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From the Editor
by Paul Wright
PLN has been reporting on the prison phone industry for at least the past 30 years, from its inception to its current stranglehold on most means of human contact between prisoners and the outside world. This month’s cover story by Alan Prendergast reports on the …
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More from this issue:
- Suit Over California Detainee’s Suicide Survives Corporate Shell Game by Wellpath and HIG Capital, by Jacob Barrett
- Seventh Circuit Reiterates That Threats and Withholding Grievance Forms Render Administrative Remedies Unavailable to Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Courts Order Seizure of Canteen Funds for Restitution Owed by High-Profile Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Federal Court Upholds and Monitors Requirement for Tennessee Jail to Provide COVID-19 Vaccination for Detainees, by David M. Reutter
- Washington DOC Ends Use of Solitary Confinement (Sort of), by Jacob Barrett
- “The Worst Kind of Work” Thai Prisoners Forced into Labor, Often Without Pay, by Edward Lyon
- Supreme Court Passes on Case of New York Sex Offender Imprisoned Past Release Date for Lack of Compliant Housing, by Chuck Sharman, Jory Smith
- The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Monitoring Online Purchases of Inmates’ Family and Friends, by Cooper Quintin, Beryl Lipton
- Eighth Circuit Reinstates Arkansas Prisoner’s Claim Over DOC’s Failure to Maintain Hearing Aids, by Matthew Clarke
- Class of Juvenile Prisoners Certified in Suit Against Florida DOC, by Kevin Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Reinstates Suit of Kentucky Jail Detainee Impregnated by Guard, Finds Genuine Factual Dispute Over Consent, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Arizona Corrections Chief Indicted After Drunken Armed Standoff with Tempe Police, by Jo Ellen Nott
- The Impact of Criminalizing Abortion on Prisoners and Mass Incarceration, by Paul Wright
- California Court Rules Bail Bond Companies Must Give Cosigners Financial Impact Notice, by David M. Reutter
- Virginia DOC’s Interference Hamstrings Local and Regional Jail Board, by Kevin Bliss
- Oregon Nurse Federally Charged With Raping Prisoners After State Prosecutors Declined to Prosecute, by Mark Wilson
- $1 Million Paid After Indiana Jailers Fatally Beat and Taser Detainee, But Prosecutor Finds No Crime, by Keith Sanders, Benjamin Tschirhart
- “One of the Most Egregious Violations of Church-State Separation” Prisons Welcome Fundamentalist Christian Education Programs Despite Conflicts with the Constitution, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Counties Fail in Challenge to State Statutory Ban on ICE Detention Contracts, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Judge Allows Wiretapping Case to Proceed Against CoreCivic for Recording Attorney-Client Conversations at Nevada Prison, by Kevin W. Bliss
- BOP Guard Terminated for Making Prisoner Do His Work, Union Blames Staff Shortages, by Casey Bastian
- Eighth Circuit Pulls BOP’s Hand Out of Prisoner’s Pocket Accumulated Prison Wages Not “Substantial Resources” Under Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, by Casey Bastian
- Seventh Circuit Clarifies Calculation of Presumptive Parole Date for Federal Prisoner Sentenced Under Pre-1987 Law, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Massachusetts Supreme Court Continues Trend of Easing Prison COVID-19 Protocols, by Edward Lyon
- COVID-19’s Impact on Prisoners Far Worse Than It Needed to Be, by Kevin Bliss, Edward Lyon
- After Lengthy HRDC Litigation, GEO Group Gives Up Documents Revealing $10 Million Settlement for Death of Texas Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- $150,000 Class-Action Settlement Reached Over Massive Scabies Outbreak at CoreCivic Tennessee Jail, by Jacob Barrett
- Supreme Court of Kansas: Lower Court Did Not Have Authority to Revoke Probation Without a Warrant, by David M. Reutter
- Oregon Judge Invalidates Governor’s Clemency Grant to Dozens Sentenced to Life as Juveniles, Halting Parole Hearings, by Mark Wilson
- News in Brief
- Nebraska Prison Staffing Crisis Sees Supervisors Take Demotions to Get Hourly Overtime Pay, by Kevin Bliss
- Boiling Behind Bars In Sweltering Texas, Prisons Without Air Conditioning Are About to Get a Lot Hotter, by Alleen Brown
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Suicide of Mentally Ill Detainee at San Diego Jail, by Keith Sanders
- Lawsuits Filed Over Withheld Pain Medications That Left Ailing New York Prisoners in Agony, by Edward Lyon
- $3.8 Million Paid for Michigan Detainee’s Death from Alcohol Withdrawal After Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Summary Judgment to Jailers for Deliberate Indifference, by Mark Wilson
- “Join Me in Holding Your Nose” Federal Judge Reluctantly Okays $750,000 Settlement in Ohio Pre-Trial Detainee’s Excessive Force Suit, by Keith Sanders
- Class Certified in Discrimination Suit by Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Georgia Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- Guards Saluting Fascism on the Job—Literally, by Edward Lyon
- Court Bars Electroshock Therapy for Incompetent California Prisoner Without Considering Whether He Would Consent If Competent, by Jacob Barrett
- Russia Drops Charges Against Prison Torture Whistleblower, by Edward Lyon
- $805,000 Paid by Washington to Former Detainees at Juvenile Camp, But Sex Abuse Charges Dropped against Counselor
- California Supreme Court Rules Proposition 57 Early Parole Review May be Denied for Any Violent Felony Conviction, Even If Not “Primary Offense”, by Douglas Ankney
- Eleventh Circuit Reinstates Florida Detainee’s Excessive-Force Claim Against Cop Who Sucker-Punched Him in Cell, by Kevin Bliss
- Mission Creep: Prison Telecoms Scramble to Extend Their Reach, by Alan Prendergast
- U.S. Marshals Service Inspectors Find D.C. Central Jail Not Meeting Federal Detention Standards, by Casey Bastian
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $405,000 Paid to Prisoner Disabled and Left Untreated at LaSalle-Managed Louisiana Jails, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Maryland Strips Governor’s Power to Overturn Parole Decisions, by Ashleigh Dye
More from Paul Wright:
- From the Editor, July 1, 2026
- From the Editor, June 1, 2026
- From the Editor, May 1, 2026
- From the Editor, April 1, 2026
- From the Editor, March 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Feb. 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Jan. 1, 2026
- From the Editor, Dec. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, Nov. 1, 2025
- From the Editor, Oct. 1, 2025
More from these topics:
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- HRDC Wins Injunction to Halt New Mexico Prison Censorship, July 1, 2026. Injunctions, Publications/Books, Censorship, First Amendment, rights, HRDC Litigation.
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026. Reading Materials, Legal Materials, Publications/Books, Banned Book Lists, Censorship.
- Wisconsin Bans Recording of Prison Phone Calls with Journalists, July 1, 2026. Access to Media, Censorship, First Amendment, First Amendment, rights, Recorded Calls.
- Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).
- 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. Publications/Books, Mail Regulations, Censorship, First Amendment, rights, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026. Injunctions, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, HRDC Litigation.
- HRDC Sues Colorado Jail for Prohibiting Dozens of Magazines and Books, May 1, 2026. Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, Constitution, state, HRDC Litigation.
- More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year, April 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Totality of Conditions, Telephone Access, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.

