More from this issue:

1. ‘Plainly Grossly Inadequate’: Federal Court Finds Arizona Prison Healthcare Deliberately Indifferent to Prisoners’ Risk of Serious Harm, by Matthew Clarke
2. Settlement Extended Again After Federal Judge Faults California Prisons for Using Snitches in Solitary and Parole Procedures, by Jacob Barrett
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Oregon Supreme Court Holds Corizon Health and Other Jail Contractors Liable Under State Disability Rights Laws, by Mark Wilson
5. Colorado Prisoner Targeted by Gangs Wins Injunction for Placement in Protective Custody, by David Reutter
6. Eighth Circuit Strands Missouri Prisoners Sentenced to Life Without Parole as Juveniles in ‘Opaque’ Review Process, by Douglas Ankney
7. Cages in the Coalfields, by Judah Schept
8. Eleventh Circuit Says No PLRA ‘Strike’ for Dismissal of Case Removed From State to Federal Court, by David Reutter
9. Federal Judge Says Alaska DOC Policy Rejecting Prisoner Mail Without Notice Violates Due Process, by Mark Wilson
10. Eighth Circuit Says Judge Dismissing Claim of Federal Prisoner in Arkansas Was Premature in Counting It a PLRA ‘Strike’, by Matthew Clarke
11. North Carolina Prisoners Languish Without Air Conditioning, by Kevin Bliss
12. Ninth Circuit Tells Nevada DOC: ‘Wait and See’ Prisoner Medical Care Can’t Become ‘Deny and Delay’, by David Reutter
13. $2.57 Million Settlement for Hogtying Death in NC Police Custody, by Eike Blohm, MD
14. Class Certified in ‘Orange Crush’ Shakedown Lawsuit by Illinois Prisoners, by David Reutter
15. Fourteen Officials Indicted in New Jersey Women’s Prison Abuse Scandal, $21 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached, by Ashleigh Dye
16. Pennsylvania County Retakes Control of Jail From GEO Group, by Keith Sanders
17. Prisoners Awarded Damages for Denial of Public Records by Ohio Prison Officials, by David Reutter
18. Tenth Circuit Revives Suit Against Colorado Jail Guard in Death of Mentally Disabled Detainee, by David Reutter
19. California Pays $3.5 Million to Settle Suit Over State Prisoner’s Murder, by Ashleigh Dye
20. LGBTQ Adults and Youth Face Criminalization and Over-Incarceration, by Jacob Barrett
21. Former South Carolina Deputy Gets 18 Years for Driving Transport Van With Two Detainees Into Flood, Drowning Them, by Ashleigh Dye
22. Excess Prisoner-Made Hand Sanitizer Costing N.Y. Taxpayers Millions to Dispose Of, by David Reutter
23. $54,000 Award for Georgia Prisoner in Failure-To-Protect Lawsuit, by David Reutter
24. After Sixth Circuit Stops Attempted End-Run Around Rules, Former Kentucky Jail Detainee Settles Suit Against Southern Health Partners, by Kevin Bliss
25. CDCR’s Medication Assisted Treatment Program for Substance Abusers is a Resounding Success, by Matthew Clarke
26. Former Deputy Warden Gets Two Years for Assaulting Mississippi Prisoner, by Kevin Bliss
27. New Policy Banning Care Packages Makes Life Harder for N.Y. Prisoners, by Jayson Hawkins
28. South Carolina Death Row Doctor Breaks Silence About Years of Executions, by Ashleigh Dye
29. New York City Jails Admit Illegally Recording Over 2,200 Attorney-Client Phone Calls, by Anthony Accurso
30. Texas Commission on Jail Standards Finds Unacceptable Conditions in Nueces County Jail, by Benjamin Tschirhart
31. Disgraced Virginia Sheriff Gets 12 Years for Bribery and Corruption, by Ashleigh Dye
32. Texas Prisoner Killed After Wounding Guard in Escape and Killing Family While on the Run, by Matthew Clarke
33. Ninth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Doctor and Nurses at California Jail Who Treated Detainee’s Ruptured Aorta With Pepto Bismol, by David Reutter
34. Idaho Lowers Cloak of Darkness Over Execution Protocols, by Douglas Ankney
35. ‘Good Time’ Credit Policy Wrongly Under Attack in Alabama, by Jo Ellen Nott
36. ACH Settles After Federal Jury Awards $8.5 Million in Suit Over Missouri Detainee’s Death, by Benjamin Tschirhart
37. Nevada Supreme Court: DOC Owes Parolee Credit for Any Days Over 60 Awaiting Revocation in Prison, by Matthew Clarke
38. Ninth Circuit: Prisoner Filing a New Grievance That Makes New Claims Does Not Render Previous Grievance ‘Unexhausted’, by David Reutter
39. $3.7 Million in Attorney Fees Paid to Settle COVID-19 Class-Action at Orange County Jail, by Jacob Barrett
40. Federal Jury Awards $30,501 to Indiana Prisoner in Retaliation Lawsuit, by David Reutter
41. Federal Government Pays $300,000 for Endangering Diabetic Prisoner With ‘Dramatically’ Subpar Care, by Benjamin Tschirhart
42. Arkansas Supreme Court Rules Felony Enhancements Subject to Parole Eligibility Statute in Place at Time of Crime, by Jacob Barrett
43. COVID-19 Stimulus Garnished From Federal Prisoner, but Only After Eighth Circuit Says ‘Not So Fast’, by David Reutter
44. Ninth Circuit: New Suit Not Required After Curing Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by David Reutter
45. Third Guilty Plea Entered in Massive Aryan Brotherhood Drug Conspiracy in California Prisons, by Jo Ellen Nott
46. Settlement Reached in COVID-19 Class Action Against DC Jail, by Kevin Bliss, Jayson Hawkins
47. News in Brief

More from Douglas Ankney:

• 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
• Acquitted Conduct Sentencing: Not Guilty – But Punished Anyway, March 1, 2026
• Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails, Feb. 1, 2026
• Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, Feb. 1, 2026
• Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails, Feb. 1, 2026
• Maine Supreme Judicial Court Announces Trial Courts Must Rigorously Scrutinize Reliability of Expert Testimony in Unrecognized Forensic Fields, Holding Trial Court Erred in Admitting Forensic Podiatry Footprint-Comparison Testimony Without a Demonstrated, Feb. 1, 2026
• Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry, Feb. 1, 2026
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces Six-Element Jeffries Test Governs Self-Defense Jury Instructions in Cases Involving Force Against Police Officers, Rejecting Appellate Court Approaches That Either Created Separate Threshold Inquiry or Automatically Requir, Feb. 1, 2026
• Supreme Court of Maryland Announces Police Officer’s Observation of Driver Manipulating Cellphone Screen Does Not, Without Additional Facts, Establish Reasonable Suspicion for Traffic Stop Under Fourth Amendment, Feb. 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
• Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., March 1, 2026. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, De Facto Life Sentence.
• Acquitted Conduct Sentencing: Not Guilty – But Punished Anyway, March 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Legislation, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
• North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles, Feb. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
• Washington Supreme Court Holds Courts Must Meaningfully Consider Youth When Assessing Miranda Waiver and Clarifies That Res Gestae Exception Requires Temporal Proximity to Charged Crime, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Interrogations, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Bad Acts Evidence, Custodial Interrogations, Denial of Due Process.
• Study Finds Parole Hearings and Grants Continue to Fall, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
• First Circuit Announces Modification of Juvenile’s Life-­Without-­Parole Sentence to Parole-­Eligible Life Term Constitutes “New Judgment” Under AEDPA, Exempting Second-­in-­Time Habeas Petition From Gatekeeping Requirements, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole, Habeas Corpus, Life without Parole (LWOP), AEDPA, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
• First Circuit Clarifies Mitigating Role Analysis – Sentencing Courts Must Consider All Identifiable Participants in Drug Shipment, Not Just Crew Members, and Use § 3B1.2 Factors to Assess Relative Culpability, Not Guilt, Dec. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• Third Circuit Announces “Commencement of the Instant Offense” in Guidelines § 4A1.2(e) Unambiguously Refers Only to Specific Offense of Conviction, Not Relevant Conduct, Nov. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Adequacy of Criminal History Category, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
• Indiana Supreme Court Announces Whether Defendant’s Actions Were “Objectively Reasonable” Justifying Self-Defense Can Be Considered in Hindsight, Sept. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Criminal Procedure, Appealable Issues/Orders.