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Academics Find Prisoners Denied Access to Public Information
by Matt Clarke
On April 18, 2023, Loyola University’s College of Law published a paper detailing the ways prisoners are often denied access to public records that those not incarcerated can easily obtain. Professor Andrea Armstrong and Distinguished Professor of Law Dr. Norman C. Francis described how various …
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More from this issue:
- Breaking the Cycle of Understaffing, Lockdowns and Increased Violence in Prisons, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Wexford Faces Liability for Indiana Prisoner’s Delayed Specialist Referral, by David Reutter
- After Ninth Circuit Refuses to Compel Arbitration, National Class Certified in HRDC’s Challenge to Jail and Prison Debit Card Fees, by Mark Wilson
- Convicted Sex Offender Now a Licensed Attorney in Washington State
- $110,000 Paid By Tennessee Jail to Women Allegedly Forced to Stage “Sex Shows” for Guard
- Unable to Post Bail, Detainee Starves to Death in Arkansas Jail, by David Reutter
- $1 Million Settlement for California Prisoners Used to Bait Guard Charged with Sexual Misconduct
- $30,000 Paid by Pennsylvania to Prisoner Who Alleged Guards Beat and Tortured Him, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit Revives Illinois Prisoner’s Claim Over Knee Surgery Delayed 29 Months, by Mark Wilson
- Louisiana Prison Guard Helps Pregnant Prisoner and Learns That No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
- Number Held in U.S. Prisons and Jails Dipped in Pandemic’s Second Year, by Douglas Ankney
- 46 Honduran Prisoners Massacred in Their Cells
- $1.25 Million Settlement for California Jail Prisoner’s Loss of Limbs, by David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit, Finding Grievance Procedure Availability an Open Question, by Mark Wilson
- COVID-19 Increased Racial Disparities in Prisons and Jails
- Court Orders Preliminary Injunctive Relief for Transgender Massachusetts Prisoners, by Douglas Ankney
- Guantanamo Bay Detainees Subjected to Forced Rectal Feeding and Hydration, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Wrongly Imprisoned for Killing Oregon Prison Director, Frank Gable Finally Fully Freed
- Naphcare’s Lack of Care Leads to $26.75 Million Verdict for Washington Jail Death
- $2,060,000 Awarded to Former New York Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Assault by Guards, by Douglas Ankney
- Ex-felons on Parole and Probation Now Allowed to Vote in Minnesota
- How Corporations Turned Prison Tablets Into a Predatory Scheme, by Tommaso Bardelli, Ruqaiyah Zarook, Derick McCarthy
- The Almost Unknown Turkey Bowl and Black Sheep, by Douglas Ankney
- Report Finds Prison a Factor in Falling U.S. Life Expectancy
- Third Prisoner Dies in 2023 at California’s New Folsom Prison
- Virginia Prisoner Wins Habeas Release on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claim, by Douglas Ankney
- Settlement Reached Over COVID-19 Measures, Home Confinement Releases at FCC Lompoc
- New York Jailhouse Lawyer Wins Resentencing, Release, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- CoreCivic Fails to Defeat California’s Anti-SLAPP Law at Ninth Circuit, Must Pay $45,630 in Attorney Fees
- Colorado One of Four States Making Phone Calls Free for Prisoners
- Sixth Circuit Revives Blind Tennessee Prisoner’s Suit Against DOC and CoreCivic
- $1.85 Million Approved for Tampa Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 37 Years
- Suit Against Pennsylvania Jail and Controversial Trainer Down to Just Two Plaintiffs
- Almost $1.1 Million Awarded to One-Legged Pretrial Detainee Forced to Hop to California Jail Cell, by David Reutter
- Florida Solitary Confinement Lawsuit Dismissed, by David Reutter
- Former BOP Guard Gets Light Sentence for COVID-19 Fraud, by Douglas Ankney
- Academics Find Prisoners Denied Access to Public Information, by Matthew Clarke
- Citing Improvements at Mississippi State Prison at Parchman, Rappers Drop Suit, by Douglas Ankney
- Settlement Includes $78,000 in Damages Against Minnesota DOC for ADA Violations
- 400 Prisoners Relocated After Fire at Texas State Penitentiary
- Texas Death Row Prisoners Challenge Blanket Policy of Automatic Solitary Confinement, by Douglas Ankney
- Colorado Lawmakers Shut Down Sheriff’s Participation in ICE 287(g) Program
- JPay Denied Motion to Compel Arbitration in Suit Over Debit Release Cards
- Prisoner Health Update: Hemorrhoids, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Despite Prior Settlement Agreement, Sick Michigan Prisoners Still Forced to Wait for Medication in Cold and Rain, by Douglas Ankney
- Nearly 5,000 Sexual Victimizations Counted in Three Years in U.S. Prisons and Jails, by Douglas Ankney
- $3.25 Million Settlement Reached With Defendants Jailed in Missouri “Debtor’s Prison” for Unpaid Fines, Fees, by Matthew Clarke
- $2.125 Million Paid So Far for Virginia Prisoner’s Death from Treatable Aneurism, by Matthew Clarke
- San Francisco Jail First in Nation to Provide Detainees Tablets With Totally Free Content
- Utah Prisoner Blows Whistle on Abuse of Federal Grants, Leading to $1.55 Million Settlement – And New Law Restricting Prisoner Records Requests
- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
- Nebraska Lifts Suspension of Native American Religious Practices Hours Prior to Federal Court Hearing, June 1, 2026
- Florida Federal Court Excoriates BOP for Health Care Failures, Grants Prisoner Early Release to Seek Treatment for Possible Breast Cancer, June 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Dismisses Federal Prisoner’s Challenge to BOP Denying His Request for Expedited Transfer to Prerelease Custody, June 1, 2026
- Federal Court Partially Enjoins Enforcement of Georgia’s S.B. 185 Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Health Care in DOC, June 1, 2026
- Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard, June 1, 2026
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Florida Supreme Court Announces “Results” of Postconviction DNA Testing Under § 925.11 Include Underlying Testing Data Necessary for Expert Analysis, Holding That No Additional Burden Applies Once a Motion for Testing Has Been Granted, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Forensic Sciences, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Sheriff Did Not Violate Open Records Act and Declines to Award Damages to Prisoner, June 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Public Records Act.
- They Thought They Were Leaving Prison Early. Then They Weren’t., June 1, 2026. Public Records, Overdetention, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Credits, Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences.
- Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, May 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Public Records Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, April 1, 2026. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Damages, Public Records, Public Records Act.
- Exonerated Former Prisoner Wins Election for Chief Record Keeper in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2026. Prisoner Legal Assistance, Juries, Public Records, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Over $222,000 in Legal Costs and Fees Awarded to HRDC in Florida Records Suit Against Centurion, Dec. 1, 2025. Attorney Fee Awards, Costs, Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Public Records Act.
- $1.8 Million Settlement Reached Following CDCR Data Breach, Nov. 1, 2025. DOC/BOP misconduct, Medical Records, Settlements, Class Certification, Disclosure of Records, Class Notice, Public Records, Restitution, Trust Accounts.
- Sixth Circuit Order Sealing Records in Private Prison Shareholder Suit Vacated, Remanded, Aug. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Misconduct/Corruption, Public Records.
- Federal Court Lets BOP Withhold Mortality Reviews Under FOIA, March 1, 2025. Prison/Jail Murders, Wrongful Death, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

