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Texas Prisoner Killed After Wounding Guard in Escape and Killing Family While on the Run
by Matt Clarke
On May 12, 2022, as Texas state prisoner Gonzalo Lopez, 46, was being transported in a prison bus to a medical appointment, he used a “prison-made knife and key” to loosen his restraints. He then cut through the metal cage for high-risk prisoners in which …
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More from this issue:
- ‘Plainly Grossly Inadequate’: Federal Court Finds Arizona Prison Healthcare Deliberately Indifferent to Prisoners’ Risk of Serious Harm, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement Extended Again After Federal Judge Faults California Prisons for Using Snitches in Solitary and Parole Procedures, by Jacob Barrett
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Oregon Supreme Court Holds Corizon Health and Other Jail Contractors Liable Under State Disability Rights Laws, by Mark Wilson
- Colorado Prisoner Targeted by Gangs Wins Injunction for Placement in Protective Custody, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Strands Missouri Prisoners Sentenced to Life Without Parole as Juveniles in ‘Opaque’ Review Process, by Douglas Ankney
- Cages in the Coalfields, by Judah Schept
- Eleventh Circuit Says No PLRA ‘Strike’ for Dismissal of Case Removed From State to Federal Court, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge Says Alaska DOC Policy Rejecting Prisoner Mail Without Notice Violates Due Process, by Mark Wilson
- Eighth Circuit Says Judge Dismissing Claim of Federal Prisoner in Arkansas Was Premature in Counting It a PLRA ‘Strike’, by Matthew Clarke
- North Carolina Prisoners Languish Without Air Conditioning, by Kevin Bliss
- Ninth Circuit Tells Nevada DOC: ‘Wait and See’ Prisoner Medical Care Can’t Become ‘Deny and Delay’, by David Reutter
- $2.57 Million Settlement for Hogtying Death in NC Police Custody, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Class Certified in ‘Orange Crush’ Shakedown Lawsuit by Illinois Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Fourteen Officials Indicted in New Jersey Women’s Prison Abuse Scandal, $21 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached, by Ashleigh Dye
- Pennsylvania County Retakes Control of Jail From GEO Group, by Keith Sanders
- Prisoners Awarded Damages for Denial of Public Records by Ohio Prison Officials, by David Reutter
- Tenth Circuit Revives Suit Against Colorado Jail Guard in Death of Mentally Disabled Detainee, by David Reutter
- California Pays $3.5 Million to Settle Suit Over State Prisoner’s Murder, by Ashleigh Dye
- LGBTQ Adults and Youth Face Criminalization and Over-Incarceration, by Jacob Barrett
- Former South Carolina Deputy Gets 18 Years for Driving Transport Van With Two Detainees Into Flood, Drowning Them, by Ashleigh Dye
- Excess Prisoner-Made Hand Sanitizer Costing N.Y. Taxpayers Millions to Dispose Of, by David Reutter
- $54,000 Award for Georgia Prisoner in Failure-To-Protect Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- After Sixth Circuit Stops Attempted End-Run Around Rules, Former Kentucky Jail Detainee Settles Suit Against Southern Health Partners, by Kevin Bliss
- CDCR’s Medication Assisted Treatment Program for Substance Abusers is a Resounding Success, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Deputy Warden Gets Two Years for Assaulting Mississippi Prisoner, by Kevin Bliss
- New Policy Banning Care Packages Makes Life Harder for N.Y. Prisoners, by Jayson Hawkins
- South Carolina Death Row Doctor Breaks Silence About Years of Executions, by Ashleigh Dye
- New York City Jails Admit Illegally Recording Over 2,200 Attorney-Client Phone Calls, by Anthony Accurso
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards Finds Unacceptable Conditions in Nueces County Jail, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Disgraced Virginia Sheriff Gets 12 Years for Bribery and Corruption, by Ashleigh Dye
- Texas Prisoner Killed After Wounding Guard in Escape and Killing Family While on the Run, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Doctor and Nurses at California Jail Who Treated Detainee’s Ruptured Aorta With Pepto Bismol, by David Reutter
- Idaho Lowers Cloak of Darkness Over Execution Protocols, by Douglas Ankney
- ‘Good Time’ Credit Policy Wrongly Under Attack in Alabama, by Jo Ellen Nott
- ACH Settles After Federal Jury Awards $8.5 Million in Suit Over Missouri Detainee’s Death, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Nevada Supreme Court: DOC Owes Parolee Credit for Any Days Over 60 Awaiting Revocation in Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Prisoner Filing a New Grievance That Makes New Claims Does Not Render Previous Grievance ‘Unexhausted’, by David Reutter
- $3.7 Million in Attorney Fees Paid to Settle COVID-19 Class-Action at Orange County Jail, by Jacob Barrett
- Federal Jury Awards $30,501 to Indiana Prisoner in Retaliation Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Federal Government Pays $300,000 for Endangering Diabetic Prisoner With ‘Dramatically’ Subpar Care, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Arkansas Supreme Court Rules Felony Enhancements Subject to Parole Eligibility Statute in Place at Time of Crime, by Jacob Barrett
- COVID-19 Stimulus Garnished From Federal Prisoner, but Only After Eighth Circuit Says ‘Not So Fast’, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit: New Suit Not Required After Curing Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by David Reutter
- Third Guilty Plea Entered in Massive Aryan Brotherhood Drug Conspiracy in California Prisons, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Settlement Reached in COVID-19 Class Action Against DC Jail, by Kevin Bliss, Jayson Hawkins
- 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:
- Judge Denies New York Prison Chief’s Motion to be Dismissed from Case Related to Robert Brooks’ Murder, May 1, 2026. Work Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Train/Supervise, Police--Excessive Force, Deliberate Indifference.
- New York City Begins Construction on Chinatown Jail Despite Opposition, March 1, 2026. Lobbying, Protests, Jail Specific, Transportation, Consent Decrees.
- Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access, Feb. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Transportation, Rural Prisons, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026. Transportation, Excessive Force, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Deliberate Indifference.
- Ohio Sheriff Agrees to Outside Probe in Investigation of Jailed Double Amputee’s Death, Dec. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Beyond the City Limits: How Rural Sheriff’s Departments Are Driving the Spike in Police Killings, Aug. 1, 2025. Excessive Force, Shootings, Police--Excessive Force, Excessive Force (Police).
- News in Brief, July 1, 2025. Misconduct/Corruption, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Shootings, Dogs, Police--Excessive Force, Brady Violations, Home Search, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Brady Rule violations, Perjury/Perjured Testimony.
- SCOTUS Announces Rejection of ‘Moment-of-Threat Doctrine’ Because It Improperly Narrows Required ‘Totality of the Circumstances’ Analysis for Fourth Amendment Excessive-Force Claims, May 15, 2025. Shootings, Police--Excessive Force, Excessive Force (Police), Fourth Amendment, rights.
- Number of Texas Detainees Jailed Out-of-County Doubled in Five Years, March 1, 2025. Jail Specific, Transportation, Rural Prisons.
- Tenth Circuit Affirms PTS Driver’s Conviction for Torturous Detainee Transport, Jan. 15, 2025. Transport Companies, Retaliatory Transfers, Transportation, Deliberate Indifference.

