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After $10 Million Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Mugshot Class-Action, Fewer-Than-Expected Claims Leave Windfall for Expungement Program
by David M. Reutter
In September 2021, after closing out a $10 million settlement in a class-action suit alleging its county jail violated the privacy rights of detainees by making their expunged criminal records available online, Bucks County, Pennsylvania was left with about $80,000 in unclaimed funds when fewer claims ...
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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 Beryl Lipton, Cooper Quintin
- 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 Jenifer Lockwood, Panagioti Tsolkas
- 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 Keith Sanders, Ashleigh Dye, Matthew Clarke, Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Use Of “Some Evidence” Standard in Reviewing Federal Prisoner’s Disciplinary Violations, by Anthony Accurso
- After $10 Million Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Mugshot Class-Action, Fewer-Than-Expected Claims Leave Windfall for Expungement Program, by David Reutter
- 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
- Florida and California Experiments Use Direct Cash Assistance to Newly Released Prisoners to Combat Recidivism, by Mark Wilson
- $350,000 Paid to Victim Beaten in Jail by California Sheriff’s Deputy, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- 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
- HRDC Sues Indiana Sheriff Over Censorship at County Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Arizona Supreme Court Clarifies Rules for Asserting Attorney-Client Privilege for Communications from Jail, Including Texts Using Tablets, by Matthew Clarke
- 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
- News in Brief
- Mentally and Physically Disabled Texas Woman Hospitalized After Mistreatment at Jail, by Ashleigh Dye
More from David Reutter:
- Help Wanted: 31,000 Prison Guard Jobs Open Nationwide, Sept. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Revives Prisoner’s Claim Based on Guard’s Thwarting of Administrative Remedies, Aug. 1, 2025
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025
- Qualified Immunity Denied for Iowa Prison Doctor’s MRI Delay for Non-Medical Reasons, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
- $22.5 Million Verdict Arrives Too Late for Wrongfully Convicted Illinois Prisoner, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Class-Action Suit at BOP “Rape Club” in California Settled for Record $116 Million, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements, Injunctions, Class Actions.
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025. Retaliation, Settlements, Defamation, Employment Deprivation.
- $1.2 Million in Settlements Reached in Suit Over Sacramento Jail Murder, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $18,000 for New York Prisoner Who Alleged Guards Planted Shank in Cell, May 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Cell Searches, Settlements.
- Missouri Pays More Than $1.2 Million for Deputy Warden’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Warden, May 1, 2025. Staff-Staff Harassment, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements.
- New York Prisoner Awarded Almost $280,000 in Retaliation Claim Against Guards, May 1, 2025. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements.
- $3.4 Million Settlement for Minnesota Jail Death Called “Real-Life Nightmare”, May 1, 2025. Drug Overdose, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- New Orleans Public Defender’s “Redeem Team” Says: “Re-entry Is Never Over”, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Life without Parole (LWOP), Juveniles, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Remands/Rehearings/Resentencings.
- Los Angeles County Pays $24 Million to Two Former Prisoners Wrongly Convicted as Teens of 1997 Murder, May 1, 2025. Informants, Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, False Exculpatory Statements.
- Florida Prisoner Released to Die Settles With Centurion Over Ignored Prostate Cancer, May 1, 2025. Centurion, Cancer, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.