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$177,500 in Settlements Reached with Detainees Assaulted by Guards at Pennsylvania Jail
by Ashleigh N. Dye
Settlement agreements totaling $177,500 were approved in the winter of 2021-22 by the Board of County Commissioners of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, resolving claims by a pair of former detainees at the county jail who were allegedly assaulted by guards.
The first agreement was …
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More from this issue:
- Seventh Circuit Says No Evidence Illinois Prisoner Lied About Endangerment to Circumvent PLRA’s Three-Strikes Rule, by Matthew Clarke
- The Filth & the Fury: Philly Jails Descend into Murderous Chaos, by J.D. Schmidt
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $1,425,000 Paid to Epileptic Illinois Detainee Denied Medication Who Suffered Seizure and Fell From Upper Bunk in Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- Three Killed in Gang Activity at Mississippi Private Prisons Plus High-Profile Escape, But Only One MTC Guard Arrested, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Judge Allows Retroactive Benefit Reduction for Incarcerated Veteran, by David Reutter
- The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Prison Gaming and AR/VR Services, by Cooper Quintin, Beryl Lipton
- California Appellate Court Reverses $2.7 Million Award for Wrongful Death of Woman Murdered by Grandson on Parole, by Jacob Barrett
- Ninth Circuit Strikes Nevada Ban on Muslim Prisoner’s Scented Prayer Oil, Allows Conditions-of-Confinement Claim Also to Proceed, by Mark Wilson
- Nakamoto Group Accused of Rubber-Stamping ICE Facility Inspections, by Alan Gaynor
- The Prisoner-Run Radio Station That’s Reaching Men on Death Row, by Keri Blakinger
- ACLU Wins FOIA Case at Michigan Supreme Court, Which Says Records May Be Exempted Only by Statute, Not Regulation, by David Reutter
- Floridians Face Prison for Voting from Jail, by Panagioti Tsolkas, Jenifer Lockwood
- Tenth Circuit Reinstates Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against BOP Over Denial of Muslim Group Prayer Five Times a Day, by Matthew Clarke
- Reinstating Suit by Louisiana Detainee’s Mother Over His Jail Suicide, Fifth Circuit Schools Lower Court in Meaning of “Standing”, by Matthew Clarke
- Vermont Supreme Court Keeps State Prisoner’s Challenge Alive to DOC’s Use of Expunged Convictions in Classification Decision, by Matthew Clarke
- $825,000 Paid to Estate of New Mexico Jail Detainee Who Died from Heroin Withdrawal, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prison Superintendent Pleads Guilty to Drunk Driving and Interfering With Arrest, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Eleventh Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Jail Guards Who “Did Nothing” in Face of Florida Detainee’s Suicide Threats, by David Reutter
- New York OIG Report Reveals 1,600 State Prisoners Punished Over Faulty Drug Tests, by Anthony Accurso
- $1.4 Million Paid by King County, Washington to Settle Juvenile Solitary Confinement Class Action, by Mark Wilson
- A First Glance in Rear-View Mirror at Pandemic, by Kevin Bliss, Matthew Clarke, Ashleigh Dye, Keith Sanders
- After $10 Million Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Mugshot Class-Action, Fewer-Than-Expected Claims Leave Windfall for Expungement Program, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Use Of “Some Evidence” Standard in Reviewing Federal Prisoner’s Disciplinary Violations, by Anthony Accurso
- Kentucky Judge Gives Ex-Jail Guard Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Prisoner Chance to Re-Enlist in Army to Avoid Jail Time, by Keith Sanders
- $177,500 in Settlements Reached with Detainees Assaulted by Guards at Pennsylvania Jail, by Ashleigh Dye
- HRDC Sues Centurion for Records Related to Vermont Prisoner Care, by David Reutter
- $350,000 Paid to Victim Beaten in Jail by California Sheriff’s Deputy, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Florida and California Experiments Use Direct Cash Assistance to Newly Released Prisoners to Combat Recidivism, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon Court Rules Prisoner’s Admissions in Disciplinary Hearing Violate Miranda, But Harmlessly, by Jacob Barrett
- $35,000 Settlement Paid by California County After Jail Death of Elderly, Mentally Ill Detainee, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Celebrity Prisoners Profit from NFT Sales of Their Work While Incarcerated, by Edward Lyon
- Idaho Supreme Court Finds Ladderless Bunks a “Sound Discretionary Decision,” But Says Resulting Injury Could Give Rise to Negligence Claim, by Jacob Barrett
- $40,000 Settlement Reached in HRDC Challenge to Nebraska Prison Censorship Policy, by David Reutter
- Arizona Supreme Court Clarifies Rules for Asserting Attorney-Client Privilege for Communications from Jail, Including Texts Using Tablets, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Sues Indiana Sheriff Over Censorship at County Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Final Settlement Agreement Approved in COVID-19 Class Action at California Immigration Detention Center, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement Improves ADA Accessibility Features, Health Care and Training in Florida Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Ohio Supreme Court Partially Reinstates Prisoner’s Pro Se Public Records Request, Sets Damages for Denial at $1,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Life Sentences Commuted for Two Massachusetts Prisoners Convicted of First-Degree Murder, by Keith Sanders
- Mentally and Physically Disabled Texas Woman Hospitalized After Mistreatment at Jail, by Ashleigh Dye
- News in Brief
More from Ashleigh Dye:
- Former Missouri Prisoners Awarded $20 Million for Sexual Abuse by “Resident Pervert” Guard, May 1, 2023
- Nevada DOC Director Sacked After Prisoner Escape Goes Unnoticed Four Days, April 1, 2023
- Virginia DOC Resists Prisoner Fee Cuts, April 1, 2023
- Texas Prison Warden and Brother Charged with Shooting Two Migrants, Killing One, April 1, 2023
- CoreCivic Still Accruing Fines fort Short-staffing Florida Jail Where Developmentally Disabled Teen Was Raped, March 9, 2023
- Alabama County Ends Controversial Policy Using Women’s Pregnancies to Jail Them, March 1, 2023
- CoreCivic Still Accruing Fines for Short-Staffing Florida Jail Where Developmentally Disabled Teen Was Raped, March 1, 2023
- $959,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County in Deaths of Two Detainees, Plus at Least $750,000 from PrimeCare, Feb. 1, 2023
- Former Judges in Pennsylvania ‘Kids for Cash’ Scandal Must Pay $206 Million in Damages, Feb. 1, 2023
- $480,000 Paid by California County to Detainee Whose Newborn Died After Guards Stopped at Starbucks en Route to Hospital, Feb. 1, 2023
More from these topics:
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Systemic Medical Neglect, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Warden, Four Other Louisiana Jailers Indicted for Brutalizing Compliant Detainees with Riot Shield, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Wrongful Use of Force.
- $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Public Records Act, False Imprisonment.
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- $75,000 for Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Against Jail Guard, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Two More Guards Face Prison Time for Messiah Nantwi Killing, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Sentencing, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Settlements, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Arkansas Supreme Court Bows to Governor’s Board of Correction Takeover, June 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Settlements, State Legislation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- California Pays $15,000 to State Prisoner Who Claimed He Was Targeted by Guards, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Failure to Protect (General), Summary Judgment, Settlements.
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.

