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Monterey County Pays $1 Million to Settle Suit Over Detainee Suicide by Toilet Tissue; Wellpath Pays Another Undisclosed Sum
by Douglas Ankney
On June 18, 2024, the United States Court for the Northern District of California approved a series of settlements totaling $1 million that resolved a civil rights suit brought by the survivors of Carlos Chavez, whose suicide at the Monterey County Jail (MCJ) they blamed …
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More from this issue:
- New Mexico Corrections Department Continues Pattern of Abuse With Contract Medical Provider Wexford Health Sources, by Sam Rutherford
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- BOP Shutters “Rape Club” in California, Director Peters Quits
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Presumption of Innocence Not Violated by Jail Courtroom
- Fifth Circuit Revives Texas Prisoner’s Sleep Deprivation Claim—Again
- San Francisco Supervisor Calls for “Mass Arrests” and Compulsory Addiction Treatment in “Drug Jails”
- Arizona To Resume Executions
- Washington Spends Only Fraction of Fund to Improve Prisoner Welfare
- Prisons Don’t Fix Rural Poverty—They Make It Worse
- Eleventh Circuit Tells BOP Prisoner in Georgia: Bivens Is On “Endangered Species List”
- Rikers Island Continues Long Practice of Denying Education to Young Adults, by Douglas Ankney
- Biometric Monitoring Comes to Washington Jail
- Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, by David Reutter
- USDC (D. Oregon), Case No. 6:22-cv-00451, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida to Trans Prisoners: We’re Coming for Your Bras
- U.S. Navy Exonerates Wrongly Convicted Black WWII Sailors
- 20 South Carolina Prisoners Sentenced So Far for Deadly 2018 Riot
- Long Wait List for Texas’ Only College-Level Re-Entry Class for Prisoners
- Florida Prisoners Sue Over Deadly Heat
- $220,000 Settlement After Woman Dies in Ohio Jail From Drug Withdrawal, by Anthony Accurso
- Seventh Circuit Offers Wisconsin Prisoner Just a Little Help in Suit Alleging He Was Held in Feces-Stained Cell Without Water
- Legal Gaffe Prolongs Case of Former St. Louis Detainee Held Eight Months After Dismissal of Charges, by Matthew Clarke
- State Forces Minneapolis Jail to Ship Out Detainees
- Monterey County Pays $1 Million to Settle Suit Over Detainee Suicide by Toilet Tissue; Wellpath Pays Another Undisclosed Sum, by Douglas Ankney
- Michigan Allows More Releases for Medically Frail Prisoners
- Medicare Now Available to Those on Probation and Parole
- Sixth Circuit Revives Challenge by Kentucky Prisoner Left Three Weeks in “Rancid” Paper Undershorts, by Douglas Ankney
- BOP Eases Money Grab from Federal Prisoners
- Among World Nations, Individual U.S. States Near Top of List for Per Capita Incarceration, by Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee DOC Found in Violation of ADA With Failure to Accommodate Hearing Impaired Prisoners
- Washington DOC Physician Assistant Surrenders Medical License in Wake of Malpractice Allegations, by Sam Rutherford
- HRDC Files Suit on Behalf of Florida Man Wrongfully Convicted and Incarcerated for 31 Years
- Federal Prison Oversight Act Becomes Law
- Despite Prevalence, Most ADHD Behind Bars Goes Undiagnosed and Untreated
- $9.9 Million Paid to Washington Prisoner Whose Misdiagnosed Cancer Is Now Terminal
- Indiana Resumes Executions
- Cuyahoga County Judges Vowed to Reform the Bail System. Here’s What Happened., by Ilica Mahajan, Rachel Dissell
- Philadelphia Held in Contempt of Jail Conditions Settlement, Ordered to Pay $25 Million
- Louisiana Prisoner Charged With Running Sports Gambling Operation
- Sixth Circuit: Leaman Doctrine Did Not Bar Ohio Prisoner’s Pro Se Federal Civil Rights Suit Over Interference with Legal Mail
- Fourth Circuit Revives Claims Against Virginia Jailers by Detainee They Allegedly Manhandled While Handcuffed, by Douglas Ankney
- DOJ Directs BOP, U.S. Marshals to Improve Suicide Prevention
- Minnesota Supreme Court Says Randy Guard Must Face Prisoner’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Claims
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim Against Guard in Stabbing, by Douglas Ankney
- Arkansas Moving Some State Prisoners from County Jails… to a Former County Jail
- Oregon Pays $50,000 to Settle Retaliation Suit by PLN Contributor, Who Wins Release
- DOJ Settles Complaints About Conditions for Disabled Detroit Jail Detainees, by Matthew Clarke
- $150,000 Settlement But No Charges After Schizophrenic Florida Detainee Killed by Jail Guards
- California Prisoner Allegedly Ran Alaska Drug Ring from His Cell
- Oregon Holds BLM Protestor in Solitary Confinement for 250 Days
- New York Prison Officials Found Routinely Violating HALT Act With Overuse of Solitary Confinement, by Matthew Clarke
- Harvey Weinstein Files Notice of Claim Over Rikers Island Detention
- Prison Profiteers Ready to Help Trump Make Good on Deportation Threats
- Oregon DOC Investigation Puts Top Medical Officials on Leave
- Ohio Guard Killed by Prisoner in Christmas Day Attack
- Two Mississippi Prisoners Escape in One Month
- Charges Dismissed Against Connecticut Guards Who Assaulted Prisoner
- California Governor Pardons Former Prisoner Podcaster of “Ear Hustle”
- Historic $7 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Governor Orders Firing of 13 Guards, Nurse in Prisoner’s Fatal Beating
- Former South Carolina Jailer Spared Prison After Testimony Fails to Convict Former Sheriff
- Nearly 800 California Prisoners Battle Huge Los Angeles Wildfires—for About $1 an Hour
- Thousands Freed from Syrian Prison
- Tennessee Finalizes New One-Drug Execution Protocol
- 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
- 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
- Oklahoma Supreme Court: Jail Trust Cannot Withhold Requested Records under Law Enforcement Exemption of ORA, 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
- Montana Supreme Court Holds Defendant’s Sentence Must Be Vacated Where District Court Premised Sentence on Defendant’s Exercise of Constitutional Rights to Jury Trial, Silence, and Against Self-Incrimination, April 1, 2026
- Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Sexual Assault of a Child Statute Sweeps More Broadly Than Federal SORNA Tier Offenses, March 1, 2026
- Delaware Supreme Court Announces Four-Part Plain Error Framework, Aligning Prejudice Standard With Federal Approach Requiring Reasonable Probability of Different Outcome, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Hospital Keeps Sending Detainees Back Without Care to County Jail in Colorado, May 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- NaphCare Pays $875,000 to Settle New York License Violations, Banned from State for Five Years, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Nearly 50 People Have Died in ICE Custody Since Trump’s Return to White House, May 1, 2026. LaSalle Management Company, Systemic Medical Neglect, Staffing, Suicides, Immigration Detention.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Alabama DOC Terminates $1 Billion Contract with YesCare, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Corizon, Private Contractors, Suicides, Employee Litigation.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.

