In the course of attending events in different parts of the country I am often asked "which prison system is the worst?" That's a tough question to answer because it depends on how you define "bad". Medical neglect in prisons and jails is pretty awful around the country, regardless of ...
About the only bad thing about publishing a magazine for 17 years is that invariably we lose friends and supporters. Noting the passing of friends is the sole thing I dislike about editing PLN. Moreso when we are talking about some of the unsung heroes and heroines of the prisoners? ...
This month?s cover story reports on the public health implications which the willful neglect of prisoner health care issues in this country has on the overall population. This has been an ongoing topic of coverage in PLN over the past 17 years. Sadly, nothing has changed for the better. As ...
We recently relaunched the Prison Legal News website. Like our previous website, this one contains all articles that have ever appeared in PLN, all copies of PLN in a searchable database format, in PDF format, thousands of court cases, briefs, pleadings, settlements, reports, publications, links to hundreds of other websites ...
As this issue goes to press we are finishing the revamped PLN website which will have all the great content our previous site did as well as still more briefs, publications, reports and cases than our previous website did. The feedback we received from users about our old site was ...
If this issue of PLN has a theme, it is one of the ongoing struggle against government secrecy and the suppression of free speech rights of both the media and prisoners alike. Whether it involves secret court proceedings, closed to media and the public alike, or silencing prisoner writers who ...
This issue marks PLN?s 17th anniversary and our 205th issue since we first started publishing in May, 1990. This makes PLN the longest published, by far, independent prisoner publication in US history. About 95% of PLN?s articles remain written by current or former prisoners around the country. In this time ...
This year?s matching grant fundraiser went well and raised a total of $17,994.69. Prisoners donated over $1,000 of this amount. We would like to thank everyone who donated to the fundraiser. Fundraiser donations are making possible the revamping of PLN?s website to be more user friendly and efficient and be ...
This editorial is being written in Wichita, Kansas on February 14, 2007. For the past two days PLN?s executive director, Don Miniken, and I have been attending the bench trial before USDC Judge Monte Belot in Prison Legal News v. Werholtz. PLN filed the lawsuit in 2002 challenging the Kansas ...
This month's cover story is by long time PLN contributing writer Mike Rigby. I am pleased to announce that in December, 2006, Mike was released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after 13 years of imprisonment. He will continue contributing articles to PLN as his new schedule allows. It's ...
