More from this issue:

1. Convictions at Any Cost: DOJ Report Slams Three Decades of Snitches and Due Process Violations in California’s Orange County, by Benjamin Tschirhart
2. New BOP Director Clears Up First Step Act Implementation, by Benjamin Tschirhart
3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
4. Incarcerated People Have Few Ways to Fight Back Against Censorship in Prisons, by Tamar Sarai
5. Burning Tires Left Louisiana Prisoners With Migraines, Breathing Problems, and Minimal Medical Care As black smoke poured out of a burning tire dump in Louisiana, people inside the prison next door struggled to keep the fumes out., by Alleen Brown
6. Ninth Circuit Says Statements Relayed at Criminal Trial By Nurse and Doctor Are Admissible, Not Hearsay, by David Reutter
7. $959,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County in Deaths of Two Detainees, Plus at Least $750,000 from PrimeCare, by Ashleigh Dye
8. Fourth Circuit Reinstates Virginia Prisoner’s Spoliation Motion for Lost Video of His Alleged Assault by Guards, by David Reutter
9. Federal Judge in Pennsylvania Rules BOP Must Honor Transgender Prisoner’s Legal Name Change, by Casey Bastian
10. Tenth Circuit Says Prison Work Assignment Covered Under ADA Protections, by Kevin Bliss
11. Seventh Circuit: Indiana Prisoner Who Failed to Formalize Grievance Also Failed to Exhaust Remedies, by David Reutter
12. Investigation Reveals “Black Market in Broad Daylight” for Prison Food, by Benjamin Tschirhart
13. Record Deaths at Rikers Island Blamed on Guards’ Absenteeism, Abuse and Corruption, by David Reutter, Anthony Accurso
14. $20,000 Paid by Centurion and MHM Health Professionals to Arizona Prisoner for Alleged Deliberate Indifference and Medical Negligence, by Jacob Barrett
15. Third Circuit Strips Qualified Immunity From Delaware Guards Who Held Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary for Seven Months, by David Reutter
16. Too Many Alabama Prisoners Still Dying with Too-Few Guards, Many Corrupt, by Jo Ellen Nott
17. Former Tennessee Police Chief Sentenced to Six Years for Abusing Arrestees, by Kevin Bliss
18. Ninth Circuit Revives Failure-to-Protect Claim of Arizona Prisoner Beaten by Gang, by David Reutter
19. Florida Jailers Leave Detainees Out of Evacuation Plans During Hurricane, by David Reutter
20. Arizona DOC Accused of Cheating Both Guards and Prisoners Out of Hourly Wages, by Keith Sanders
21. Ninth Circuit Says California Felons Can Fight Fires While Imprisoned, But Not After, by Benjamin Tschirhart
22. Fourth Circuit Says Prisoners with Gender Dysphoria not Excluded from ADA Protection, by Harold Hempstead
23. Former Texas Prisoner Wins 12-Year Fight for Justice, by Kevin Bliss
24. Student Loan Debt and Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
25. Arizona Resumes Executions, by Chuck Sharman, Eike Blohm, MD
26. New Report Estimates U.S. Prisons Hold Nearly 50,000 People in Solitary Confinement, by Jennifer Taylor
27. After Federal Judge Censors Lawyer’s Tweets About CoreCivic, Company Settles Suit Over Tennessee Prisoner’s Murder by Cellmate, by Harold Hempstead
28. Fourth Circuit Says Three-Strikes Federal Prisoner’s Imminent Danger Claim Must Be Evaluated on ‘Totality of Circumstances’, by Benjamin Tschirhart
29. Virginia Supreme Court Upholds Derivative Sovereign Immunity for Jail Physician, by Matthew Clarke
30. Fifth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Mississippi Sheriffs in Suit Over Mentally Ill Man’s Years-long Unlawful Detention, by Matthew Clarke
31. Nevada Federal Court Says Prisoner’s § 1983 Suit Should’ve Been a Habeas Petition, But Returns Filing Fee, by David Reutter
32. PLN Contributor’s Retaliation Suit Against Oregon Prison Officials Survives, by Jacob Barrett
33. Georgia Jails Faulted in Struggle With High COVID-19 Infection Rates, by Kevin Bliss
34. Seventh Circuit Trims What Indiana Prisoner Owes Jail Doctor in Lost Lawsuit, by David Reutter
35. Under New Mississippi Law, State Chooses Execution Method, by David Reutter
36. Prisoner Health Update: Hepatitis C, by Eike Blohm, MD
37. Florida Makes Parolees Criminally Liable for Accidental Voter Registration Fraud, by David Reutter
38. Award Slashed for Delaware Prisoner Sexually Groped by Guard, by Kevin Bliss
39. Oklahoma Jail Guard Gets 46 Months for Setting Up White Supremacist Attack on Black Detainees, by David Reutter
40. Federal Judge Refuses to Shorten Corruption Sentence for Former Head of New York City Jail Guards’ Union, by Matthew Clarke
41. DOJ Releases Special Report on U.S. Prison COVID-19 Response, by Eike Blohm, MD
42. Former Judges in Pennsylvania ‘Kids for Cash’ Scandal Must Pay $206 Million in Damages, by Ashleigh Dye
43. $60,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County to Jail Detainee Savagely Beaten by Cellmate While Guards Allegedly Ignored Cries for Help, by Benjamin Tschirhart
44. $300,000 Paid by Colorado to Prisoner Sexually Harassed by Guard with Foot Fetish, by Harold Hempstead
45. $98,000 Paid by BOP to Immigrant Detainees Racially Profiled as Terrorists in New York City Lockup, by Kevin Bliss
46. $480,000 Paid by California County to Detainee Whose Newborn Died After Guards Stopped at Starbucks en Route to Hospital, by Ashleigh Dye
47. Former BOP Warden Convicted of Sexually Abusing Prisoners in California ‘Rape Club’ Scandal, by Kevin Bliss
48. Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Mississippi Cops Who Let Injured Hemophiliac Bleed Out in Jail, by Matthew Clarke
49. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
• California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
• Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
• Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
• In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
• Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024

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:

• Former California Guard Convicted On 64 Counts of Sexually Abusing Prisoners, March 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct.
• U.S. Justice Department Investigating Tennessee CoreCivic Prison After Mother of Murdered Prisoner Reaches Settlement, March 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Prison/Jail Murders, Staffing, Settlements, Wrongful Death.
• Federal Court Lets BOP Withhold Mortality Reviews Under FOIA, March 1, 2025. Prison/Jail Murders, Wrongful Death, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
• Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim Against Guard in Stabbing, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Protective Custody, Official Investigation.
• Minnesota Supreme Court Says Randy Guard Must Face Prisoner’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Claims, Feb. 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Guard Misconduct, Federal Tort Claims Act, Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA).
• $150,000 Settlement But No Charges After Schizophrenic Florida Detainee Killed by Jail Guards, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
• BOP Shutters “Rape Club” in California, Director Peters Quits, Feb. 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
• USDC (D. Oregon), Case No. 6:22-cv-00451, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Prison Gangs, Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements.
• Ohio Guard Killed by Prisoner in Christmas Day Attack, Feb. 15, 2025. Staffing, Wrongful Death, Assaults on Staff, Failure to Protect (Staff).
• New York Governor Orders Firing of 13 Guards, Nurse in Prisoner’s Fatal Beating, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Medical Misconduct, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Deliberate Indifference.