More from this issue:

1. Debit Card Issuers Still Prey on People Released from Prisons and Jails: HRDC Lawsuits Challenge Companies in Court, by Andrew Stewart
2. Arkansas Governor Hutchinson Grants Commutation for Blind Mother, by Kevin Bliss
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. $6 Million Payout in Montana Wrongful Conviction Case, by Derek Gilna
5. NBA Owner Capitalizes on Mass Incarceration; Players Silent, by Matthew Clarke
6. University of Florida Still Using Prison Labor, But End in Sight, by Kevin Bliss
7. Texas Disguising Deaths in Custody, by Diana Claitor
8. Administrator of “Whitey” Bulger’s Estate Sues BOP Over His Murder, by Derek Gilna
9. North Carolina Case Involving Death of Black Prisoner: “I Can’t Breathe,” Revisited, by Edward Lyon
10. Cost of Communicating with Prisoners Breaking Family Budgets During Pandemic, by David Reutter
11. New Jersey Releases 2,258 Prisoners to Combat COVID-19 Spread, by David Reutter
12. Pennsylvania Prisoner Off Death Row After 33 Years, by David Reutter
13. Innovative Vermont Prison Superintendent’s Demotion for Sexist Language Proves Controversial, by Jayson Hawkins
14. Another Prisoner’s Needless Death, Another Lawsuit at LaSalle-Run Texarkana Jail, by Matthew Clarke
15. Federal Judge Approves $25 Million Class Action Settlement Against Global Tel*Link, by Derek Gilna
16. The Latest on COVID-19: Will Vaccines be Available Soon?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
17. Former Prisoners Testify on Abuse at Notorious New Jersey Women’s Prison, by Kevin Bliss
18. Fifth Circuit Order Denies Texas Prisoners Hand Sanitizer and Cleaning Supplies, by Derek Gilna
19. The Role of Prosecutors in Mass Incarceration, by Jayson Hawkins
20. California Passes Bill Allowing ICE Detainees to Sue Private Contractors, by Kevin Bliss
21. COVID-19 Deaths in Jails, Prisons Exceed Number of Deaths by Execution From 1990 to Present, by Derek Gilna
22. Missouri Executes Prisoner During COVID-19 Crisis, by Edward Lyon
23. For Some Faiths in Los Angeles County Jails, Volunteer Chaplains Are in Short Supply, by Douglas Ankney
24. $5.9 Million Settlement in Death of Transgender Prisoner at New York’s Rikers Island, by Matthew Clarke
25. Connecticut Prisoner Commits Suicide With COVID-19 Protective Mask, by Kevin Bliss
26. Prisoners Exonerated in Michigan After Police Misconduct Revealed, by Edward Lyon
27. Woman Sues Mississippi Parole Board for Discrimination and Retaliation, by Anthony Accurso
28. Maine Jail Gets a Pass for Using Pepper Spray on Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Daniel A. Rosen, Kevin Bliss
29. Privatized Food Service Problems at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
30. $177,500 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Five Louisiana Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed While Handcuffed, by Matthew Clarke
31. California Appellate Court Orders 50% Reduction in San Quentin Population Over Fears of COVID-19 Spread, by David Reutter
32. COVID-19 Lockdowns in Prisons Affecting Post-Secondary Education, by Kevin Bliss
33. Indiana Prisoner Has First Amendment Retaliation Claims Rejected by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, by Casey Bastian
34. Nine Months Later, DOJ Still Hasn’t Provided Senator Rubio With Answers About Rampant Sexual Abuse at Women’s Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
35. Members of Congress Probe Pentagon on Accreditation of Military Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
36. COVID-19 in the Country’s Largest Female Prison, by Edward Lyon
37. $11 Million Settlement in Illinois for Three Men Freed From Prison in Wrongful Convictions, by Anthony Accurso
38. Activists Call to Shut Down Illinois Prison, by David Reutter
39. Suicides in New York SHUs Surge to Epidemic Levels, by Keith Sanders
40. California Jail Prisoner Loses Limbs, but Faces Setback in Lawsuit Alleging Medical Neglect, by Edward Lyon
41. Teen Spends 17 Months in Mississippi Jail Without Indictment, by Daniel A. Rosen
42. COVID-19 Strikes Alaskan Prison, by Kevin Bliss
43. California First State to Eliminate Post-Prison Fees, by Jayson Hawkins
44. Julian Assange’s Potential Fate in U.S. Prisons, by Jayson Hawkins
45. Families Must Pay for Cremation Bill of Loved Ones Who Die in Prison, by Kevin Bliss
46. Fifth Circuit Reinstates Texas Jail Suicide Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
47. Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Alleging Dental Care Negligence, by David Reutter
48. Former Transgender Prisoner Fights for LGBTQ Rights in Massachusetts Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
49. Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Iowa Prisoner’s ADA Claim, by David Reutter
50. Third Circuit Reinstates Claims by Immigration Detainee in GEO-Operated Prison Seeking to Marry U.S. Citizen, by Matthew Clarke
51. Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Execution Drug Documents Subject to Disclosure, by Matthew Clarke
52. DC Circuit Court: “Three Strike” Prisoners Must Show Imminent Danger to File Lawsuits, by David Reutter
53. Whistleblower Claims Female Detainees at Privately Run Georgia ICE Facility Had Forced Hysterectomies, by Dale Chappell
54. New Documentary Released on Forced Sterilizations of Female Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
55. Maine Superspreader: Few Masks at Wedding Lead to Big Problems at Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
56. 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:

• Pay-for-Play Tablets: The Costly New Prison Paradigm, March 1, 2025. Food/Commissary (Private Prisons), Electronic Tablets, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Telephone Rates, Tapes/Music, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.
• Tennessee DOC Found in Violation of ADA With Failure to Accommodate Hearing Impaired Prisoners, Feb. 15, 2025. Deaf Prisoners, Americans with Disabilities Act, Class Actions, Policy Considerations.
• First Circuit Rejects Request by Securus and Pay Tel to Stay FCC Prison Phone Rate Caps, Jan. 15, 2025. Telephone Rates, Private Phone Contractors, Securus.
• Securus/JPay Video Calling Service Potentially Threatened by New Rate Caps, Jan. 15, 2025. JPay, Inc., Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Securus.
• New York City Held in Contempt in Long-Running Rikers Island Class-Action, Jan. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
• Eighth Circuit: Evidentiary Admissibility Is a “Red Herring” At Class Certification of St. Louis Jail Conditions Challenge, Jan. 15, 2025. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Class Certification, Class Actions, Evidence - Admissibility.
• Two Michigan Jails Face Class-Action Suits for Banning In-Person Visits, Dec. 15, 2024. Visiting, Class Actions.
• Illinois Shutters Decrepit Prison, Dec. 15, 2024. Ventilation, Water, Hygiene Supplies, Lighting, Vermin, Rural Prisons, Class Actions.
• Eighth Circuit Asked to Block New FCC Rules Capping Prison Phone Rates and Eliminating Ancillary Fees and Kickbacks, Nov. 15, 2024. Telephone Rates, Federal Funds.
• FCC Slashes Prison and Jail Phone Rates, Caps Video Call Cost, Eliminates “Site Commission” Kickbacks, Oct. 15, 2024. Telephone Rates, Video Visitation, Federal Funds, Private Phone Contractors, Securus, Global Tel*Link Corp.