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Archive: 2021

December

• Michigan Department of Corrections Settles Discriminatory Employment Claims
• Non-Incarcerated and Incarcerated Plaintiffs Have Article III Standing to Challenge the Policy Changes
• Fifth Circuit Holds Guard Who Let Detainee Hang Himself Entitled to Qualified Immunity
• Environmental Indifference by Anthony Moffa (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 22)
• $15,379,091 Judgment Entered Against Delaware DOC’s Former Health Care Provider for Narcotics and Medicare Fraud by Chuck Sharman (p 22)
• Fourth Circuit Holds CoreCivic Immigration Detainees in New Mexico Not “Employees” Under FLSA (p 24)
• Report Highlights Force Feeding of Hunger Striking Asylum Seekers by ICE and GEO by Edward Lyon (p 24)
• Federal Jury Orders GEO Group to Pay $23 Million for Immigrant Detainee Slave Labor in Washington (p 26)
• San Luis Obispo County Jail Conditions Violate Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by Keith Sanders (p 26)
• How Trump Made a Tiny Christian College the Nation’s Biggest Prison Educator by Eli Hager (p 28)
• BOP Trust Fund Accounts Reportedly Shield Prisoners from Payment Obligations by Dale Chappell (p 30)
• $53 Million Settlement in Los Angeles Jail Strip Search Lawsuit Approved by David Reutter (p 31)
• Disenfranchisement the Old Fashioned Way by Jayson Hawkins (p 32)
• Whistleblower Alleges Hawaii Prison Officials Provided False Audit Data by Kevin Dayton (p 34)
• Ninth Circuit: Pretrial Detainees Have Right to Direct-View Safety Checks by David Reutter (p 36)
• HRDC Sues Lincoln County Wisconsin Jail over Censorship Practices (p 36)
• Federal Prisons’ Switch to Scanning Mail Is a Surveillance Nightmare by Lauren Gill (p 38)
• Eleventh Circuit: Preliminary Injunctions Have 90-Day Limit Under PLRA; Permanent Injunction Required to Extend Relief by David Reutter (p 40)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Illegal Juvenile LWOP Sentence Undermined Validity of Later Conviction by Douglas Ankney (p 42)
• Eighth Circuit Rules District Court Must Use Federal Law for Admissibility of Expert Testimony by Douglas Ankney (p 42)
• Too Many In-Custody Deaths of BOP Prisoners are Unnecessary and Preventable by Casey Bastian (p 44)
• California Supreme Court: Prisoners Cannot Legally Possess Cannabis by Casey Bastian (p 46)
• Public Records Suit Filed Against Florida DOC To Obtain Formula Used To Compute Sentences (p 47)
• History Professor Fired After Criticizing University’s Racist Past and Pro-Prison Present by Keith Sanders (p 48)
• Unreliable Drug Tests Standard for Law Enforcement and Prisons by Keith Sanders (p 48)
• Prison Visitors Have Fourth Amendment Right to Refuse Strip Search and Option to Leave Prison (p 48)
• Massachusetts Prisons Pledge to End Solitary by Jayson Hawkins (p 49)
• Civilly Detained Sex Offender Plaintiff Proceeding In Forma Pauperis Not a Prisoner Under PLRA (p 51)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds Sanctions and Award of $118,458 in Attorney Fees Against DOC for Withholding Documents Requested Under Right-to-Know Law (p 52)
• $405,794 Paid by California Prison System for Prisoner Killed by Aryan Brotherhood Cellmate (p 52)
• Texas County Jail Cited for Neglecting the Needs of a Pregnant Prisoner by Keith Sanders (p 54)
• $170,000 Settlement and New Policy on Gender Identity from Lawsuit Against New Jersey DOC by Jayson Hawkins (p 54)
• Salvation Army Sued for a Failing to Pay Wages to Drug Program Participants (p 55)
• New Jersey Women’s Prison to Close After Latest Abuse Debacle by Jayson Hawkins (p 56)
• Sherburne County, MN, Settles with HRDC for $98,000 Plus New Jail Publications Policy by Chuck Sharman (p 56)
• Eighth Circuit Holds Arkansas Jailers Entitled to Qualified Immunity in Prisoners’ Suit Over Black Mold in Showers, Lack of Cleaning Supplies by Matthew Clarke (p 57)
• ABA’s Private Prisons Prophecy Comes to Pass by Edward Lyon (p 58)
• Michigan Prisoner’s Corizon Suit Dismissed Due to “Morass of Irrelevancies” by David Reutter (p 58)
• Seven Ohio Guards Fired After Killing Prisoner, No Criminal Charges (p 59)
• Third Circuit: Gratuitous Use of Force on Prisoner Negates Qualified Immunity Defense by David Reutter (p 60)
• Delaware Mother Jailed for Not Paying $177 in Fines, Dies in Custody, Nurse Convicted by Jayson Hawkins (p 61)
• Forty-One Oregon Prisoner Firefighters have Sentences Commuted (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 62)

November

• Wrongfully Convicted Man Freed for Murder of Oregon DOC Director, But State Wants Him Back In Prison by Mark Wilson (p 1)
• Indiana DOC Settles HRDC Mail Censorship Suit by Chuck Sharman (p 8)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 8)
• HRDC Represents Wrongfully Convicted Florida Man Who Spent 37 Years in Prison for a Rape Murder He Did Not Commit by Chuck Sharman (p 10)
• Fifth Circuit Overturns Permanent Injunction Requiring Texas Prison to Observe COVID-19 Precautions by Matthew Clarke (p 11)
• $750,000 Settlement in South Carolina Pretrial Detainee’s Suicide by Southern Health Partners by David Reutter (p 12)
• Arizona Auditor’s Report Finds Underfunding of DOC’s Capital Funding Requests and Unreconciled Prisoner Trust Fund Accounts by Matthew Clarke (p 12)
• Washington State Prison Chief Secretly Forced to Retire, But Why? (p 14)
• Preliminary Injunction Bars Arkansas from Confiscating Prisoners’ COVID Stimulus Money by David Reutter (p 14)
• Georgia Sheriff Suspended After Indictment on Federal Civil Rights Charges by David Reutter (p 16)
• Benevolent or Predatory? by Casey Bastian (p 16)
• Language Matters: Why We Use the Words We Do by Paul Wright (p 18)
• What’s in a Name? by Jeffrey Ross (p 19)
• Louisiana Prisoners Used as Slave Labor During Hurricane Ida, Families Left in the Dark for Weeks by Brian Dolinar (p 20)
• Will Federal Prisoners on Home Confinement Have to Return to Prison? by Dale Chappell (p 22)
• Kentucky’s Prison HCV Policy of Monitoring Without Treatment Constitutional by David Reutter (p 24)
• Seven Guards Fired Over Collins County Texas Jail Death by Jayson Hawkins (p 24)
• All Massachusetts Jails to Provide Prisoners Ten Free Minutes of Phone Calls Per Week and Cap Charges on Additional Minutes at 14 Cents (p 25)
• Federal District Court Orders All CDCR Employees be Vaccinated by Douglas Ankney (p 26)
• Company Surveils Activists Opposing Construction of Prisons and Jails by Keith Sanders (p 26)
• Louisville Jail Moves to Have Free Phone Calls for Prisoners by First of the Year by Kevin Bliss (p 28)
• Hackers Breach Thousands of Security Cameras by David Reutter (p 28)
• First Prisoner Elected to Hold Public Office in Washington DC by Kevin Bliss (p 30)
• Wisconsin Feels Effects of Staffing Shortage in State Prisons by Kevin Bliss (p 30)
• $72,000 Settlement Over Corizon’s Lack of Medical Treatment to Injured Arizona Prisoner by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Eleventh Circuit Upholds Immunity of Federal Prison Guards Under FTCA, Even for Blatant Unconstitutional Acts by Dale Chappell (p 32)
• Weeks Without a Shower: Neglect Defines COVID-19 Containment in California Jails by Brian Osgood (p 34)
• Audit Reveals Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Chaplaincy Services Branch Critically Depleted by Casey Bastian (p 36)
• To End Mass Incarceration, We Need to Bust the Myths That Prop It Up by James Kilgore (p 38)
• CFPB Hits JPay with $6 Million in Fines and Restitution Over Fee-Heavy “Debit Release Cards” by Chuck Sharman (p 40)
• HRDC Prevails Over Wellpath as Vermont Supreme Court Rules Private Contractor Must Release Public Records by David Reutter (p 42)
• Eleven Guards Fired after Death at Houston Jail by Brian Dolinar (p 42)
• Second Circuit Reversed Dismissal of Former BOP Prisoner’s FTCA Claim Against Dentist by David Reutter (p 44)
• Indiana Prisoner Entitled to Credit Time During Period of Erroneous Liberty by David Reutter (p 44)
• $731,000 Jury Award to Illinois DOC Prisoner Held 23 Months Beyond Release Date, Over $210k in Fees Awarded As Well by David Reutter (p 46)
• Eighth Circuit Clarifies Legal Standards for Conditions-of-Confinement Lawsuits Brought by Civilly-Committed Sex Offenders by Matthew Clarke (p 46)
• Prisoner Voting Population Grows as Illinois Bill Extends Polling Sites to County Jails (p 47)
• Massachusetts Department of Corrections Sued Over Use of “Fake” Drug Tests on Legal Mail by Casey Bastian (p 48)
• Seventh Circuit: Local Rules Requiring Specific Filings to Summary Judgments Should Not be Used as a Sanction by Dale Chappell (p 49)
• D.C. Federal Court Rules District Providing Unlawfully Inadequate Education to Incarcerated Youth with Disabilities, Grants Preliminary Injunction by Matthew Clarke (p 50)
• Michigan DOC Eases Up on Pregnant Prisoners, Limits Shackles and Solitary Confinement by Chuck Sharman (p 50)
• Prison Officials Actions to Correct Inhumane Cell Conditions Merit Judgement in Their Favor (p 51)
• Lawsuit Over Denial of Medical Treatment for Painful Erection Causing Impotence in Oklahoma County Jail Reinstated by Tenth Circuit by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• $129,000 Bench Verdict for BOP Prisoner in Failure to Warn of Valley Fever (p 52)
• CoreCivic Prison at Center of Georgia Drug Trafficking Investigation (p 53)
• Sixth Circuit Holds Court Lacked Jurisdiction to Rule on Summary Judgment in Retaliation Suit by BOP Prisoner (p 54)
• Fifth Circuit Holds Defendants Entitled to Sovereign Immunity For Denial of Sex-Reassignment Surgery to Texas Prisoner by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• California Fire Crew Prisoner’s Escape Attempt Leaves Trail of Destruction (p 55)
• $5,000 Award for Pro Se Florida DOC Prisoner in Unjustified Pepper Spraying (p 55)
• Forced Shaving of Muslim Colorado Prisoner’s Beard Unconstitutional by David Reutter (p 56)
• Oregon Suspends Outside Prisoner Work Crews After Prisoner Escape Sparks International Incident by Mark Wilson (p 56)
• Broward County Florida Sheriff Rejects Independent Reviews of Detainee’s Death (p 57)
• $8.6 Million Award Against Wexford for Deliberate Indifference to Prisoner’s Kidney Cancer (p 58)
• $170,000 Settlement By New Jersey DOC in Transgender Lawsuit With New Policy by Jayson Hawkins (p 58)
• Arizona Federal Court Dismisses NAACP’s Challenge to Private Prisons as Violating Thirteenth Amendment by Commodifying Prisoners for Profit (p 60)
• Fifth Circuit Holds Confessed Medical Malpractice Does Not Insulate Prison Medical Providers From Finding of Deliberate Indifference by Matthew Clarke (p 60)
• $23,000 Settlement Against Pennsylvania Dental Healthcare Company for Inadequate Dental Care (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)

October

• PREA: Tackling the Nightmare of Prison Rape by David Reutter (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 14)
• Nebraska Supreme Court Holds Discretionary Function Exception Bars Lawsuit Over Prison’s Botched Response to Uprising (p 15)
• Arizona Federal Court Rescinds Approval of Jensen Settlement; Sets Class Action Medical and Control Unit Case Against Arizona DOC for Trial by Matthew Clarke (p 16)
• $50,000 Settlement for Denial of Medical Care at Tribal Jail in Montana (p 17)
• Georgia Enacts Massive Probation Reform Bill by David Reutter (p 18)
• Protective Order Issued in Florida Solitary Confinement Lawsuit by David Reutter (p 18)
• Prison Staff Are Refusing Vaccines. Incarcerated People Are Paying the Price. by Joshua Manson, Erika Tyagi (p 20)
• The States that Lead the Nation in COVID-19 Cases Are Hiding Their Prison Data by Neal Marquez, Erika Tyagi, Sharon Dolovich (p 22)
• Court Grants Class Certification for Illinois Prisoners in Restrictive Housing Lawsuit by Keith Sanders (p 24)
• South Carolina Attorney General Issues Opinion That Information in State Prisoners’ Death Certificates Is Public Information by Matthew Clarke (p 26)
• Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of HRDC Postcard-Only Suit Against Arkansas Jail by David Reutter (p 26)
• Eleventh Circuit Holds No Qualified Immunity on Deliberate Indifference in Heat Exhaustion Case by David Reutter (p 28)
• HRDC Case Sues JPay Over Fee-Heavy “Release Card” Debit Cards (p 28)
• Colorado Jail Blows Through $16 Million in COVID Relief Money, Has Outbreak Anyway, Settles ACLU Conditions Suit by David Reutter (p 30)
• Death, Neglect and Despair in U.S. Tribal Jails by Daniel A. Rosen (p 32)
• Tennessee Department of Corrections Rebids $123 Million Health Care Contract After Corizon Accuses It and Centurion of Bid Rigging by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Study Analyzes Deaths of Parole-Approved Texas Prisoners Awaiting Release by Matthew Clarke (p 34)
• File a CFPB Complaint for Unfair Money Transfer Fees (p 35)
• Hunger Strike, Ceiling Collapse, Lawsuit Spotlight Deteriorating Conditions at Women’s Prison in Illinois by Panagioti Tsolkas, Brian Dolinar (p 38)
• Sacramento Sheriff Used Prisoner Welfare Fund for Trips, Salaries and Equipment by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• Fourth Circuit Rules Prisoner Sex Offender has No Right to In-Person Visitation with His Minor Children by Douglas Ankney (p 42)
• Virginia Department of Corrections Confirms Visitation Not Primary Means of Contraband Introduction by Kevin Bliss (p 42)
• Seven Former GEO Employees Plead Guilty in Federal Texas Private Jail Bribery Scheme (p 43)
• Supreme Court Reverses Qualified Immunity Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim by Douglas Ankney (p 44)
• Indiana DOC Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over Ban on Incoming Mail Except That in White Envelopes Using White, Lined Paper (p 44)
• Local Pennsylvania Voters Ban Solitary Confinement and No-Knock Warrants by David Reutter (p 45)
• Absent Expert Medical Testimony, Deliberate Indifference Tough to Prove in Medical Cases by David Reutter (p 46)
• Erie County Sheriff Settles AG Lawsuit for Violating New York Reporting Directives by Kevin Bliss (p 46)
• California Slashes High Call Rates in Prisons and Jails by Chuck Sharman (p 48)
• Mailbox Rule Inapplicable to Prisoners Represented by Counsel (p 50)
• Federal New York City Jail Made Infamous by Jeffrey Epstein Death Closed Due to Persistent Problems and Incompetence (p 50)
• $56 Million Settlement in CoreCivic Securities Violation Lawsuit by David Reutter (p 52)
• New Connecticut Law Eliminates Prison Gerrymandering (p 52)
• Eleventh Circuit Grants Prisoner with Hep C Exception to PLRA Three Strikes Rule (p 54)
• Judge Orders COVID Emergency Release Procedures at Lompoc Federal Prison by Jayson Hawkins (p 54)
• Washington DC Jail’s Suicide Proof “Safe Cell” Use Not Safe for Prisoners by Kevin Bliss (p 56)
• Iowa County Wants to Use COVID-19 Relief Money to Build New Jail by Keith Sanders (p 56)
• Immigration Detention Contracts Cancelled in Georgia and Massachusetts by Daniel A. Rosen (p 58)
• $1 Million Settlement in Georgia Prisoner’s Preventable Suicide Attempt and Death by David Reutter (p 58)
• $500,000 Settlement for California Jail Rape, Deputy Fired and Sentenced (p 59)
• Pay-to-Play Lives in FEC Decision Not to Enforce Ban on Political Contributions by Boca Prison Contractor The GEO Group by Dan Christensen (p 60)
• News in Brief (p 62)

September

• Mississippi Supreme Court Applies Pro Se Leniency in Reversing Dismissal of Prisoner’s Lawsuit Challenging Prison Disciplinary Action by Matthew Clarke (p 41)
• Nominal Representation Without Actual Representation: One Person, No Vote by Edward Lyon (p 14)
• Louisiana Bars Problem Doctors from Practicing Medicine in Most Hospitals. So They Treat Incarcerated People Instead. by Addy Baird (p 1)
• California Female Prisoners Used as Honey Trap Bait for Rapist Guard by Edward Lyon (p 7)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 8)
• Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California by Derek Gilna (p 9)
• California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment” by Derek Gilna (p 10)
• Modest Decline in Prison and Jail Populations in Spring 2021 by Matthew Clarke (p 10)
• FCC Takes Further Action on Prison and Jail Phone Rates by Chuck Sharman (p 12)
• Federal BOP Overwhelmingly Denies Compassionate Releases During COVID by Daniel A. Rosen (p 16)
• Seventh Circuit: PLRA Mandates Dismissal for Deceit on IFP Application by David Reutter (p 16)
• HRDC Sues Florida DOC Over Censorship, for the Third Time in 18 Years by Chuck Sharman (p 18)
• Fourth Circuit: No Privacy Expectation Exists for Prisoner in Diagnosis and Treatment of HIV by David Reutter (p 19)
• Pandemic Medical Update: The Delta Surge by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 20)
• These Meds Prevent Overdoses. Few Federal Prisoners Are Getting Them by Beth Schwartzapfel (p 22)
• Massachusetts Cop Indicted for Lying About Checking Cell of Prisoner Who Died of Drug Overdose (p 25)
• Florida Files Environmental Lawsuit Against Phosphate Company Pollution by Panagioti Tsolkas (p 26)
• New Clemency Rules Expected to Expedite Civil Rights Restoration in Florida by Kevin Bliss (p 26)
• HRDC Sues Illinois DOC Under FOIA, Again, for GTL Contract Details by Chuck Sharman (p 28)
• The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On by Derek Gilna (p 28)
• San Diego Jail Approves Free Phone and Video Calls (p 30)
• Lawsuit Over Alabama Private Mega-Prison Leases Dismissed by Daniel A. Rosen (p 30)
• Eighth Circuit Holds Lack of “Clearly Established” Law Requiring Staffer to Notify of Prisoner’s Suicide Risk Prevented Damages by Dale Chappell (p 31)
• $10 Million Settlement in Taser Death of Mentally Ill Man in South Carolina Jail by David Reutter (p 32)
• EPA Slams GEO Over Disinfectant Use at Private Prison, Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction to Stop It by Dale Chappell (p 32)
• Criminal Justice System Encourages Racism According to MIT Study by Kevin Bliss (p 34)
• $750,000 Settlement in South Dakota Pretrial Detainee’s Overdose Death by David Reutter (p 34)
• US Marshalls Terminate Contract with GEO Snitch Camp at Queens NY Detention Facility by Douglas Ankney (p 36)
• Florida’s Brutal Prison System Will Continue to Subsidize Rural Economies, With No Meaningful Reform in Sight by David Reutter (p 38)
• California Begins Transfer of Prisoners to Facilities Consistent with Prisoners’ Gender Identity by Douglas Ankney (p 38)
• US DOJ Finds California Alameda County Jail in Violation of Constitution and ADA by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• Report Shows COVID-19 Reduced Life Expectancy for Prisoners in Florida, Same Likely for Other States by David Reutter (p 42)
• Ohio Guard Added to Sex Offender List and Sent to Prison for Sex with Detainee (p 42)
• $350,000 Settlement for New Mexico Pretrial Detainee in ‘Failure to Protect’ Claim by David Reutter (p 43)
• The Killing Fields: Three Alabama State Prisoners Murdered in Five Days by Edward Lyon (p 44)
• New Mexico Jail Sued For Allowing Woman Prisoner to Die of Infections by Keith Sanders (p 44)
• Beating Death in Oahu Jail Ends With Acquittal of Mentally Ill Killer by Kevin Dayton (p 46)
• $2.1 Million Awarded in Beating Ordered by Kentucky Jail Guard (p 47)
• Ninth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Lawsuit For CoreCivic Causing BOP Detainee’s Prolonged Detention Without Court Appearance or Attorney by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Federal Prisoner’s Bivens Action Challenging Due Process in 280-Day SHU Stay and Alleging Retaliation by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Lawsuit Filed Over Rodent Infestation at New Mexico Prison by David Reutter (p 49)
• Illinois Prison Guard Charged for Assaulting a Prisoner (p 50)
• District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons by Douglas Ankney, Derek Gilna (p 50)
• Decapitated Prisoner Shows CDCR Safety Standards Still Headed in the Wrong Direction by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• The U.S. Department of Justice Creates Risk Assessment Tool to Help Determine Who is Eligible for Early Release Under First Step Act (p 53)
• California Appeals Court Holds Habeas Action Over Censorship of Tattoo Magazine Mooted By Delivery by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Fifth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Suit by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Two Albuquerque Jailers Indicted for Killing Prisoner by Matthew Clarke (p 55)
• Tenth Circuit Rejects Government’s Appeal Over Recorded Attorney Calls and Visits at Private Prison in Leavenworth by Dale Chappell (p 56)
• Attorney Fees Awarded Against CoreCivic After Defamation Suit Dismissed by David Reutter (p 56)
• Prisoner’s Suicide in Sherburne County Minnesota Jail Results in $2.3 Million Settlement by Keith Sanders (p 57)
• $30,001 Jury Verdict Over Discriminatory ICE Notification Policy By Minnesota Jail by Kevin Bliss (p 58)
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules on Medical Parole Despite Death of Prisoners Who Sought Judicial Review by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• News in Brief (p 62)

August

• 25 Years of the Prison Litigation Reform Act by John Boston (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 12)
• Investigation Finds “Deadly Delays” in Cancer Diagnosis at Washington State Prisons by David Reutter (p 12)
• Whistleblowers: Software Bug Keeping Hundreds of Arizona Prisoners Beyond Release Dates by Jimmy Jenkins (p 14)
• How Sheriffs Are Extracting Wealth from People in Jail by Katie Jane Fernelius (p 16)
• Illinois First State to Abolish Cash Bail by Daniel A. Rosen (p 20)
• CFPB and Three States Sue Over Predatory Immigrant Bail and GPS Scam by David Reutter (p 20)
• Smart Communications Contract Reveals Plans for Expanding Privatized Prison Mail by Kevin Bliss (p 22)
• Scores of Ecuadoran Prisoners Die in Coordinated Melees (p 23)
• Justice Delayed in California Jails: Lengthy Pretrial Imprisonment Common by Daniel A. Rosen (p 24)
• Florida Supreme Court Disbars Attorney For Making Sex Films in Jail Visiting Room by Matthew Clarke (p 24)
• New York State Law Ends Long-Term Solitary Confinement in Prisons and Jails by Matthew Clarke (p 26)
• $1,000 Award to Ohio Prisoner for Violation of Public Records Act (p 27)
• Resisting a Prison Without End by Panagioti Tsolkas, Jayson Hawkins (p 28)
• Seventh Circuit Says Racial Disparity Argument ‘Too Weak to Require Discussion’ in COVID-Related Motion for Compassionate Release by David Reutter (p 30)
• Ohio Enacts Criminal Justice Reform in 2020 by David Reutter (p 30)
• Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois DOC Prisoner’s Suit Against Wexford Psychiatrist by Matthew Clarke (p 31)
• $1.65 Million Settlement for Family of Prisoner Killed at Rikers Island (p 32)
• Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Kentucky Jail Prisoner’s Suicide by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Rebellion at GEO-Run Prison in New Mexico (p 33)
• Louisiana Law School Counts Deaths Behind Bars Because State Won’t by Daniel A. Rosen (p 34)
• NYC Department of Corrections Continued Noncompliance to Consent Decree and Spending Nearly Half A Million Dollars Per Prisoner in 2020 by Kevin Bliss (p 35)
• Second Circuit Holds Control Unit Placement for Former Death Row Prisoners Unconstitutional Bill of Attainder by David Reutter (p 36)
• $11,000 Recovery for Asthmatic Indiana Prisoner in Denial of Treatment After Cell Block Fire (p 36)
• Minnesota Mothers to Receive More Bonding Time with Their Newborn Children by Kevin Bliss (p 38)
• South Carolina to Use Firing Squads to Execute Prisoners by Keith Sanders (p 38)
• Medical Update: COVID is Not Over by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 40)
• America’s Biggest Jails Are Frontline Environmental Justice Communities by Adam Mahoney (p 42)
• Planned Massive Shortfall in Funding to Maintain Minnesota Prisons by Anthony Accurso (p 44)
• Federal Judge Rejects BOP’s Attempts to Keep Videos of Force-Feeding Prisoners at ADX Secret by Dale Chappell (p 44)
• Florida Prisons Face Ongoing Staff Shortages Due to Low Pay And Long Hours by David Reutter (p 46)
• HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes by Derek Gilna (p 46)
• U.S. Department of Justice Publishes Statistics on Prisoners’ Deaths by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• No Qualified Immunity for Oregon Prison Officials’ COVID-19 Response; Class Certified by Mark Wilson (p 50)
• Virginia Federal Court Sentences Former Superintendent of Rockbridge County Jail to 51 Months in Prison for Brutality and Corruption (p 50)
• Illinois Prisoner Gets Mixed Results in Appeal of Suit Against Wexford and Doctors by David Reutter (p 52)
• Report Shows Official Misconduct Responsible for More than Half of Exonerations by Dale Chappell (p 52)
• Seven Guards Fired After Prisoner Dies in TX Jail by Keith Sanders (p 54)
• Virginia Prison Guards Attack Prisoners with Dogs by Keith Sanders (p 54)
• Connecticut Makes All Prison Communications Free, Makes History by Daniel A. Rosen (p 56)
• Orange County California Jail Guard Investigated for Burning Mentally Ill Prisoner by Daniel A. Rosen (p 56)
• Change in Good Time Makes Tens of Thousands of California Prisoners Eligible for Release by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• Potential Radioactive Exposure to Manatee County Jail Prisoners in Florida by Kevin Bliss (p 58)
• Anti-Parole Whistleblower Prompts Investigation of Virginia Parole Board by Casey Bastian (p 60)
• No Mutual Assent Where Detainee Forced to Accept Release Card in HRDC Case by David Reutter (p 60)
• California Juvenile Court Erred in Removing Child from Imprisoned Father’s Care (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• $550,000 in Damages Ordered to Woman Prisoner Raped by New York Guard (p 62)

July

• Health Professionals Join the Fight Against Jail Construction in Los Angeles by David Reutter
• Debunking the ‘Superpredator’ Myth by Kevin Bliss
• “Progressive” Seattle Mayoral Candidate Exposed as Shill for the Private Prison Industry by Ken Silverstein (p 18)
• The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door by Christopher Zoukis (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 12)
• Course of the Covid Pandemic by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 14)
• Inmate Magazine Service Advertising Results in FTC Complaint by David Reutter (p 20)
• Ohio County Executive and Underlings Under Investigation for Jail Corruption and Deaths by Edward Lyon (p 20)
• Coronavirus Lockdowns in Prisons Test Limits of Colorado’s Rules on Solitary Confinement by John Herrick (p 22)
• Guard “Justified” in Shooting Death of Elderly Woman in Spokane County Jail Lobby by Kevin Bliss (p 25)
• After DOJ Finds Unconstitutional Conditions for Mentally Ill Prisoners in Solitary, Massachusetts Experiments with Monitoring Gadget by Keith Sanders, Kevin Bliss (p 26)
• Wisconsin Prisoner In Vegetative State After Suicide Attempt Wins New Trial on Jury Instruction Error by David M. Reutter (p 26)
• Illinois Prisoner’s Negligence Lawsuit Alleging Injuries from Wart Treatment Timely Filed by David M. Reutter (p 28)
• District Court Certifies Class Status in Louisville Jail Overdetention of Prisoners’ Suit by Douglas Ankney (p 28)
• Law Review States Prisons Better Off With Public Health Care Rather than Private by Kevin Bliss (p 30)
• Eleventh Circuit Upholds Some Convictions of Four Georgia Prison Guards for Drug Smuggling; Reverses Others for Retrial by Matthew Clarke (p 30)
• U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Texas Prisoner’s Feces Covered Cell Lawsuit by David Reutter (p 32)
• $6.2 Million Judgment for California Deputies Negligence Causing Arrestee Injuries Affirmed by David Reutter (p 32)
• Incarcerated Persons Not In-Custody for Miranda Purposes (p 33)
• Woman Abuse Survivors Sent to Prison for Self-Defense by Keith Sanders (p 34)
• Inspector General Finds Botched Transfers Caused COVID Outbreak at San Quentin, 29 Dead by Matthew Clarke (p 34)
• North Carolina Prisons Underreport COVID Related Deaths by Kevin Bliss (p 36)
• New Jersey Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kept Quiet in State Prisons by Akela Lacy (p 38)
• GAO Reports ICE Wastes Hundreds of Millions Each Year by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• The Enduring Life of Life Sentences by Casey Bastian (p 42)
• Federal Court Orders Release of Documents for Connecticut Prison Cancer Death by David Reutter (p 44)
• Second Circuit Holds Connecticut Can’t Indemnify Guard in Assault Case Then Seek Cost of Incarceration; $650,000 Awarded in Failure to Protect Case by David Reutter (p 46)
• Virginia Votes to Abolish Death Penalty by Jayson Hawkins (p 46)
• Georgia Sheriffs Entitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity When Setting Jail Policies That Lead to Prisoners Being Sexually Abused by David Reutter (p 48)
• Architects Question Whether Building “More Humane” Prisons is Possible by Daniel A. Rosen (p 48)
• $54,000 Award of Attorney Fees to Enforce Settlement Agreement on Behalf of Deaf Prisoners by David Reutter (p 49)
• En Banc Eleventh Circuit Holds Prisoners Can Seek Punitive Damages Without Physical Injury by David Reutter (p 50)
• Sixth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Retaliation Suit by Pro Se Michigan Prisoner by David Reutter (p 50)
• Maine Supreme Judicial Court Holds Courts Have Authority to Enjoin DOC from Unconstitutional Segregation Practices by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• From a Picture Grew Thousands of Words by Edward Lyon (p 52)
• $200,000 Settlement for Kentucky Woman in Jail Childbirth Suit by Matthew Clarke (p 53)
• Maine Prisons Expand Medication Assisted Treatment by David Reutter (p 54)
• Advancing Stage of HCV Triggers Imminent Danger Exception to PLRA Three Strikes Rule (p 54)
• Oregon Federal Court Issues Class Certification in HRDC Challenge to NUMI Release Debit Cards by David Reutter (p 54)
• When Prisoners Die, Hawaii Keeps it Secret by Edward Lyon (p 56)
• Three Illinois Guards Indicted for Fatally Beating Prisoner (p 56)
• Majority of Americans Now Favor Life Imprisonment Over Death Penalty by Matthew Clarke (p 57)
• Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Transfer Lawsuit by Suicidal Prisoner by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• Iowa Jails Lower Phone Rates But Not Far Enough by David Reutter (p 58)
• Colorado Supreme Court Holds Prisoners Entitled to Preliminary Hearing on New Charges by Matthew Clarke (p 59)
• “We Want Court dates!” by Keith Sanders (p 60)
• After Backlash, Tennessee State University President Reverses Decision to Join CoreCivic Board by Matthew Clarke (p 60)
• News in Brief (p 62)

June

• Rural Citizens in North Carolina Resisting New Jail by Edward Lyon
• A Life Sentence for Pot? Not if Beth Curtis Can Help It by Daniel A. Rosen
• The 10 Worst Sheriffs in America by Nicole Audrey Spector (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 10)
• Auditor Slams California ICE Facility That Released Detainees With COVID-19 by Edward Lyon (p 10)
• Kentucky Consolidated Local Government Entitled to Sovereign Immunity by David Reutter (p 12)
• Sen. Warren Investigation Exposes Broken Prison Accreditation System by Jayson Hawkins (p 12)
• 25 Years of the AEDPA: Where do We Stand? by Dale Chappell (p 14)
• Prisoners Released Without COVID Tests Face Difficult Reentry by Jayson Hawkins (p 17)
• Pandemic Medical Update by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 18)
• Former Georgia Sheriff Deputies Denied Immunity in Criminal Case for Taser Death of Unarmed Man by David Reutter (p 20)
• Law Passes Requiring Parents in New York Prisons to be Housed Close to Their Children by Kevin Bliss (p 20)
• Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner Dies in 101-Degree Cell by Edward Lyon (p 21)
• Trump Pardons Highlight System’s Flaws by Jayson Hawkins (p 22)
• Prioritizing Incarcerated People for Vaccine Quickly Reduced COVID in IL Prisons by Brian Dolinar (p 24)
• Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID at Chesapeake, MD Jail Reaches Settlement by David Reutter (p 26)
• Massachusetts Medical Parole Cases and COVID-19 Prisoner Deaths by Edward Lyon (p 26)
• DOJ: Florida Women’s Prison Subjects Prisoners to Unconstitutional Risk of Sexual Abuse by David Reutter, Kevin Bliss (p 28)
• New Hampshire Prisoner Sues to Enforce Conditions of Consent Decree by David Reutter (p 29)
• Connecticut Supermax Closing After Lawsuit Filed Seeking to Reduce Use of Solitary by Anthony Accurso (p 30)
• Court Orders In-Person Inspection of Michigan Facility to Determine COVID-19 Policy Compliance by David Reutter (p 31)
• Inspection Reports Reveal Filthy Conditions In Arizona Prison Kitchens by Jimmy Jenkins (p 32)
• Prison Overcrowding Continues During COVID-19 Pandemic by Edward Lyon (p 34)
• NY Prisoner Entitled to Release Upon Reaching Conditional Release Date by David Reutter (p 34)
• Prisoners Find Their Voice in Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop by Edward Lyon (p 36)
• Kentucky Leases Closed Private Prison to Use as State Facility by Edward Lyon (p 36)
• Texas Republican Representative Proposes Renaming Prisons With Names Honoring Enslavers, Oppressors and Convict Leasers by Matthew Clarke (p 38)
• Draconian Use of Solitary Confinement in North Carolina by Keith Sanders (p 38)
• Inspector General Calls California Prison Reform Efforts a $10 Million Failure by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• New Jersey Man Dies Soon After Exonerated of Sex Offense by Edward Lyon (p 41)
• Activism and Art Team Up to Abolish Mass Incarceration by Keith Sanders (p 42)
• Sixth Circuit Refuses to Extend Bivens to BOP Prisoner’s First Amendment Claims by Mark Wilson (p 42)
• Connecticut Prisoner Population Lowest in Over Three Decades Due to Coronavirus by Douglas Ankney (p 43)
• DWN Report Shows ICE Facilities Were Community Superspreaders of COVID-19 by Matthew Clarke (p 44)
• State Prison System Takes Over County Jail by Edward Lyon (p 45)
• PA Lawsuit Claims Allegheny County Jail Sergeant Brutalized Disabled Women by David Reutter (p 46)
• GEO Group Puts Money, Lobbyist into Defeating Bill to Prohibit Private Prisons in Virginia by David Reutter (p 47)
• Six Howard County, Indiana Jail Guards Fired Over Sexual Assaults and Harassment of Prisoners by Michael Fortino, Ph.D (p 48)
• Guard Commits Suicide Amidst Allegations in Federal Prison by Jayson Hawkins (p 48)
• Fourth Circuit Holds Immigrant Children’s Mental Health Care Should Be Up to Professional Standards by David Reutter (p 50)
• Federal Agencies Rack Up Nearly One Thousand Arrest-Related or In-Custody Deaths in Two Years, DOJ Report Finds by David Reutter (p 50)
• Pew Study Shows Crime Falls but Spending on Jails Soar by David Reutter (p 51)
• State Auditor Report Critical of Texas Prison Agribusiness by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Amending the 13th Amendment by Edward Lyon (p 52)
• Auditor Appalled at Lack of Spending Controls in Mississippi Prison System by David Reutter (p 54)
• Washington Gives Right to Vote to 20,000 People Previously Incarcerated by Juliette LaMarr (p 54)
• Pushing Back on Prison Labor by Lilah Burke (p 56)
• Fourth Circuit Holds Deaf Federal Civilly Committed Sex Offender Has First Amendment Right of Access to Point-to-Point Videocalls in BOP Prison by Matthew Clarke (p 57)
• Microsoft Invests in Digital Incarceration by Jayson Hawkins (p 58)
• Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Lawsuit in Prisoner Overdose at San Diego Jail by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• Resources for Understanding Today’s Prison System by Kevin Bliss (p 59)
• Staff Shortages in Georgia Prisons Reach Crisis Levels by Keith Sanders (p 60)
• NC Prisoner Survives Summary Judgment for Two Excessive Force Claims by David Reutter (p 60)
• Colorado Grants COVID-19-Related Clemencies by Edward Lyon (p 61)
• U.S. DOJ Statistics on Race and Ethnicity of Violent Crime Perpetrators by Matthew Clarke (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 62)

May

• Did Tennessee Execute an Innocent Man? by David Reutter
• The Punishment Economy: Winners and Losers in the Business of Mass Incarceration by Daniel A. Rosen (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 12)
• Use of Solitary Confinement During Pandemic Detrimental To Prisoners and Not Slowing Spread of COVID-19 by Chad Marks (p 12)
• Why Did a St. Louis Man Die in a Federal Prison Coronavirus Hotspot? by Mike Fitzgerald (p 14)
• Texas Prisons Close Amid Pandemic by Jayson Hawkins (p 20)
• The Importance of Establishing Veterans Benefits While in Prison by Art Gage (p 22)
• ICE Holding Cuban Detainee for 11 Years and Counting Following Florida Prison Release by Daniel A. Rosen (p 24)
• Alabama Prisons, Among Deadliest for COVID-19, Not Prepared to Vaccinate Prisoners by Kevin Bliss (p 24)
• Massachusetts Uses Medical Parole to Avoid In-Custody Deaths From COVID-19 by Daniel A. Rosen (p 26)
• Amid Widespread Calls for Abolition, Mariame Kaba Sheds Light With Latest Book by Juliette LaMarr (p 26)
• Music Project Brings Prisoners’ Stories to Life in Song by Daniel A. Rosen (p 28)
• Second Circuit Reinstates Acquitted New York City Man’s Claims of Police Due Process Violations and Excessive Use of Force by Jailers by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Report: Massachusetts Prisons Continue to Fail on Mental Health Care by Jayson Hawkins (p 29)
• Federal Court: COVID-19 Vaccine Must be Available to All Oregon Prisoners by David Reutter (p 30)
• Idaho Supreme Court Orders Release of Death Penalty Related Documents by David Reutter (p 30)
• Second Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in Lawsuit Alleging New York Guard Sexually Assaulted Female Prisoners by David Reutter (p 32)
• BOP’s Terminal Island Response Sparked COVID-19 Spread by Mark Wilson (p 32)
• Qualified Immunity Granted on Claim of Sleep Deprivation From Guard Noise During Suicide-Prevention Checks in California by David Reutter (p 34)
• Texas Moves to Deny Housing for Released Prisoners by Edward Lyon (p 34)
• California State Prisoners Pay Teen’s School Tuition by Edward Lyon (p 35)
• Smoking on the Chain Gang by David Reutter (p 36)
• Washington State Governor Signs Bill Banning Private Prisons Statewide by Juliette LaMarr (p 38)
• Medical Copays for Prisoners Suspended in Several States Due to COVID-19 by Daniel A. Rosen (p 38)
• Pandemic Medical Update: Vaccines, Variants and More by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 40)
• Southern Republican Senators Criticize Third Pandemic Relief Bill for Giving Payments to Prisoners by Matthew Clarke (p 41)
• Broad Support for North Carolina Bill to Bar Shackling Pregnant Prisoners by Daniel Matheson (p 42)
• Judge Slaps Arizona With $1.1 Million Fine Over Prison Health Care by David Reutter (p 42)
• HRDC Wins FOIA Lawsuit filed in Washington State for Unredacted ICE Documents by David Reutter (p 44)
• With the majority of corrections officers declining the COVID-19 vaccine, incarcerated people are still at serious risk by Wendy Sawyer, Wanda Bertram (p 44)
• Report: Private Company Rubber-Stamps Inspections of Abuse-Ridden ICE Detention Camps by Kevin Bliss (p 46)
• Family of San Quentin Prisoner Who Died of COVID-19 Due to “Horribly Botched Transfer” Files Lawsuit by Douglas Ankney (p 48)
• Washington Supreme Court Holds Ongoing Contempt Not Required to Impose Sanctions for Violating Injunction Against Releasing Sex Offender Records by Matthew Clarke (p 50)
• Report Calls for the End of Solitary Confinement at Michigan Prisons by Kevin Bliss (p 50)
• Repairing Credit After Release from Prison by Kevin Bliss (p 51)
• Report: Border Patrol Misappropriated Funds and Failed to Provide Proper Medical Care to Accurately Report Migrant Deaths by Douglas Ankney (p 52)
• Lawsuit Over Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Fatal Asthma Attack Allegedly Triggered by Excessive Use of Pepper Spray by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Biden’s Justice Department Nomination Faces Aggressive Opposition From Senate Republicans by Juliette LaMarr (p 54)
• Narrowing the Remedial Gap: Damages for Disability Discrimination in Outsourced Federal Programs by Margo Schlanger (p 56)
• COVID-19 Kills Jeffery Epstein’s Former Cellmate by Edward Lyon (p 61)
• Banksy Artwork Appears on Jail in England by David Reutter (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 62)

April

• New Research on Texas Diversionary Programs Shows Lower Crime Rates by Anthony Accurso
• COVID-19 Responses Differ Between Prison Systems by Edward Lyon
• COVID Outbreak in Vermont Prison Could Have Been Prevented by Douglas Ankney
• Jail Suicides in Massachusetts Point to National Crisis: Challenging Legislatures to Say Not One More by Jennifer Honig (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 16)
• Government Refuses to Follow Federal Court’s Discovery Order After Being Caught Recording Attorney Meetings with Prisoners at Leavenworth by Dale Chappell (p 16)
• Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19 by Derek Gilna (p 18)
• Pandemic Medical Update: “Herd Immunity” at Prisons? by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 20)
• Texas Winter Storm Freezes Plumbing, Power and Prisoners by Matthew Clarke (p 22)
• Massachusetts Governor Ends Good Time Offer for Prisoners Taking COVID-19 Vaccine by David Reutter (p 23)
• Confidential Settlement in Case Involving Alleged Pattern of Racist Misconduct in Michigan Prisons by Casey Bastian (p 24)
• Connecticut Lawmakers Refuse to Address Corrections Issues During Pandemic by Anthony Accurso (p 24)
• California Trans Women Struggle For Protection Under Prison Rape Elimination Act by Edward Lyon (p 26)
• Oklahoma Prisoners Call for Better Nutrition by Kevin Bliss (p 27)
• Holiday Cards for Prisoners: Let’s End Collective Punishment in U.S. Prisons by Sandy Rozek (p 28)
• Florida Jail Administrators Fired After Woman Gives Birth in Cell by Daniel A. Rosen (p 28)
• COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends by Chad Marks (p 30)
• Virginia Settles Two Lawsuits Over Misuse of Solitary Confinement by Daniel A. Rosen (p 30)
• Activist, Political Prisoner, and Journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal Diagnosed With COVID-19, Energizing Calls for His Release by Juliette LaMarr (p 32)
• COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Job Hunting Especially Difficult for Ex-Offenders by Kevin Bliss (p 32)
• U.S. Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions by David Reutter (p 34)
• Florida Prison Guard Indicted in Prisoner Death by Blunt Force Trauma by David Reutter (p 35)
• Michigan Begins Video Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic by David Reutter (p 36)
• Hawaii Fails to Provide Video of Two Prison Disturbances by Edward Lyon (p 36)
• California Prison Factories Fined For Exposing Unwitting Workers to COVID-19 by Mark Wilson (p 38)
• "Conservative New York County Enacts Progressive Transgender Prisoner Policy" by Mark Wilson (p 40)
• Sixth Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s 18 U.S.C. § 111 Conviction for Assaulting Federally Contracted Private Prison Guard by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• After 36 Years in a Louisiana Prison for a Rape He Didn’t Commit, Archie Williams Wins Freedom — and a TV Show Spotlight by Casey Bastian (p 42)
• COVID-19 Depletes State Prison Staffs Nationwide, Forcing Consolidation of Facilities and Increasing Risk to All by Derek Gilna (p 42)
• COVID-19 Continues Rampage Through Pennsylvania State Prisons by Derek Gilna (p 44)
• $105,000 Settlement in Wisconsin Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim by David Reutter (p 46)
• Alabama Jails and Prisoners Swamped With COVID-Related Problems by Daniel A. Rosen (p 46)
• How States Exclude People With Criminal Records From Jury Service by Dale Chappell (p 47)
• California Enacts Legislation Strengthening Protections for LGBTQ Prisoners by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Study Shows Misaligned Economic Incentives Fuel Mass Incarceration by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Baltimore Demolishes Maryland’s Oldest Penitentiary, Burying Its Nostalgia And Nightmares by Michael Fortino, Ph.D (p 50)
• Books: “Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty” by Robert Dunham (p 50)
• Former Prisoner Becomes Activist for LBGTQ Rights in California Prisons (p 52)
• Florida Senator Wants to Keep Ex-Prisoners from Earning the $15 Minimum Wage Increase by Kevin Bliss (p 52)
• Parnall Correctional Facility in Michigan Copes with Scabies Outbreak by Kevin Bliss (p 53)
• Fourth Circuit: Deaf North Carolina Prisoner Should be Allowed Direct Videophone Calls to Communicate with Deaf Community by David Reutter (p 54)
• People in jails are using more phone minutes during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite decreased jail populations by Andrea Fenster (p 54)
• Ransomware Attack on GEO Group Exposes Sensitive Information by Matthew Clarke (p 55)
• Colorado’s Governor Bows to Pressure in Denying State Prisoners Priority COVID-19 Vaccinations by Derek Gilna (p 56)
• Hundreds of Virginia Inmates Await Parole Consideration Under New Law by Daniel A. Rosen (p 56)
• Experts Divided on Drug Court Effectiveness by Kevin Bliss (p 58)
• More Than 40 Immigrants Have Died in ICE Custody by Anthony Accurso (p 58)
• Secrecy Surrounded Flurry of Late-Term Federal Executions Under Donald Trump by Derek Gilna (p 60)
• New Advocacy Group for New Mexico Prisoners Created by Dale Chappell (p 60)
• Vermont Prisoner’s Death Under Investigation: Did Implicit Bias Play Role? by Kevin Bliss (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)

March

• Southern Republican Senators Generate Publicity by Criticizing Third Pandemic Relief Bill For Giving Payments to Prisoners by Matthew Clarke
• Congress Tackles Restoring Voting Rights to Felons, Makes Remarkable Progress by Dale Chappell
• Eighth Circuit Dismisses Hormone Therapy Suit as Moot When Arkansas Prison Officials
• NJ Warden Reassigned After Mishandling COVID-19 by Keith Sanders
• Oregon Prison Staff Said to Contribute to High Prisoner COVID-19 Infection, Death Rates by Mark Wilson
• Democrat Controlled Legislature Introduces Two Bills to Abolish Oregon’s 164-Year Old Felon Disenfranchisement Law by Mark Wilson
• Federal Judge Orders COVID-19 Vaccinations for 12,000-Plus Oregon Prisoners by Mark Wilson
• Inside Trump and Barr’s Last-Minute Killing Spree by Isaac Arnsdorf (p 1)
• Sequel: Three Additional Federal Executions Before Trump Left Office by Chad Marks (p 8)
• Analysis: Federal Executions in Indiana Became ‘Super-Spreader’ Events by Derek Gilna (p 10)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 12)
• California Prison System Fined $400,000 For Prisoner Transfers That Sparked Surge in COVID-19, Also Faulted For Easing Restrictions by Edward Lyon (p 12)
• COVID Pandemic: Medical Update by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 14)
• Biden to Phase Out Privately-Run Federal Prisons; Critics Say Plan Too Timid by Kevin Bliss (p 16)
• Reuters Investigation: Lamentable Medical Care in Jails and Prisons Exposed During Pandemic by Casey Bastian (p 18)
• $300,000 Award for Illinois Prisoner in Sexual Assault Claim by David Reutter (p 19)
• Second Circuit Upholds New York Prison Guards’ Federal Criminal Convictions for Assaulting Prisoner by Matthew Clarke (p 20)
• Last-Minute DOJ Order Clears Way for Possible Return of Home Confinees to Prison by Derek Gilna (p 20)
• Centurion Opts Out of Mississippi Prison Medical Contract by David Reutter (p 21)
• A Guide To Finding Housing After Incarceration (p 22)
• New Surge of COVID Is Spreading “Like Wildfire” in Illinois Prisons by Brian Dolinar (p 26)
• Arizona Grandmother Sues After Being Jailed and Forced to Drink From Toilet by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania County Over Prisoner’s Death in Restraint Chair Settled for $3 Million by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Audits Reveals Problems With Privatized Food Service at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Jail by Jayson Hawkins (p 30)
• Essay: What Spurred the Rise in Mass Solitary Confinement by David Reutter (p 30)
• No Sentence Reduction for Former Pennsylvania Judge Who Was Caging Kids for Kickback Cash by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Report: Video Courtroom Proceedings Have Negative Impact on Fairness and Access to Justice by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• New Mexico Lawyer Fights to End Solitary Confinement by Daniel A. Rosen (p 34)
• Federal Court Orders Body Cams Be Worn by Guards in Effort to Stop Abuse of Disabled at California Prison by Douglas Ankney (p 34)
• Arizona Supreme Court Overturns Decision Allowing Special Master to Review Recordings of Jail Phone Calls to Attorney Alleged to be Privileged by Matthew Clarke (p 36)
• COVID-19 Pandemic Leads to Founding of Congressional BOP Reform Caucus by Anthony Accurso (p 36)
• Federal Judge Dismisses Arizona Woman’s Wrongful Conviction Suit by Daniel A. Rosen (p 38)
• Greedo Still Influencing From Texas Prison by Jayson Hawkins (p 38)
• Private Medical Contractor Wellpath Pays $4.5 Million in Death of Mentally Ill Jail Detainee After Judge Finds It Destroyed Evidence by Douglas Ankney (p 40)
• Victim Compensation and Restorative Justice as Alternatives to Sentencing Enhancements for Hate Crimes by Douglas Ankney (p 40)
• Nearly Killed by Dehumanizing Culture of Indifference, Oregon Prisoner Sues for $975,000 by Mark Wilson (p 42)
• Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Florida Prisoner Accused of Assaulting Guard After Video Surfaces by Kevin Bliss (p 42)
• Pay-to-Stay Fees Impoverish Prisoners, Increase Recidivism by Kevin Bliss (p 44)
• ICE Detention Facility Deaths Now Highest Since 2005 by Kevin Bliss (p 44)
• Prisoner Art on Display in New York City Exhibition by Edward Lyon (p 46)
• Pardoned Nevada Bank Robber’s Story Creates Hope for Prisoners by Casey Bastian (p 46)
• CoreCivic Faces Liability for Wiretap Act Violations in Nevada Case by David Reutter (p 47)
• Mentally Ill Oregon Prisoner’s “Needless & Preventable” Death From Flu Complications Nets Record $3 Million Settlement by Mark Wilson (p 48)
• Sixth Circuit Orders Michigan District Court to Review Prisoner’s Plea for Compassionate Release by David Reutter (p 49)
• California Starts Phase-Out of Most State Juvenile Prisons, but Loophole Allows Two to Remain Open by Douglas Ankney (p 50)
• Mass Incarceration Fueling Spread of COVID-19 in Local Communities by Keith Sanders (p 50)
• Nevada Reduces Share of Prisoners’ Money That Can be Taken for Restitution by Daniel A. Rosen (p 52)
• Ohio Supreme Court Orders Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to Revise Calculation of Prisoner’s Sentence by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• California Sheriff Hid Number of Deaths in Sacramento County Jails by Kevin Bliss (p 53)
• As Prisoners Die, Washington Officials Resist Reform by Mark Wilson (p 54)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Prisoners Can Challenge Deductions Taken From Their Accounts by David Reutter (p 56)
• California’s San Quentin and Folsom Prisons Hardest-Hit by COVID-19 by Edward Lyon (p 56)
• Mississippi Department of Corrections Lifts Smoking Ban at its Prisons by Keith Sanders (p 57)
• Second Circuit Court of Appeals Partly Overturns New York District Court, Allows Prisoner’s PREA Violations Claims to Proceed by David Reutter (p 58)
• Minnesota Counties Pay Out More Than $10 Million For Prison and Jail Settlements by Kevin Bliss (p 58)
• Data: Families of Arizona Prison Guards Suffer High Rates of Domestic Violence by Edward Lyon (p 59)
• New Allegations of Abuse and Sexual Assault at Edna Mahan Women’s Prison in New Jersey by Kevin Bliss (p 60)
• Federal Court Finds Missouri Parole System Unconstitutional by Dale Chappell (p 60)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• Successive Corruption Scandal Rocks Mississippi Prison System by Edward Lyon (p 62)

February

• Eligible Louisiana Prisoners Get COVID Vaccine by Jayson Hawkins
• Pennsylvania: Flawed COVID Data by Jayson Hawkins
• Virginia Court of Appeals Upholds Lifetime Probation With Bar on Personal Internet Use in Response to Sex Offender’s Probation Violation
• Man Denied Justice After Guard Humiliates and Beats Him
• The Way Prisoners Flag Guard Abuse, Inadequate Health Care and Unsanitary Conditions Is Broken by Shannon Heffernan (p 1)
• Collateral Consequences of Mass Incarceration by Edward Lyon (p 8)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 10)
• New York Parole System Badly in Need of Repair by Kevin Bliss (p 10)
• Pandemic Update: News on Vaccines and Prison and Jail Staffing by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 12)
• Urgent Need for Vaccine Administration in Prisons, Jails and Detention Centers by Maya Chaudhuri, Aaron Littman, Sharon Dolovich (p 14)
• Almost 300,000 Fell Ill and 2,000 Died from COVID-19 in U.S. Jails, Prisons by Derek Gilna (p 18)
• California Loses Round in Legal Fight to Deny Parole Based on Gang Affiliation by David Reutter (p 20)
• Was Indiana Women’s Prison Willfully Ignorant About COVID-19 Numbers? by Matthew Clarke (p 21)
• How a Private Prison Company’s Defamation Suit Against One of Its Critics Backfired by Madison Pauley (p 22)
• After $625,000 Settlement, Oregon Deputy Charged in Assault of Prisoner by Mark Wilson (p 24)
• Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s Office Sued in Federal Court for Treatment of Transgender Prisoner by Derek Gilna (p 25)
• Federal Judge Slaps ICE, GEO Group Over “Abominable Performance” and Officials Who Lied During Testimony by David Reutter (p 26)
• No Summary Judgment on Oregon Prisoner’s Retaliatory Termination Claim by Mark Wilson (p 27)
• Minnesota State and Federal Prisoners COVID Case Surge Sparks ACLU Lawsuit by Derek Gilna (p 28)
• Missouri Prisoner Pleaded for Release Before Dying of COVID-19 by Daniel A. Rosen (p 28)
• Ninth Circuit Finds California Prisoner’s Administrative Remedies Effectively Unavailable by Mark Wilson (p 29)
• Fourth Circuit Holds Prisoner’s Indefinite Period of Solitary Confinement at Virginia Supermax May Amount to Atypical and Significant Hardship by Matthew Clarke (p 30)
• Federal Educational Aid Restored for State and Federal Prisoners by Dale Chappell (p 30)
• Progress Made in Fight Against Prison Gerrymandering But Battle Continues by Douglas Ankney (p 32)
• COVID-19: What Texas Must Do to Save Prisoners’ Lives by Edward Lyon (p 32)
• Ninth Circuit Reverses Lower Court’s Dismissal of California Prisoner’s Religious Freedom Lawsuit by Mark Wilson (p 33)
• New Details Emerge on Senseless Death in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin Jail by Jayson Hawkins (p 34)
• Minnesota Prison Guard Fired for Excessive Force After Brawl Linked to Floyd Protests by Anthony Accurso (p 34)
• $1.1 Million Settlement in Kentucky Jail Sex Abuse Suit by David Reutter (p 36)
• Justice Department Report Documents Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center’s Poor Response to COVID-19 Crisis by Kevin Bliss (p 36)
• Federal Judge in Georgia Grants Class Action Status to Prisoners’ Suit Against Global Tel*Link (p 38)
• Global Tel*Link Hit with Sanctions For Discovery Violations in Georgia Prison Call Class Action by Derek Gilna (p 38)
• Private Prison Companies Face Stock Crash, Credit Crunch by Matthew Clarke (p 40)
• Fourth Circuit: ADA Relief Claims Improperly Dismissed in Virginia by Mark Wilson (p 40)
• Former BOP Director Norman Carlson, Who Developed Supermax Model, Dies at 86 by Kevin Bliss (p 42)
• Arizona Pays Prisoners Pennies on the Dollar to Fight Fires, All in the Name of Saving Money by Dale Chappell (p 42)
• Mellon Foundation to Provide $5.25 Million in Program to Distribute Books to Prisoners by Douglas Ankney (p 43)
• ICE Refused Help in Containing Coronavirus in New Mexico Detention Centers by Kevin Bliss (p 44)
• Experts Find “Deplorable” Conditions at Mississippi’s Parchman Prison by David Reutter (p 44)
• Pennsylvania Correctional Emergency Response Teams Face New Scrutiny in “Noose” Controversy by Derek Gilna (p 46)
• Troubled Ohio Jail Faces Two More Lawsuits by Matthew Clarke (p 46)
• New Mexico Corrections Pays $1.4 Million to Settle Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Retaliation for Exposing Deficiencies in Corizon Medical Care by Douglas Ankney (p 48)
• Child Sexual Abuse: It’s Never Too Late to Speak Out by Darrell Cochran (p 48)
• No-Show Prison Workers Cost Mississippi Taxpayers Millions by Alysia Santo, Joseph Neff (p 50)
• Ninth Circuit Holds Intermediate Scrutiny Applies in Challenges to Facially Discriminatory Prison Regulations by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Overtime Payouts in California Prison System Approach $500 Million by Daniel A. Rosen (p 53)
• Florida State Prisons Scrub Key COVID Data From Website, Obscuring Magnitude of Inmate Deaths and Infections by Laura Cassels (p 54)
• Idaho Supreme Court Holds Prisoners Have No Right to Paid or Unpaid Employment by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Legislative Exemption Let Fired Alaska Cop Be Rehired as Jailer by Edward Lyon (p 55)
• Prisoners Paid $2 Per Hour to Move COVID-19 Corpses in El Paso, Texas by Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• NY Federal Court Denies Summary Judgment on Claims of Improper Medication Seizure, Evidence Fabrication, Improper Frisk During Prison Visit by Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• Minnesota Man Out of Prison After Being Exonerated of Murder by Edward Lyon (p 57)
• $4.65 Million Settlement for Florida Female Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Beating by Guards by David Reutter (p 58)
• Federal Court Again Orders California DOC to Remedy Continuing ADA Violations by Derek Gilna (p 58)
• Decline in South Dakota State Prisoners Not Due to COVID by Edward Lyon (p 59)
• COVID-19: The Politics of Prisoner Vaccination by Kevin Bliss (p 60)
• DOJ Report: Carceral Population Falls, 2017-2018 by Matthew Clarke (p 60)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• Sixth Circuit Affirms Tennessee DOC’s Hepatitis C Treatment Due to Lack of Funds by David Reutter (p 62)

January

• Kentucky Consolidated Local Government Entitled to Sovereign Immunity by David M. Reutter
• Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Suicide
• Tougher Than the Rest: No Criminal Justice Reform “Miracle” in Texas by Marie Gottschalk (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 20)
• North Carolina Prisoners at Deadliest Federal Prison File Suit on COVID-19 Response by Matthew Clarke (p 20)
• Sixth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Sheriff in Tennessee Prisoner’s Assault Case by David Reutter (p 22)
• Preliminary Studies: Black/Latino Populations Disproportionately Affected by COVID-19 by Douglas Ankney (p 22)
• Federal Lawsuit Claims Texas Jail Released Man When Medical Problems Became Too Much Trouble, Resulting in Coma by Dale Chappell (p 24)
• North Carolina Cancer Patient Dies From COVID-19 After BOP Denies Compassionate Release and Sentencing Judge Rejects Appeal by Derek Gilna (p 24)
• Pandemic Medical Update: The Latest on Vaccines and Prisoners by Michael D. Cohen, MD (p 26)
• CoreCivic Sued Over Prisoner Who Committed Suicide in Tennessee Prison by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Magic as Rehabilitation by Jayson Hawkins (p 28)
• California: Prisoner-Run Journalism Thrives with San Quentin News, Ear Hustle by David Reutter (p 30)
• In Prisons, the Press Also Yearns to Be Free by Casey Bastian (p 30)
• My Ankle Monitor Won’t Let Me Take Out The Garbage by Eleanor Bader (p 32)
• Tennessee Juvenile Murderer’s Sentence Commuted by Edward Lyon (p 33)
• How Jails Became a Breeding Ground for the Coronavirus by Keith Sanders (p 34)
• Charges Finally Announced 32 Months After South Carolina Prison Riot by David Reutter (p 36)
• Salt Lake County, Utah, Settles Federal Civil Rights Wrongful Death Claim for $950,000 by Derek Gilna (p 38)
• Alabama Court Allows Lawsuit Over Indigent Traffic Offenders Jailed for Not Paying Fines by David Reutter (p 38)
• Urban Redo: Lorton, Virginia Prison Recreated as Liberty Village by Kevin Bliss (p 40)
• Court Rejects Class Status for Nebraska Prisoners Facing Substandard Health Care by David Reutter (p 40)
• Second Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment in New York Prisoner’s Due Process Lawsuit by David Reutter (p 42)
• Seventh Circuit: Nurse’s Deliberate Indifference to Prisoner’s Pain Negates Summary Judgment Grant by David Reutter (p 42)
• St. Louis, Missouri Guard Has History of Taser Abuse by Daniel A. Rosen (p 43)
• Former Prisoners Making Less Than Minimum Wage Working for Nonprofit Doe Fund by Dale Chappell (p 44)
• South Florida: Jail Hotline Releases Report on Inadequate Health Care During Pandemic by Saraana Jamraj (p 44)
• Rapper Sues BOP Alleging Torture by David Reutter (p 45)
• Montana Supreme Court: Jail’s Blanket Strip Search Policy Violates Law by Matthew Clarke (p 46)
• As Prison COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Rise, Washington State Supreme Court Looks Away by Mark Wilson (p 46)
• Over Half the Prisoners Test Positive for COVID-19 at Arizona Prison by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Some Prisons Bear Names of Enslavers, Oppressors, Racists and Segregationists by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Louisiana’s COVID-19 Prisoner Furlough Panel Next to Useless by Edward Lyon (p 50)
• New Book on Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration by Edward Lyon (p 50)
• COVID-19 Hits Fairfax, Virginia Juvenile Detention Center by Kevin Bliss (p 51)
• Seventh Circuit Holds Illinois Prisoners Retain Fourth Amendment Rights to Bodily Privacy, Overruling Circuit Precedents by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Federal Class Action Settlement Aims to Eliminate Horrific Conditions at Santa Barbara, California Jails in Three Years by Derek Gilna (p 52)
• Almost Half of North Dakota Jail Tests Positive for COVID-19 by David Reutter (p 53)
• Former Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Complaint Cures Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies by David Reutter (p 54)
• U.S. Prisons Originally Designed to Prevent Spread of Disease Become Breeding Ground During Pandemic by Edward Lyon (p 54)
• Georgia Prisoners Lacked Food, Water, Leading to Melee by Jayson Hawkins (p 55)
• Opioid Crisis in Canadian Prisons Needs to be Addressed by Kevin Bliss (p 55)
• $2 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over N.Y. Prisoner Denied Emergency Eye Surgery Until She Went Blind by Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• CoreCivic and Securus Technologies Agree to Pay $3.7 Million to Settle Suit for Illegally Recording Attorney-Client Conversations by Douglas Ankney (p 56)
• Scottish Prisoners Issued Mobile Phones During Pandemic by Kevin Bliss (p 57)
• Private Health Care Services in County Jails Comes at High Price by Kevin Bliss (p 58)
• Sixth Circuit Holds Ohio Prisoner Can Be Executed Despite Previous Botched Attempt by Matthew Clarke (p 59)
• Second Circuit: No Error in Blocking New York Parolee from Attending His Own Civil Rights Trial Against Prison Officials by Matthew Clarke (p 60)
• First Former Felon Elected to Washington State Legislature by Daniel A. Rosen (p 60)
• Tennessee Prisons “Naughty” List Shows Prison Staff Often Bring in Contraband by Edward Lyon (p 61)
• As Millions Suffer, Congress Awards BOP $356 Million for New Kansas Prison by Mark Wilson (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• Alabama Guards Accused of Excessive Use of Force, Hospitalizing One Prisoner and Injuring Another by Kevin Bliss (p 62)