Ninth Circuit: Alleged Denial of Hepatitis C Treatment to Federal Prisoner in Washington Presents Valid Bivens Claim by David Reutter by David M. Reutter In a decision issued on December 11, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said that the claim of a federal prisoner …
Washington, Virginia Advance Bills to Make Prison Calls Free by Lawmakers on both coasts of the U.S. sponsored legislation in January 2024 to make telecommunications free to state prisoners and their families. This follows a national trend to ease the financial burden on families with incarcerated loved ones and reduce …
Settlement Obligates Washington DOC to Provide Gender-Affirming Care to Trans Prisoners by On October 10, 2023, a settlement was reached in a suit filed by Disability Rights Washington (DRW), a federally funded agency that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, accusing the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) of …
Lawsuit Over Mailroom Abuses by Washington DOC Leads to Policy Changes by A settlement reached on November 1, 2023, between the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) and current or former state prisoners resulted in changes to prison mail policies. While incarcerated at Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC), Adam Bauer, David Cochran, …
Tuberculosis Outbreak Exposed Weak Washington DOC Response by Washington’s Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) issued an advisory to healthcare providers on December 13, 2023, to test for tuberculosis in anyone incarcerated by the state Department of Corrections (DOC) during an outbreak of the disease in 2021. Over 800 people were released from …
Human Rights Defense Center v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, WA, Order on Summary Judgment, FOIA, 2024 Case 2:20-cv-00674-JHC Document 60 Filed 05/21/24 Page 1 of 31 1 2 3 4 5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE 6 7 8 HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, 9 10 …
$10 Million Reimbursed for Vacated Washington Drug Possession Convictions by David Reutter by David M. Reutter In September 2023, just two months into a program to rebate fines and fees for vacated drug convictions, Washington state courts had paid out more than $9.4 million. That’s nearly 20% of a $50 …
Washington Superior Court Says Jail Cannot Bill Poor Detainees for Medical Care by by Douglas Ankney On April 17, 2023, Judge Kevin S. Naught of Washington’s Yakima County Superior Court ruled that Kittitas County Corrections Center (KCCC) was in violation of state law when it held detainees responsible for repaying …
Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Use of Presumptive Drug Tests by Washington DOC by A suit filed in Washington state court on September 22, 2023, challenges disciplinary sanctions imposed on prisoners by the state Department of Corrections (DOC) based on presumptive drug test results. DOC uses inexpensive colorimetric drug tests to examine …
$11.6 Million Settlement Reached in HRDC Debit Release Card Case in Washington; California Victory Remanded by On December 19, 2023, the federal court for the Western District of Washington granted final approval to an $11.6 million settlement between Rapid Investments, Inc. and a class of prisoners released from over 1,500 …
Washington DOC Outfits Guards with Narcan by On August 31, 2023, the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) completed implementation of a new policy permitting staffers to carry naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote, while on duty. But allowing guards to carry the life-­saving drug—used to counteract the effect of a …
$1.75 Million Settlement Reached in Washington Jail Suicide by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Washington city of Lynnwood agreed on September 20, 2023, to pay $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit alleging guards at the Lynnwood Municipal Jail were negligent in the suicide death of Tirhas Tesfatsion two …
Lawsuit Claims Seattle’s King County Jail Shows Little Improvement in Quarter Century Since “Hammer Agreement” by On February 24, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-Wash.) filed suit accusing King County of violating a longstanding settlement agreement governing conditions at the county jail (KCJ) in Seattle. In 1998, …
Washington Fined Over $100 Million for Delays in Competency Evaluations and Restoration by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On July 7, 2023, Judge Marsha J. Pechman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington found the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in material breach …
Inmate Records Released from Closed Washington Psychiatric Lockup by In July 2023, writer Brad Bigelow learned his great-grandfather’s 1951 obituary was a lie—George Bartles had not died at his Seattle home. Newly released records revealed that the 74-year-old was instead an inmate at the now-shuttered Northern State Hospital, where he …
Cash Bail Eliminated in Illinois, Reduced in Los Angeles County by In separate decisions on the same day, the Supreme Court of Illinois and the Superior Court of Los Angeles County reformed their jurisdictions’ cash bail systems on July 18, 2023. Illinois became the first state in the nation to …
McClure v. Thurston County, WA, Complaint, Medical Neglect, 2024 Case 3:24-cv-05088-BHS Document 1 Filed 02/01/24 Page 1 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 7 8 9 NICOLE MCCLURE, 10 11 Plaintiff, v. 12 13 14 15 16 THURSTON …
Picciano v. Clark County, WA, Order Denying Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings and Order Granting Motion to Compel Discovery, Inadequate Medical Care, 2024 Case 3:20-cv-06106-DGE Document 131 Filed 01/29/24 Page 1 of 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT …
Tapia v. NaphCare, WA, Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Plaintiff's Discovery Motions, Medical Neglect, 2024 Case 2:22-cv-01141-KKE Document 86 Filed 01/17/24 Page 1 of 18 1 2 3 4 5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE 6 7 8 JAVIER TAPIA, Plaintiff, 9 …
Ahmadi v. King County, WA, Complaint, Unlawful Detention, 2024 Case 2:24-cv-00002-RAJ 1 3 RATIB AHMADI, 5 6 7 8 11 12 Page 1 of 11 Case No.: 2:24-cv-2 Plaintiff, CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT AND DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL vs. KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON, Defendant. 9 10 Filed 01/02/24 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT …
