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Articles by Jo Ellen Nott

“I Fucked Up”: Retired Arizona Prison Guard and GOP Candidate Allegedly Caught Masturbating Near Preschool

by Jo Ellen Nott

A 27-year veteran prison guard retired from the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) suspended his run for the Maricopa Community College District Governing Board on October 20, 2022, after he was cited for public sexual indecency while parked in a lot in broad daylight close to ...

Unending ‘Crisis’ in San Diego County Jails: Hundreds Dead, Millions in Legal Payouts

by Jo Ellen Nott

When the men and women incarcerated in San Diego County jails awoke on October 6, 2022, the biggest news was also the grimmest: Nothing had changed. A fellow detainee had been murdered the night before, but his was the 19th jail death in just over nine ...

More Victims Added to Sex Abuse Indictment of Former Federal Prison Warden in California; Former Chaplain Sentenced for Role in ‘Rape Club’

by Jo Ellen Nott

With two former Bureau of Pri­sons (BOP) staffers convicted of sexually abusing prisoners and three more charged and awaiting trial — including the former warden — the “rape club” scandal continues to widen at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California. It now counts a ...

Wife Loses Suit Over Homeless Texan’s Jail Death Ruled ‘Natural,’ Newspaper Alleges Cover-up

by Jo Ellen Nott

On October 14, 2022, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the results of an independent investigation it conducted into the jail death of a homeless man, sharply contradicting reports from both Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and the Texas Rangers.

On July 31, 2019, Fort Worth police ...

“She Needs to Be Buried”: New Jersey Jail Supervisor Accused of Retaliation by Guard Who Rebuffed Him

by Jo Ellen Nott

On August 23, 2022, a guard at New Jersey’s Essex County Jail filed a discrimination lawsuit accusing a high-ranking male supervisor of sexual harassment. The suit claims that Associate Warden Antonio Pires, 48, “manipulated and coerced” the guard, Daniela Argudelo, 32, into a brief sexual affair ...

South Florida Prison Guard Arrested for Flashing DOC Badge and Making Traffic Stop at Gunpoint

by Jo Ellen Nott

On October 3, 2022, a Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) guard was arrested after a road rage incident in which he allegedly flashed his DOC badge and used a gun to pull over a woman driving with two other adults and two children near Fort Lauderdale. ...

From His Georgia Cell, Prisoner Cons Billionaire of $11 Million

by Jo Ellen Nott

On October 14, 2022, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified the victim of a spectacular con carried out by a Georgia prisoner from his cell.

In June 2020, while serving time at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, Arthur Lee Cofield allegedly used a contraband cellphone to dial ...

“Ridiculous and Unacceptable”: Guards Sacked from Ohio Jail for Wrestling Matches with Prisoners

by Jo Ellen Nott

On July 21, 2022, at 11:30 p.m., surveillance cameras in a day room at Ohio’s Fairfield County Jail captured an unusual sight: Friendly wrestling matches were taking place between prisoners and two guards, while a third looked on. Another Sheriff’s deputy who does not work as ...

After Massachusetts Prisoner Beats Guard, GOP Lawmakers Push to Eliminate Prison Workout Equipment

by Jo Ellen Nott

On October 20, 2022, Massachusetts prisoner Roy L. Booth, Jr. 40, was formally charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and mayhem. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced the charge earlier, after Booth allegedly attacked a state prison ...

Alabama Prisoners Continue to Die at Alarming Rate, More Than One Every Week in 2022

by Jo Ellen Nott

With 39 prisoners dead by September 1, 2022 — despite a federal Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation ongoing since 2016 and two federal court orders — the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) remains unwilling or unable to address hellish conditions in its prisons.

One of those ...