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U.S. Prison and Jail Populations Flat or Rising Again After 2020 Decline Spurred by Pandemic
by Matt Clarke
After they were slashed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, U.S. prison populations have leveled off and jail populations appear to be rising again, according to research published by the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) on March 14, 2022.
The report mirrors another published in December ...
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More from this issue:
- Locked Up and Left to Die, by Sophie Novack,, Michael Barajas
- After 49 Years in Prison for a Murder in Which He Didn’t Pull the Trigger, Former Black Liberation Army Member Sundiata Acoli Wins Parole, by Chuck Sharman
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim Despite Prison Disciplinary Conviction Issued for the Same Incident, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Suit Dismissed on Heck Grounds, Holds Related Disciplinary Convictions Don’t Absolutely Bar Excessive Force Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Securus Rolls Out “Free” E-tablets to Texas Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Oregon Federal Court Issues Groundbreaking, Model COVID-19 Damage Class & Wrongful Death Class Certification, by Mark Wilson
- Eleventh Circuit Says Florida Prisoner Alleging Sexual Assault by Guard Need Not Also Prove Excessive Force and Malicious Intent, by David Reutter
- Washington Pays $3.25 Million for Negligent Medical Care Causing Preventable Prisoner Death, by Mark Wilson
- DOJ Secures Settlement With South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice at Detention Center Where Staff Hogtied and Bit Kids, by Brooke Kaufman
- Healthcare Audit in Utah Prisons Reveals “Inadequate Service” and “Systemic Deficiencies” After 18 Prisoner Deaths During Pandemic, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Ninth Circuit Holds California Prison Officials Entitled to Legislative Immunity When Promulgating Rules, by David Reutter
- After Paying $500,000 to Consultant Outed for Corruption Ties, Iowa DOC Accused of Allowing “Corporate Dodge”, by Jacob Barrett
- $12.5 Million Settlement Over Invasive Strip and Body Cavity Searches of NYC Jail Visitors, by Matthew Clarke
- Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting Uncovers Almost 1,000 Privileged Calls Recorded in Four County Jails, Sues York County for Denying Public Records Request, by Keith Sanders
- BOP Prisoners on Extended Home Confinement Not Headed Back to Prison When COVID-19 Emergency Ends, by Casey Bastian
- $500,001 Settlement Against Guard Who Groped Delaware Prisoner With Long History of Lost Cases, by Keith Sanders
- Kansas Appeals Court Vacates Prison Dentist’s Conviction for Sexually Abusing Prisoner, Says Touching Wasn’t “Lewd”, by Mark Wilson
- The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Mobile Correctional Facility Robots, by Beryl Lipton, Cooper Quintin
- Washington Pays $3 Million to Murdered Prisoner’s Family After Overriding Single-Cell Recommendation for Violent Cellmate, by Mark Wilson
- $275,000 Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Attempted Suicide at Illinois Jail, by David Reutter
- Settlement Finally Reached in Prisoners’ Hep-C Class-Action Against Connecticut DOC, by Edward Lyon
- Prison Phone Giant GTL Cuts Prices in Miami-Dade Jails, But Only After County Taps COVID-19 Relief Funds to Replace Forfeited Kickbacks, by Ashleigh Dye
- Kentucky Supreme Court Rules ‘Incarceration Fees’ May Not Be Collected After Charges Are Dismissed, by Casey Bastian
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Suit of Epileptic Illinois Prisoner Who Suffered Seizure and Fell From Top Bunk, by Edward Lyon
- $250,000 Paid to Woman Forced to Give Birth in California Jail Cell by Guards and CFMG Nurses, by Ashleigh Dye
- Sacramento Shooting Stokes Debate Over CDCR Rule Changes on Good Conduct Credit, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Prison and Jail Populations Flat or Rising Again After 2020 Decline Spurred by Pandemic, by Matthew Clarke
- Third Circuit Joins Fifth, Tenth and D.C. Circuits in Holding Heck Favorable-Termination Dismissals Are PLRA Strikes, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit: Michigan DOC’s Years-Long Delay in Access to Religious Services and Items Constitutes Constructive Denial of Religious Exercise, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Department of Corrections Cancels Contract with Canteen Provider Keefe, by Kevin Bliss
- Georgia Sheriff Victor Hill Facing Criminal Trial for Using Restraint Chair to Punish Jail Detainees, by David Reutter
- $7,000 Default Judgment Awarded in Failure to Protect Suit Against Former Arkansas Jail Guard, by Harold Hempstead
- Eighth Circuit Holds Pornography Policy Unconstitutional as Applied to South Dakota Prisoner, but Denies Relief, by David Reutter
- Ineffective Mississippi Prison Industries on the Chopping Block After Scathing Report, by Ashleigh Dye
- Federal Suit Challenging Iowa DOC Ban on Nude Images Moves Forward, Defendants Denied Summary Judgement on Due Process Claim, by David Reutter
- Overdoses Skyrocket in Tennessee Prisons During Pandemic Despite Visitation Restrictions, by Edward Lyon
- Third Circuit Reinstates Suit Filed by Transgender Prisoner Assaulted at New Jersey Federal Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- $17.5 Million Paid to Ohio Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Attack by Guards, by Harold Hempstead
- New Jersey Sex Offenders Excluded From Programming, Chances for Early Release, by Mario Palomo
- “On-Going Distress and Harm” Persist at FCI Sheridan Months After Court-Ordered Inspection, by Brooke Kaufman
- Sixth Circuit Revives Tennessee Detainee’s Suit, Holds Lower Court Not Required to Retain Jurisdiction of State Law Claims After Dismissing Federal Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- $45,000 Paid by Idaho Jail to Settle Censorship Suit Filed by HRDC, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Inspector General Finds Prisoner Labor Used to Benefit DOC Employees, by Casey Bastian
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Texas Sheriff Who Rehired Abusive Jailer Who in Turn Again Abused a Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- $6,500 Settlement After Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Florida Jail Officials Who Repeatedly Opened Detainee’s Legal Mail, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Texas Social Workers Challenge Blanket Denial of State Occupational License Based on Youthful Assault Convictions, Aug. 1, 2025
- After Judge’s Letter, at Least 22 Former FCI Dublin Prisoners Granted Compassionate Release, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Award of Time Served Credit for Non-Citizen Awaiting Extradition, Aug. 1, 2025
- Former Oregon Prison Guard Sergeant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Imprisoned Women, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Procedure for Crediting Jail Time to Multiple Contemporaneously-Imposed Sentences, Aug. 1, 2025
- Over One-Third of Older Texas Prisoners Suffering Cognitive Impairment, July 15, 2025
- Kansas Supreme Court Revives Prisoner’s Challenge to Loss of Parental Rights, June 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Baha’i Texas Prisoner’s Dietary Claim, June 1, 2025
- $5.6 Million Settlement for California Prisoner’s Wife Strip-searched During Visit, June 1, 2025
- Academic Study of Prison Guards’ Use of Excessive Force Details Sad State of Civil Rights for Abused Prisoners, June 1, 2025
More from these topics:
- Nebraska Considers Curbing Double-Bunking in Restrictive Housing, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Bedding.
- Watchdog Calls Out D.C. for Dragging Feet on Construction of New Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Overcrowding, Ventilation, Exercise, Exposure to Cold, Jail Specific, Lighting, Noise, Vermin, Exposure to Heat, Security Systems.
- Costs of U.S. Incarceration to Families Pegged at Nearly $350 Billion a Year, Aug. 1, 2025. Cost of Prison Systems.
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Fire Hazards, Overcrowding, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Environmental Law, Plumbing, Sewage, Jail Specific.
- Solving the Carceral Understaffing Crisis: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why, July 15, 2025. Work Conditions/Safety, Overcrowding, Staffing, Exposure to Cold, Exposure to Heat.
- Los Angeles County Jails Record Almost One Death Every Nine Days, May 1, 2025. Overcrowding, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Missouri Repeals “Pay-to-Stay” Law, May 1, 2025. Cost of Prison Systems, Costs, Ability to Pay.
- No State Oversight of Overcrowded, Understaffed, and Non-Compliant Idaho Jails, April 1, 2025. Overcrowding, Staffing.
- TDCJ to Run Out of Beds in 2025, April 1, 2025. Cost of Prison Systems, Overcrowding, Staffing.
- Second Rapper Stabbed in Atlanta Jail During Record-Long Trial, Jan. 15, 2025. Prison Gangs, Overcrowding, Speedy Trial Clock - Tolling of, Civil Rights Violations.