More from this issue:

1. Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, by Christopher Zoukis
2. Early Prison Release for Gangsta Rapper Sped Up by Coronavirus, by Edward Lyon
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Prioritizing Jails Over Hospitals Has Made Rural US More Vulnerable to COVID-19, by Jack Norton, Jasmine Heiss
5. May Update: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
6. Recent Exonerees Give the Public Advice on Being Locked Down: You Have No Idea, by Dale Chappell
7. Lawsuit: Release Prisoners in Virus Tinderbox to Home Confinement, by David Reutter
8. Prison Postcards: Prisoners Write About Fears, Incompetence, at Their Facilities, by Ken Silverstein
9. Rikers Island Prisoners Helped with Preparations to Bury the Coronavirus Dead
10. Federal Judge “Troubled” by Arizona Prison Director’s Response to Coronavirus; State Rep Calls it “Reckless”, by Dale Chappell
11. California Publishes Use of Force in Prisons Report, by Anthony Accurso
12. Connecticut Prisoners Win Lawsuit After Hepatitis Exposure, by Edward Lyon
13. Nevada Prisoner Prevails in Good Time Deprivation Appeal, by Edward Lyon
14. California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
15. Arkansas Supreme Court Denies Prisoner Preliminary Injunction on Religious Issues, by Anthony Accurso
16. Federal Court Grants Default Summary Judgment in Favor of Indiana Prisoner as Sanction for State’s Lies, by Dale Chappell
17. How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?, by Peter Wagner, Emily Widra
18. Suit: Mississippi Man Sentenced to Two Days Hangs Himself After Jail Kept Him 52 Days Longer, by Douglas Ankney
19. Emergency Cancellation of Attorney Visits Subject to Court Oversight, by David Reutter
20. Undisclosed Settlement in Kentucky Case a Textbook Case of Negligent Privatized Prison Medical Care, by David Reutter
21. Illinois Supreme Court: Settlements with Private Companies When Contracted for Government Service Are Public Record, by Kevin Bliss
22. Coalition Fights to Ensure Jailed Voters in Arizona Can Vote, by Scott Grammer
23. Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19 Opportunity to release prisoners with little public safety risk is clear, by Sharon Dolovich
24. Multiple Indictments, Prison Sentences, for Guards and Officials at Violence-Plagued Cleveland Jail, by Edward Lyon
25. Another Prisoner Dies at Tennessee Prison Run By CoreCivic, by Matthew Clarke
26. Texas Prison Health Care Costs at Record High Despite Population Reduction, by Matthew Clarke
27. DOJ to Treat Immigrants Like Criminals by Collecting DNA Samples, by Kevin Bliss
28. Minnesota Prison Bans “No Touch” Rule, by Edward Lyon
29. Alabama Grandma Sentenced to Life on Drug Charge Finally Paroled, by David Reutter
30. ICE Diverts Needed Face Masks from Medical Professionals, by Kevin Bliss
31. Paroled New Yorker Wrongfully Confined; Awarded $3,250, by Kevin Bliss
32. Michigan Permits Prisoners to Seek Financial Assistance for College, by Bill Barton
33. New Yorker Held Three Years at Rikers Island Before Acquittal, by Matthew Clarke
34. Arizona DOC Raids Prisoner-Generated Funds to Pay for Lock Repairs; Whistleblower Says Records Being Falsified, by Matthew Clarke
35. Kentucky Governor’s Executive Order Restores Voting Rights for Felons, by David Reutter
36. Women Advocate for the Release of COVID-19 At-Risk Prisoners in Indiana, by Kevin Bliss
37. D.C. Juvenile Offender Finally Released After 26 Years Behind Bars, by Bill Barton
38. Arizona Court Denies Emergency COVID-19 Motion, by David Reutter
39. Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic
40. Santa Rita Jail Accused of Slave Labor in California Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
41. Open Prison: Lessons from the Past, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
42. $25 Million Jury Award to Baltimore City Prisoner For Guards Setting Up Retaliatory Gang Attack, by Dale Chappell
43. Chatham County Jail Reverses On Book Ban But Limits Number of Publications, by David Reutter
44. Third Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Dry Cell Suit, by David Reutter
45. Leaving Prison for a Real Home in California, by Edward Lyon
46. Health Care Services Killing Women at Virginia Prison, by David Reutter
47. $120,000 Settlement for Minnesota Woman Forced to Remove Hijab for Booking, by David Reutter
48. News in Brief

More from Anthony Accurso:

• Stinging Back: Resisting Government Surveillance of Cellphones, May 15, 2024
• Tech Monopolies Prevent Effective Privacy Laws in the U.S., May 15, 2024
• Police Body Cameras, A Decade Later, May 15, 2024
• Use of Solitary Confinement on the Rise in ICE Facilities, May 15, 2024
• California Court of Appeal: Traffic Stop Prolonged for Drug Dog Sniff Search Unrelated to ‘Mission’ of Stop Violates Fourth Amendment, April 15, 2024
• Pharmacies Are Giving Your Prescription Data to Police Without a Warrant, April 15, 2024
• California Attorney General Issues Memo Prohibiting Out-of-State Sharing of ALPR Data, April 15, 2024
• Utah Supreme Court Announces Communication of Cellphone Passcode Protected by Fifth Amendment and Rules Advising Jury of Defendant’s Refusal to Disclose Passcode Violates Privilege Against Compelled Self-Incrimination, April 15, 2024
• The FBI’s Rapidly Expanding DNA Database, April 15, 2024
• Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Police Training on How to Violate Constitutional Rights, April 15, 2024

More from these topics:

• Muslim Florida Prisoner Awarded Permanent Injunction to Grow Untrimmed Beard, March 1, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Injunctions, RLUIPA, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), Right to Grow a Beard.
• Florida Prisoners Not Required to File Rulemaking Petition to Satisfy PLRA Exhaustion Requirement, Jan. 1, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Administrative Exhaustion, RLUIPA, Administrative Procedures Act (State), Right to Grow a Beard.
• New Jersey Prisoner’s Suit Survives Seeking to Validate the Nation of Gods and Earth as a Religion, Dec. 1, 2023. RLUIPA, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Second Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Wardens Accused of Violating Religious Freedom of Muslim Prisoners in Connecticut, Jan. 1, 2023. Religious Discrimination, Religious Freedom, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Eleventh Circuit Says Passover Sign-Up Requirement in Florida Jail Passes Constitutional Muster, Jan. 1, 2023. Denial of Religious Services, Sabbaths, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Muslim Georgia Prisoner Wins RLUIPA Reversal in 11th Circuit Over Vegetarian Meals, April 1, 2020. RLUIPA, Religious Diet.
• Eighth Circuit Reinstates Iowa Prisoner’s Retaliation Claims, July 2, 2019. Retaliation, RLUIPA.
• Eighteen Years After its Passage, Prisons and Jails Continue to Violate RLUIPA, March 5, 2019. RLUIPA, Religious Freedom.
• New York Federal District Court Allows Prisoner’s § 1983 Action to Proceed, Dec. 7, 2018. Eighth Amendment, Summary Judgment, RLUIPA, First Amendment, rights, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
• Ninth Circuit: Prisoner’s Disciplinary Appeal Exhausted Claim of Having to Work on Religious Holiday, Nov. 6, 2018. Religious Discrimination, Prison Labor, Disciplinary Appeals, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), RLUIPA, First Amendment, rights.