More from this issue:

1. Living and Dying on Rikers Island: The Latest Installment, by Kevin Bliss
2. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
3. Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready., by Beth Schwartzapfel, Keri Blakinger
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Omicron Winter, by Jo Ellen Nott
5. Suit by HRDC Alleging GTL and Securus Violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act Survives Motion to Dismiss, by Douglas Ankney
6. Long-Time PLN Contributor Released from Solitary Stint in Oregon for ‘Contraband’ Toy Phone, by Jacob Barrett
7. $90,000 Paid by Illinois County to Prisoner Tasered by Two Guards He Wasn’t Resisting, by David Reutter
8. Inmate Magazine Service Settlement Prohibits Further Sale of Magazine Subscriptions, Orders Payment of $2.2 Million for ‘Consumer Redress’
9. Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for Failure to Protect Michigan Prisoner from Unsafe Working Conditions, by David Reutter
10. HRDC Appeals Denial of Public Records Request for Documentation of Secret Settlement in Maine Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
11. $10,000 Awarded by Nevada Federal Court to Prisoner Assaulted by Former State Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
12. Prison Employee Union Fighting to Stop Closure of San Diego Federal Detention Center, by Keith Sanders
13. Lawsuit Over Winter Power Outage at Brooklyn’s Troubled Federal Detention Center Granted Class Certification, by Kevin Bliss
14. Another Death by Taser in Sangamon County, Illinois Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
15. Activists Play Whack-a-Mole Closing ICE Detention Centers, by David Reutter
16. North Carolina Renames Prisons Whose Names Honored Enslavers, by Matthew Clarke
17. Investigations Into the Deaths of Several Prisoners and Two Guards Reveal Rampant Corruption, Cover-ups in California Prison, by Keith Sanders
18. $900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls, by David Reutter
19. Settlement for New Jersey Special Needs Prisoner Students Includes Damages, Fees and Education, by Edward Lyon
20. $7,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Assaulted by Guards And Denied Medical Care
21. White Supremacist Groups Continue to Infest Florida DOC
22. $1 Million Default Judgement for Michigan Jail Prisoner Against Health Care Provider in Sexual Assault, by Mark Wilson
23. Transgender Women in Illinois DOC Secure Injunction with Special Monitor, by Casey Bastian
24. Seven Prisoners Died in 2021, One by Homicide, at Virginia’s Only Private Prison
25. ‘They Know No Bounds’: Suffolk County New York Prosecutors Sent to Prison, by Edward Lyon
26. Tennessee CoreCivic Prison Guard Indicted for Beating Unresisting Prisoner, Attempting Cover-up, by Harold Hempstead
27. 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
28. New York Jail Required to Provide Methadone to Detainee for Addiction Treatment
29. Fifth Circuit Holds Private Immigration Detention Facilities Are Subject to Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s Prohibition Against Coerced Labor, by Matthew Clarke
30. Seventh Circuit: No Case for Loss of Eye from Medical Neglect Because of Lack of Expert Testimony, by Jacob Barrett
31. Fifth Circuit Says Federal Habeas Action May Not Be Used to Challenge Conditions of Confinement Related to COVID-19, by Matthew Clarke
32. Ninth Circuit Continues Trend of Reversing Injunctive Relief Protecting Prisoners From COVID-19, by Douglas Ankney
33. Judge Sentences Boss of ‘Horrific’ Cuyahoga Ohio Jail to Prison, by Edward Lyon
34. 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
35. Qualified Immunity Granted in Suit Challenging Policy of “Checking-In” on Nevada Prisoner’s Legal Calls, by David Reutter
36. Seventh Circuit Grudgingly Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois’ Prisoner’s Suicide Lawsuit, by Dale Chappell
37. 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
38. California Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal of Charges Against Prisoners Charged in Pelican Bay Riot, by David Reutter
39. ‘Disconnect’ Between Illinois Prisoner’s Grievance and Complaint Results In Failure to Exhaust, by Jacob Barrett
40. Fifth Circuit Reinstates Federal Prisoner’s Tort Claim Against BOP Officials, by Keith Sanders
41. $4,000 Federal Bench Verdict to Kentucky Prisoner Assaulted by Guard While Restrained
42. News in Brief

More from Douglas Ankney:

• Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026
• Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026
• Illinois Jail Reprimanded for Denying Detainees Mail Based on Media Content, P.O. Box Return Address, Settles Detainees’ Suit with $111,825 Payment of Legal Fees, May 1, 2026
• Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, May 1, 2026
• Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026
• Kentucky Supreme Court Clarifies Parole Board May Delegate Final Revocation Hearings to Administrative Law Judges but Holds Due Process Requires Parolees Be Permitted to File Exceptions to ALJ Findings Before Board Renders a Final Revocation Decision, April 1, 2026
• New York Court of Appeals Holds Generic Physical Description Insufficient to Justify Pursuit in Mistaken Identity Case, and Suspect’s Flight Cannot Support Reasonable Suspicion Absent Evidence He Knew He Was Fleeing Law Enforcement, April 1, 2026
• Montana Supreme Court Holds Defendant’s Sentence Must Be Vacated Where District Court Premised Sentence on Defendant’s Exercise of Constitutional Rights to Jury Trial, Silence, and Against Self-Incrimination, April 1, 2026
• Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Sexual Assault of a Child Statute Sweeps More Broadly Than Federal SORNA Tier Offenses, March 1, 2026
• Delaware Supreme Court Announces Four-Part Plain Error Framework, Aligning Prejudice Standard With Federal Approach Requiring Reasonable Probability of Different Outcome, March 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026. Injunctions, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, HRDC Litigation.
• Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Systemic Medical Neglect, Injunctions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
• Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, April 1, 2026. Injunctions, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
• Officials in Kansas Allow CoreCivic to Reopen Leavenworth Prison, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Advocacy, Injunctions, Immigration Detention, Authority and Jurisdiction.
• SCOTUS Unanimously Announces Heck Does Not Bar §1983 Suits Seeking Purely Prospective Relief, Resolving Circuit Split Over Whether a Prior Conviction Precludes a Forward-Looking Constitutional Challenge to the Statute of Conviction, April 1, 2026. Injunctions, First Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Prohibitions Against Protests, Protected Speech.
• Wisconsin Hasn’t Created Prison Nursery Program, One Year After Court Order, March 1, 2026. Injunctions, Mothers in Prison, Parental rights, Children of Prisoners.
• New York City Mayor’s Order Opening Rikers Island to ICE Declared Illegal, Jan. 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Injunctions, Deportation/Removal/Exclusion, Enforcement of Immigration Laws.
• Louisiana Prisoner Granted Preliminary Injunction in Challenge to Jail Book Ban, Dec. 1, 2025. Reading Materials, Injunctions, Publications/Books, Censorship, First Amendment, rights.
• Maine Superior Court Order to Reform Public Defender System Paused on Appeal, Dec. 1, 2025. Indigent Defense, Injunctions, Habeas Corpus, Sixth Amendment, Counsel - Constructive denial of.
• 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.