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Nominal Representation Without Actual Representation: One Person, No Vote
by Ed Lyon
In the antebellum South, the Missouri Compromise allowed for every slave to count as four-fifths of a person for census and representative purposes.
In our current, much more enlightened nation, every prisoner counts as an entire person for census and representative purposes. One thing …
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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 Edward Lyon:
- “There you go, Agent Orange!” Former South Carolina Sheriff Federally Indicted for Assaulting Jail Detainee, May 1, 2024
- Texas Prisons are Fire Traps, July 15, 2023
- The World’s Biggest Prison, July 15, 2023
- U.S. Prisoner Numbers Slowly Declining, June 15, 2023
- Civilian Police With Military Equipment, June 15, 2023
- California Easing Housing Hurdles for Released Prisoners, June 1, 2023
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, May 1, 2023
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, May 1, 2023
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, May 1, 2023
- New York State’s Veterans Treatment Courts, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Prisons in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula “in a Death Spiral” Due to Under-Staffing, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Rural Prisons, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Assaults on Staff.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Transportation, Rural Prisons, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- “Critical Labor Shortage” Declared at Two Rural Prisons in Nevada, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Rural Prisons, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Report Shows How Prison Gerrymanders Distort Democracy Across U.S., Jan. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Voting, Census, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Voting Rights.
- Inspectors Urge New Jersey to Demolish Old, “Inhumane” Prison, Oct. 1, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Overcrowding, Rural Prisons.
- DOJ Tables Controversial Kentucky Prison to Claw Back $500 Million Budget, Aug. 1, 2025. Environmental Law, Rural Prisons.
- GOP Washington Lawmaker Trolls Felon Enfranchisement Proponents, April 1, 2025. Voting, Voting Rights Act, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Number of Texas Detainees Jailed Out-of-County Doubled in Five Years, March 1, 2025. Jail Specific, Transportation, Rural Prisons.
- Warden, Top Deputy Walked Off the Job at “Wild West” Missouri Prison, March 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, War on Drugs, Rural Prisons.

