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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Omicron Winter
Loaded on Feb. 1, 2022
by Jo Ellen Nott
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2022, page 18
Filed under:
Contagious Disease -- Misc.,
COVID-19,
Conditions of Confinement.
Location:
United States of America.
by Jo Ellen Nott
The latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the omicron variant of the coronavirus is affecting prisons and jails across the U.S. Just how bad is it during these winter months?
Omicron Out West: Looking Surprisingly Good
California reported 2,350 active …
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More from this issue:
- Living and Dying on Rikers Island: The Latest Installment, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready., by Beth Schwartzapfel, Keri Blakinger
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Omicron Winter, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Suit by HRDC Alleging GTL and Securus Violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Douglas Ankney
- Long-Time PLN Contributor Released from Solitary Stint in Oregon for ‘Contraband’ Toy Phone, by Jacob Barrett
- $90,000 Paid by Illinois County to Prisoner Tasered by Two Guards He Wasn’t Resisting, by David Reutter
- Inmate Magazine Service Settlement Prohibits Further Sale of Magazine Subscriptions, Orders Payment of $2.2 Million for ‘Consumer Redress’
- Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for Failure to Protect Michigan Prisoner from Unsafe Working Conditions, by David Reutter
- HRDC Appeals Denial of Public Records Request for Documentation of Secret Settlement in Maine Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- $10,000 Awarded by Nevada Federal Court to Prisoner Assaulted by Former State Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Employee Union Fighting to Stop Closure of San Diego Federal Detention Center, by Keith Sanders
- Lawsuit Over Winter Power Outage at Brooklyn’s Troubled Federal Detention Center Granted Class Certification, by Kevin Bliss
- Another Death by Taser in Sangamon County, Illinois Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- Activists Play Whack-a-Mole Closing ICE Detention Centers, by David Reutter
- North Carolina Renames Prisons Whose Names Honored Enslavers, by Matthew Clarke
- Investigations Into the Deaths of Several Prisoners and Two Guards Reveal Rampant Corruption, Cover-ups in California Prison, by Keith Sanders
- $900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls, by David Reutter
- Settlement for New Jersey Special Needs Prisoner Students Includes Damages, Fees and Education, by Edward Lyon
- $7,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Assaulted by Guards And Denied Medical Care
- White Supremacist Groups Continue to Infest Florida DOC
- $1 Million Default Judgement for Michigan Jail Prisoner Against Health Care Provider in Sexual Assault, by Mark Wilson
- Transgender Women in Illinois DOC Secure Injunction with Special Monitor, by Casey Bastian
- Seven Prisoners Died in 2021, One by Homicide, at Virginia’s Only Private Prison
- ‘They Know No Bounds’: Suffolk County New York Prosecutors Sent to Prison, by Edward Lyon
- Tennessee CoreCivic Prison Guard Indicted for Beating Unresisting Prisoner, Attempting Cover-up, by Harold Hempstead
- Eighth Circuit Rules Guard’s History of Excessive Force too Prejudicial or a Jury to Hear in Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Case, by Jacob Barrett, Matthew Clarke
- New York Jail Required to Provide Methadone to Detainee for Addiction Treatment
- Fifth Circuit Holds Private Immigration Detention Facilities Are Subject to Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s Prohibition Against Coerced Labor, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: No Case for Loss of Eye from Medical Neglect Because of Lack of Expert Testimony, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Says Federal Habeas Action May Not Be Used to Challenge Conditions of Confinement Related to COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Continues Trend of Reversing Injunctive Relief Protecting Prisoners From COVID-19, by Douglas Ankney
- Judge Sentences Boss of ‘Horrific’ Cuyahoga Ohio Jail to Prison, by Edward Lyon
- After Second Circuit Rules in His Favor, Connecticut Prisoner Required to Exercise in Full Restraints for Six Months Takes $100,000 Settlement, by Matthew Clarke
- Qualified Immunity Granted in Suit Challenging Policy of “Checking-In” on Nevada Prisoner’s Legal Calls, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Grudgingly Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois’ Prisoner’s Suicide Lawsuit, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Prison Official Who Gave Prisoner No Notice Before Hearing That Resulted in Transfer to Security Detention, by David Reutter
- California Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal of Charges Against Prisoners Charged in Pelican Bay Riot, by David Reutter
- ‘Disconnect’ Between Illinois Prisoner’s Grievance and Complaint Results In Failure to Exhaust, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Federal Prisoner’s Tort Claim Against BOP Officials, by Keith Sanders
- $4,000 Federal Bench Verdict to Kentucky Prisoner Assaulted by Guard While Restrained
- News in Brief
More from Jo Ellen Nott:
- Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, March 1, 2026
- Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, March 1, 2026
- Maryland Prisons Reel from Growing Number of Prisoner Deaths, March 1, 2026
- A Critical Safeguard for the Accused: NIST’s New DNA Standard Challenges the Reliability of “Messy” Crime Scene Evidence, March 1, 2026
- The Unintentional Informant: Household Pets as Vectors of Human DNA, March 1, 2026
- The “Free Trial” Police State, March 1, 2026
- by Jo Ellen Nott I n a significant victory for the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and those with arrest records, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1836, known as the “Clean Slate” Act, on January 16, 2026. The legislation, March 1, 2026
- Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking, Feb. 1, 2026
- How AI Integration Used by Law Enforcement Fails the Public, Feb. 1, 2026
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Immigration Detention.
- Medical Audit at New Mexico Jail Once Again Finds Poor Level of Healthcare, March 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Staffing.
- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion, March 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Conditions of Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), State Legislation, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Alarming Conditions at Texas Family Detention Center Owned by CoreCivic, March 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Systemic Medical Neglect, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Totality of Conditions, Immigration Detention.
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Claims Against North Carolina Prison Doctor by Prisoner Nearly Killed by Avian Flu, Dec. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Judgment as a Matter of Law, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Deliberate Indifference.
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Suit by Civilly Committed Texan, Dec. 1, 2025. Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Conditions of Confinement, Complaints, Grievances, Civil Commitment.
- $2.4 Million Paid to Indiana Prisoners Sickened With Legionnaire’s Disease by Contaminated Water, Nov. 1, 2025. Contagious Disease -- Misc., Water, Settlements, Municipal Liability, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- CoreCivic Pays $82,500 for First COVID-19 Death at San Diego ICE Lockup, Nov. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, COVID-19, Federal Tort Claims Act, Failure to Train/Supervise, Detention - Generally.
- Angola Prison Re-Opens Area Once Called “The Dungeon” to Hold Immigrants, Oct. 1, 2025. Conditions of Confinement, Detention - Generally.

