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$11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration
Loaded on Sept. 1, 2026
by Chuck Sharman
published in Prison Legal News
September, 2026, page None
Filed under:
Settlements,
Wrongful Conviction,
Wrongful Imprisonment,
Monell Liability,
Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
Location:
Massachusetts.
by Chuck Sharman
The City of Boston paid $11 million to settle federal civil rights claims filed by former state prisoner Joseph Jabir Pope, after he was exonerated in 2022 of a murder conviction for which he spent 37 years in prison. The August 2025 settlement only came …
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More from this issue:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, by Chuck Sharman
- “Nothing Short of Disgraceful”: New York Prisoner Wins Injunction Ordering Cancer Treatment Delayed Seven Years, by Chuck Sharman
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, by Jo Ellen Nott
- GAO Report on ICE Jail in Fort Bliss Finds Independent Failures, by Michael Thompson
- North Carolina’s “Iryna’s Law” Leads to Jail Overcrowding, by Michael Thompson
- HRDC Wins Injunction Against Minnesota DOC Policy Banning Its Publications, by Chuck Sharman
- $100,000 Paid to Five Prisoners Assaulted by Centurion Gynecologist at Florida Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
- BOP Denies Providing Substandard Dialysis Treatment Despite Prisoners’ Deaths, Court Filings, Understaffing and Lack of Oversight, by Douglas Ankney
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ends Mandatory Life Without Parole Sentence for Felony Murder, by David M. Reutter
- Mississippi DOC Held Mentally Unwell Prisoners in Solitary, Many Died Because of It, by Michael Thompson
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, by Chuck Sharman
- Fourth Circuit: Error in Granting Judgment Prior to Adjudging Spoliation Motion, by David Reutter
- $800,000 Settlement Reached in Hawai‘i Jail Suicide Case, by Chuck Sharman
- $280,000 Paid for South Carolina Detainee’s Death in Charleston Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Washington DOC Barred from Putting Prisoners on Lockdown and Calling It “Programming”, by Chuck Sharman
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, by David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity in Strip Searches Resulting from Anonymous Tips, by David Reutter
- Idaho Legislature Moves to Hide Execution Protocol from Judicial Scrutiny, by Douglas Ankney
- Delaware’s Lack of Prison Healthcare Oversight, by Michael Thompson
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, by Jo Ellen Nott
- News in Brief
- $5.4 Million Jury Verdict Against Riverside County in Suit Over Jail Fentanyl Death, by Chuck Sharman
- Atlanta Jail Begins Turning Away Misdemeanor Arrestees, by Chuck Sharman
- New ICE Detention Standards Appear Designed to Help GEO Group Avoid Paying Wages, by Chuck Sharman
- Nevada Prisoners, Families Call Out Predatory Tablet Program, by David Reutter
- Report Highlights Repeated Overdoses at Florida County Jail, by Michael Thompson
- Alabama Lawmaker Holds Up $38 Million in Payments to Department of Corrections Attorney Sanctioned for AI-Written Brief, by Chuck Sharman
- Mental Health Diversion from New York State Jails Varies Widely by County, by Michael Thompson
- New Commission to Investigate Death and Abuse of 230 Black Children at Segregated Maryland Reformatory, by Jo Ellen Nott
- New Jersey Court Rules That Denial of Transgender Prisoner’s Transfer Request Violates Neither Discrimination Law nor Equal Protection Clause, by Douglas Ankney
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, by Chuck Sharman
- Rising Deaths in Los Angeles County Jail Linked to Longer Stays, by Michael Thompson
- What 911 Calls Reveal About Jail Operations, by Michael Thompson
- New Connecticut Law Changes PREA Standards, by Michael Thompson
- States Claim to Invest in “Humane” New Prisons— But Prisons Were Never Humane, by Erica R. Meiners
- Isolation and Medical Neglect at Illinois’ Joliet Treatment Center Drive Prisoners to Set Fatal Fires, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Court Shuts Down Arizona Attempt to Fill Medical Staff Vacancies with Under-Qualified Providers, by Chuck Sharman
- Illinois Prisons Have Gone a Year Without Long-term Healthcare Contract, by Chuck Sharman
- Utah Relocates Prisoners Amid Largescale Wildfire
- Report Highlights Shortage of Wheelchairs at Michigan Women’s Prison, by Michael Thompson
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- BOP Deputy Director and Former Prisoner Resigns After Just One Year
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, by Chuck Sharman
- California Grand Jury Report on Deaths at Riverside County Jails, by Michael Thompson
- Court-Ordered Report on Jail Voting in Massachusetts Finds Low-Rate, by Michael Thompson
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, by Jo Ellen Nott
- California’s Use of Jailhouse Stings Comes Under Scrutiny, by Michael Thompson
- Florida Kills Two Prisoners on Same Day, Both Elderly, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Troubled Illinois Lockup Sees Guard Abuses, Prisoners on Hunger Strike, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Ohio Finds Guards and Medical Staff Failed to Render Life-Saving CPR to Detainee, by Jo Ellen Nott
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, by Chuck Sharman
- Federal Court Upholds Consultants’ Finding that Oklahoma Is Not Honoring Its Consent Decree to Provide Mental Health Treatment, by Douglas Ankney
- Oklahoma Prisoners Made Political Calls for Conservative Super PAC
- $75 Million CoreCivic Contract to Reopen Minnesota Private Prison Creates Resistance from Activists and Lawmakers, by Jo Ellen Nott
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- The GEO Group Pays California $104,510 to Settle Workplace Safety Charges at ICE Detention Facility—Where Local Cops Won’t Investigate Crimes, by Chuck Sharman
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, by Chuck Sharman
- Severely Ill Prisoners in Hawai‘i Denied Early Release Due to State Policy, by Michael Thompson
More from Chuck Sharman:
- $3.75 Million Paid by Wisconsin After Mentally Ill Prisoner Dies of Dehydration, Oct. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Rules Favorably for Washington Prisoner Whose Writing Submission Was Censored, Oct. 1, 2026
- California Supreme Court Bail Ruling Cuts Some Jail Headcounts, Oct. 1, 2026
- $700,000 Paid by West Virginia for Jail Death, Claims Against Wexford Health Pending, Oct. 1, 2026
- BOP Prisoner’s Claim Over Denied Medical Care Ruled Impermissible Bivens Extension, Oct. 1, 2026
- $250,000 Paid by Nevada to Former Prisoner Denied Colonoscopy Who Developed Stage IV Cancer, Oct. 1, 2026
- $5 Million Paid by Washington for Attempted Rape of Seattle Woman by Mentally Ill Prisoner Released to Halfway House, Oct. 1, 2026
- Prisoners At Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer” Settle Conditions Suits for $1.2 Million, Whistleblower Alleges Staff Mistreatment, Oct. 1, 2026
- $4,000 Awarded to Ohio Prisoner for Denied Records Requests, Oct. 1, 2026
- Maryland Pays $314,000 for Stonewalling Public Records Requests in Prisoner’s Dehydration Death, Oct. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $700,000 Paid by West Virginia for Jail Death, Claims Against Wexford Health Pending, Oct. 1, 2026. Wexford Health Services, Restraints, Settlements, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Deliberate Indifference.
- $5 Million Paid by Washington for Attempted Rape of Seattle Woman by Mentally Ill Prisoner Released to Halfway House, Oct. 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Train/Supervise, halfway houses, Criminal Sexual Abuse, Prison Classification.
- Prisoners At Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer” Settle Conditions Suits for $1.2 Million, Whistleblower Alleges Staff Mistreatment, Oct. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Medication, Settlements, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Immigration Detention.
- Iowa Department of Corrections Settles Lawsuit and Agrees to Implement More Reliable Drug Testing Procedures and Fair Disciplinary Proceeding Policies, Oct. 1, 2026. Liberty Interests, Evidence, Drug Testing, Settlements, Burden of Proof.
- Maryland Pays $314,000 for Stonewalling Public Records Requests in Prisoner’s Dehydration Death, Oct. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Water, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Public Records Act.
- Last of Three Oklahoma Jail Death Settlements Totaling $66.5 Million Paid for Fatal Dehydration of “Cookie Queen”, Oct. 1, 2026. Diabetes, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Eighth Circuit Grants Summary Judgment to Sheriff and County of Nebraska Jail Where Guard Sexually Assaulted Female Prisoner, Oct. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise, Monell Liability.
- $3.75 Million Paid by Wisconsin After Mentally Ill Prisoner Dies of Dehydration, Oct. 1, 2026. Water, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- $250,000 Paid by Nevada to Former Prisoner Denied Colonoscopy Who Developed Stage IV Cancer, Oct. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Cancer, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Deliberate Indifference.
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.