More from this issue:

1. Alabama Forced to Confront Criminal Justice Reform, by David Reutter
2. Low Pay, Long Hours Fuel Increasing State Prison Staffing Problems, by Derek Gilna
3. PLN Exclusive: Illinois Prisoner Exonerated, Released after Ten Years, by Derek Gilna
4. How Prison Phone Calls Became a Tax on the Poor
5. ACLU Report: Women Uniquely Harmed by Solitary Confinement, by Matthew Clarke
6. UK Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Solitary Confinement, by Christopher Zoukis
7. Disputed PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Issues Properly Resolved in Bench Trial
8. $8,000 Settlement for Medical Maltreatment by BOP; Court Finds Experts Not Required, by Derek Gilna
9. Corrections Agencies Use Obamacare to Pay for Prisoners’ Medical Care, by Christopher Zoukis
10. L.A. County Audit Recommends More Contract Oversight for Probation Department, by Derek Gilna
11. Delaware Supreme Court Suspends Prosecutor for Misconduct, by Christopher Zoukis
12. $15 Million Award for Prisoner Rendered Paraplegic Due to Medical Malpractice Affirmed, by David Reutter
13. Florida’s Private Prison Movement Alive and Well, by David Reutter
14. Audits Expose Irregularities in Iowa Prison System Spending, by Derek Gilna
15. Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Ex-prisoner’s § 1983 Action Regarding Computer Disk, by Derek Gilna
16. Lawsuit Claims Florida Teen Raped, Beaten in Prison Initiation Ritual
17. Fourth Circuit Upholds Denial of Summary Judgment to Guards in Excessive Force Suit
18. BOP Pays $70,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Sexually Abused Transgender Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
19. $30,000 Settlement for New York Prisoner Assaulted by Guard
20. California Supreme Court Rules in Prisoner’s Favor in Compassionate Release Denial, by Gary Hunter
21. Nonviolent Michigan Offenders Can Seek Expungement Under New Law, by David Reutter
22. Prisoner Rights Advocates Disappointed with Pace of Obama Clemency Initiative, by Derek Gilna
23. Former U.S. Attorney General’s Legacy: Too Little, Too Late, by Derek Gilna
24. Medically Unacceptable Biopsy States Eighth Amendment Claim
25. Prisoners in Chicago Learn Skills, Improve Neighborhoods by Demolishing Vacant Homes, by Gary Hunter
26. Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
27. California Jail’s Psychotropic Medication Policy Leads to Lawsuit, Settlement, by David Reutter
28. Idaho Prison Population Drops, Out-of-State Prisoners Re-turned, by Christopher Zoukis
29. Delaware Prisoners Sue DOC Alleging Sexual Assaults by Prison Doctor, by Christopher Zoukis
30. Seventh Circuit: Former Parolee May Sue Over Delayed Release from Parole
31. Hawaii Prisons Experience Security Failures, Other Troubling Incidents, by David Reutter
32. Second Circuit: Truth of Arrest Remains Despite Connecticut “Erasure” Law, by Mark Wilson
33. Second Circuit: Administrative Remedies Unavailable for Beating at Holding Facility
34. BOP Recognizes Humanist Religion after Prisoner Files Suit, by Derek Gilna
35. A “Quantum Leap” Isn’t Far Enough for the Prison Phone Industry, by Carrie Wilkinson
36. Suit Filed Over New Hampshire DOC’s Restrictive Mail Policy
37. Warden’s Decision to Quarantine Handicapped Person in Unaccommodated Cell Actionable; $200,000 Settlement
38. Tennessee Sheriff’s Denial of Public Records Merits Attorney Fee Award
39. Why is California Thumbing its Nose at a Federal Court?, by Caleb Mason
40. New York: $35,000 Awarded for Three-week Illegal Confinement, by Mark Wilson
41. Fourth Circuit Finds 20 Years in Solitary an Atypical and Significant Hardship, by David Reutter
42. California’s Inspector General Cites Abuses at High Desert State Prison, by Derek Gilna
43. $1,000 Jury Award in Texas Prisoner’s Excessive Use of Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
44. Ninth Circuit: Witnesses Cannot Refuse to Testify at Civil Trial
45. Supreme Court Reverses SORNA Notification Requirement when Sex Offenders Move Overseas, by Derek Gilna
46. Lawsuit Filed Over Death of Pepper-sprayed, Mentally Ill California Prisoner, by Gary Hunter
47. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
48. News in Brief

More from Derek Gilna:

• Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
• Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
• California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
• The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
• District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
• HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
• Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
• Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
• D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
• Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021

More from these topics:

• Fourth Circuit: Maryland’s First-Degree Assault Statute Is Indivisible so Conviction Is Not an ACCA Predicate for Sentencing Enhancement Purposes, May 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Career Offenders, Recidivist Enhancements.
• Seventh Circuit Announces Safety Valve Relief Under § 3553(f) Is Narrower Than Guidelines Firearms Enhancement Under § 2D1.1(b)(1), District Court Erred by Conflating Them, May 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Possession or Use of Firearms, Vicarious Liability, Safety Valve.
• Over 5,000 Prisoners Federally Sentenced Every Month, May 1, 2024. Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
• Eighth Circuit Announces ‘Categorical Approach’ Applies to SORNA Tier Analysis, April 15, 2024. Sex Offender Registration, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Military.
• California Attorney General Issues Memo Prohibiting Out-of-State Sharing of ALPR Data, April 15, 2024. Attorneys General, Electronic Surveillance.
• U.S. Sentencing Commission Greenlights Retroactive Sentence Reductions, March 1, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Guideline Amendment/Variances and Retroactivity.
• Ninth Circuit Announces District Courts Must Either Orally Pronounce All Discretionary ‘Standard’ Conditions of Supervised Release in the Presence of Defendant or Provide Conditions in Writing Prior to Sentencing, Feb. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Applicable Guidelines Issues, Sentencing Hearing, Right to be Present, Conditions of, Remands/Rehearings/Resentencings.
• Fifth Circuit Announces Revocation Judgments for Violation of Supervised Release Vacated Because Underlying Sentence Vacated, Feb. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Revocation Proceedings.
• In Suit Over Connecticut Prisoner’s Death, Attorney General Will No Longer Represent Guard Convicted of Assault, Feb. 1, 2024. Attorneys General, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
• Federal Sentencing Guidelines Undergo Substantial Amendments, Jan. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, First Step Act, Violence Against Women Act, Criminal History, Qualifying Offenses, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Sexual Abuse/Harrassment/Exploitation, Sexual Exploitation of Minors, Federally Protected Rights, Sexual Conduct with Minors, Sentences - Authorized, Safety Valve, Acceptance of Responsibility, Preservation of Judicial Resources, Legal or Factual Challenges - assertion of.