial Review, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026. Court Access, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Counsel - Right to, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Due Process, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Pretrial Detention and Detainees.
- Louisiana Republicans Eliminate Elected Office Won by Exonerated Ex-Prisoner, July 1, 2026. Discrimination, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Public Trial, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions, Fair Trial.
- Michigan Supreme Court Announces Betts Decision Invalidating 2011 SORA as Ex Post Facto Punishment Applies Retroactively to Defendants on Collateral Review, July 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Retroactivity, Ex Post Facto, Constitution, state, Constitutional Challenges/Law.
- $250,000 Paid by Maine to Former Prisoner Held in Solitary Confinement—Which the State DOC Says Doesn’t Exist, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Americans with Disabilities Act, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Totality of Conditions, Parole, Life without Parole (LWOP), Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Mandatory Life Without Parole for Felony Murder Unconstitutional Under State Constitution, Holding Article I, Section 13 Provides Broader Protections Than Eighth Amendment, April 1, 2026. Life without Parole (LWOP), Constitution, state, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Resentencing, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, March 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Exposure to Heat, Injunctions (PLRA), Class Certification, Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Delaware Settles Suit Over Depriving Young Prisoners of Special Education, Feb. 1, 2026. Disabled Prisoners, Education, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- 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.

