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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:
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives § 1983 Complaint Alleging Jail Detainees’ Death from Stroke was Due to Deliberate Indifference and Failure to Train, July 1, 2026
- New Jersey Lawmakers Pass “Female Incarcerated Person’s Rights Protection Act”, July 1, 2026
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Detainee’s Suit Alleging Monell and 14th Amendment Deliberate Indifference Claims, June 1, 2026
- FTC Substantiates Allegations Against ViaPath Related to Data Breach and Orders Remedial Action, June 1, 2026
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, June 1, 2026
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Sheriff Did Not Violate Open Records Act and Declines to Award Damages to Prisoner, June 1, 2026
- Fifth Circuit Announces Enhanced Supervised Release Provision Under 18 U.S.C. § 3583(k) Does Not Apply to Assimilative Crimes Act Offenses, Limiting Statutory Maximum to Five Years Under § 3583(b), June 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal: Vehicle Impoundment Solely to Prevent Further Unlicensed Driving Does Not Satisfy Fourth Amendment’s Community Caretaking Exception; Statutory Authorization Alone Insufficient to Establish Constitutional Reasonableness, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, June 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Suicides, Health care.
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Deliberate Indifference.
- $5 Million Paid by Colorado County for Jail Detainee’s “Gruesome” Death from Untreated Ulcer; Claims Proceeding Against Southern Health Partners, June 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Public Records Act, False Imprisonment.
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Jail Suicide of Maryland Detainee Whose Emergency Hospitalization Order Was Ignored, June 1, 2026. Qualified Immunity, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Settlements, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Detainee’s Suit Alleging Monell and 14th Amendment Deliberate Indifference Claims, June 1, 2026. Medication, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Kansas DOC Replaces Centurion with Another Prison Healthcare Contractor, June 1, 2026. Centurion, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat.

