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Absenteeism Skyrockets for New York City Jail Guards, Up 215% Over the Last Two Years
by Jo Ellen Nott
In New York City, 25 jail guards have run up an absentee rate over the last two years which is “breathtaking in its magnitude,” according to local news reports, and “embarrassing,” according to Sarena Townsend, a former high-ranking internal affairs investigator with the city’s …
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More from this issue:
- PrimeCare: Less Medical Care for Prisoners, Higher Expenses for Taxpayers, More Profits for Corporate Owner, by Matthew Clarke
- Vermont Supreme Court: Removing Prisoner From Programming Is Reviewable When Catalyst Was Punitive
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $11 Million Settlement Reached in Tennessee Suit Alleging False Arrest and False Imprisonment of Minors, by Edward Lyon
- Nine Deaths in Three Years at CoreCivic Jail in Florida, None From COVID-19
- $5.5 Million Settlement to California Prisoner Left Incapacitated After Suicide Attempt at Santa Cruz County Jail, by Edward Lyon
- Pittsburgh Jail Records 13 Deaths in Two Years, Only One From COVID-19, by Jo Ellen Nott
- California Federal Court Approves Consent Decree Upgrading Mental Health Care at Alameda County Jail, by David Reutter
- Trapped in The Floods: With Floodwaters Rising, Prisoners Wait for Help in Floating Feces, by Alleen Brown
- Fifth BOP Staffer Arrested in “Rape Club” at California Federal Prison, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Eighth Circuit Rules Pretrial Detainees and Prisoners Have Right to Visit Family Members
- Tenth Circuit Says Parolee May Not be Forced to Participate in Religious Program Under Threat of Jail, by David Reutter
- $8.5 Million Paid by Pennsylvania DOC for Death of Asthmatic Prisoner Improperly Pepper-Sprayed, by Matthew Clarke
- Investigation Finds Hundreds of Unreported Deaths in Tennessee Prisons and Jails, by Harold Hempstead
- $260,000 in Attorney Fees Awarded by California Federal Court after Finding Governing State Law Not Impacted by PLRA, by David Reutter
- Multiple Florida DOC Guards Convicted of Assault, Smuggling and Child Sex Abuse, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Hawaii Supreme Court Orders New Parole Hearing for Prisoner Held Since 1979, by Douglas Ankney
- $2.2 Million Settlement Over Transgender Georgia Prisoner’s Suicide Is Largest in State DOC History, by Matthew Clarke
- Eleventh Circuit Says Georgia Prisoner Failed to Exhaust Remedies by Filing Late Grievance to Ask for Investigation that Was Already Underway, by David Reutter
- Nevada Federal Court Denies Motion to Compel Arbitration by Rapid Financial Solutions in Debit Card Suit, by David Reutter
- $6,500 Paid by Nevada DOC After Ninth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Withholding Evidence From Prisoner Accused of Smuggling Meth in Mail, by David Reutter
- Ecuador’s Prison System in Catastrophic Crisis, by Edward Lyon
- What to Know about Using Pell Grants to Take College Classes in Prison, by Richard Hahn
- $725,000 Settlement Reached in North Carolina Prisoner’s Suicide at Troubled Jail, by Keith Sanders
- $316,673 Settlement in New Mexico Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Stabbing at GEO-Operated Private Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Guard Arrested for Running “Fight Club” in New Jersey Prison Kitchen, by Ashleigh Dye, Jayson Hawkins
- Tenth Circuit Says Disabled Colorado Prisoner Offered Diapers Rather Than Bathroom Pass May Deserve Damages Under ADA, by David Reutter
- Sweetheart Deal Nets GEO Group $15 Million Payout from ICE for Haitian Deportation Flights, by Ashleigh Dye
- Ninth Circuit Says Nevada DOC Not Micromanaged by Requirement to Treat Prisoner’s Severe Mental Illness; Upholds Preliminary Injunction, by Matthew Clarke
- Con Who Conned Cons is Sentenced to Federal Prison
- Absenteeism Skyrockets for New York City Jail Guards, Up 215% Over the Last Two Years, by Jo Ellen Nott
- DOJ Reaches Settlement Over Disability Access With Vermont Prison System, by Jacob Barrett
- Ninth Circuit: Error to Instruct Jury to Defer to Medical Staff’s Asserted Security Justification for Terminating California Prisoner’s Morphine Prescription Without Tapering, by Matthew Clarke
- Preliminary Injunction Granted to Illinois Prisoner to Receive Non-Allergenic Kosher Meals, by David Reutter
- Connecticut Supreme Court Rules That Prisoner Was Denied Due Process with Sex Offender Classification, by Harold Hempstead
- Lifting Six-Year Moratorium, Oklahoma Treats Witnesses to Convulsing and Vomiting Prisoner During Execution, by Keith Sanders
- Washington State Supreme Court Holds that Denying Wheelchair-Bound Prisoner Access to Water and Toilet Facilities Violates State Constitution, by Douglas Ankney
- News in Brief
- HRDC Sues New Hampshire Jail over Publications Banned under No-Hard-Copy Mail Policy, by Sam Rutherford
- HRDC Sues Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for Banning its Books, by Sam Rutherford
More from Jo Ellen Nott:
- Ohio Jail Leaders Knew Cameras Were Broken for Four Years Before Fixing Them, July 1, 2026
- Rikers Island Captain Nicknamed “Terror of the Tombs” Indicted for Extortion, Wage Theft, July 1, 2026
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026
- Passive Data Transforms Smart Devices Into Covert Witnesses in a Silent Surveillance State, July 1, 2026
- Safety of “The Wrap” Restraint Device Questioned Amid Fatalities and Criticism From Medical Experts, July 1, 2026
- Three Women Died at a Michigan Prison in Less than a Month, July 1, 2026
- San Diego Guard Who Fatally Shot Fleeing Detainee Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison, July 1, 2026
- Two More Guards Face Prison Time for Messiah Nantwi Killing, June 1, 2026
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026
- Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Receiving Preferential Treatment at Texas Prison Camp, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- New York to Become First State to Require Judges to Visit Prisons, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Staffing, Prisoner Privileges.
- Corrections Board Seeks to Join California Justice Department Juvenile Halls Lawsuit, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, Discretionary/Inherent Powers, Prison Regulations.
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Criminal Justice, Prison Conditions.
- Pennsylvania Bungles Management at George W. Hill Prison after Taking Back Control from GEO Group, July 1, 2026. Classification, Retaliation, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, Prison Regulations.
- Wisconsin State Prison Population Approaches Record High, July 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Overcrowding, Staffing, Pardons/Clemency, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Arizona Lawmakers Refuse to Fully Fund Prison Healthcare Staffing Ordered by Federal Court, July 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Injunctions, Contempt (Civil Procedure).
- North Carolina Prison Closing Due to Short Staffing, June 1, 2026. Transfers, Staffing, Guards/Staff.
- Auditor Demands Private Prison Company Pay $7.4 Million to Mississippi, June 1, 2026. Management and Training Corporation, Contractor Misconduct, Staffing, Fraud and Deceit.
- Atlanta Jail Boasts Improvements Since Consent Decree, Reports from Monitor and ACLU Are More Critical, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Sanitation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Consent Decrees, Bail/Pretrial Release.
- Prisoners in Norfolk, Virginia Left on Extended Lockdown, May 1, 2026. Staffing, Lockdowns, Telephone Access, Extended Family Visiting, Failure to Protect (Staff).

