by Matt Clarke
On March 6, 2026, the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico granted the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC)—the publisher of Prison Legal News, Criminal Legal News, and several books—a preliminary injunction (PI) against Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The PI prohibits the …
by Matt Clarke
On March 3, 2026, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to approve a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to require the Sheriff’s Department to increase access in the jail to Naloxone (an opiate-overdose-reversing drug), more closely monitor the jail’s cameras, and improve …
by Matt Clarke
On February 19, 2026, an Arizona federal court issued an order that will result in medical care for prisoners in the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Re-entry (DCRR) being placed under a court-appointed receiver. This rare and drastic measure amounts to a takeover of …
by Matt Clarke
On February 26, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld a jury’s finding of liability against an Illinois warden and prison investigator who used an unknowing prisoner as bait in an unsuccessful attempt to catch the counselor who was raping …
by Matt Clarke
Recent legislation has helped Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) challenge federal court-ordered misdemeanor bail reform that expanded the availability of personal recognizance (PR) bonds.
Texas was never friendly toward PR bonds. The general rule was that, once arrested, you pay or you stay—in …
by Matt Clarke
On February 12, 2026, the Commissioners Court of Harris County, Texas, voted 3-1 to approve paying CGL Management Group, LLC, a justice-system consulting firm, $1.2 million to conduct a study of the county’s jail and produce two reports with carceral and noncarceral recommendations by the …
by Matt Clarke
On February 12, 2026, Texas Attorney General (TAG) Ken Paxton issued an opinion clarifying the scope of a statute requiring the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) to appoint an outside agency to investigate the death of a prisoner in a county jail, § 511.021(a), …
by Matt Clarke
On February 11, 2026, a D.C. federal judge issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the Trump administration from transferring 20 federal prisoners whose death sentences had been commuted to life-in-prison by former President Joe Biden (D) in December 2024 to the supermax prison in Florence, Colorado …
by Matt Clarke
On January 6, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reinstated a civil rights lawsuit brought by the parents of an Iowa jail detainee who committed suicide after reporting that he was in an acute mental health crisis with suicidal ideation.
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by Matt Clarke
Pregnant women in jails are a long-neglected and overlooked population. Federal law does not require detailed statistical tracking of jail pregnancies.
“What it symbolizes is that women who don’t count, don’t get counted,” said American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists fellow Carolyn Sufrin, who …
