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Department of Justice Reports on Two Decades of Prisoner Suicides
by Matt Clarke
When actor Peter Robbins died by suicide in California on January 18, 2022, the news saddened fans of Charlie Brown, whose voice he provided for animated Peanuts specials in the 1960s. But Robbins, 65, also struggled with mental illness behind bars, spending four years in …
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More from this issue:
- Wellpath Founder and CEO Pleads Guilty to Federal Bribery Charges, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- JPay Founder Ryan Shapiro Indicted for Securities Fraud, by Kevin Bliss
- Guards Not Vaxxing Across the U.S., by Jo Ellen Nott
- Virginia DOC Terminates Contract with Armor Correctional Healthcare, by Ashleigh Dye
- “The Worst Prison in New York State”, by Victoria Law
- $500,000 Default Judgment for Tennessee Woman Sexually Assaulted by Probation Officer, by David Reutter
- Settlement Reached to Protect Hawaii Prisoners from COVID-19, by David Reutter
- HRDC Wins Appeal in Florida Public Records Request Case Against Armor Correctional Health Services
- Show Me the Money: Tracking the Companies that Have a Lock on Sending Funds to Incarcerated People, by Stephen Raher, Tiana Herring
- BOP Greenlights Sex Reassignment Surgery for Federal Prisoner in Texas, by Matthew Clarke
- Department of Justice Reports on Two Decades of Prisoner Suicides, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Guard’s Lawsuit Claiming Other Guards Raped Her in Texas Prison
- Michigan DOC Agrees to Expand Recognition of Religious Groups After DOJ Investigation
- Michigan Prisons Ordered to Provide Jewish Prisoners Meat and Dairy on Sabbath and Holidays; Sixth Circuit Affirms, by David Reutter
- Former Florida Prison Guard Sentenced for Conspiracy to Assault Youthful Offenders
- Federal Court Hears that Mental Healthcare in Louisiana Prison is “Almost Non-existent”, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Judge Finds Alabama DOC Mental Health Care Horrendous, Orders: Start Hiring, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Tenth Circuit: Mentally Ill Prisoners Have No Clearly Established Right to Be Kept Out of Solitary Confinement, by Jacob Barrett
- $40,251 Default Judgment for Detainee in Malicious Prosecution by Georgia Police Officer
- Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Alleging Inadequate COVID-19 Response at Maryland Jail, by David Reutter
- California Court of Appeal Holds Prisoner May Challenge Administrative Disciplinary Violation Already Served, by Matthew Clarke
- “Abject Cruelty”: California Jail Guards Sentenced for Coordinating Prisoner Excrement Fights
- Dallas County Prisoner Trust Fund Bilked of $700,000 With Faked Debit Release Cards by Jail Employee
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Suit Over ‘Orange Crush’ Shakedown, by David Reutter
- All Writs Act Provides Authority for Medical-Imaging Transport Order for Condemned Ohio Prisoner Challenging His Conviction; Certiorari Granted, by David Reutter
- Oregon Prisoners Face Off in Guards’ Legal Fight Over COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
- Oregon Federal Court Sides with HRDC, Denies Motion to Compel Arbitration by “NUMI” Stored Value Cards, by Jacob Barrett
- Justice Department Releases Ten-Year Recidivism Study, by Matthew Clarke
- After Sixth Death in Six Years, Virginia Jail Cuts Ties with Corizon Health, by Jayson Hawkins, Keith Sanders
- Sixth Circuit Holds Subjective Prong of Deliberate Indifference Test Inapplicable to Pretrial Detainee’s Claims; Reinstates Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- $638,250 Judgment Against Georgia Jail Guard Who Orchestrated Prisoner’s Beating, by Harold Hempstead
- Federal Judge Sanctions Former Arizona DOC Director’s Foot-Dragging Attorneys in Pro Se Prisoner’s Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- $21,525 Awarded by Federal Court to Indiana Prisoner Subjected to Battery by Guard, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit: Retroactive Application of Amended New Jersey Parole Guidelines May Violate Ex Post Facto Clause, by Douglas Ankney
- Corrections Special Applications Unit Builds a Lucrative National Track Record of Abuse and Torture, by J.D. Schmidt
- Massachusetts DOC Fires COVID-19 Mitigation Ombudsman Over Previous Allegations of Document Falsification
- Second Circuit Holds N.Y. Prisoner’s Short-Term Injury May Qualify As Disability under ADA, by Jo Ellen Nott
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Alabama DOC Terminates $1 Billion Contract with YesCare, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Corizon, Private Contractors, Suicides, Employee Litigation.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, Staff Training, State Legislation.
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, April 1, 2026. Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail, April 1, 2026. Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.

