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California Prisons Struggle with Environmental Threats from Sewage Spills, Contaminated Water, Airborne Disease
Loaded on Dec. 5, 2017
by Rick Anderson
published in Prison Legal News
December, 2017, page 1
Filed under:
Conditions of Confinement,
Failure to Protect (General),
Toxic Fumes/Chemicals,
Environmental Law,
Plumbing,
Sewage,
Sanitation.
Location:
California.
by Rick Anderson
"When I walk into my cell and see a [toilet] bowl full of brown water, I’m reminded of my status in the world; I’m reminded of my value. All the pious talk in the world about rehabilitation doesn’t change this ugly reality.”
That was lifer Kenneth E. ...
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More from this issue:
- California Prisons Struggle with Environmental Threats from Sewage Spills, Contaminated Water, Airborne Disease, by Rick Anderson
- News in Brief
- Volunteers, Mayor Take Action to Clothe Freezing Prisoners in New York City, by Christopher Zoukis
- $10.25 Million Jury Award in Suit over Oklahoma Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Tracks Decline in Use of Solitary Confinement as Reform Bill Stalls in U.S. Senate, by Lonnie Burton
- New Study Indicates Annual Cost of Incarceration Exceeds $1 Trillion, by Audry Spade
- Prison Tattoos Tell a Story, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge Orders Cook County to Correct Courthouse ADA Violations, by Derek Gilna
- Most Black “Neighborhoods” in Wisconsin are Actually Jails, Prisons, by Christopher Zoukis
- Second Circuit Upholds $36 Million Jury Award, $5 Million in Fees in Wrongful Conviction Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Pressure from Advocacy Group Leads University of California to Partially Divest from Wells Fargo, by Christopher Zoukis
- Missouri DOC Director Replaced after String of Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuits
- Tenth Circuit Reinstates Suit over Failure to Provide Medical Treatment to Oklahoma Arrestee/Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoners’ Suit over Repeated Overnight Deprivation of Clothing
- Louisiana Death Sentence Reversed, Charges Dismissed, Lawsuit Filed, by David Reutter
- Tennessee: High Cost of Drugs Cited as Reason to Deny Prisoners Hep C Treatment, by David Reutter
- Innocence Project Emerging in Israel, by Christopher Zoukis
- State Sanctioned Murder: By the Numbers, by Christopher Zoukis
- Private Prison Company’s Announcement to Reduce Recidivism Criticized as PR Ploy
- Montana County Settles Suit over Prisoner’s Rape for $125,000
- Missouri Town Pays $1.2 Million to Settle Lawsuit over Jail Suicide, by Lonnie Burton
- Prisoners and Disabilities: The Legal Landscape, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoner’s Escape from Understaffed Private Prison Results in Staff Discipline, by Christopher Zoukis
- Study: Prison Spending Grew at Three Times the Rate of Education Spending over Last Three Decades, by Lonnie Burton
- Visitors to USP Leavenworth Turned Away Due to Disabilities
- Seventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing Prisoner’s § 1983 Suit for Failure to Exhaust, by Lonnie Burton
- $1.275 Million Settlement for Los Angeles County Jail Whistleblower, by Lonnie Burton
- New York Jail Agrees to End Solitary Confinement of Juveniles, by Matthew Clarke, Derek Gilna
- Vermont Supreme Court Upholds Rights of Jailhouse Lawyers, by Christopher Zoukis
- D.C. Man Subjected to 77 Days Overdetention; Marshals Service Denies Responsibility, by Monte McCoin
- Chicago Man Exonerated of Murder Awarded $13 Million after 22 Years in Prison, by Lonnie Burton
- Third Circuit: No Death Row Confinement after Death Sentences Vacated, by Christopher Zoukis
- Hawaii: OCCC Mental Health Care Fails, Prison Staff Fired, by Monte McCoin
- State Governors Grant Over 500 Pardons, Commutations, by Christopher Zoukis
- Pennsylvania: Philly D.A. Sentenced to Five Years for Corruption, Disbarred, by Monte McCoin
- Massachusetts: Reform Legislation Introduced after Study on Solitary Confinement Published, by Lonnie Burton
- Tennessee Judge Denies Summary Judgment Motion in Jail Suicide Suit; Case Settles, by Derek Gilna
- New Zealand Court Decision: Voting Ban Violates Human Rights of Prisoners, by Monte McCoin
- Seventh Circuit: Corizon May be Liable for Failure to Coordinate Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Denies Immunity to Police Officers, Jailers for Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Sues Kitsap County, Washington over Debit Release Cards, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoners in Solitary Confinement Benefit from Nature Videos, Study Shows, by Monte McCoin
- Judge Orders Florida DOC to Immediately Start Treating Prisoners with HCV, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Reverses Convictions of Massachusetts Probation Officials, by Christopher Zoukis
- Study Indicates Racial Bias Skews Criminality Risk Assessment Tool
- Arizona: Mixed Rulings in Challenges to State’s Lethal Injection Protocol, by Lonnie Burton
- Georgia Prison Doctor Rewarded for Cutting Costs as Prisoners Died Under His Care, by David Reutter
- USP Atlanta Escapes Result in Convictions, by Monte McCoin
- In Midst of Opioid Crisis, an Addiction Medication Program for Federal Prisons Fizzles, by Mike Ludwig
- Federal Judge Expresses Frustration in New Orleans Jail Reform Litigation
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
More from Rick Anderson:
- Long-Term Illinois Prisoners Rarely Released by State Parole Board, March 5, 2019
- Female Prisoner Wore Wire to Take Down Rikers Island Guards, Wins $425,000 Settlement, March 5, 2019
- One in 55 Adults on Probation or Parole, Study Finds, Feb. 5, 2019
- Appeals court rules in favor of Latino denied guard job in California prison, Dec. 14, 2018
- Head of Nashville’s Correct Care Solutions arrested for DUI, Dec. 14, 2018
- The Fallibility of Forensic Science: Crime-Solving Tool Can Lead to Wrongful Convictions—and Belated Exonerations, Dec. 14, 2018
- California Prisons Struggle with Environmental Threats from Sewage Spills, Contaminated Water, Airborne Disease, Dec. 5, 2017
- Registration, Tracking of Sex Offenders Drives Mass Incarceration Numbers and Costs, May 5, 2017
- Greenwashing Washington State’s Prison System in a River of Sewage, July 31, 2015
- In Washington State Prisons, Negligent Health Care Turns Illness into a Death Sentence, Oct. 10, 2014
More from these topics:
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- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025. Sexual Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Stun Guns/Tasers.
- After Judge’s Letter, at Least 22 Former FCI Dublin Prisoners Granted Compassionate Release, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Release and Reentry, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Compassionate Release.
- Alabama DOC Attorneys Reprimanded for Filing AI-Written Briefs in Prisoner’s Suit, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Attorney Misconduct.
- DOJ Inspects BOP Food Service Operations, Finds Troubling Issues at Multiple Facilities, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Food, Staffing.
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Grievances, Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA).
- Nebraska Considers Curbing Double-Bunking in Restrictive Housing, Aug. 1, 2025. Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Bedding.
- Former Oregon Prison Guard Sergeant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Imprisoned Women, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings.
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