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Archive: 2026

April

• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 9)
• Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending by Chuck Sharman (p 11)
• The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’ by Shakeil Price (p 12)
• Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data by Chuck Sharman (p 13)
• “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort by Jo Ellen Knott (p 14)
• In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations by Matthew Clarke (p 14)
• $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail by Chuck Sharman (p 15)
• Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons by Chuck Sharman (p 16)
• ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan (p 17)
• California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons by Victoria Law (p 18)
• Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse by Chuck Sharman (p 20)
• Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups (p 21)
• $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide by Chuck Sharman (p 22)
• Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat by Chuck Sharman (p 26)
• Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide by Matthew Clarke (p 28)
• Two Texas Women Charged for Using Plastic Crows in Smuggling Scheme (p 30)
• Almost $1 Million in Settlements Paid to Three Nevada Prisoners by Chuck Sharman (p 30)
• New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports by Michael Thompson (p 33)
• At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers by Jeffrey Shockley (p 34)
• Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons by Michael Thompson (p 36)
• Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly by Matthew Clarke (p 37)
• Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report by Chuck Sharman (p 38)
• Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail by Chuck Sharman (p 42)
• $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes by Chuck Sharman (p 43)
• Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency by Matthew Clarke (p 44)
• Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System by Abbey Kim (p 50)
• Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract by Michael Thompson (p 54)
• Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California (p 56)
• Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons (p 60)
• Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)

March

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

February

• Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail by Chuck Sharman (p 1)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 9)
• Barbaric and Deadly Conditions Continue to Plague Los Angeles County Jails by Douglas Ankney (p 10)
• Washington County Pays $300,000 to Jail Detainee Denied Treatment for Kidney Stone by Chuck Sharman (p 11)
• New Hampshire Prison System Struggles to Hire Guards (p 11)
• Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner by Chuck Sharman (p 12)
• Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution by Matthew Clarke (p 13)
• Three Prisoners Killed in Fight at Georgia Prison (p 14)
• Report: Incarcerated Population in Rural Jails and Prisons At Risk of Losing Hospital Access by Michael Thompson (p 14)
• $450,000 Paid for Michigan Jail Detainee’s Fentanyl Death, Incarcerated Husband Prevails in Claim for Part of Payout by Chuck Sharman (p 15)
• North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles by Chuck Sharman (p 16)
• Escape from Georgia Jail Ends in Florida after Lyft Hijacking by Jo Ellen Nott (p 17)
• Half of South Dakota’s Prison Population Returns to Prison (p 18)
• FCC Releases Final Version of Order Gutting 2024 Phone Cap Regulations by Michael Thompson (p 18)
• D.C. Federal Court Holds Blocking Prison Reform Advocate’s Access to Federal Prisoners May Violate First Amendment and Due Process by Matthew Clarke (p 20)
• $2 Million Settlement Reached for 12-Year-Old’s Gang Rape in Detroit Juvenile Detention Center by Chuck Sharman (p 21)
• The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Guards by Ivy Scott (p 22)
• Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs by Anthony Accurso (p 24)
• Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations by Douglas Ankney (p 26)
• California Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Ripped Off Prisoner by Michael Thompson (p 27)
• Los Angeles County Restricts Opioid Treatment by Michael Thompson (p 28)
• Alaska Deaths in Custody Tie Record High (p 28)
• Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump by Michael Thompson (p 30)
• Eleventh Circuit Holds Estate Cannot Sue Jailers Who Followed Medical Personnel Advice That Led to Detainee’s Death by Matthew Clarke (p 31)
• Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies (p 33)
• HRDC Sues Minnesota DOC Over Censorship Policy by Robert Haughn (p 33)
• Sixth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Failure to Properly Classify Violent Prisoners at Kentucky Jail by Matthew Clarke (p 34)
• Competency Crisis in Missouri’s Jails by Douglas Ankney (p 35)
• Alabama and Wexford Health Pay Undisclosed Settlement for Delays Costing Prisoner Partial Foot Amputation by Chuck Sharman (p 36)
• Eleventh Circuit Holds Alabama County May Be Liable for Policy of Providing Inadequate Jail Medical Care by Matthew Clarke (p 37)
• Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap by Candace Norwood (p 39)
• Tenth Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Claim Over Prisoner’s Suicide in Oklahoma Jail by Matthew Clarke (p 41)
• Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry by Douglas Ankney (p 42)
• Two Mississippi Prisons Lose Power During Winter Storm (p 43)
• Delaware Settles Suit Over Depriving Young Prisoners of Special Education by Chuck Sharman (p 44)
• Deportation of Kenyan Priest Working as Texas Prison Guard Highlights TDCJ’s Dependence on Immigrant Staff by Matthew Clarke (p 44)
• New York State Prisons Turning Away Visitors with Tampons After Scan (p 46)
• Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks by Jo Ellen Nott (p 46)
• Georgia Grand Jury Dings Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault by Chuck Sharman (p 48)
• Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport by Matthew Clarke (p 49)
• Oklahoma Prisoner Who Escaped Through Hole Killed by Sheriff (p 49)
• After Exposing Prison Horrors, Incarcerated Whistleblowers Are Moved to Solitary by Katie Rose Quandt (p 51)
• Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves by Beth Schwartzapfel (p 52)
• County Jail in Oklahoma Accused of Coercing Detainees to Convert to Christianity (p 53)
• Federal Court Strikes Much of Virginia’s Felony Voting Restriction by Chuck Sharman (p 54)
• Arkansas Bans Outside Reading Material Sent to Prisons by Jo Ellen Nott (p 55)
• The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity by Michael Thompson (p 56)
• “Critical Labor Shortage” Declared at Two Rural Prisons in Nevada (p 57)
• Pennsylvania County Renews $8 Million Contract with PrimeCare Despite Settlements (p 57)
• Report on Baltimore Jail Reveals Human Waste Dripped from Ceilings (p 57)
• Idaho Prisons Are Full. Costs for Incarcerating Inmates in Jails and Out of State Are Skyrocketing by Laura Guido (p 58)
• California Oversight Agency Hasn’t Finished a Single Review of Jail Deaths (p 60)
• New York State Moves to Dismiss Hundreds of Prison Sexual Assault Lawsuits by Jo Ellen Nott (p 61)
• Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures (p 61)
• News in Brief (p 62)
• United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed (p 62)

January

• Shadow Prisons: How Civil Commitment Leads to Longer Confinement by Chuck Sharman (p 0)
• From the Editor by Paul Wright (p 9)
• Ninth Circuit Hands Partial Victory to NaphCare, Remanding Much of $27 Million Jury Verdict in Washington Jail Death Case by Chuck Sharman (p 10)
• The DOJ Orders Prison Inspectors to Drop LGBTQ+ Protections (p 11)
• Class Certified in Challenge to Mailed Book Ban at Indianapolis Jail by Chuck Sharman (p 11)
• $450,000 Paid by Missouri County for Jail Detainee’s Death After 11 Days Without Medical Attention by Chuck Sharman (p 12)
• Study Finds Parole Hearings and Grants Continue to Fall by Chuck Sharman (p 13)
• 2025 Was a Deadly Year for Veterans Behind Bars (p 14)
• HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-­Year-­Old Settlement of Censorship Suit by Chuck Sharman (p 14)
• Fifth Circuit Rules Against Louisiana Prisoner Seeking to Recoup Money Made at Angola Prison Rodeo by Douglas Ankney (p 15)
• Massive $112 Million Jury Verdict for Detainees Held in New York Jail Past Release Date on ICE Detainers by Chuck Sharman (p 16)
• New York City Mayor’s Order Opening Rikers Island to ICE Declared Illegal by Chuck Sharman (p 17)
• $404,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Brutalized by Trio of Guards, Kept in Solitary for Two Years by Chuck Sharman (p 18)
• Slender Man Stabber’s Escape Prompts “Serious Questions” for Wisconsin DOC (p 18)
• Report on “Pay-­to-­Stay” Fees Makes Strong Case for Their Repeal by Douglas Ankney (p 20)
• Exonerated Former Prisoner Wins Election for Chief Record Keeper in New Orleans (p 21)
• HRDC Sues Washington Jail for Rejecting PLN and Other Publications by Chuck Sharman (p 21)
• Maryland Agrees to Pay $30,000 to Prisoner Who Was Beaten by Guards While Handcuffed by Douglas Ankney (p 22)
• Eleventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Six Female Alabama Jail Detainees’ Sexual Assault Suit by Matthew Clarke (p 23)
• Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Michigan Jailer Accused of Retaliatory Assault by Chuck Sharman (p 24)
• Almost $28.3 Million Awarded from NaphCare for Washington Jail Detainee Who Lost Leg to Untreated Gangrene by Chuck Sharman (p 25)
• Last of 16 Sentenced in California Prison Aryan Brotherhood Case, As Lawyer Learns He Was Targeted in Murder Plot by Chuck Sharman (p 26)
• New York City Jails Face Mounting Death Toll Ahead of Likely Receivership (p 27)
• $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Death of “Floridly Psychotic” Detainee Left Untreated in Jail for Months by Chuck Sharman (p 28)
• New Jail in Oklahoma Is Costing More than Triple the Amount Voters Approved (p 29)
• $200,000 for Detainee Thrown in “Rollover” Solitary Without Food or Water at Minnesota Jail by Chuck Sharman (p 31)
• Alabama Supreme Court Denies DOC’s Improper Venue Objection by Douglas Ankney (p 32)
• $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal by Chuck Sharman (p 33)
• Oklahoma DOC Refuses to Publicly Release Body Camera Footage (p 34)
• Georgia Bristles at Federal Law that Prohibits Drone Interceptions (p 34)
• BOP Announces New Conditional Placement Date Calculation by Chuck Sharman (p 35)
• Arkansas Guards Can Now Work as Immigration Enforcers (p 37)
• Chicago Pays Exonerated Prisoners $7.5 Million, Bringing Total to $33.75 Million for Wrongful Convictions by Chuck Sharman (p 37)
• Pennsylvania County and Wellpath Pay Over $1.4 Million to Settle Claims of Four Former Jail Detainees, Including Three Who Died by Suicide by Chuck Sharman (p 38)
• Guards in Los Angeles County Now Wearing Body Cameras (p 39)
• Third Circuit Rules Awarding BOP Prisoners 54 Days of Good Time Per Year Is Pro-­Rated by Douglas Ankney (p 40)
• Report Shows How Prison Gerrymanders Distort Democracy Across U.S. by Chuck Sharman (p 41)
• $3.3 Million Verdict for Detainee’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose in Southern California Jail by Chuck Sharman (p 42)
• Report Slams South Carolina Jail for Violating State Rules (p 43)
• SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Rastafarian Hair-­Cutting Case by Michael Thompson (p 44)
• $939,000 for Nevada Prisoner Left in Wheelchair by Delayed Back Pain Treatment by Anthony Accurso (p 44)
• Wisconsin DOC Is Not Tracking Work Release Data (p 46)
• $4 Million Paid to Former Rikers Island Detainee Whose Reports of Repeated Rapes Were Ignored by Chuck Sharman (p 46)
• U.S. District Court in Arizona Grants Summary Judgment in Favor of Prisoner Denial of Forms for Challenging 455 Days of Solitary by Douglas Ankney (p 48)
• Amnesty International Report Claims Torture and Enforced Disappearances at “Alligator Alcatraz” (p 50)
• Wisconsin Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Detainee’s Jail Food Lawsuit by Michael Thompson (p 50)
• California Funds $38 Million Pilot Program to Investigate Methods for Cooling Three Prisons by Matthew Clarke (p 52)
• “We’re Broken”: As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Are Leaving in Droves for ICE by Keri Blakinger (p 54)
• Labor Coalition in Minnesota Demands Disney Contractor Pay Prisoners Minimum Wage (p 56)
• As California Limits Water Use, People in Prison Face Punishment for Showering by Steve Brooks, Olivia Hefferman (p 57)
• $600,000 Awarded So Far in Disgraced Georgia Sheriff’s Trial for Abusing Detainee in Restraint Chair by Chuck Sharman (p 60)
• Soaring Medical Costs in Washington Jails by Michael Thompson (p 61)
• How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison by Nathan Gray (p 62)
• News in Brief (p 63)