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Montana Pays $2,500 to Settle Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim
by Mark Wilson
On March 9, 2022, Montana prison officials paid $2,500 to settle a federal suit alleging that they failed to protect a state prisoner from a known threat of brutal beating by other prisoners.
Andrew Yellowbear, Jr., is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho …
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More from this issue:
- L.A. County Jails: Leading in All the Wrong Ways, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Predatory Probation Still Alive in Georgia, Other States, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prisoner Health Update: K2, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, by Edward Lyon
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Detainee’s Asphyxiation by Jail Guards, by Matthew Clarke
- Detainee Allegedly “Eaten Alive” by Vermin in Overcrowded Atlanta Jail, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Claim That LaSalle Guards Fatally Beat Louisiana Pre-Trial Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Grievance Policy May Excuse Oregon Prisoner’s Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by Jacob Barrett
- “Slap On the Wrist” for California Bail Agents Who Hired Bounty Hunter Who Killed Their Client, by Jayson Hawkins
- Dogged by Racist Comments, North Carolina Sheriff Resigns – Again, by Jo Ellen Nott
- MTC Accused of Parole Programming Scam at Texas Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Fourth Circuit Rejects Appeal of $700,000 Award to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted by Guards, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Again Revives Muslim Texas Prisoner’s Suit Over Halal Meals Denied During Hurricane Evacuation, by Matthew Clarke
- Nevada Pays Over $568,000 for Denying Prisoner Cataract Surgery, Ends “One Good Eye” Policy, by Jacob Barrett
- Prisoner’s Experience in Solitary Wins PEN America Writing Award, by Jacob Barrett
- Condemned Tennessee Prisoner Wins Fight Against Autopsy, by Harold Hempstead
- Maine’s Jails and Prisons Record 39 Deaths in 34 Months, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Qualified Immunity for Texas Prison Guard Who Beat Prisoner’s Arm With Baton Until It Broke, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.3 Million Paid to Transgender Woman Held Five Months in Atlanta Jail on Bogus Charges, by Chuck Sharman
- Nebraska Pays $479,000 for Restrictive Housing Prisoner’s Murder While Double-Celled, by Mark Wilson
- Shielded From Public View, Misconduct by Corrections Staff in Illinois Prisons Received Scant Discipline, by Shannon Heffernan
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, by Edward Lyon
- $2.4 Million Judgment Against Michigan Jail Doctor Convicted of Sexually Abusing Three Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- ACLU Report Details Exploitation of Prisoners for Forced Labor, by Matthew Clarke
- MTV Documentary Shines Light on Art Behind Bars, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fifth Circuit Finds “Opaque” Mississippi Prison Grievance System “Incapable of Use”, by Matthew Clarke
- Overdose Rate in New York Jails and State Prisons Double U.S. Average, by Jacob Barrett
- College Education Disrupted for Washington Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahoma County Pays $1.1 Million After Jail Guards Fatally Beat Detainee, by Jacob Barrett
- Louisiana High Court Abandons Ab Initio Precedent in Favor of “Victim’s Rights”, by David Reutter
- California Appellate Court: State Prisoners Held in Jail and Those Held in Prisons Not Alike for Sentence Credits, by Jacob Barrett
- Telecoms Exploiting Legal Loopholes to Price Gouge Prisoners and Their Families, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Revives Suit by Nation of Gods and Earth Prisoner Demanding Religious Recognition by Texas Prison Officials, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Recaptured After Halfway House Escape, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Missouri Prisoners Awarded $20 Million for Sexual Abuse by “Resident Pervert” Guard, by Ashleigh Dye
- $4.25 Million Paid by King County for Two Jail Beatings By Improperly Housed Mentally Ill Detainees, by Mark Wilson
- Arizona Prisoner Condemned Again for Cellmate’s Murder, by Jayson Hawkins
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Order Vacating Conviction in Oregon Prison Director’s 1989 Murder; SCOTUS Declines Review, by Mark Wilson
- Fourth Circuit: No Civil Commitment at Release for Federal Prisoner in North Carolina Without Considering Conditions, by Casey Bastian
- Montana Becomes 13th State to End Prison Gerrymandering, by Chuck Sharman
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Over $278,000 Awarded to Minnesota Jail Detainee Held on Bad ICE Referral Policy, by David Reutter
- Montana Pays $2,500 to Settle Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim, by Mark Wilson
- News in Brief
- Alaska Supreme Court Says Parole Challenge Must Be Sought via Post-Conviction Relief, Not Lawsuit, by Mark Wilson
More from Mark Wilson:
- Indiana Prisoner Sues Prison Abolition Group, Wins $1,097 Default Judgment, April 26, 2024
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis, Feb. 1, 2024
- Former Oregon Prison Nurse Gets 30 Years for Raping Prisoners, Dec. 1, 2023
- After Ninth Circuit Refuses to Compel Arbitration, National Class Certified in HRDC’s Challenge to Jail and Prison Debit Card Fees, Oct. 15, 2023
- Seventh Circuit Revives Illinois Prisoner’s Claim Over Knee Surgery Delayed 29 Months, Oct. 15, 2023
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit, Finding Grievance Procedure Availability an Open Question, Oct. 15, 2023
- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, Sept. 15, 2023
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, Sept. 15, 2023
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, Sept. 15, 2023
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, Sept. 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed, April 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise.
- $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, March 1, 2026. Food, Sanitation, Settlements, Class Certification, Monell Liability.
- Georgia Grand Jury Scolds Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, March 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, March 1, 2026. Settlements, Class Certification, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Unlawful Detention, Ability to Pay.
- Maryland Prisons Reel from Growing Number of Prisoner Deaths, March 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Deliberate Indifference.
- Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, March 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

