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$75,000 for Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Against Jail Guard
by Chuck Sharman
Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County Council voted on April 28, 2026, to pay $75,000 to Jerome Williamson, a former prisoner in the county lockup who accused a guard of shoving him to the floor and breaking his wrist.
The incident unfolded in September 2023 at the …
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More from this issue:
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- California Pays $15,000 to State Prisoner Who Claimed He Was Targeted by Guards, by Chuck Sharman
- Fourth Circuit Revives Detainee’s Suit Alleging Monell and 14th Amendment Deliberate Indifference Claims, by Douglas Ankney
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, by Matthew Clarke
- Alabama Prison Warden Reportedly Arrested and Walked Off Job, by Chuck Sharman
- FTC Substantiates Allegations Against ViaPath Related to Data Breach and Orders Remedial Action, by Douglas Ankney
- Number of Prisoners Awaiting Transfer from Jail Surging in Indiana
- Warden, Four Other Louisiana Jailers Indicted for Brutalizing Compliant Detainees with Riot Shield, by Chuck Sharman
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, by Chuck Sharman
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
- Study Shows That Suicide Intervention During and After Incarceration Reduces Suicide Attempts by 55%, by Douglas Ankney
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, by Matthew Clarke
- Report Finds Stark Racial Disparities in Wisconsin Prisons
- $5 Million Paid by Colorado County for Jail Detainee’s “Gruesome” Death from Untreated Ulcer; Claims Proceeding Against Southern Health Partners, by Chuck Sharman
- Kansas DOC Replaces Centurion with Another Prison Healthcare Contractor
- Texas Executes 600th Prisoner Since Reinstating Death Penalty in 1976
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $10 Million Wrongful Conviction Verdict for Exonerated Michigan Prisoner, by Chuck Sharman
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Sheriff Did Not Violate Open Records Act and Declines to Award Damages to Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- Spate of Deaths at Tulsa Jail Highlights Medical Neglect, by Michael Thompson
- $250,000 Paid by Maine to Former Prisoner Held in Solitary Confinement—Which the State DOC Says Doesn’t Exist, by Chuck Sharman
- Arkansas Supreme Court Bows to Governor’s Board of Correction Takeover, by Chuck Sharman
- Former Maine Prison Official Will Serve 5 Years in Prison for $2.4 Million Bribe
- $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, by Chuck Sharman
- Ambulance Calls at Boston Jail Have Tripled Since 2010
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, by Chuck Sharman
- Nebraska Lifts Suspension of Native American Religious Practices Hours Prior to Federal Court Hearing, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Federal Court Excoriates BOP for Health Care Failures, Grants Prisoner Early Release to Seek Treatment for Possible Breast Cancer, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Prisoner, Paroled After 25 Years, Exonerated of Crime, by Chuck Sharman
- North Carolina Prison Closing Due to Short Staffing
- Eighth Circuit Dismisses Federal Prisoner’s Challenge to BOP Denying His Request for Expedited Transfer to Prerelease Custody, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Georgia Prison Warden Indicted for Role in Smuggling Scheme
- NaphCare Pulls Out of Washington Jails After Lawsuit Payouts, by Michael Thompson
- Federal Court Partially Enjoins Enforcement of Georgia’s S.B. 185 Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Health Care in DOC, by Matthew Clarke
- $75,000 for Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Against Jail Guard, by Chuck Sharman
- Prison Profiteer The GEO Group Accused of Refusing Health Inspections at Detention Facility Despite Court Ruling
- New York City Reaches Settlements Totaling Nearly $5.2 Million with Estates of Two Fatal Methadone Overdose Victims Detained on Rikers Island, by Chuck Sharman
- Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- $1 Million Settlement Reached in Jail Suicide of Maryland Detainee Whose Emergency Hospitalization Order Was Ignored, by Chuck Sharman
- Two More Guards Face Prison Time for Messiah Nantwi Killing, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Washington State Supreme Court Ruling Supports Broad Immunity in Overdose Cases, by Michael Thompson
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Nevada Ex-Warden Ordered to Counseling After Ear-Biting Incident
- They Thought They Were Leaving Prison Early. Then They Weren’t., by Phillip Luna
- New Orleans Sheriff Indicted on 30 Charges Related to Malfeasance and Fraud
- Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Receiving Preferential Treatment at Texas Prison Camp, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Prosecutors Had a Drugs-for-Votes Scheme “Locked Up.” Under Trump, They Were Told Not to Pursue Charges., by Raquel Rutledge
- Oklahoma Governor Pressured DOC to Grant Preferential Treatment to Friend, by Jo Ellen Nott
- In Wake of Murders of Prisoners by Guards, New York Passes Legislation to Enhance Safety, Accountability and Training, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit Rules Prisoner Held After Parole Board Ordered Release on Parole Could Not State a Rights Violation Claim, by Douglas Ankney
- Wisconsin Governor Issues Executive Order to Restore Commutations, by Michael Thompson
- Auditor Demands Private Prison Company Pay $7.4 Million to Mississippi
- Our Money Is Disappearing Inside ViaPath’s Prison Tablets, by Christopher Santiago
- Ombuds Report Doesn’t Rule Out Racism or Retaliation at Red Onion State Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Colorado DOC Allows Some Prisoners Convicted of Sex Crimes to be Released While Delaying Parole Consideration for Others, by Douglas Ankney
- Murder Convictions Tossed for Three Pennsylvania Prisoners After 28 Years, by Chuck Sharman
- Federal Judge Upholds Infamously Brutal Farm Labor at Angola Prison, by Mike Ludwig
- News in Brief
More from Chuck Sharman:
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026
- Oregon Reaches $49 Million Settlement with State Prisoners in COVID-19 Class-Action, Aug. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Revives HRDC Challenge to Washington DOC Mail Restrictions, Aug. 1, 2026
- $4.5 Million Paid by Cook County for Detainee Suicide in Chicago Jail, Aug. 1, 2026
- Detroit Pays $5.8 Million to Former State Prisoner Exonerated of Murder After 15 Years, Aug. 1, 2026
- Colorado Pays $245,000 to Muslim Former Prisoner Shaved by Same Guard Who Cost DOC Earlier Settlement with Jewish Prisoner Denied Kosher Meals, Aug. 1, 2026
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Detroit Pays $5.8 Million to Former State Prisoner Exonerated of Murder After 15 Years, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Eyewitness Identification, Evidence - Failure to Disclose.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.
- Oregon Agrees to $2.3 Million Settlement After Guards Toss Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary, Taunt Him Until He Kills Himself, Aug. 1, 2026. Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- $10.19 Million Paid for Retired California Prison Guard’s Death in Colorado Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Damages Class Certification in Opioid Treatment Denial, Aug. 1, 2026. Wexford Health Services, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Class Certification, Deliberate Indifference.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $1.2 Million for Elderly Detainee Shoved Out the Door of Sacramento Jail by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $100,000 Paid to New York Detainee Whose Infant Died in Syracuse Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Naphcare, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.

