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At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers

Loaded on April 1, 2026 by Jeffrey Shockley published in Prison Legal News April, 2026, page 34
Filed under: Staffing, Lockdowns, Life without Parole (LWOP), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Staff Training. Location: Pennsylvania.

by Jeffrey Shockley

This article was originally published by Prison Journalism Project.

 

Located at the edge of rural western Pennsylvania, State Correctional Institution, Mercer, has long been considered one of the calmer prisons in the state system.

But beneath that reputation, a quiet crisis …

 

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More from this issue:

  1. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  2. Colorado Governor Tells Lawmakers to Open New Prison
  3. $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, by Chuck Sharman
  4. Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, by Chuck Sharman
  5. Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders
  6. The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, by Shakeil Price
  7. Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, by Chuck Sharman
  8. “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, by Jo Ellen Knott
  9. In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, by Matthew Clarke
  10. $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail, by Chuck Sharman
  11. Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, by Chuck Sharman
  12. More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, by Jo Ellen Knott
  13. ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan
  14. California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, by Victoria Law
  15. Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, by Chuck Sharman
  16. Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups
  17. $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
  18. Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, by Chuck Sharman
  19. Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
  20. $1.5 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached in Texas Jail Over-Detention Case, by Chuck Sharman
  21. Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, by Chuck Sharman
  22. D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
  23. Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight
  24. Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
  25. Almost $1 Million in Settlements Paid to Three Nevada Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
  26. Two Texas Women Charged for Using Plastic Crows in Smuggling Scheme
  27. Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits, by Chuck Sharman
  28. California County Hires New Healthcare Company After Jail Deaths Under Wellpath
  29. New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, by Michael Thompson
  30. At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers, by Jeffrey Shockley
  31. Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, by Michael Thompson
  32. Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed
  33. Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, by Matthew Clarke
  34. Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, by Chuck Sharman
  35. Montana Switches to Sending Prisoners to a Private Prison in Mississippi
  36. Faults Found with Centurion in Kansas Four Years Ago Are Still Not Fixed, by Michael Thompson
  37. Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, by Chuck Sharman
  38. $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes, by Chuck Sharman
  39. Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, by Matthew Clarke
  40. First Circuit Revives Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against Rhode Island Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
  41. The Same Company that Built Guantanamo Bay Is Building Kansas City’s World Cup Jail
  42. $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, by Chuck Sharman
  43. ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, by Chuck Sharman
  44. Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, by Abbey Kim
  45. Federal Jury Awards $1,670,000 for Diabetic Detainee’s Preventable Death in Philadelphia Jail, YesCare Reaches Separate Confidential Settlement, by Chuck Sharman
  46. Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, by Michael Thompson
  47. Idaho DOC Transfers Prisoners to Arizona Facility Run by CoreCivic
  48. Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California
  49. Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails
  50. ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas
  51. More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year, by Reuven Blau, Kennedy Sessions
  52. Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary
  53. Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons
  54. Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths
  55. Analysts Recommend Closing California’s Soledad Prison
  56. Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less
  57. News in Brief
  58. Private Company Investigating Rapes at California ICE Detention Center Instead of Sheriff
  59. Officials in Kansas Allow CoreCivic to Reopen Leavenworth Prison

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