×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Prisoner Who Inspired First Step Act Is First Released
by Kevin W. Bliss
Federal prisoner Matthew Charles, 52, was released in January 2019 after serving over 21 years of his 35-year sentence for selling crack cocaine in 1996. He was one of the catalysts for, and the first beneficiary of, the First Step Act which was recently signed into ...
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Executive Order Prompts BOP to Expand Prison Apprenticeship Programs, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit: BOP Must Consider State Court’s Designation to Serve Concurrent Federal Sentence
- Hedge Fund Pumps More Money into Corizon Health
- “Prisoner of Weed” Released, Sets Sights on Criminal Justice Reform, by Dale Chappell
- CoreCivic Bilked Rural Oklahoma Town, Forced to Pay Back Money in Lawsuit, by Steve Horn
- Kentucky Jailer Gets New Trial in Beating of Pretrial Detainee
- Maine Prisoner’s Challenge to Confiscation of Funds States Declaratory Judgment Claim, by David Reutter
- Colorado Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Abolishing Prison Slavery, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement in Lawsuit Against Missouri DOC’s Selection of Execution Witnesses, by Kevin Bliss
- New York Criminal Defense Attorney Charged with Federal Crimes, by Chad Marks
- Prisoner Who Inspired First Step Act Is First Released, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Reports Cite Poor Leadership in U.S. Marshals Service, by Edward Lyon
- Long-Term Illinois Prisoners Rarely Released by State Parole Board, by Rick Anderson
- North Carolina Prison Guard Sues Over Religious Discrimination, by Monte McCoin
- Voters Consider Criminal Justice-Related Issues in Midterm Elections, by Steve Horn
- California Prison Psychologist Blows Whistle on LGBTQ Harassment, Settles Lawsuit for Retaliation, by Dale Chappell
- Grandmother Arrested and Mocked by Federal Agents Awarded $55,000 Settlement, by Chad Marks
- LA County Jail Guards’ Conviction for Assaulting Visitor Upheld, by David Reutter
- Arkansas DOC Director’s Sole Discretion to Determine Competency for Execution Violates Due Process, by Mark Wilson
- Wisconsin Federal Court Denies New Trial, Grants Attorney Fees in Sexual Abuse Case
- $150,000 Settlement after Michigan DOC Discriminates Against HIV Positive Prisoner, by Kevin Bliss
- Federal Court Certifies Class in Ohio County Jail Debit Card Case, by Chad Marks
- Seventh Circuit Vacates, Remands Punitive Damages Award Against Wexford, by Derek Gilna
- Tenth Circuit: Qualified Immunity Defeats 22-Year Solitary Confinement Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Alaska Disciplinary Order Vacated for Violating Wolff’s Statement of Reasons Requirement, by Mark Wilson
- No Summary Judgment for Jail’s Denial of Mental Health Treatment; $150,000 Settlement, by Mark Wilson
- Closed Since 2013, Tamms Prison Now “Rampant” with Mold, by Matthew Clarke
- Female Prisoner Wore Wire to Take Down Rikers Island Guards, Wins $425,000 Settlement, by Rick Anderson
- Counties Modify, Cancel Contracts for Privately Operated Immigration Detention Centers, by Matthew Clarke
- Two Transgender Prisoners Transferred to Women’s Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Governor Commutes Death Sentences, Grants Reprieves for Another, by Edward Lyon
- HRDC Settles Lawsuit Against Mississippi Jail that Only Allowed Religious Reading Materials
- Report Released on Deaths in Utah Prisons and Jails, by Edward Lyon
- Indiana Prisoners Win Partial Summary Judgment in Jail Conditions Case, by Edward Lyon
- Free Phone Calls for Juvenile Offenders Jailed in Memphis, Tennessee, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Seventh Circuit Excuses Exhaustion Requirement for Spanish-Speaking Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- Connecticut Prisoner Survives DOC’s Summary Judgment Motion in Mental Health Suit, by Edward Lyon
- Santa Clara County Settles Lawsuit, Makes Jails Handicapped Accessible, by Steve Horn
- Illinois DOC Permanently Enjoined From Neglecting Prisoners’ Mental Health, by Derek Gilna
- Idaho Supreme Court Vacates Conviction After D.A. Seizes Jailed Defendant’s Legal Notes, by Matthew Clarke
- JP Morgan Chase Bank Used Secretive Bonds to Finance Kansas Prison Construction, by Matthew Clarke
- Israeli Supreme Court Orders Increased Personal Space for Prisoners, by Monte McCoin
- Eighteen Years After its Passage, Prisons and Jails Continue to Violate RLUIPA, by Derek Gilna
- Alabama Prison Warden Lacks Authority to Make End-of-Life Decisions for Prisoners
- $100,000 Settlement for Preventable Suicide in Virginia Department of Corrections, by Kevin W. Bliss
- In Memoriam: Jane Kahn (1954-2018), by Paul Wright
- Report Shows 50 New York Prisoners Died from Inadequate Medical Care in Last Five Years, by Dale Chappell
- Washington County, School District Pay $265,000 for Holding Juveniles in Solitary, by Dale Chappell
- Fifth Circuit Holds Magistrate Judge Has No Authority to Deem Motion for Reconsideration Withdrawn, by Matthew Clarke
- County Detainees Protest Food Served at New Hampshire Jail, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Philadelphia Robbing the Poor Through Civil Forfeiture, by Edward Lyon
- Eighth Circuit Finds Verified Complaint Defeats Summary Judgment Motion in Failure-to-Protect Case, by Matthew Clarke
- New Sheriff Ends Juvenile Solitary Confinement at North Carolina Jail, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Missouri Prisoner Awarded $111,000 in Second-Hand Smoke Case, DOC Bans Smoking, by Derek Gilna
- Sixth Circuit Reverses Injunction Against Delousing and Group Strip Searches at Ohio Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Since 1996, U.S. Agriculture Department Gave Over $277 Million to Fund Local Jail Construction, by Brian Sonenstein
- Without Interpreters, California’s Deaf Prisoners are Getting Stuck Behind Bars, by Samantha Michaels
- U.S. Marshals Report: Ohio County Jail “One of the Worst in the Country”, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Accounts for Over Ten Percent of Nation’s Jail Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Juvenile Prisoners’ Civil Rights Case, by Derek Gilna
- The Kill Line, by Will Tucker
More from Kevin W. Bliss:
- Federal Judge Allows Wiretapping Case to Proceed Against CoreCivic for Recording Attorney-Client Conversations at Nevada Prison, July 15, 2022
- Death Rate of Prisoners in Michigan Much Higher than Reported, Aug. 6, 2019
- Former Florida Senator Now Employed by Private Prison Company He Helped While in the State Senate, Aug. 6, 2019
- New Jersey Jail to Pay $1.2 Million for Strip Searching Detainees, Aug. 6, 2019
- Iowa Prisoners Say Law Banning Publications Containing Nudity Too Broad, Aug. 6, 2019
- New Bill Restricts Use of Solitary Confinement in New Mexico, July 2, 2019
- New Mexico Riot Raises Questions About Private Prison Company’s Competence, July 2, 2019
- New Indianapolis Jail Will Not be Run by a Private Prison Company, but is Being Built on Contaminated Land, July 2, 2019
- Canada: Long-Term Segregation of Mentally Ill Prisoners Unconstitutional; $20 Million in Damages, July 2, 2019
- Over $980,000 in Damages, Fees Awarded in Deliberate Indifference Case Against Wexford, June 5, 2019
More from these topics:
- Cuyahoga County Judges Vowed to Reform the Bail System. Here’s What Happened., Feb. 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Bail, Bail Bonds.
- PPI Releases 10th Anniversary Report on Mass Incarceration in the U.S., Nov. 15, 2024. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- Nailing Down “Top Cop” Kamala Harris on Criminal Justice Reform, Oct. 15, 2024. Criminal justice system reform.
- Study Finds That Black Americans Want Both Police Presence and Reform: Looking Beyond the Headlines, Oct. 1, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Police, Racial Profiling.
- Bruce Johnson 1950–2024, Sept. 15, 2024. Editorials, Criminal justice system reform, Attorneys.
- D.C. Jail Watchdog Uncovers Alarming Solitary Confinement Practices, Sept. 15, 2024. Advocacy, Prison Reform, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- Telecom Firms Shift Revenue Streams in Response to Prison Phone Reforms, Sept. 15, 2024. Prison Reform, Private Phone Contractors.
- Massachusetts Prison Closure Reflects Success of Criminal Justice Reforms, Aug. 15, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Rural Prisons.
- BOP Hires Sentencing Reform Advocate, July 1, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
- Virginia Legislature Tables “Second-Look” Bills, July 1, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Good Time.