by Matt Clarke
On December 19, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by a wheelchair-bound Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) prisoner who was forcibly placed on a standard prison transport bus instead of a special …
by Matt Clarke
On October 17, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a district court’s summary dismissal of a federal civil rights suit brought by six women who were allegedly sexually assaulted while incarcerated at an Alabama jail because the lawsuit failed …
by Matt Clarke
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently announced a pilot program to study the use of various types of cooling systems and new insulation at three prisons to determine the best methods for wider application within its 31-prison system. Currently, only around 8,000 …
by Matt Clarke
On October 7, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a Texas civil rights lawsuit challenging conditions of confinement at the Texas Civil Commitment Center (TCCC) in Littlefield, Texas.
Richard A. Dunsmore was …
by Matt Clarke
On July 25, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit clarified what constitutes a “strike” for purposes of the Prison Litigation Reform Act’s (PLRA) “three-strikes” rule, 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). See: Simmons v. Washington, 996 F.3d 350(6th Cir. 2021). …
by Matt Clarke
On August 14, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ordered the issuance of a preliminary injunction compelling the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) to reinstate a program that teaches “authentic” manhood based upon biblical principles that the DOC said conflicted …
by Matt Clarke
On June 30, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that an Alabama prosecutor practiced purposeful discrimination in violation of federal law, clearly established by Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), when she used peremptory strikes in a racially …
The Institute of Justice (IJ) is helping two Texas women with master’s degrees in social work challenge a 2019 state law that bars anyone with a prior conviction involving the threat or use of force from ever receiving a license to practice in a healthcare profession, including social work. …
In May 2024, California federal District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers took the unusual step of writing a letter to numerous other judges who had sentenced women formerly incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Dublin and might be considering compassionate release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). In the letter, she …
On December 6, 2024, the Supreme Court of Nebraska clarified when a sentencing court is required to award credit for time served while incarcerated in a foreign country awaiting extradition. It held that crediting time served was mandatory provided the time was for the instant charge and had not …
