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Archive: 2022

June

• Private Prison Space in Louisiana Contracted But Unused by ICE Costing Taxpayers $8 Million a Month by Jo Ellen Nott
• Seventh Circuit Holds Jail Guard Not Deliberately Indifferent to Illinois Prisoner’s Withdrawal from Smuggled Pills by David Reutter
• California Grandfather with Dementia Dies After Being Jailed for Suspected Intoxication That Was Really Diabetic Shock by Jo Ellen Nott
• Seventh Circuit Vacates $8 Million Award to Illinois Prisoner Whose Cancer Metastasized Awaiting Wexford Doctors’ “Collegial Review” by David Reutter
• The Impact of Criminalizing Abortion on Prisoners and Mass Incarceration by Paul Wright
• Vermont Supreme Court Affirms Dismissal of Habeas Petition from State Prisoner Given Run-Around by DOC by Douglas Ankney
• Book Review: The PLRA Handbook by David Reutter
• Imprisoned Former Alabama House Speaker Caught Admitting to Phony “Apology” Can Keep His Radio Stations Running by Harold Hempstead
• Connecticut Supreme Court Requires Special Credibility Instruction for Jailhouse Informant Even If Defendant Allegedly Confessed Elsewhere by Douglas Ankney
• New York Prison Guard Suspended After “Despicable” Facebook Post Mocking Buffalo Mass Shooting Victims by Jo Ellen Nott
• Michigan Guard Arrested for Killing the Service Dog He Adopted at His Prison by Jo Ellen Nott
• Alabama Prisons Still Lethal, Record Another Seven Deaths in May 2022 by Jo Ellen Nott
• Four Suspected Drug Overdoses in D.C. Jail in One Week of May 2022 by Jo Ellen Nott
• Locked Up and Left to Die by Sophie Novack,, Michael Barajas (p 1)
• After 49 Years in Prison for a Murder in Which He Didn’t Pull the Trigger, Former Black Liberation Army Member Sundiata Acoli Wins Parole by Chuck Sharman (p 11)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 12)
• Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim Despite Prison Disciplinary Conviction Issued for the Same Incident by Matthew Clarke (p 12)
• Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Suit Dismissed on Heck Grounds, Holds Related Disciplinary Convictions Don’t Absolutely Bar Excessive Force Claims by Matthew Clarke (p 14)
• Securus Rolls Out “Free” E-tablets to Texas Prisoners by Edward Lyon (p 15)
• Oregon Federal Court Issues Groundbreaking, Model COVID-19 Damage Class & Wrongful Death Class Certification by Mark Wilson (p 16)
• Eleventh Circuit Says Florida Prisoner Alleging Sexual Assault by Guard Need Not Also Prove Excessive Force and Malicious Intent by David Reutter (p 18)
• Washington Pays $3.25 Million for Negligent Medical Care Causing Preventable Prisoner Death by Mark Wilson (p 20)
• DOJ Secures Settlement With South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice at Detention Center Where Staff Hogtied and Bit Kids by Brooke Kaufman (p 22)
• Healthcare Audit in Utah Prisons Reveals “Inadequate Service” and “Systemic Deficiencies” After 18 Prisoner Deaths During Pandemic by Benjamin Tschirhart (p 22)
• Ninth Circuit Holds California Prison Officials Entitled to Legislative Immunity When Promulgating Rules by David Reutter (p 24)
• After Paying $500,000 to Consultant Outed for Corruption Ties, Iowa DOC Accused of Allowing “Corporate Dodge” by Jacob Barrett (p 24)
• Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting Uncovers Almost 1,000 Privileged Calls Recorded in Four County Jails, Sues York County for Denying Public Records Request by Keith Sanders (p 26)
• $12.5 Million Settlement Over Invasive Strip and Body Cavity Searches of NYC Jail Visitors by Matthew Clarke (p 26)
• BOP Prisoners on Extended Home Confinement Not Headed Back to Prison When COVID-19 Emergency Ends by Casey Bastian (p 28)
• $500,001 Settlement Against Guard Who Groped Delaware Prisoner With Long History of Lost Cases by Keith Sanders (p 30)
• Kansas Appeals Court Vacates Prison Dentist’s Conviction for Sexually Abusing Prisoner, Says Touching Wasn’t “Lewd” by Mark Wilson (p 32)
• The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Mobile Correctional Facility Robots by Beryl Lipton, Cooper Quintin (p 32)
• $275,000 Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Attempted Suicide at Illinois Jail by David Reutter (p 34)
• Washington Pays $3 Million to Murdered Prisoner’s Family After Overriding Single-Cell Recommendation for Violent Cellmate by Mark Wilson (p 34)
• Settlement Finally Reached in Prisoners’ Hep-C Class-Action Against Connecticut DOC by Edward Lyon (p 36)
• Prison Phone Giant GTL Cuts Prices in Miami-Dade Jails, But Only After County Taps COVID-19 Relief Funds to Replace Forfeited Kickbacks by Ashleigh Dye (p 38)
• Kentucky Supreme Court Rules ‘Incarceration Fees’ May Not Be Collected After Charges Are Dismissed by Casey Bastian (p 38)
• $250,000 Paid to Woman Forced to Give Birth in California Jail Cell by Guards and CFMG Nurses by Ashleigh Dye (p 40)
• Seventh Circuit Reinstates Suit of Epileptic Illinois Prisoner Who Suffered Seizure and Fell From Top Bunk by Edward Lyon (p 40)
• Sacramento Shooting Stokes Debate Over CDCR Rule Changes on Good Conduct Credit by Matthew Clarke (p 42)
• Third Circuit Joins Fifth, Tenth and D.C. Circuits in Holding Heck Favorable-Termination Dismissals Are PLRA Strikes by Mark Wilson (p 44)
• U.S. Prison and Jail Populations Flat or Rising Again After 2020 Decline Spurred by Pandemic by Matthew Clarke (p 44)
• Sixth Circuit: Michigan DOC’s Years-Long Delay in Access to Religious Services and Items Constitutes Constructive Denial of Religious Exercise by Jacob Barrett (p 46)
• Illinois Department of Corrections Cancels Contract with Canteen Provider Keefe by Kevin Bliss (p 46)
• Georgia Sheriff Victor Hill Facing Criminal Trial for Using Restraint Chair to Punish Jail Detainees by David Reutter (p 48)
• $7,000 Default Judgment Awarded in Failure to Protect Suit Against Former Arkansas Jail Guard by Harold Hempstead (p 49)
• Ineffective Mississippi Prison Industries on the Chopping Block After Scathing Report by Ashleigh Dye (p 50)
• Eighth Circuit Holds Pornography Policy Unconstitutional as Applied to South Dakota Prisoner, but Denies Relief by David Reutter (p 50)
• Federal Suit Challenging Iowa DOC Ban on Nude Images Moves Forward, Defendants Denied Summary Judgement on Due Process Claim by David Reutter (p 52)
• Overdoses Skyrocket in Tennessee Prisons During Pandemic Despite Visitation Restrictions by Edward Lyon (p 52)
• Third Circuit Reinstates Suit Filed by Transgender Prisoner Assaulted at New Jersey Federal Prison by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• $17.5 Million Paid to Ohio Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Attack by Guards by Harold Hempstead (p 55)
• “On-Going Distress and Harm” Persist at FCI Sheridan Months After Court-Ordered Inspection by Brooke Kaufman (p 56)
• New Jersey Sex Offenders Excluded From Programming, Chances for Early Release by Mario Palomo (p 56)
• Sixth Circuit Revives Tennessee Detainee’s Suit, Holds Lower Court Not Required to Retain Jurisdiction of State Law Claims After Dismissing Federal Claims by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• $45,000 Paid by Idaho Jail to Settle Censorship Suit Filed by HRDC by Jacob Barrett (p 59)
• Illinois Inspector General Finds Prisoner Labor Used to Benefit DOC Employees by Casey Bastian (p 60)
• Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Texas Sheriff Who Rehired Abusive Jailer Who in Turn Again Abused a Detainee by Matthew Clarke (p 60)
• $6,500 Settlement After Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Florida Jail Officials Who Repeatedly Opened Detainee’s Legal Mail by David Reutter (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)

May

• COVID-19 “Wonderful” to Oklahoma County Jail by Kevin Bliss
• BOP Raises Hackles With Ad Using Prisoners’ Mental Illness As Selling Point to Recruit Psychologists by Jo Ellen Nott
• Overdoses Climb in Colorado Prisons and Jails With Drugs Smuggled by Mail, Uber Eats by Harold Hempstead
• Mentally Ill Detainee Paralyzed in Brutal New Jersey Jail Beating Files Suit by Edward Lyon
• Four Florida Guards Charged in Fatal Beating of Elderly, Mentally Ill State Prisoner by Jo Ellen Nott
• “Jailhouse Politician” Withdraws from Indiana Race, But Another Wins in DC by Jo Ellen Nott
• “Master Jo,” Florida Prison Employee, Arrested for Trafficking in Contraband and Soliciting a Hit from Undercover Detective by Jo Ellen Nott
• California Jail Guard Criminally Charged for Assaulting Detainee with Scalding Water by Edward Lyon
• Spring COVID-19 Outbreak Sickens Hundreds at Washington State Prisons by Brooke Kaufman
• Be “Good Bitches”: New Mexico Prisoners Sue Over Sexually Degrading Abuse by Brooke Kaufman
• South Carolina DOC Coughs Up $920,000 for Prison’s Water and Sewer Bill by Ashleigh Dye
• Four BOP Employees, Eight Prisoners Indicted in Widening NYC Federal Jail Smuggling Scandal by Casey Bastian
• Antiviral Pills to Fight COVID-19 Sitting Unused in Pharmacies, But Prisoners Go Wanting by Chuck Sharman
• Immigrants in California CoreCivic Detention Center File Complaints Over Staff Mistreatment, Sexual Misconduct by Chuck Sharman
• Three Whistleblower Claims Filed Over Leaked Video of LA Deputy Kneeling on Detainee’s Head, Sheriff Forced to Walk Back Threats Against Reporter by Chuck Sharman
• Guard Accused of Organizing Prisoner “Sex Shows” at Tennessee Jail by Chuck Sharman
• PrimeCare: Less Medical Care for Prisoners, Higher Expenses for Taxpayers, More Profits for Corporate Owner by Matthew Clarke (p 1)
• Vermont Supreme Court: Removing Prisoner From Programming Is Reviewable When Catalyst Was Punitive (p 14)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 14)
• $11 Million Settlement Reached in Tennessee Suit Alleging False Arrest and False Imprisonment of Minors by Edward Lyon (p 16)
• $5.5 Million Settlement to California Prisoner Left Incapacitated After Suicide Attempt at Santa Cruz County Jail by Edward Lyon (p 18)
• Nine Deaths in Three Years at CoreCivic Jail in Florida, None From COVID-19 (p 18)
• Pittsburgh Jail Records 13 Deaths in Two Years, Only One From COVID-19 by Jo Ellen Nott (p 20)
• California Federal Court Approves Consent Decree Upgrading Mental Health Care at Alameda County Jail by David Reutter (p 22)
• Trapped in The Floods: With Floodwaters Rising, Prisoners Wait for Help in Floating Feces by Alleen Brown (p 24)
• Fifth BOP Staffer Arrested in “Rape Club” at California Federal Prison by Jo Ellen Nott (p 28)
• Eighth Circuit Rules Pretrial Detainees and Prisoners Have Right to Visit Family Members (p 29)
• Tenth Circuit Says Parolee May Not be Forced to Participate in Religious Program Under Threat of Jail by David Reutter (p 30)
• $8.5 Million Paid by Pennsylvania DOC for Death of Asthmatic Prisoner Improperly Pepper-Sprayed by Matthew Clarke (p 30)
• $260,000 in Attorney Fees Awarded by California Federal Court after Finding Governing State Law Not Impacted by PLRA by David Reutter (p 32)
• Investigation Finds Hundreds of Unreported Deaths in Tennessee Prisons and Jails by Harold Hempstead (p 32)
• Multiple Florida DOC Guards Convicted of Assault, Smuggling and Child Sex Abuse by Jo Ellen Nott (p 34)
• Hawaii Supreme Court Orders New Parole Hearing for Prisoner Held Since 1979 by Douglas Ankney (p 36)
• Eleventh Circuit Says Georgia Prisoner Failed to Exhaust Remedies by Filing Late Grievance to Ask for Investigation that Was Already Underway by David Reutter (p 38)
• $2.2 Million Settlement Over Transgender Georgia Prisoner’s Suicide Is Largest in State DOC History by Matthew Clarke (p 38)
• Nevada Federal Court Denies Motion to Compel Arbitration by Rapid Financial Solutions in Debit Card Suit by David Reutter (p 40)
• $6,500 Paid by Nevada DOC After Ninth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Withholding Evidence From Prisoner Accused of Smuggling Meth in Mail by David Reutter (p 42)
• Ecuador’s Prison System in Catastrophic Crisis by Edward Lyon (p 42)
• What to Know about Using Pell Grants to Take College Classes in Prison by Richard Hahn (p 44)
• $725,000 Settlement Reached in North Carolina Prisoner’s Suicide at Troubled Jail by Keith Sanders (p 46)
• $316,673 Settlement in New Mexico Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Stabbing at GEO-Operated Private Prison by Matthew Clarke (p 46)
• Guard Arrested for Running “Fight Club” in New Jersey Prison Kitchen by Jayson Hawkins, Ashleigh Dye (p 48)
• Sweetheart Deal Nets GEO Group $15 Million Payout from ICE for Haitian Deportation Flights by Ashleigh Dye (p 50)
• Tenth Circuit Says Disabled Colorado Prisoner Offered Diapers Rather Than Bathroom Pass May Deserve Damages Under ADA by David Reutter (p 50)
• Ninth Circuit Says Nevada DOC Not Micromanaged by Requirement to Treat Prisoner’s Severe Mental Illness; Upholds Preliminary Injunction by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Con Who Conned Cons is Sentenced to Federal Prison (p 53)
• DOJ Reaches Settlement Over Disability Access With Vermont Prison System by Jacob Barrett (p 54)
• Absenteeism Skyrockets for New York City Jail Guards, Up 215% Over the Last Two Years by Jo Ellen Nott (p 54)
• Ninth Circuit: Error to Instruct Jury to Defer to Medical Staff’s Asserted Security Justification for Terminating California Prisoner’s Morphine Prescription Without Tapering by Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• Preliminary Injunction Granted to Illinois Prisoner to Receive Non-Allergenic Kosher Meals by David Reutter (p 57)
• Connecticut Supreme Court Rules That Prisoner Was Denied Due Process with Sex Offender Classification by Harold Hempstead (p 58)
• Lifting Six-Year Moratorium, Oklahoma Treats Witnesses to Convulsing and Vomiting Prisoner During Execution by Keith Sanders (p 60)
• Washington State Supreme Court Holds that Denying Wheelchair-Bound Prisoner Access to Water and Toilet Facilities Violates State Constitution by Douglas Ankney (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• Indian Prison Superintendent Sentenced to Seven Days for Denying Parole During Pandemic by Jo Ellen Nott
• Massachusetts DOC Will Close Long-Time Maximum-Security Prison by Jo Ellen Nott
• Chief of Training for Hawaii Prison and Jail Guards Charged with Falsifying Educational Credentials, Out on Paid Leave by Jo Ellen Nott
• Oklahoma Prison Guard and Gilbert Postelle’s Brother Among 125 Convicted in Drug Ring by Jo Ellen Nott
• Warden Accused of Sexual Misconduct and Forced to Take Leave from Job at Violence-Plagued Alabama Prison by Jo Ellen Nott
• NYC DOC Internal Affairs Investigator Claims She Was Fired for Not Siding with Guards Union by Jo Ellen Nott

April

• At Least 35 Florida DOC Employees and Contractors Arrested in Just Over a Year by Jo Ellen Nott
• ICE Continues to Abuse and Traumatize Under Biden. Immigrants Are Fighting Back. by Rebecca Talbot, Panagioti Tsolkas
• HRDC Sues New Hampshire Jail over Publications Banned under No-Hard-Copy Mail Policy by Sam Rutherford (p 48)
• HRDC Sues Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for Banning its Books by Sam Rutherford (p 34)
• Deaths and Violence Mount at Overcrowded Alabama Prisons While Parole Rate Hits New Low by Jo Ellen Nott, Kevin Bliss (p 1)
• Alabama Plan to Relieve Prison Overcrowding: Tap COVID-19 Funds to Build “Mega-Prisons” by Jo Ellen Nott (p 9)
• Fourth Circuit Refuses to Reinstate Suit by NC Jail Detainee Alleging Denial of Access to Grievance System and Timely Medical Care Prisoner Didn’t Ask the Court to Extend Kingsley Protections by Keith Sanders (p 10)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 10)
• Death by Incarceration: Study Reveals High Death Rates Inside NY’s State Prisons by Keith Sanders (p 12)
• Centurion Health Supplants Corizon in Missouri After Court Ruling by Keith Sanders (p 14)
• John Boston, The PLRA Handbook: Law and Practice Under the Prison Litigation Reform Act by Michael Mushlin (p 14)
• Extreme Sentences for Women in the U.S.: An Overview by Ashleigh Dye (p 16)
• Frozen in Place: How Winter Storms Push Texas Jails and Prisons to the Brink by Tyler Hicks (p 18)
• Texas Rangers Often Lackadaisical in Prisoner Death Investigations by Matthew Clarke (p 22)
• Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola by Derek Gilna (p 26)
• ICE Settles Florida Detention Facility COVID-19 Class Action, All Detainees Offered Vaccination by Mark Wilson (p 28)
• Massachusetts Appellate Court Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Food Substitution by Matthew Clarke (p 29)
• $14.3 Million in Costs, Attorney Fees and Interest Awarded Against GEO Group in Suits for Not Paying Minimum Wage to Immigrant Detainee Workers in Washington by Matthew Clarke (p 30)
• Prison Telecom Giant GTL Agrees to $67 Million Settlement in Class-Action Over Inactive Account Seizure Policy by Anthony Accurso (p 32)
• Eighth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Private Companies Providing Missouri Prisoner’s Health Care by Matthew Clarke (p 34)
• After Two Detainee Deaths, CoreCivic Hit With $2,500 Daily Fine for Chronically Short-Staffed Florida Jail (p 34)
• $1.65 Million Settlement Reached in Connecticut Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Lupus by David Reutter (p 36)
• CFPB Report: ‘Criminal Justice Financial Ecosystem Exploits Families at Every Stage’: Finds ‘Products and Services Rife with Burdensome Fees and Lack of Choice’ by Chuck Sharman (p 38)
• $325,000 to Detainee Assaulted at East Texas Jail, 90 Days to Former Deputy Who Beat Him While Restrained in Wheelchair by Jo Ellen Nott (p 40)
• $1.1 Million Colorado Initiative Set to Assist Prisoners With More Employment Opportunities Upon Release by Keith Sanders (p 42)
• No Charges So Far Against Former Arizona Corrections Director After Boozy Standoff with Police by Jo Ellen Nott (p 42)
• With $2.95 Million Settlement, San Diego County Jail Racks Up Over $15 Million in Wrongful Death Payments by Jacob Barrett (p 44)
• $1.5 Million Awarded for Failure to Protect Rikers Jail Prisoner Who Was Attacked Repeatedly by Kevin Bliss (p 46)
• California Supreme Court Reclassifies Clemency Records, No Longer Confidential by Keith Sanders (p 47)
• Vermont Hep-C Settlement Agreement Provides Direct-Acting Antivirals to Infected Prisoners by David Reutter (p 48)
• Private Prison Firm Revenues Soar on “Tailwind” of Immigrant Detainees by Chuck Sharman (p 48)
• $170,000 Damages and Fees As New Jersey Prisons Settle Transgender Lawsuit With New Policy by Jayson Hawkins (p 50)
• Ninth Circuit Overturns California Law Banning Private Prisons by Kevin Bliss (p 50)
• $170,000 in Attorney’s Fees, Solitary Confinement Reforms Achieved in Settlement of Maine Prisoner’s Lawsuits by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Medical Paroles Revoked in California and Massachusetts by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• $325,000 Paid by Colorado County to Jail Detainee Brutalized by Guards Equipped with Controversial Training by Chuck Sharman (p 53)
• Third Circuit Says Mixed Dismissal of Civil Rights Action Not a Strike Under PLRA by David Reutter (p 54)
• Federal Court Sanctions Wexford for Discovery Abuse in Illinois Prisoner’s Suit by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Tenth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Colorado Prison Officials Who Shut Down Native American Religious Activities by Jayson Hawkins (p 55)
• $199,000 Awarded to California Detainee Assaulted by Santa Clara County Jail Guard by Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• Advocating for Objective Standards in a Post-Kingsley World by Megha Ram (p 56)
• Ninth Circuit: California Jail Prisoners Have No Constitutional Right Per Se to Outdoor Recreation and Direct Sunlight by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• $781 Settlement Paid to Oregon Prisoner Over Censorship of ‘Sexually Explicit’ Text Message (p 58)
• $100,000 Paid by Pennsylvania DOC to Family of Pro Se Prisoner Litigant Who Committed Suicide by Kevin Bliss (p 60)
• Settlement Relieves Death Row Isolation in Louisiana: Four Hours Daily Out of Cell, Five Hours Per Week in New Yard by Jayson Hawkins (p 60)
• News In Brief (p 62)
• $1 Million Settlement in Inadequate Nutrition Class-Action Against New York Jail by David Reutter (p 62)

March

• Fifth Circuit Refuses to Reinstate Louisiana Federal Prisoner’s Suit Challenging Disciplinary Sanction for Breaking CPAP Machine by Jacob Barrett
• Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Failure to Protect Claim Premised on Nearly Deaf Guard Not Responding to Prisoner’s Cries for Help by Sam Rutherford
• Colorado Prisoners Sue DOC and Governor for Violation of State Constitutional Prohibition Against Slavery by Jo Ellen Nott
• Teen Who Murdered Out of Jealousy Killed in Exercise Yard of Northern California Prison by Jo Ellen Nott
• Wellpath Founder and CEO Pleads Guilty to Federal Bribery Charges by David Reutter (p 1)
• JPay Founder Ryan Shapiro Indicted for Securities Fraud by Kevin Bliss (p 10)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 10)
• Guards Not Vaxxing Across the U.S. by Jo Ellen Nott (p 12)
• Virginia DOC Terminates Contract with Armor Correctional Healthcare by Ashleigh Dye (p 14)
• “The Worst Prison in New York State” by Victoria Law (p 16)
• $500,000 Default Judgment for Tennessee Woman Sexually Assaulted by Probation Officer by David Reutter (p 19)
• HRDC Wins Appeal in Florida Public Records Request Case Against Armor Correctional Health Services (p 20)
• Settlement Reached to Protect Hawaii Prisoners from COVID-19 by David Reutter (p 20)
• Show Me the Money: Tracking the Companies that Have a Lock on Sending Funds to Incarcerated People by Tiana Herring, Stephen Raher (p 22)
• BOP Greenlights Sex Reassignment Surgery for Federal Prisoner in Texas by Matthew Clarke (p 30)
• Department of Justice Reports on Two Decades of Prisoner Suicides by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Fifth Circuit Reinstates Guard’s Lawsuit Claiming Other Guards Raped Her in Texas Prison (p 33)
• Michigan Prisons Ordered to Provide Jewish Prisoners Meat and Dairy on Sabbath and Holidays; Sixth Circuit Affirms by David Reutter (p 34)
• Michigan DOC Agrees to Expand Recognition of Religious Groups After DOJ Investigation (p 34)
• Former Florida Prison Guard Sentenced for Conspiracy to Assault Youthful Offenders (p 35)
• Federal Court Hears that Mental Healthcare in Louisiana Prison is “Almost Non-existent” by Matthew Clarke (p 36)
• Federal Judge Finds Alabama DOC Mental Health Care Horrendous, Orders: Start Hiring by Jo Ellen Nott (p 38)
• Tenth Circuit: Mentally Ill Prisoners Have No Clearly Established Right to Be Kept Out of Solitary Confinement by Jacob Barrett (p 42)
• $40,251 Default Judgment for Detainee in Malicious Prosecution by Georgia Police Officer (p 43)
• California Court of Appeal Holds Prisoner May Challenge Administrative Disciplinary Violation Already Served by Matthew Clarke (p 44)
• Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Alleging Inadequate COVID-19 Response at Maryland Jail by David Reutter (p 44)
• “Abject Cruelty”: California Jail Guards Sentenced for Coordinating Prisoner Excrement Fights (p 45)
• Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Suit Over ‘Orange Crush’ Shakedown by David Reutter (p 46)
• Dallas County Prisoner Trust Fund Bilked of $700,000 With Faked Debit Release Cards by Jail Employee (p 46)
• All Writs Act Provides Authority for Medical-Imaging Transport Order for Condemned Ohio Prisoner Challenging His Conviction; Certiorari Granted by David Reutter (p 48)
• Oregon Prisoners Face Off in Guards’ Legal Fight Over COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate (p 48)
• Oregon Federal Court Sides with HRDC, Denies Motion to Compel Arbitration by “NUMI” Stored Value Cards by Jacob Barrett (p 50)
• Justice Department Releases Ten-Year Recidivism Study by Matthew Clarke (p 50)
• Sixth Circuit Holds Subjective Prong of Deliberate Indifference Test Inapplicable to Pretrial Detainee’s Claims; Reinstates Lawsuit by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• After Sixth Death in Six Years, Virginia Jail Cuts Ties with Corizon Health by Keith Sanders, Jayson Hawkins (p 52)
• Federal Judge Sanctions Former Arizona DOC Director’s Foot-Dragging Attorneys in Pro Se Prisoner’s Suit by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• $638,250 Judgment Against Georgia Jail Guard Who Orchestrated Prisoner’s Beating by Harold Hempstead (p 54)
• $21,525 Awarded by Federal Court to Indiana Prisoner Subjected to Battery by Guard by David Reutter (p 56)
• Third Circuit: Retroactive Application of Amended New Jersey Parole Guidelines May Violate Ex Post Facto Clause by Douglas Ankney (p 56)
• Corrections Special Applications Unit Builds a Lucrative National Track Record of Abuse and Torture by J.D. Schmidt (p 58)
• Massachusetts DOC Fires COVID-19 Mitigation Ombudsman Over Previous Allegations of Document Falsification (p 61)
• Second Circuit Holds N.Y. Prisoner’s Short-Term Injury May Qualify As Disability under ADA by Jo Ellen Nott (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• Rhode Island Joins the Movement to End Prison Gerrymandering by Jo Ellen Nott

February

• Armored Car Company Victim of Multiple ‘Highway Robberies’ by Cops Files Federal Lawsuit for Recovery of Seized Cash by Jo Ellen Nott
• The California Reporting Project: Journalists and Berkeley Students Key to Game Changing Database of Police Misconduct by Jo Ellen Nott
• Cops, Leave Those Kids Alone: New York Will Not Criminalize Children Under 12 by Jo Ellen Nott
• LEWIS Registry: First Crowd-Sourced Public Database for Police Misconduct by Jo Ellen Nott
• California State Senator Introduces Bill to Increase Gate Money Substantially by Jo Ellen Nott
• HRDC Sues for Records Denied by Sheriff and Jail in Will County, Illinois by Jo Ellen Nott
• Colorado Bailing Out Private Prison Company on Taxpayers’ Dime by Jo Ellen Nott
• Federal Jury Awards $1.5 Million to Black, Transgender Woman Falsely Arrested for Trafficking Cocaine
• $1 Million Paid by Santa Clara County to Estate of Alzheimer’s Patient Killed When He Wandered onto Interstate Highway after Release from County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $35,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Amputee Prisoner Who Slipped Off Crutches in Jail Shower Not Outfitted for the Disabled by Chuck Sharman
• $65,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Disabled Man Medically Ignored and Roughed Up by Guards at County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $42,500 Paid by Santa Clara County to Guard Harassed by Fellow Guard at County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $50,000 Paid by Santa Clara County, California, to Prisoner Brutalized by Guards at County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $25,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Prisoner Suffering Mental Health Episode Beaten by Guards at County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $20,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Settle Claims of Medical Neglect and Failure to Protect Disabled Prisoner Beaten by Gang Members in County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $15,000 Settlement by Santa Clara County for Jail Prisoner Brutalized by Guards by Chuck Sharman
• $12,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Disabled Prisoner Who Suffered Seizure and Fell from Top Bunk, Permanently Injuring His Wrist by Chuck Sharman
• $1,250,000 Paid by Santa Clara County to Family of Man Who Died after Being Denied Oxygen at County Jail by Chuck Sharman
• $11,333.33 Paid by Santa Clara County to Teenage Girl Allegedly Beaten by Guards at County Juvenile Hall by Chuck Sharman
• Living and Dying on Rikers Island: The Latest Installment by Kevin Bliss (p 1)
• Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready. by Keri Blakinger, Beth Schwartzapfel (p 16)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 16)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Omicron Winter by Jo Ellen Nott (p 18)
• Suit by HRDC Alleging GTL and Securus Violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act Survives Motion to Dismiss by Douglas Ankney (p 21)
• Long-Time PLN Contributor Released from Solitary Stint in Oregon for ‘Contraband’ Toy Phone by Jacob Barrett (p 22)
• $90,000 Paid by Illinois County to Prisoner Tasered by Two Guards He Wasn’t Resisting by David Reutter (p 24)
• Inmate Magazine Service Settlement Prohibits Further Sale of Magazine Subscriptions, Orders Payment of $2.2 Million for ‘Consumer Redress’ (p 24)
• Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for Failure to Protect Michigan Prisoner from Unsafe Working Conditions by David Reutter (p 26)
• HRDC Appeals Denial of Public Records Request for Documentation of Secret Settlement in Maine Jail Prisoner’s Excessive Force Lawsuit by Matthew Clarke (p 26)
• $10,000 Awarded by Nevada Federal Court to Prisoner Assaulted by Former State Prison Guard by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Prison Employee Union Fighting to Stop Closure of San Diego Federal Detention Center by Keith Sanders (p 28)
• Another Death by Taser in Sangamon County, Illinois Jail by Jayson Hawkins (p 30)
• Lawsuit Over Winter Power Outage at Brooklyn’s Troubled Federal Detention Center Granted Class Certification by Kevin Bliss (p 30)
• North Carolina Renames Prisons Whose Names Honored Enslavers by Matthew Clarke (p 32)
• Activists Play Whack-a-Mole Closing ICE Detention Centers by David Reutter (p 32)
• Investigations Into the Deaths of Several Prisoners and Two Guards Reveal Rampant Corruption, Cover-ups in California Prison by Keith Sanders (p 34)
• $900,000 Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Securus Recorded California Prisoner-Attorney Calls by David Reutter (p 36)
• Settlement for New Jersey Special Needs Prisoner Students Includes Damages, Fees and Education by Edward Lyon (p 38)
• $7,500 Settlement for Pennsylvania Prisoner Assaulted by Guards And Denied Medical Care (p 39)
• White Supremacist Groups Continue to Infest Florida DOC (p 40)
• $1 Million Default Judgement for Michigan Jail Prisoner Against Health Care Provider in Sexual Assault by Mark Wilson (p 41)
• Transgender Women in Illinois DOC Secure Injunction with Special Monitor by Casey Bastian (p 42)
• Seven Prisoners Died in 2021, One by Homicide, at Virginia’s Only Private Prison (p 44)
• ‘They Know No Bounds’: Suffolk County New York Prosecutors Sent to Prison by Edward Lyon (p 44)
• Tennessee CoreCivic Prison Guard Indicted for Beating Unresisting Prisoner, Attempting Cover-up by Harold Hempstead (p 46)
• Eighth Circuit Rules Guard’s History of Excessive Force too Prejudicial or a Jury to Hear in Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Case by Matthew Clarke, Jacob Barrett (p 46)
• New York Jail Required to Provide Methadone to Detainee for Addiction Treatment (p 48)
• Fifth Circuit Holds Private Immigration Detention Facilities Are Subject to Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s Prohibition Against Coerced Labor by Matthew Clarke (p 48)
• Seventh Circuit: No Case for Loss of Eye from Medical Neglect Because of Lack of Expert Testimony by Jacob Barrett (p 50)
• Fifth Circuit Says Federal Habeas Action May Not Be Used to Challenge Conditions of Confinement Related to COVID-19 by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Ninth Circuit Continues Trend of Reversing Injunctive Relief Protecting Prisoners From COVID-19 by Douglas Ankney (p 52)
• Judge Sentences Boss of ‘Horrific’ Cuyahoga Ohio Jail to Prison by Edward Lyon (p 54)
• After Second Circuit Rules in His Favor, Connecticut Prisoner Required to Exercise in Full Restraints for Six Months Takes $100,000 Settlement by Matthew Clarke (p 54)
• Qualified Immunity Granted in Suit Challenging Policy of “Checking-In” on Nevada Prisoner’s Legal Calls by David Reutter (p 56)
• Seventh Circuit Grudgingly Affirms Summary Judgment in Illinois’ Prisoner’s Suicide Lawsuit by Dale Chappell (p 56)
• Fourth Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Prison Official Who Gave Prisoner No Notice Before Hearing That Resulted in Transfer to Security Detention by David Reutter (p 58)
• California Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal of Charges Against Prisoners Charged in Pelican Bay Riot by David Reutter (p 58)
• ‘Disconnect’ Between Illinois Prisoner’s Grievance and Complaint Results In Failure to Exhaust by Jacob Barrett (p 60)
• Fifth Circuit Reinstates Federal Prisoner’s Tort Claim Against BOP Officials by Keith Sanders (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• $4,000 Federal Bench Verdict to Kentucky Prisoner Assaulted by Guard While Restrained (p 62)

January

• Criminal Sheriffs by Anthony Accurso (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 18)
• $150,000 Paid to Family of California Pretrial Detainee Who Died from Valley Fever by David Reutter (p 19)
• St. Louis Jail Guard Charged with Allowing Brutal Beating of Prisoner by Jayson Hawkins (p 20)
• $650,000 Jury Verdict Upheld in NY Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim; Motion for Fees Denied Due to Contingency Agreement by David Reutter (p 20)
• How Corrupt is Too Corrupt for Atlanta Federal Prison? by Casey Bastian (p 22)
• Do County Jails Treat Black Women Worse Than Other Prisoners? by Kevin Bliss (p 24)
• Former AZ Assistant AG Disciplined for Misconduct in Muslim Prisoner’s Lawsuit by Douglas Ankney (p 26)
• Washington Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Halting Release of Transgender Prisoners’ Personal Information; Class Certified by Jayson Hawkins (p 26)
• USDA Gives $1,000,000 Grant to Corizon to Treat More Sick Prisoners Remotely by Chuck Sharman (p 28)
• Covid-19 Pandemic Bumps Still Anemic Clemency Numbers by Edward Lyon (p 29)
• Montana Renews CoreCivic Contract; Major Water and Sewage Problems Persist by Jayson Hawkins (p 30)
• California Federal Prison Warden Charged with Sexually Abusing Prisoner (p 30)
• Should Sentencing Juries Consider Imprisonment Costs? by Edward Lyon (p 32)
• California Town Fighting to Keep Prison Open by Keith Sanders (p 32)
• Prosecutors Move to Close Case Against BOP Guards in Jeffrey Epstein Suicide by Edward Lyon (p 34)
• HRDC Advances in Suit Against Centurion to Obtain New Mexico Prisoner Medical Litigation Records by David Reutter (p 34)
• $281,000 Awarded to Colorado Prisoner Retaliated Against for Grievances by David Reutter (p 36)
• Indiana Supreme Court Denies Relief to Prisoner Whose Commissary Account Was Garnished by Casey Bastian (p 36)
• Colorado Using SWIFT but Cheap Wildlands Firefighters by Edward Lyon (p 38)
• Michigan Supreme Court Holds Convicted Prisoner Entitled to Pre-Trial Jail Time Credit (p 40)
• Feds Declare Long COVID a Disability Under ADA, RA and ACA by Edward Lyon (p 40)
• Second Circuit Reverses Dismissal of NY Prisoner’s Due Process Claim on Grounds It Was Abandoned on Appeal by David Reutter (p 41)
• Corporations Using Prisoners to Fight Phantom Labor Shortage by Matthew Clarke (p 42)
• $500 Default Judgement in Female Michigan Prisoner’s Pro Se Excessive-Force Claim (p 43)
• Federal Judge Springs Former PLN Editor from “Iron Man” Pretrial Detention Cell by Casey Bastian (p 44)
• Four Female Prisoners Seek Damages Over Abuses at Oregon Prison Called A “Cesspool” of Staff Sexual Abuse, Latest in Abuse Saga by Mark Wilson (p 46)
• Second Circuit: Supervisor Must Have Subjective Knowledge of Sexual Abuse by Guards to Be Liable (p 49)
• Colorado Supreme Court Holds Governor Is Appropriate Defendant in Cases Involving State Constitutional Responsibility (p 50)
• California Supreme Court: CDCR Cannot Exclude Nonviolent Sex Offenders From Proposition 57 Parole Consideration (p 50)
• Fifth Circuit Dismisses Appeal by Mississippi Prisoner It Calls “Vexatious Litigant” (p 51)
• Fifth Circuit Refuses to Issue Injunction After Mississippi Psychiatric Prison Improves Conditions by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• Texas Agrees to Settlement Providing Prisoners Hep C Treatment, Will Pay $950,000 in Attorney Fees by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• New Illinois Law Allows Early Release for a Few Eligible Offenders by Casey Bastian (p 54)
• $2 Million Paid by North Carolina Jail for Prisoner’s Wrongful Death; Undisclosed Amount Paid by Southeastern Medical Services by Jacob Barrett (p 54)
• $175,000 Awarded to New York Prisoner’s 686 Days Unconstitutional Post Release Supervision by David Reutter (p 56)
• Third Circuit Revives Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Censorship of Incoming Mail Containing Key Evidence by Dale Chappell, Matthew Clarke (p 56)
• Washington Can’t Cheat Prisoner of Time Held Out of State on Washington Charges by Jacob Barrett (p 58)
• NJ Supreme Court: Excess Time in Prison Must Be Used to Reduce Parole Period by Matthew Clarke (p 58)
• She Tried to Report Sexual Harassment in Jail. After Her Suicide, the Guard Was Convicted of Assaulting Four Other Women by C.J. Ciaramella (p 60)
• Seventh Circuit Holds Dismissal of Lawsuit Removed to Federal Court Cannot Count as PLRA “Strike” (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)