More from this issue:

1. Prison Walls No Barrier to America’s Deadly Opioid Crisis, by Douglas Ankney
2. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
3. North Carolina Prisoner Recovers $500 for Injuries in Shower Slip and Fall
4. DOJ Reaches Consent Decree with New Jersey Jail to Improve Mental Health Care, by David Reutter
5. Suit Against Delaware DOC Advances With 39 Prisoner Plaintiffs and 40 Defendants, by David Reutter
6. Defining ‘Carceral Deference’, by David Reutter
7. Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $700 From Sheriff Who Failed to Comply with Public Records Request, by Douglas Ankney
8. U.S. Probation System a “Quagmire” That Sets Defendants Up to Fail
9. $12,000 Paid to California Prisoner Denied Back Surgery Despite Doctor’s Recommendation
10. The Gun of Incarceration, by Cristian Farias
11. Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Arkansas Guard Accused of Provoking One Prisoner to Attack Another, by Douglas Ankney
12. Arizona Governor Creates Independent Prison Oversight Commission, by Douglas Ankney
13. When Prison Workers Are Exploited for Cheap Sheets
14. Almost $2.4 Million in Settlements For Seven Suicides at New Jersey Jail, by David Reutter
15. California Bail Bondsman Accused of Faking Captures to Bilk Courts
16. Report: “Mass Supervision” Driving Mass Incarceration
17. High Profile Escapes from Two Pennsylvania Jails Blamed on Staffing and Infrastructure Problems
18. HRDC Wins Motion to Compel North Carolina Prison Officials to Answer for Censorship Policy
19. New York Succeeds in Firing Fewer Than 10% of Guards Accused of Prisoner Abuse
20. Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim
21. St. Louis City Jails Director Under Fire, County Jail Director Leaves After Nearly $2.7 Million in Legal Payouts, by Benjamin Tschirhart
22. Condemned Arizona Prisoner Reprieved, by Benjamin Tschirhart
23. Fourth Circuit: Dismissal of South Carolina Prisoner’s Complaint Cannot Prematurely Be Called a “Strike” Under PLRA, by Douglas Ankney
24. After Spate of Deaths, Vermont Contracts Prisoner Healthcare to Wellpath – Again
25. Ohio Prisoner’s Suit Claims Exposure to Toxic Chemicals Released in Train Derailment
26. Minnesota Makes All Calls Free in Prisons and Jails
27. Connecticut Lawmakers Punt on Limiting Prison Strip Searches, by David Reutter
28. DNA Matches Dead Australian to Nebraska Prisoner Who Escaped 56 Years Ago
29. Two-Week Texas Prison Lockdown Ends With Puny Contraband Haul
30. South Carolina DOC Investigates Jail After 30 Detainee Injuries, Two Escapes and Five Guard Arrests
31. Deadline Looms for Payouts Under California’s Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program
32. While Federal Prisoners Died of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, BOP Staff Used Up Vaccine Allotment on Themselves
33. Tennessee Private Prison Gets State’s First LGBTQ+ Group
34. Ninth Circuit Revives Former Nevada Prisoner’s Claim for Deprivation of Sentence Credit
35. Number Held in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons and Jails Tops 122,000
36. Nine Memphis Jailers Indicted in Death of Psychotic Detainee
37. Alabama Prison Conditions Continue to Worsen as DOJ Trial Looms
38. Washington Kills the Death Penalty – Again
39. Seven Deaths in Seven Months at Dayton Jail
40. South Carolina Supreme Court Denies Prisoner’s Challenge to DOC Policy Restricting Visitors to People He Knew Before Incarceration, by Douglas Ankney
41. Alabama Sheriff Loses Appeal to Theft and Ethics Conviction
42. No Hearing Required for Emergency Dose of Antipsychotic Medication for Mississippi Prisoner, by David Reutter
43. Women Behind Bars, by the Numbers
44. CDCR Facing Daily Fines in 33-Year-Old Suit Over Deficient Mental Health Care
45. SCOTUS Lets Ohio Detainee’s Suit Die Over Incarceration for Parodied Police Facebook Page
46. Eleventh Circuit Says Florida Prisoner Who Dismissed Complaint Cannot Be Assessed a “Strike” Under PLRA, by Matthew Clarke
47. $1.05 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Appendix Rupture, by David Reutter
48. $24 Million for Motorist Detained and Killed by California Highway Patrol
49. Fourth Circuit Rebuffs Federal Prisoner’s Attempt to Expand Bivens in North Carolina, by David Reutter
50. Imprisoned Putin Critic Claims He’s Subjected to “Re-Education”
51. News in Brief

More from these topics:

• U.S. Sentencing Commission: 2026 Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, June 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Alternative Sentencing, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Multiple/Multiplicious Counts, Drug Quantity.
• First Circuit Vacates Drug Courier’s Sentence, Holding District Court Erred by Failing to Conduct Proper Comparative Culpability Analysis Under § 3B1.2 When It Excluded Other Participants in Drug Shipment From Universe of Comparators, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Appellate Jurisdiction/Review, Sentencing Findings, Relevant Conduct.
• Sixth Circuit Announces Federal Coercion and Enticement Statute Requires Knowledge of Victim’s Minor Status, Deepening Circuit Split, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• Oregon Supreme Court Announces Trial Courts Must Give Complete Oral Final Jury Instructions at Conclusion of Trial, Preliminary Instructions Cannot Substitute for the ORCP 59 B Charge, May 1, 2026. Jury Instructions, Jury Instructions in Jury Room, Grounds for Relief, Denial of Due Process, Right to Testify/Remain Silent.
• Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits, April 1, 2026. First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Credits, Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences.
• 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. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Qualifying Offenses, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Child Pornography.
• Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026. Evidentiary Claims, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Competency Hearing, Denial of Due Process.
• Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, March 1, 2026. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, First Step Act, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Credits.
• 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.
• 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.