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Prison Walls No Barrier to America’s Deadly Opioid Crisis
by Douglas Ankney
When Missouri prisoner Robert Hebert learned in January 2023 that he had less than two years remaining on his prison sentence, the father of six and his family shared in the excitement. He planned to look for work in the concrete industry. Along with his …
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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:
- Second Circuit Vacates Above-Guidelines Firearm-Trafficking Sentence Based on Failure to Assist Law Enforcement and Unexplained Reliance on Factors Already Included in Guidelines Range, Sept. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Convictions, Holding Requirement That Defendant Testify Before Displaying Hand Tattoos Violates Fifth Amendment, Sept. 1, 2026
- Ohio Supreme Court Announces Postconviction DNA-Testing Orders Need Only Identify Statutory Reason to Satisfy R.C. 2953.73(D) “Reasons” Requirement, Sept. 1, 2026
- Idaho Legislature Moves to Hide Execution Protocol from Judicial Scrutiny, Sept. 1, 2026
- New Jersey Court Rules That Denial of Transgender Prisoner’s Transfer Request Violates Neither Discrimination Law nor Equal Protection Clause, Sept. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Upholds Consultants’ Finding that Oklahoma Is Not Honoring Its Consent Decree to Provide Mental Health Treatment, Sept. 1, 2026
- BOP Denies Providing Substandard Dialysis Treatment Despite Prisoners’ Deaths, Court Filings, Understaffing and Lack of Oversight, Sept. 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Orders Plenary Hearing Before Special Adjudicator on Reliability of Fingerprint Evidence, Holding Century of Judicial Acceptance Did Not Satisfy Trial Court’s Gatekeeping Obligation Under N.J.R.E. 702, Aug. 1, 2026
- En Banc Eleventh Circuit Announces All Parents, Including Those Convicted of Child-Sex Offenses, Enjoy Fundamental Right to Live With Their Children, Holding Alabama Residency Prohibition Subject to Strict Scrutiny, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Announces Courts May Examine Individual Officer’s Subjective Purpose When Assessing Whether Warrantless Administrative Inspection Was Pretextual, Holding Suppression Required Where Trooper’s Sole Motive for Stop Was Criminal Investigati, Aug. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- The Systematic Terror of Rankin County’s “Goon Squad”, May 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, War on Drugs, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails, April 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Health care.
- Six Years of the First Step Act: Federal Prison Data Reveal Treatment Gains, Persistent Disparities, and Unanswered Questions, April 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Systemic Medical Neglect, First Step Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Staffing, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Good Time, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Number of Narcan Doses Raises Drug Concerns at New Jersey Prisons, March 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Mail Regulations, Drug Treatment/Rehab, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment, Feb. 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Drug Overdose, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- The Flawed Science of Cannabis Impairment Detection: The Need for Evidence-Based Reform, Aug. 1, 2025. Drug Testing, War on Drugs, Marijuana Laws/Issues, Drug Laws/Offenses.
- Former Prisoner Informant Appointed Deputy Director of BOP, July 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Informants, War on Drugs, Pardons/Clemency, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Trading Guns for Drugs.
- Washington Jail Settles DOJ Allegations of ADA Noncompliance in Failure to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, July 15, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Americans with Disabilities Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Rikers Island Staffers, Contractor and Detainee Sentenced for Smuggling, May 1, 2025. War on Drugs, Drug Mixtures/Purity, Mandatory Minimums.

