by Matt Clarke
On April 21, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld an Oklahoma federal jury’s judgement and $33 million in compensatory damages against Ottawa County, Oklahoma in a lawsuit over a detainee’s horrific death due to untreated pneumonia that led to …
by Matt Clarke
On April 1, 2026, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) instituted a ban on prisoners receiving hardback books and used books. TDCJ claimed the book ban was instituted in response to finding 385 books mailed to prisoners that tested positive for synthetic drugs in …
by Matt Clarke
Brentwood, Tennessee-based CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) operates the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center (TTCC), the state’s largest prison, and three other Tennessee prisons for the state Department of Corrections (DOC). But despite the company’s large footprint in Tennessee, its legacy is dismal at best …
by Matt Clarke
The death rate at the Dallas County jail increased around 50% during the first eight years of Sheriff Marian Brown’s tenure, according to investigative reporting by The Dallas Morning News. Many of the deaths could have been easily been prevented with timely and competent medical …
by Matt Clarke
On March 27, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit failed to grant an en banc rehearing of a panel decision holding that small deposits of money from outside sources that gradually accumulated in a federal prisoner’s trust fund account are …
by Matt Clarke
On March 17, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the summary dismissal of a prisoner’s civil rights claims against prison dental staff for deliberate indifference to his serious need for dental care. It let stand the district court’s ruling …
by Matt Clarke
On April 15, 2026, Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) Warden Barb Lewien issued a memo stating that “NSP will resume the Native American religious land use schedule in effect prior to the suspension period.” This cut short a 60-day suspension that effectively prevented many followers of …
by Matt Clarke
On March 31, 2026, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida reluctantly granted a federal prisoner early release after the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) dropped the ball multiple times in scheduling an urgently needed appointment with a breast surgeon to …
by Matt Clarke
On March 13, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit dismissed as moot a federal prisoner’s appeal of a district court’s dismissal of his habeas action under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging the calculation by the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) …
by Matt Clarke
On December 3, 2025, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia granted partial final judgment to the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Corrections (DOC) for its implementation of Senate Bill (S.B.) 185, a state law prohibiting …
