More from this issue:

1. Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, by Christopher Zoukis
2. Early Prison Release for Gangsta Rapper Sped Up by Coronavirus, by Edward Lyon
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Prioritizing Jails Over Hospitals Has Made Rural US More Vulnerable to COVID-19, by Jack Norton, Jasmine Heiss
5. May Update: Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
6. Recent Exonerees Give the Public Advice on Being Locked Down: You Have No Idea, by Dale Chappell
7. Lawsuit: Release Prisoners in Virus Tinderbox to Home Confinement, by David Reutter
8. Prison Postcards: Prisoners Write About Fears, Incompetence, at Their Facilities, by Ken Silverstein
9. Rikers Island Prisoners Helped with Preparations to Bury the Coronavirus Dead
10. Federal Judge “Troubled” by Arizona Prison Director’s Response to Coronavirus; State Rep Calls it “Reckless”, by Dale Chappell
11. California Publishes Use of Force in Prisons Report, by Anthony Accurso
12. Connecticut Prisoners Win Lawsuit After Hepatitis Exposure, by Edward Lyon
13. Nevada Prisoner Prevails in Good Time Deprivation Appeal, by Edward Lyon
14. California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, by Christopher Zoukis
15. Arkansas Supreme Court Denies Prisoner Preliminary Injunction on Religious Issues, by Anthony Accurso
16. Federal Court Grants Default Summary Judgment in Favor of Indiana Prisoner as Sanction for State’s Lies, by Dale Chappell
17. How Prepared Are State Prison Systems for a Viral Pandemic?, by Peter Wagner, Emily Widra
18. Suit: Mississippi Man Sentenced to Two Days Hangs Himself After Jail Kept Him 52 Days Longer, by Douglas Ankney
19. Emergency Cancellation of Attorney Visits Subject to Court Oversight, by David Reutter
20. Undisclosed Settlement in Kentucky Case a Textbook Case of Negligent Privatized Prison Medical Care, by David Reutter
21. Illinois Supreme Court: Settlements with Private Companies When Contracted for Government Service Are Public Record, by Kevin Bliss
22. Coalition Fights to Ensure Jailed Voters in Arizona Can Vote, by Scott Grammer
23. Mass Incarceration, Meet COVID-19 Opportunity to release prisoners with little public safety risk is clear, by Sharon Dolovich
24. Multiple Indictments, Prison Sentences, for Guards and Officials at Violence-Plagued Cleveland Jail, by Edward Lyon
25. Another Prisoner Dies at Tennessee Prison Run By CoreCivic, by Matthew Clarke
26. Texas Prison Health Care Costs at Record High Despite Population Reduction, by Matthew Clarke
27. DOJ to Treat Immigrants Like Criminals by Collecting DNA Samples, by Kevin Bliss
28. Minnesota Prison Bans “No Touch” Rule, by Edward Lyon
29. Alabama Grandma Sentenced to Life on Drug Charge Finally Paroled, by David Reutter
30. ICE Diverts Needed Face Masks from Medical Professionals, by Kevin Bliss
31. Paroled New Yorker Wrongfully Confined; Awarded $3,250, by Kevin Bliss
32. Michigan Permits Prisoners to Seek Financial Assistance for College, by Bill Barton
33. New Yorker Held Three Years at Rikers Island Before Acquittal, by Matthew Clarke
34. Arizona DOC Raids Prisoner-Generated Funds to Pay for Lock Repairs; Whistleblower Says Records Being Falsified, by Matthew Clarke
35. Kentucky Governor’s Executive Order Restores Voting Rights for Felons, by David Reutter
36. Women Advocate for the Release of COVID-19 At-Risk Prisoners in Indiana, by Kevin Bliss
37. D.C. Juvenile Offender Finally Released After 26 Years Behind Bars, by Bill Barton
38. Arizona Court Denies Emergency COVID-19 Motion, by David Reutter
39. Ohio Prisoner’s Facebook Live a Plea for Help During COVID-19 Pandemic
40. Santa Rita Jail Accused of Slave Labor in California Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
41. Open Prison: Lessons from the Past, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
42. $25 Million Jury Award to Baltimore City Prisoner For Guards Setting Up Retaliatory Gang Attack, by Dale Chappell
43. Chatham County Jail Reverses On Book Ban But Limits Number of Publications, by David Reutter
44. Third Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Dry Cell Suit, by David Reutter
45. Leaving Prison for a Real Home in California, by Edward Lyon
46. Health Care Services Killing Women at Virginia Prison, by David Reutter
47. $120,000 Settlement for Minnesota Woman Forced to Remove Hijab for Booking, by David Reutter
48. News in Brief

More from Anthony Accurso:

• D.C. Circuit Holds Compelling Suspect to Unlock Cellphone With Thumbprint Is ‘Testimonial’ Act and Violates Fifth Amendment Privilege Against Self-Incrimination, Feb. 15, 2025
• $220,000 Settlement After Woman Dies in Ohio Jail From Drug Withdrawal, Feb. 15, 2025
• Colorado Supreme Court Holds Defendant Was in ‘Custody’ for Miranda Purposes Because She Had Hands Bagged and Zip Tied, Commanded Not to Remove Them, and Questioned Alone in Interrogation Room With Door Closed, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit Holds No Emergency-Aid Exception to Warrant Requirement Where Police Have Information That Subject Is Already Deceased, Feb. 15, 2025
• Police Departments Are Now Using AI to Write Reports, Feb. 15, 2025
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces Odor of Burnt Cannabis Alone Is Insufficient to Establish Probable Cause for a Warrantless Vehicle Search, Feb. 1, 2025
• Mass Spectrometry Being Studied as Way to Analyze Overlapping or Weak Fingerprints, Feb. 1, 2025
• Georgia Supreme Court Grants Habeas Relief Where Both Trial and Appellate Counsel Provided Ineffective Assistance by Failing to Challenge Indictment for Residential Burglary That Failed to Allege Defendant Illegally Entered a ‘Dwelling’, Jan. 15, 2025
• Childhood Trauma Incidence Higher Among Those Incarcerated, Jan. 15, 2025
• Nevada Supreme Court Announces Incorporated Probable Cause Affidavit Cannot Broaden Scope of Warrant’s Description of Places and Persons to be Searched or Items to Be Seized, Dec. 1, 2024

More from these topics:

• Fourth Circuit Revives West Virginia Prisoner’s RLUIPA Claim Over Religious Diet with Soy He Can’t Digest, Jan. 15, 2025. State Law Claims, RLUIPA, Religious Diet.
• Eighth Circuit: Perfect Adherence to Burdened Beliefs Not Required to Demonstrate Sincerity under RLUIPA, Aug. 15, 2024. Religion Defined, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Sixth Circuit Revives Ohio Prisoner’s Retaliation Claim That Guards Got Him Kicked Out of Religious Group, July 1, 2024. Religious Discrimination, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, RLUIPA.
• Fourth Circuit Moves North Carolina Prisons Closer to Recognizing Nation of Gods and Earths, May 1, 2024. Religious Discrimination, RLUIPA, Religion Defined, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), Free Exercise Clause.
• Muslim Florida Prisoner Awarded Permanent Injunction to Grow Untrimmed Beard, March 1, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Injunctions, RLUIPA, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), Right to Grow a Beard.
• Florida Prisoners Not Required to File Rulemaking Petition to Satisfy PLRA Exhaustion Requirement, Jan. 1, 2024. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Administrative Exhaustion, RLUIPA, Administrative Procedures Act (State), Right to Grow a Beard.
• New Jersey Prisoner’s Suit Survives Seeking to Validate the Nation of Gods and Earth as a Religion, Dec. 1, 2023. RLUIPA, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Second Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Wardens Accused of Violating Religious Freedom of Muslim Prisoners in Connecticut, Jan. 1, 2023. Religious Discrimination, Religious Freedom, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Eleventh Circuit Says Passover Sign-Up Requirement in Florida Jail Passes Constitutional Muster, Jan. 1, 2023. Denial of Religious Services, Sabbaths, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
• Muslim Georgia Prisoner Wins RLUIPA Reversal in 11th Circuit Over Vegetarian Meals, April 1, 2020. RLUIPA, Religious Diet.