More from this issue:

1. Soaring Number of Detainee Deaths Spotlights Ongoing Crisis at Harris County Jail, by Douglas Ankney
2. Alabama Guards Still Harming Prisoners, Overcrowding Set to Increase as Governor Slashes “Good Time”, by Jo Ellen Nott, Chuck Sharman
3. Prolonged COVID-19 Visitation Restrictions Net Georgia Jails Over $1.5 Million in Telecom Kickbacks, by Jordan Arizmendi
4. Atlanta Federal Prison Gets Another Reboot, by Chuck Sharman
5. Protest Damages Massachusetts Jail that Sheriff Wants to Update, by Jo Ellen Nott
6. Third Circuit Revives Forced-Labor Claims of Jailed Pennsylvania Child Support Debtors, by Matthew Clarke
7. BOP Closes Deadliest Unit, by Chuck Sharman
8. Biden Commutes 31 Federal Drug Sentences, by Jordan Arizmendi
9. Fourth Circuit Revives Virginia Prisoner’s Challenge to DOC Policy Restricting His Religious Headwear, by Douglas Ankney
10. Ohio Governor Reprieves Three Condemned Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
11. Flooding Causes Evacuation of 1,075 Detainees from California Jail, by Jordan Arizmendi
12. Connecticut GOP Lawmakers Force Governor to Replace Pardon Board Chair, Stopping All Commutation Hearings, by Jordan Arizmendi
13. California College Offers Housing, Services to Formally Incarcerated Students, by Keith Sanders
14. SCOTUS Orders Last-Minute Stay of Execution for Oklahoma Death Row Prisoner Richard Glossip
15. Prison Looks Different for Two Celebrity Women, by Jordan Arizmendi
16. Alabama Prisoner’s Family Sues Over Allegedly Botched Execution, by Chuck Sharman
17. Vermont Sheriff Locked Out of National Crime Database, Facing Impeachment, by Chuck Sharman
18. Arizona Prisoner Released from Death Row, by Chuck Sharman
19. Executive Inaction: States and Federal Government Fail to Use Commutations as a Release Mechanism, by Naila Awan, Katie Rose Quandt
20. Senators Spank DOJ for Failure to Implement Death-in-Custody Reporting Act
21. Former Prisoner Uses “Look Back” Window to Sue for Sexual Abuse at Shuttered New York Prison, by David Reutter
22. Corizon Executes “Texas Two-Step,” Spinning Off Debt Into Bankrupt New Firm to Avoid Paying Creditors and Lawsuit Winners, by Matthew Clarke
23. Third Circuit Reinstates Claim by Federal Prisoner in Pennsylvania that Guards Prevented Daily Muslim Prayers, by Matthew Clarke
24. Missouri Legalizes Marijuana and Expunges Criminal Records, by David Reutter
25. Life Sentence for Alabama Jail Escapee After Suicide of Guard Lover Who Helped Him, by Chuck Sharman
26. Washington State Initiative to Expand Jail Ballot Access Faces Local Pushback, by David Reutter
27. Cuyahoga County Sheriff Stripped of Jail Commissary Control After $500,000 in Inventory Goes Missing, by David Reutter
28. Prison Profiteer Who Chairs Christian Seminary Board Called Not Very ‘Christlike’, by Kevin Bliss
29. Corizon Bankruptcy Stalls Suit By Alleged Rape Victims of Rikers Island Guard, by Chuck Sharman
30. Menstruation Weaponized Against Women in Prison, by Kevin Bliss
31. DOJ Finds Louisiana ‘Deliberately Indifferent’ to Prisoners Incarcerated Long Past Their Release Dates, by Matthew Clarke
32. Seventh Circuit: Cook County Jail Grievance Procedure An “Incomprehensible Trap”, by Douglas Ankney
33. Prisoner Health Update: HIV, by Eike Blohm, MD
34. Ninth Circuit Affirms Expanded Relief for Disabled California Prisoners in Long-Running Class Action, by David Reutter
35. $82 Million For Detainee Death in Oklahoma Jail is “Largest Civil Rights Death Claim in U.S. History”, by Matthew Clarke
36. Idaho Revives Firing Squads, by Kevin Bliss
37. SCOTUS Overrules Arizona Supreme Court, Allows Death Row Prisoner to Proceed With State Habeas Action, by Matthew Clarke
38. $30,000 Paid by Michigan to Prisoner Wrongfully Classified as Sex Offender, by David Reutter
39. Fifth Circuit Kills Suit by Louisiana Prisoners Whose Release Dates Were Incorrectly Calculated, by David M. Reutter
40. Former Illinois Guards Sentenced for Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, by Benjamin Tschirhart
41. New Report Pats BOP on the Back for Addressing Problems With Restrictive Housing, PREA, by Keith Sanders
42. Fourth Circuit: Federal Prisoner in North Carolina Making Rehabilitation Act Claim Must Exhaust Both BOP Grievance Process and Justice Department’s EEO Complaint Process, by David Reutter
43. Missouri Prisoner Illegally Condemned by Illiterate Juror Executed Anyway, by Chuck Sharman
44. Ohio Supreme Court Grants State Prisoner Another $1,000 for Denied Records, by Keith Sanders
45. Four Month Prison Term for BOP Compliance Monitor in Miami Who Sexually Abused Prisoner on His Case Load, by Jo Ellen Nott
46. Wellpath Sanctioned for Discovery Violations After Stonewalling in Prisoner Lawsuits, by Douglas Ankney
47. Second Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to N.Y. Prison Official Who Imposed Post-Release Supervision on Prisoner – But Reverses Damages Award, by David Reutter
48. News in Brief

More from Douglas Ankney:

• Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026
• Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026
• Illinois Jail Reprimanded for Denying Detainees Mail Based on Media Content, P.O. Box Return Address, Settles Detainees’ Suit with $111,825 Payment of Legal Fees, May 1, 2026
• Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, May 1, 2026
• Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026
• Kentucky Supreme Court Clarifies Parole Board May Delegate Final Revocation Hearings to Administrative Law Judges but Holds Due Process Requires Parolees Be Permitted to File Exceptions to ALJ Findings Before Board Renders a Final Revocation Decision, April 1, 2026
• New York Court of Appeals Holds Generic Physical Description Insufficient to Justify Pursuit in Mistaken Identity Case, and Suspect’s Flight Cannot Support Reasonable Suspicion Absent Evidence He Knew He Was Fleeing Law Enforcement, April 1, 2026
• Montana Supreme Court Holds Defendant’s Sentence Must Be Vacated Where District Court Premised Sentence on Defendant’s Exercise of Constitutional Rights to Jury Trial, Silence, and Against Self-Incrimination, April 1, 2026
• 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

More from these topics:

• ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan, April 1, 2026. Religious Diet, Religious Practices, Religious Property, Immigration Detention, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, April 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Religious Practices, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
• First Circuit Revives Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against Rhode Island Lockup, April 1, 2026. Denial of Religious Services, Religious Practices, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Authority and Jurisdiction.
• County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity, Feb. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Religious Practices, First Amendment, rights, Religious Freedom/Worship.
• Class Certified in Challenge to Mailed Book Ban at Indianapolis Jail, Jan. 1, 2026. Class Certification, Publications/Books, Religious Practices, Protected Speech.
• SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Rastafarian Hair-­Cutting Case, Jan. 1, 2026. RLUIPA, Religious Practices, Damages - Compensatory, Wrongful Use of Force, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Arkansas “Jailhouse Attorney” Secures Return from Retaliatory Transfer Out of State, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Retaliation for Litigating, Prisoner Legal Assistance, Religious Practices, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Muslim Prisoners Face Price-Gouging, April 1, 2025. Religious Discrimination, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Religious Practices, Religious Property.
• Lawsuits by Michigan Prisoner Yield $57,750 in Settlements, Plus Policy Changes, Jan. 15, 2025. Settlements, Denial of Religious Services, Religious Practices.
• Third Circuit Reinstates Claim by Federal Prisoner in Pennsylvania that Guards Prevented Daily Muslim Prayers, Aug. 15, 2023. State Law Claims, Religious Practices.