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U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”

Loaded on March 1, 2026 by Chuck Sharman published in Prison Legal News March, 2026, page 33
Filed under: Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Bail/Pretrial Release, Arrest/Arraignment. Location: United States of America.

by Chuck Sharman

According to a report by the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) published on January 8, 2026, arrests on “failure to appear” warrants account for over 13.6% of some 7.6 million annual jail bookings in the U.S. About half of those people have no other charges, …

 

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More from this issue:

  1. Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, by Chuck Sharman
  2. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  3. Florida Sheriff Received $50,000 Donation from Jail Medical Contractor
  4. Watchdog Blasts BOP for Failure to Treat Prisoner’s Preventable Cancer, by Chuck Sharman
  5. South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, by Chuck Sharman
  6. Colorado Lawmakers Approve Prison Bed Funding, Despite DOC Understaffing
  7. Eighth Circuit Rules Iowa Prisoner’s Adverse Summary Judgment Is Not a “Strike”, by Chuck Sharman
  8. Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, by Michael Thompson
  9. New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner
  10. Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, by David Reutter
  11. Georgia Grand Jury Scolds Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, by Chuck Sharman
  12. Ninth Circuit Affirms $3.84 Million Jury Verdict in Death of San Bernardino Jail Detainee from Acute Alcohol Withdrawal, by Sam Rutherford
  13. Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, by Jo Ellen Nott
  14. Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, by Chuck Sharman
  15. SCOTUS Sides with Federal Prisoner in Habeas Review Case, by Chuck Sharman
  16. Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
  17. Report Finds Persistent Overcrowding Drives Cascade of Problems at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, by Chuck Sharman
  18. $6 Million Settlement with Washington DOC for Delayed Treatment That Let Prisoner’s Liver Cancer Become Fatal, by Chuck Sharman
  19. Sixth Circuit Revives Michigan Prisoner’s Challenge to Guard Tackle That Broke His Foot, by Chuck Sharman
  20. Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, by Michael Thompson
  21. Jury Awards Over $9.5 Million for Oklahoma Jail Death, by Chuck Sharman
  22. Washington Appellate Court Uses Personal Restraint Petitions Mooted by Prisoners’ Transfers to Order Remedial Measures at Troubled Juvenile Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
  23. Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, by Jo Ellen Nott
  24. Alaska Prisoner’s Discipline for Violating Invalidated Rule Tossed, by Chuck Sharman
  25. $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, by Chuck Sharman
  26. Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, by Michael Thompson
  27. Number of Narcan Doses Raises Drug Concerns at New Jersey Prisons
  28. Louisiana Prisoner Sustains Claim Against Prison Doctor for Allowing Assignment to “Field Duty” Despite Known Ankle Injury, by Chuck Sharman
  29. Two Detainees Captured After Escape from Southwest Georgia Jail
  30. U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, by Chuck Sharman
  31. Maryland Prisons Reel from Growing Number of Prisoner Deaths, by Jo Ellen Nott
  32. Incarcerated Women Featured in True Crime Media Face Flood of Sexual Harassment, by Kwaneta Harris, Leigh Goodmark
  33. Missouri Judge Heavily Sanctions DOC for “Deliberate Disregard for the Authority of This Court” in Suit Over Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
  34. “Devil in the Ozarks” Gets 13 More Years for Escape
  35. Overcrowded State Mental Hospitals Lead to Longer Jail Time and Lack of Treatment, by Michael Thompson
  36. Fourth Circuit Revives Deliberate Indifference Claim for Baltimore Detainee Served Rotten Food, by David Reutter
  37. Seventh Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois Prisoner’s Segregation Lawsuit, by Michael Thompson
  38. One in 10 Prison Admissions Is Now for Technical Parole Violation, by Chuck Sharman
  39. Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion
  40. Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, by Matthew Clarke
  41. Eleventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing BOP Prisoner’s Medical Claim, Finds Prison Officials Made Administrative Remedies Unavailable, by David Reutter
  42. U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, by Chuck Sharman
  43. Detainee Death from Kidney Infection Highlights Broken Policy in Washington State, by Michael Thompson
  44. Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
  45. New Jersey Governor’s Order Allows People with Prior Felony Convictions to Serve on Jury Duty
  46. Missouri Pays $212M for Prison Health Care, But Prisoner Deaths Aren’t a Performance Measure, by Rudi Keller
  47. Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, by Michael Thompson
  48. Eight Detainees Escape from Louisiana Jail, Captured in 24 Hours
  49. Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., by Emma Davis
  50. Oklahoma County Jail Could Lay Off Half Its Staff Due to $5.4 Million Budget Gap
  51. Medical Audit at New Mexico Jail Once Again Finds Poor Level of Healthcare
  52. New York City Begins Construction on Chinatown Jail Despite Opposition
  53. Alarming Conditions at Texas Family Detention Center Owned by CoreCivic
  54. Mail Went Digital in Alabama Prisons. Families Are Saying Their Mail Isn’t Being Delivered, by Nayanika Guha
  55. ICE Wants to Spend $38 Billion to Turn Warehouses into Detention Camps
  56. Wisconsin Hasn’t Created Prison Nursery Program, One Year After Court Order
  57. Alaska’s DOC Was $24 Million Over-Budget Last Year, Spent Most on Overtime
  58. Private Prison Firm GEO Group Reports Record $254 Million Profit After New ICE Contracts, by Brett Wilkins
  59. North Carolina Prisons Are Facing a “Dire” Staffing Crisis
  60. New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding
  61. Showers at St. Louis County Jail Riddled with Mold, Report Finds
  62. Illinois DOC Has Failed to Improve Prison Health Care Seven Years After Order
  63. News in Brief

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