More from this issue:

1. God’s Own Warden: If you ever find yourself inside Louisiana’s Angola prison, Burl Cain will make sure you find Jesus – or regret ever crossing his path, by James Ridgeway
2. Angola: A Prison Passion Play, by John Dannenberg
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. No Budget Cuts for Federal Prisons, by James Ridgeway
5. Death Sentences, Executions Remain at Low Levels, by Justin Miller
6. Dallas County Passes Jail Inspections ... Finally
7. Michigan Sex Offender’s Suicide Results in Changes to Sex Offender Registry Law, by Matthew Clarke
8. California Lifers: Deaths Exceed Parole Releases, by John Dannenberg
9. Background Checks that Bar Employment of Ex-offenders May Violate Civil Rights
10. Class-Action Settlement Cures Constitutional Violations at Pennsylvania Prison
11. Hawaii ACLU Files Suit on Behalf of Women Who Want to Marry Prisoners, by Alex Friedmann
12. Wrongful Convictions Prove Costly, Especially for the Wrongly Convicted, by Matthew Clarke
13. Guard Who Identified Over 100 Prison Rioters Pleads Guilty to Contraband Charge
14. Oregon Increases Sex Offender Registration Requirements
15. Washington Prison Video Surveillance Recordings Exempt from Disclosure Under Public Records Act, by Michael Brodheim
16. Florida Closes Oldest Boy’s School, Best Known for Abusive Past
17. Federal Investigation, Prosecution Targets Indiana Sheriff’s Officers, by Derek Gilna
18. Failure to Advise Defendant of Ineligibility for Early Release Credits Renders Guilty Plea Invalid
19. CCA Anti-Prison Rape Shareholder Resolution Fails to Pass
20. Ninth Circuit Rules that Washington DOC Religious Contractor Not a “State Actor”
21. Ohio Wrongful Conviction Results in $2.59 Million Settlement
22. Ninth Circuit Holds No Due Process Right Created by California’s Parole Scheme
23. Arizona Jails Refuse to Incarcerate Some Offenders
24. The Last Gasp: The Rise and Fall of the American Gas Chamber, by Scott Christianson (University of California Press, 2011)., by Julie Etter
25. California Study Finds State Prison Overcrowding Driven by County Policy Decisions, Not Violent Crime Rates
26. Pennsylvania County Prisons Not Reporting Critical Incidents
27. Former BOP Guard Convicted, Sentenced in Murder-for-Hire Case
28. Iowa Supreme Court Holds Billing for Fraudulent Prisoner Phone Calls Not a State Law Violation
29. No “Strike” Under PLRA When Some Claims are Heard on the Merits, by Brandon Sample
30. Tenth Circuit Voids Albuquerque’s Attempt to Ban Sex Offenders from Libraries, by Derek Gilna
31. $47,500 Awarded to Massachusetts Prisoner Held in Segregation Without Hearing
32. Second BOP Guard Convicted in Connection with Prisoner’s Murder, by Brandon Sample
33. Seven Florida Prison Guards Arrested
34. Washington Prisoners Have No Right to Inspect Records Under Public Records Act, by Brandon Sample
35. Pennsylvania Prison Guard Convicted in Drug Probe, Testifies Against Coworkers
36. Judge, Not Jury, Must Resolve Questions about Administrative Exhaustion
37. $500,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Prisoner’s Medical-Related Death
38. ACLU Report Proves Smart Criminal Justice Policy Reform is Possible, by David Reutter
39. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
• California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
• Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
• Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
• In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
• Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024

More from these topics:

• Among World Nations, Individual U.S. States Near Top of List for Per Capita Incarceration, Feb. 15, 2025. Statistics/Trends, Prisoners-International, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
• Former South Carolina Jailer Spared Prison After Testimony Fails to Convict Former Sheriff, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures, Offense of Conviction.
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Parole Liability, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
• Nebraska Pioneers Diversion Program to Help Arrested Veterans Avoid Jail, Jan. 15, 2025. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Rehabilitation Act, Veterans.
• 1994 Crime Bill Turns 30: A Legacy of Controversy, Jan. 15, 2025. Crime, Statistics/Trends, Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
• Oregon Supreme Court: Governor Can’t Revoke Commutation After Sentence Expires, Jan. 15, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Revocation Proceedings, Overreaching.
• After Florida Appellate Court Holds Crimes of ‘Attempt’ Eligible for Incentive Gain Time, Supreme Court Refuses Review, Jan. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Attempts/Incomplete Acts, Credits, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures.
• Seventh Circuit Announces Maximum Revocation Sentence for Violation of Supervised Release Based on Classification of Underlying Offense at Time of Conviction, Not at Time of Revocation, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Revocation Proceedings.
• California Supreme Court Announces Retroactivity of 2022 Version of Penal Code § 1170 to Upper-Term Sentences Imposed Before Its Enactment, Dec. 15, 2024. Retroactivity, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
• First Circuit Holds Government Breached Plea Agreement by Implicitly Arguing for Upward Variant Sentence by Including Pictures and Video of Defendant That Allegedly Depict His Criminal Tendencies in Sentencing Memo, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Grounds for Variance, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas, Grounds.