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Fourth Circuit: Dismissal of South Carolina Prisoner’s Complaint Cannot Prematurely Be Called a “Strike” Under PLRA
by Douglas Ankney
On April 13, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that a district court cannot dismiss a prisoner’s complaint and at the same time declare it a “strike” for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Under that statute, as amended by …
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More from this issue:
- Prison Walls No Barrier to America’s Deadly Opioid Crisis, by Douglas Ankney
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- North Carolina Prisoner Recovers $500 for Injuries in Shower Slip and Fall
- DOJ Reaches Consent Decree with New Jersey Jail to Improve Mental Health Care, by David Reutter
- Suit Against Delaware DOC Advances With 39 Prisoner Plaintiffs and 40 Defendants, by David Reutter
- Defining ‘Carceral Deference’, by David Reutter
- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $700 From Sheriff Who Failed to Comply with Public Records Request, by Douglas Ankney
- U.S. Probation System a “Quagmire” That Sets Defendants Up to Fail
- $12,000 Paid to California Prisoner Denied Back Surgery Despite Doctor’s Recommendation
- The Gun of Incarceration, by Cristian Farias
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Arkansas Guard Accused of Provoking One Prisoner to Attack Another, by Douglas Ankney
- Arizona Governor Creates Independent Prison Oversight Commission, by Douglas Ankney
- When Prison Workers Are Exploited for Cheap Sheets
- Almost $2.4 Million in Settlements For Seven Suicides at New Jersey Jail, by David Reutter
- California Bail Bondsman Accused of Faking Captures to Bilk Courts
- Report: “Mass Supervision” Driving Mass Incarceration
- High Profile Escapes from Two Pennsylvania Jails Blamed on Staffing and Infrastructure Problems
- HRDC Wins Motion to Compel North Carolina Prison Officials to Answer for Censorship Policy
- New York Succeeds in Firing Fewer Than 10% of Guards Accused of Prisoner Abuse
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim
- St. Louis City Jails Director Under Fire, County Jail Director Leaves After Nearly $2.7 Million in Legal Payouts, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Condemned Arizona Prisoner Reprieved, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Fourth Circuit: Dismissal of South Carolina Prisoner’s Complaint Cannot Prematurely Be Called a “Strike” Under PLRA, by Douglas Ankney
- After Spate of Deaths, Vermont Contracts Prisoner Healthcare to Wellpath – Again
- Ohio Prisoner’s Suit Claims Exposure to Toxic Chemicals Released in Train Derailment
- Minnesota Makes All Calls Free in Prisons and Jails
- Connecticut Lawmakers Punt on Limiting Prison Strip Searches, by David Reutter
- DNA Matches Dead Australian to Nebraska Prisoner Who Escaped 56 Years Ago
- Two-Week Texas Prison Lockdown Ends With Puny Contraband Haul
- South Carolina DOC Investigates Jail After 30 Detainee Injuries, Two Escapes and Five Guard Arrests
- Deadline Looms for Payouts Under California’s Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program
- While Federal Prisoners Died of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, BOP Staff Used Up Vaccine Allotment on Themselves
- Tennessee Private Prison Gets State’s First LGBTQ+ Group
- Ninth Circuit Revives Former Nevada Prisoner’s Claim for Deprivation of Sentence Credit
- Number Held in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons and Jails Tops 122,000
- Nine Memphis Jailers Indicted in Death of Psychotic Detainee
- Alabama Prison Conditions Continue to Worsen as DOJ Trial Looms
- Washington Kills the Death Penalty – Again
- Seven Deaths in Seven Months at Dayton Jail
- South Carolina Supreme Court Denies Prisoner’s Challenge to DOC Policy Restricting Visitors to People He Knew Before Incarceration, by Douglas Ankney
- Alabama Sheriff Loses Appeal to Theft and Ethics Conviction
- No Hearing Required for Emergency Dose of Antipsychotic Medication for Mississippi Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Women Behind Bars, by the Numbers
- CDCR Facing Daily Fines in 33-Year-Old Suit Over Deficient Mental Health Care
- SCOTUS Lets Ohio Detainee’s Suit Die Over Incarceration for Parodied Police Facebook Page
- Eleventh Circuit Says Florida Prisoner Who Dismissed Complaint Cannot Be Assessed a “Strike” Under PLRA, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.05 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Appendix Rupture, by David Reutter
- $24 Million for Motorist Detained and Killed by California Highway Patrol
- Fourth Circuit Rebuffs Federal Prisoner’s Attempt to Expand Bivens in North Carolina, by David Reutter
- Imprisoned Putin Critic Claims He’s Subjected to “Re-Education”
- 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
- Fourth Circuit Announces Defendant Has Standing to Appeal Based Solely on Rogers–Singletary Claim of a “Material Discrepancy Between” Written and Orally Articulated Judgment at Sentencing, 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
- Sixth Circuit Announces Federal Coercion and Enticement Statute Requires Knowledge of Victim’s Minor Status, Deepening Circuit Split, May 1, 2026
- Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, May 1, 2026
- Delaware Supreme Court Announces Adoption of ABA Standard 3-6.5(b) Governing Prosecutors’ Opening Statements, Reverses Murder Convictions Based on Prosecutor’s References to Co-Defendant’s Guilty Plea, 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
More from these topics:
- Texas Officials Testify That Cost to Air Condition Prisons Tops $1.5 Billion, May 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Exposure to Heat, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Ninth Circuit Finds No Bivens Extension Needed for Federal Prisoner Prescribed Water and Exercise for Thyroid Storms, Nov. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions, Deliberate Indifference, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Grievances, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Pittsburgh Lockup Accounts for 43% of Pennsylvania Jail TASER Use, Suit Filed, May 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Sixth Circuit: Dismissals of Mixed-Claim Complaints Not Strikes Under PLRA, April 1, 2025. Dismissal, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), Three Strike Litigants.
- Sixth Circuit Sets Up Circuit Split with Ruling on Michigan Prisoner’s PLRA Exhaustion Dispute, Oct. 15, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Second Circuit: New York Prisoner’s Prior Cases Not PLRA Strikes, Sept. 15, 2024. Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Fifth Circuit: Texas Prisoner’s Declaration Alone Sufficient to Send PLRA Exhaustion Dispute to Trial, July 1, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Summary Judgment, Summary Judgment/Judgment N.O.V., Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Ninth Circuit Refunds Filing Fee to “Struck-Out” California Prisoner Denied Indigent Status Under PLRA, May 1, 2024. Filing Fees (PLRA), Recalling Mandate, Three Strike Litigants.
- “Third Time Is Not the Charm” For Texas Jailers Barred by PLRA from Enforcing Prior Settlement Agreement Against Prisoner in New Suit, May 1, 2024. Jail Specific, PLRA, Settlements, Attorney Calls, Civil Settlement - Effect of, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), Wiretaps/Wiretap Evidence.

