By Paul Wright
The court of appeals for the Ninth circuit upheld the constitutionality of a Washington state statute that allows the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) to seize 35% of all money sent to prisoners from sources outside the prison. Faced with a very limited challenge to the statute's ...
By Paul Wright
PLN recently gained the ability to process credit card orders for books, subscriptions, and donations. PLN's office phone number is on page two of every issue for those who wish to subscribe, renew their subscriptions, purchase books or just make a donation using their credit card. PLN ...
By Paul Wright
A federal district court in New York held that a medical indifference claim required administrative exhaustion under the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) even though money damages were not available as a remedy in the prison grievance system. After staying the suit and remanding the case for ...
Paul Wright
Recent issues of PLN have reported on criminal justice news in Texas and the response from Republican presidential candidate, George Bush Jr., to these events. PLN has reported on Bush's supervision of the Texas plantation-like prison system and death machine to duly point out the fact that, in ...
By Paul Wright
With the American electoral process consisting largely of saccharine spectacle, and with no substantive issues to get in the way of corporate rule, prisoner bashing has become an accepted political path to elected office. Politicians vie with each other to show who is most insensitive to human ...
Remember that effective August 1, 2000, PLN's prisoner subscription rate will be $18 for 12 issues, and $9 for six issues. Prisoner subscriptions will be prorated at $1.50 per issue. Rates for non prisoners will remain the same, as those were raised two years ago.
The June and July issues ...
By Paul Wright
On May 13, 1999, the Washington Department of Corrections ended its last remaining prison telemarketing program. As reported in the August, 1998, issue of PLN, prison telemarketing has had a controversial history in Washington prisons. In 1998 the Washington DOC ended its state run telemarketing operation at ...
On May 16, 2000, the Prison Activist Resource Center in Berkeley sponsored a fundraiser party for PLN in San Francisco. The hip hop/dance party featured DJ Neta, Bamudhi, Local 1200 DJs, Vine Folks and Emma Said. PLN co-founder Ed Mead spoke at the party and PLN contributing writer Mark Cook ...
By Paul Wright
As the article in this issue mentions, PLN contributing writer Mark Cook was recently released from prison after 24 years. We wish Mark the best.
Former contributing writer O'Neil Stough was recently released from prison and, unfortunately, did not do very well as he committed suicide earlier ...
In May, 1990, the first issue of Prisoners' Legal News (PLN) was published. It was hand typed, photocopied and ten pages long. The first issue was mailed to 75 potential subscribers. Its budget was $50. The first 3 issues were banned in all Washington prisons, the first 18 in all ...
