Anticipating 2026: Trump's Impact On Correctional Healthcare & Criminal Justice
Highlighted Stories
Editor's Note
Last year, 2025, was an eventful and consequential first year of the second Trump Administration, and its impact was reflected across many stories in the Weekly Update. As we begin this new year, the Highlighted Stories section turns to three federal actions that will almost certainly shape the year ahead: the executive order Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets; the expansion and escalating activity of ICE made possible by significant increases in federal funding; and the Medicaid cuts embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The first highlighted article, from JAMA Health Forum, examines the projected consequences of the executive order (EO) on homelessness. The study anticipates that eliminating housing first funding will lead to a 5% increase in homelessness nationally. And the EO apparently has the solution to this anticipated increase: it encourages the Attorney General to provide guidance and funding to states on implementing civil commitment. A central aim of the EO is to clear homeless people from public spaces. We are already seeing early signs of this in Utah in the second article, where the state is planning large detention-style mental health and drug treatment centers outside Salt Lake City. Alongside the executive order, the Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson opened the legal door for such detentions. Switching now to the articles that illustrate where the federal government is willing to invest in housing, we come to two more stories—both involving ICE detention centers operated by CoreCivic and GEO Group. The first details allegations that these companies have used forced labor under threat of solitary confinement, imposed on people who have not been convicted of a crime. The next article reports California Attorney General Rob Bonta's blistering assessment of conditions at the California City Immigration Processing Center, a CoreCivic-run facility and the state's largest ICE detention center. Inspections cite insufficient medical care, staff shortages, and reliance on solitary confinement. As COCHS noted in the December 9, 2025 Weekly Update, both CoreCivic and GEO Group have been reporting significant profit increases tied directly to ICE detention. Finally, we turn to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The last highlighted story covers the Idaho Sheriffs' Association sounding the alarm about Medicaid cuts, warning that slashing mental health services is certain to harm public safety and drive more people into jails. Those concerns have intensified now that Magellan, the state's Medicaid behavioral health contractor, has cut services for people with severe mental illness. As Idaho Sheriffs' Association President Samuel Hulse noted, when these services disappear, "the default is the justice system." As these stories make clear, the landscape has shifted dramatically over the past year. And as the dust settles, we can see the outlines of what is emerging: a growing constellation of detention centers, private prisons, and local jails absorbing the human fallout of federal policy. The United States already incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other nation and judging by these developments, that distinction appears increasingly secure.
Ending Crime and Disorder in America Streets
JAMA Health Forum: Potential Changes in US Homelessness by Ending Federal Support for Housing First Programs
In 2003, the federal government began funding Housing First pilots, and many Housing First programs continue to rely heavily on federal dollars. In July 2025, the Executive Order, Ending Crime and Disorder in America Streets, ended support for Housing First and sought to eliminate discretionary federal spending on such programs. As context, in 2022 there were approximately 309,972 people in permanent supportive housing (PSH) or rapid rehousing (RRH), with 189,229 in PSH alone. This study models what would happen if federal support were withdrawn. If all federal funding for Housing First PSH and RRH programs were eliminated, the researchers predict 44,590 additional people experiencing homelessness in the following year. If federal funding were maintained for RRH but ended for PSH, the projected increase is 13,210. Conversely, if PSH funding were preserved but RRH funding eliminated, the increase is 38,890. The authors note that not all housing offered on a Housing First basis would disappear immediately if federal funding ceased, but the consequences would still be significant. Overall, the study projects that homelessness would rise by 5% within a year, on top of an already increasing baseline trend.
The Times: Utah's Trumpian homeless 'campus' — lifeline or detention camp?
Since taking office, the president has intensified efforts to cut federal support for permanent housing and urged states to expand court-ordered civil commitment. In Utah, officials have designated a remote parcel of land for a proposed "services campus" that could hold up to 1,300 homeless people for involuntary mental health and addiction treatment. Civil rights advocates have condemned both the presidential order and Utah's plan as a return to an era of mass institutionalization. The proposal closely tracks the president's July executive order, "Ending Crime And Disorder On America's Streets," which encourages states to use tougher enforcement to clear homeless people from public areas. Although the campus is still in planning stages and not expected to open until 2027, Utah officials say it will provide "residential and in-patient treatment" and possibly vocational programs.
ICE & Private Prisons
Freedom United: Why rapid growth in detention is a threat to ending forced labor
ICE pays out over 1.2 billion dollars to GEO Group and CoreCivic each year alone, despite both companies being increasingly reliant on detainee labor. What sets labor in detention facilities apart is that detainees have not been convicted of any crime. So, how is forced labor justified in detention centers? Under the guise of "voluntary work programs" Under the guise of "voluntary work programs" across the nation. However, as advocates have exposed, immigrant detainees are compelled by private corporations "GEO" and "CoreCivic" to perform facility management labor often under the threat of solitary confinement, and the deprivation of food or material necessities—for $1 or less each day.
Fresno Bee: CA attorney general slams conditions at California's largest ICE detention facility
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he has "grave concerns" about the quality of medical care and living conditions at California's newest and largest ICE detention center following a state inspection. In a seven-page letter sent last week to Department of Homeland Security officials, Bonta said conditions at the California City Immigration Processing Center in Kern County appear to violate ICE's own standards for detention facilities. The federal government, CoreCivic and California City are facing two lawsuits over the facility's alleged rushed reopening process, living conditions and insufficient medical care. The privately-operated facility run by Tennessee-based CoreCivic quietly started receiving federal immigration detainees in late August under new contracts awarded by the Trump administration in April.
Medicaid Cutbacks
Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho isn't sure mental health cuts will save money long-term, Medicaid director says
Idaho health officials aren't sure that a Medicaid contractor's cuts to critical mental health services will save the state money in the long run. State officials argue that some mental health services for people with severe illness still exist. These claims come weeks after contractor Magellan Healthcare's cuts to services for people with severe mental illness took effect. On the day the cuts went into effect, Idaho Sheriffs' Association President Samuel Hulse warned the governor and state lawmakers that the cuts—caused by "self-inflicted" budget woes—would risk public safety. Hulse, who is Bonneville County's sheriff, stated it's clear that the Legislature "cut deep enough that they now have a problem." Sheriffs run the jails, which he said "are the default mental institutions of the nation. When you don't have the other services provided in the community, we know they default into the justice system."
Follow Ups
San Diego
Editor's Comment: In the final Weekly Update of 2025, we led the Follow Up section with a story from San Diego County—and we begin this New Year's Follow Up in the same place. This week's article details the death of a man with dementia who, after being hospitalized and briefly housed in the jail's medical unit, was placed in solitary confinement. He later died. His family is now suing the sheriff and NaphCare, the jail's healthcare provider. This story is particularly relevant as a Follow Up because, as noted in the final Follow Up of 2025, San Diego County had entered into a partnership with Paradise Valley Hospital and recently expanded the authority of the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) to oversee healthcare delivery in the jail. As we noted last year, the partnership with the hospital is a welcome step. However, the circumstances described in this week's article suggest that the decision to strengthen CLERB's oversight powers was not only timely but warranted.
San Diego Union Tribune: San Diego jail wrongly held 82-year-old with dementia in solitary confinement, where he died, new lawsuit says
This article recounts the death of Karim Talib, an 82-year-old man with dementia who died this year in the San Diego Central Jail. A federal civil rights lawsuit filed on December 19, 2025, alleges that sheriff's deputies and jail medical staff ignored clear signs that Mr. Talib's health was deteriorating in the days before his death. The suit names the County of San Diego, the Sheriff's Office, the jail's medical contractor, NaphCare, and individual doctors, nurses, and mental-health clinicians as defendants. The article describes how Mr. Talib was moved from a hospital to the jail's medical unit and then to solitary confinement, where his condition worsened. Other detained people reported witnessing his visible decline, noting that he was left lying in his own fecal matter before he died.
Oregon
Editor's Comment: Oregon stories also made frequent appearances in last year's Weekly Update ( August 5,2025, June 25, 2025, & February 25,2025). The Department of Corrections now says it is making progress on the recommendations of Falcon Correction and Community Services. Also of note, the department has implemented an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. The fact that Oregon finally implemented an EHR in 2025 is, to say the least, breathtaking. But at COCHS, we have had our breath taken away before—most notably in the Editor's Note of September 23, 2025, when it was announced, with no small amount of amazement, that Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia had implemented EHRs in their correctional systems. At that time we wrote that adopting EHRs at such a late date seemed like "technological deliberate indifference". Still, any progress is welcome. Unfortunately, progress on the adult side of Oregon's correctional system appears to be outpacing that on the juvenile side. As the second Oregon article reports, the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is experiencing systemic, cascading failures.
The Lund Report: Oregon prison health care changes underway
Following years of reports of substandard care and some high-profile firings of top officials, Oregon Department of Corrections officials say they are making substantial progress overhauling how care is provided to people housed in state prisons. State correctional officials say they have reduced the backlog in appointments to see outside medical experts by as much as 50 percent by hiring more health care and transport staff. The department has also started putting in place an electronic health records system (Fusion) to replace its reliance on paper documents. It's also launched telemedicine services. In February, 2025, the department fired its top two medical division administrators after they were placed on leave last December after an outside investigator reported serious problems under their leadership.
Oregon Live: 5 takeaways from Oregon youth prison investigation that detailed 'cascading failures'
A Marion County grand jury report released this week detailed "cascading failures" at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility citing systemic issues ranging from security flaws to unaddressed violence. The grand jury concluded MacLaren is struggling because it is asked to fill too many roles, resulting in an "inability to fulfill any of them well." Youth sentenced to MacLaren may remain there until their 25th birthday before they can be transferred to an adult prison. That means 60% of its population is over 18. The facility is often unable to meet mental health needs.
Shelby County, Tennessee
Editor's Comment: Unbelievable. In the Editor's Note of November 25, 2025, we highlighted a story from Shelby County, Tennessee, as an example of a sheriff who appeared to believe that once medical care is contracted out to a proprietary healthcare vendor (Wellpath), all responsibility shifts to that entity. The story below suggests that this assumption remains firmly in place within the sheriff's department. As our subscribers may recall, an incarcerated paraplegic man live-streamed, via Facebook, the apparently horrific conditions inside the jail. He was eventually released. Now, however, a warrant has been issued for his arrest for possessing contraband while incarcerated—namely, the phone he used to document and broadcast those conditions. According to the article, the sheriff stated in what seems to be a reference to the content of the video that the "medical care company comes from a contract with the county," a remark that appears to imply that responsibility for jail medical care lies elsewhere—specifically with the correctional healthcare vendor. This episode underscores just how siloed the criminal justice system can be. In that same Editor's Note from November 25, we also referenced an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision holding that a county may still be liable if its policy of retaining an incompetent contractor amounts to deliberate indifference to incarcerated people's constitutional rights. The contrast between that ruling and the sheriff's apparent stance in Shelby County could not be more stark.
Fox13: Former 201 Poplar inmate facing new charges for live video inside jail
A former inmate at the Shelby County Jail faces new charges for a Facebook Live video shot from inside the jail's medical pod. Records show an active warrant has been issued for Derrick McDonald's arrest for possession of contraband in a penal facility. The vido showed some of the conditions inside the medical pod, with claims there was no monitoring and a blind man left wandering. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said there was an internal investigation, and said the medical care company comes from a contract with the county.
Mississippi
Editor's Comment: "Why are people getting sicker when we're paying millions for medical care?" As our subscribers will recall, this was the question House Corrections Committee Chairwoman Rep. Becky Currie asked after inspecting care provided by VitalCore and encountering incarcerated people with Hepatitis C and HIV who had been denied medication. The article below continues the investigation into Hepatitis C treatment within Mississippi's correctional system, followed by a podcast interview with the reporters behind the story. In that discussion, they describe additional cases in which medical treatment was denied or delayed and provide an update on Rep. Currie's plans for the current legislative session.
Mississippi Today: Mississippi woman battles a curable disease in prison as friend amplifies her story
Hundreds of people incarcerated in Mississippi diagnosed with hepatitis C who have not received treatment. A Mississippi Today report published earlier this year showed that only a fraction of over 800 people with documented hepatitis C diagnoses — less than 6% — received treatment between January and March of this year. House Corrections Committee Chairwoman Rep. Becky Currie, who has spent the past year pushing for reforms to health care in Mississippi prisons, previously called the prevalence of untreated hepatitis C in carceral facilities "a public health crisis." Across the entire state prison system, only 48 people received treatment out of about 19,000 people incarcerated by the state
The Greenwood Commonwealth: The Other Side Podcast: Will Mississippi see meaningful prison health care reform?
In this podcast, the reporters behind the Mississippi article discussed above examine healthcare in the state's prison system, which is currently contracted to VitalCore. In addition to the Hepatitis C story, they recount the case of an incarcerated man who fell and broke his arm but did not receive treatment for a week. He subsequently developed sepsis, and his arm had to be amputated. He is now suing VitalCore. This example illustrates how routine medical conditions, when ignored or delayed by correctional healthcare vendors, can quickly spiral into catastrophic and irreversible health outcomes. The interviewees also note that Representative Becky Currie plans to pursue wide-ranging policy fixes in the coming year to address what appears to be systemic inadequacies in medical care across Mississippi's prison system.
New York
Editor's Comment: The New York Follow Up for 2026 begins, unsurprisingly, with multiple stories. The long-running "will she or won't she" speculation over whether Gov. Kathy Hochul would sign the prison reform bill is now over: she signed it, though with modifications. Correctional officers are unhappy, while advocates are already pressing for additional reforms in 2026. Meanwhile, one of the correctional officers convicted in the killing of Robert Brooks has been sentenced to 25 years to life. But if it appears that the travails of New York's correctional system are reaching some measure of closure—guess again. Last week, The New York Times published an article raising questions about other deaths within the prison system, beginning with the case of Ladale Kennedy and a video in which he can be heard pleading with officers not to kill him.
New York Times: N.Y. Governor Signs Prison Reform Bill After Beatings and Deaths
The legislative package, which Ms. Hochul agreed to with some changes that the State Legislature is expected to approve early next year, includes expanding 24/7 camera coverage within prisons to everywhere except inside toilet stalls, showers and prison cells. New York State will be required to study prison deaths, do a quicker job of notifying the families of the deceased and make footage of deaths available to investigators. The new law expands and diversifies the State Commission of Correction, an oversight and regulatory body, and also makes it easier for the state attorney general's office to investigate deaths inside prisons. (The bill that originally passed called for six new appointees to the State Commission of Correction; the governor's amendments have cut that to two new part-time commissioners.)
The City: Gov. Hochul Touts Prison Reform Bill. Advocates Charge It Falls Short of Needed Overhaul.
Correction officers' union leaders blasted the new laws, arguing Hochul overreacted to isolated crimes by imposing new layers of oversight on a workforce they say is already stretched thin and under constant scrutiny. In a statement, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association said it was "deeply disappointed" the governor signed the omnibus bill, even while acknowledging the gravity of Brooks' death. Advocates counter that decades of deference to correctional staff concerns helped entrench a culture where abuse went unchecked, and said the backlash underscores why stronger external oversight is necessary.
Times Union: New York isn't done with prison reform, state lawmakers say
After striking a deal this month with Gov. Kathy Hochul on the most significant package of prison oversight legislation in years, Democrats in the state Legislature say they're not done with the New York corrections system. Several other proposals will be on the table at the state Capitol next year after members of the state Senate and Assembly left several items out of that package. State Sen. Julia Salazar, chair of the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee, says she will also seek additional measures in 2026, including parole reform.
CBS: Ex-New York prison guard convicted in Robert Brooks beating death gets max sentence
A former New York prison guard was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the beating death of inmate Robert Brooks. David Kingsley, a former state corrections officer, wore an orange jumpsuit and body armor to his court appearance Friday in Utica. Nine other guards were charged in the case. Six pleaded guilty, while Matthew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer were acquitted.
New York Times: They, Too, Died After Beatings by Guards. No One Raised an Alarm.
The rate of deaths per year in the New York correctional facilities has been on the rise even though the number of people being held in the prisons has declined, the records show. Last year the death count hit 144 — the highest number in the past seven years. The beating deaths of Robert L. Brooks and Messiah Nantwi has raised concerns that other deaths were a result of beatings by correctional officers. The article points to the death of another incarcerated person, Ladale Kennedy as another example of such a death. In a video of a cell extraction Mr. Kennedy can be heard begging officers not to kill him.
Jail Healthcare Landscape
BNO News: Linking Jail Injuries to Systemic Medical Negligence and Civil Justice
This article provides a overview of the challenges of delivering healthcare in jails. It highlights an often overlooked fact: once a person is detained, they lose control over their own healthcare, and responsibility shifts entirely to the jail and its contracted medical providers. The article notes that privatized correctional healthcare vendors operate under profit motives, and that profit and adequate care often do not align. Cost-cutting measures and chronic staffing shortages further contribute to systemic breakdowns in care delivery. The piece also includes an informative chart outlining many of these system failures.
Incarcerated Women
Marshall Project: Women Are Sent to This Federal Prison for Dialysis. They Say It's Killing Them.
The Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, is the only federal women's prison that provides in-patient dialysis. Martha Perez, who was incarcerated at Carswell, often told her daughter that her dialysis treatments were intermittent. She died in June 2023. According to Bureau of Prisons mortality reviews from 2015 through April 2020, at least three women receiving dialysis at Carswell died. Other women undergoing dialysis there described poor machine maintenance, including broken parts, discolored tubing, and incorrect settings. Pipes reportedly broke frequently, leaving the dialysis machines sitting in water. Carswell contracts with the University of North Texas Health Science Center for much of its medical care, and the Health Science Center, in turn, subcontracts dialysis services to the private provider U.S. Renal Care of West Fort Worth.
NBC News: Lawmakers vow to improve care for pregnant women in jails
Lawmakers around the country, moved by harrowing stories of pregnancies in jail, are calling for new measures that make sure women and babies get the medical help they need. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., has been trying since 2023 to pass a bill to improve health care for incarcerated women. She plans to introduce a new version of her Pregnant Women in Custody Act next month. The bill would require the federal government to collect data on pregnancies in jails, evaluate local and state policies and teach corrections staff about the risks faced by pregnant detainees and prisoners. It would also require the federal Bureau of Prisons to provide special care to pregnant inmates and curtail the use of restrictive housing at federal facilities and immigration detention centers.
Stateline: Incarcerated women often don't have enough period products
Researchers, advocates and formerly incarcerated people describe across prisons and jails nationwide that even where menstrual products are available, limited supplies, low-quality products, strict disciplinary rules and delays in medical care can result in incarcerated people facing potentially avoidable health issues or disciplinary write-ups. Access to menstrual products also has been a persistent issue in immigration detention centers, with recent reports and lawsuits alleging that women in some facilities have been unable to obtain or outright denied feminine hygiene products despite federal standards and law requiring sufficient and timely access.
East Bay Times: Dozens sue over sexual abuse, voyeurism at California jail
More than three dozen past and current inmates have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging male Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies sexually abused, harassed and routinely watched women shower in the solitary confinement module inside Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. The lawsuit, filed in late October by 38 women, states the abuse is so widespread that an area next to the showers in the administrative segregation module — commonly referred to as "the hole" — is designated as the "cop shop" by female inmates and correctional officers.
BOP
blogcritics: Federal Prison Healthcare in Crisis: DOJ Inspector General Uncovers Alarming Conditions at Seattle Detention Facility
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General has issued a report exposing what can only be described as a prison healthcare crisis at the Federal Detention Center SeaTac in Washington State. Among its most troubling findings: staff were failing to log sick-call requests into the EHR; the facility had not employed a phlebotomist since June 2024; and it had accumulated a backlog of 480 laboratory order. Preventive healthcare screenings were routinely missed—only 38% of women received the required pregnancy test at intake. Severe staffing shortages compounded these treatment gaps: with staffing levels at just 69%, only 41% of required inmate-monitoring rounds were completed. These lapses raise profound concerns about the BOPs' ability to meet its constitutional obligations.
Nutritions
Hunter College New York City Food Policy: It's Time to Talk About Prison Food
In 2025, the Department of Justice conducted surprise inspections of federal prison kitchens. Inspectors found rotting produce, insect-infested storage rooms, broken refrigeration, and bread visibly covered in mold. The report shocked everyone, except the people eating the food. We rarely think about the food served to those incarcerated. Yet prison meals, what they contain and how they are prepared, tell us almost everything about what a society believes punishment should be. Most states spend less than $3 per person per day. The result: ultra-processed starches, soy-based protein fillers, sugary drinks, and kitchens so unsanitary they would be shut down if they were restaurants. Food services are labor-intensive and easy to outsource. Companies such as Aramark and Trinity Services Group now serve meals in prisons across the country and often run the commissary as well.
State Roundup
California
CalMatters: How justice changed in California in 2025: Prop. 36 toughened penalties, prisons kept shrinking
A year after Californians voted for a conservative shift in criminal justice policy, they began to see the results. Proposition 36, approved by voters last year, gave prosecutors the ability to charge people convicted of various third-time drug offenses with a so-called treatment-mandated felony – a choice between behavioral health treatment or up to three years in jail or prison. In the law's first six months, 9,000 people were charged with a treatment-mandated felony and nearly 15% — or 1,290 people — elected treatment. Of the 771 people placed into treatment, 25 had completed it by the end of June.
Los Angeles Daily News: LA County can't keep up with drug treatment demand inside jails
Los Angeles County is struggling to keep up with a rising demand for opioid addiction medications within its jails, forcing it to place more than 800 inmates on waitlists for treatment in October and November. As of Dec. 18, the number of inmates waiting for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has come back down to 357, according to the county, but substance abuse treatment experts say the two-month surge and the hundreds still on the list today are evidence of the desperate need for more investment in the potentially life-saving program. One of the reasons for the increased demand for treatment this year is likely due to a spike in the jail's population. Nearly 1,000 more people are in the jails as a direct result of the passage of Proposition 36 in 2024.
NBC: Grand jury indicts 3 current, former deputies in Santa Rita Jail death case
A criminal grand jury has indicted three current and former Alameda County sheriff's deputies in the 2021 in-custody death of Maurice Monk at Santa Rita Jail. The grand jury returned indictments against Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Thomas Mowrer, and Donall Rowe, who were arraigned on charges of dependent elder abuse, prosecutors said in a statement. Hayer was also indicted on an additional felony count of falsification of an official document.Alameda County already reached a settlement related to Monk's death. The county agreed to a $7 million settlement with Monk's family, and also required the Sheriff's Office to improve inmate observation. In June, Wellpath settled a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the family for $2.5 million.
Colorado
DrBicuspid: Dentist claims he was fired amid concerns over mercury fillings
A dentist who worked at Colorado state prisons filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming he was fired hours after sounding the alarm about the ongoing practice of placing mercury-containing tooth fillings in prisoners. In an email, Hardin, a contracted dentist who worked at a state women's prison and another facility for prisoners with complex medical conditions, allegedly suggested that the prison system should change its approach to tooth fillings, which currently uses mercury amalgam. In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that amalgam poses a threat to vulnerable patients, including those who are pregnant, nursing, and individuals with some preexisting medical conditions.
Delaware
WHYY: Delaware settles lawsuit that alleged 'systemic failures' with how state provides special education services for prisoners
Federal laws have guaranteed free public education to everybody with a learning disability up to age 22, including young adults in correctional facilities. For years in Delaware, according to a federal lawsuit filed last year by Community Legal Aid Society, educational services for men ages 18 to 22 have been fraught with "systemic failures" at the state's prisons The lawsuit was filed while John Carney was governor, and his administration tried to get the case dismissed from U.S. District Court in Wilmington. But under Carney's successor, Matt Meyer, who took office the state has decided this month to settle the lawsuit and agreed to make substantial policy revisions and improvements within the prisons to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Hawai'i
Hawai'i Public Radio: Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation seeks changes to solitary confinement law
The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation wants the state Legislature to loosen a law that sets stronger regulations on the use of solitary confinement on incarcerated individuals. DCR Director Tommy Johnson told lawmakers that the department is currently unable to comply with the law. But an analysis by Office of Hawaiian Affairs staff showed that the changes would likely erode the intent of the law. Some of the changes propposed by the department include no longer requiring the department to provide a person in protective custody opportunities for activities, movement and social interaction. It would instead say that the department should strive to do those things.
Illinois
tuscon.com: Inadequate medical care became a death sentence for these jail inmates
This wide-ranging article examines healthcare conditions across multiple jails in Illinois, highlighting numerous lawsuits that followed the deaths of incarcerated people. Sheriffs cite limited resources and the growing number of individuals with severe mental illness entering their facilities as key challenges. These pressures are compounded by a shrinking mental-health workforce and declining community treatment options. The number of psychiatric beds available for people incarcerated in jails has dropped from 10,000 to just 1,000. Many jails contract with private correctional healthcare vendors—among them Correct Care Solutions/Wellpath and Advanced Correctional Healthcare.
Iowa
The Gazette: Change to the state's mental health system affects jail diversion in eastern Iowa
Sheriffs' departments in east-central Iowa are having to adjust their approach to helping certain mentally ill inmates after a change to the state's behavioral health system eliminated funding for a longtime jail diversion program. The Intensive Pretrial Jail Diversion and Mental Health Re-Entry Program was discontinued this summer in conjunction with Iowa Department of Health and Human Services' behavioral health system realignment that took effect July 1.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Correction: Massachusetts Department of Correction Announces Latest Results from Efforts to Prevent Drugs and Contraband in State Prisons
The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC)y released new data highlighting the impact of its ongoing efforts to prevent drugs and other contraband from entering state correctional facilities. Through a multi-agency task force, enhanced operation protocols and targeted education, the DOC has intercepted significant quantities of synthetic cannabinoids and other illicit substances, resulting in several arrests.
Michigan
Bridge: Michigan's prison population is aging, posing new challenges — and costs
There are currently 2,149 inmates aged 65 or older in the state, accounting for 6.7% of the state's total prison population of 32,265. The department has observed an upward trend in the average minimum sentence imposed by judges, rising from just two years two decades ago to the current five years. Longer sentences lead to the aging population build up. Aging inmates need more medical services than younger populations, increasing the need for accessible facilities and equipment such as wheelchairs and specialized systems for hearing-impaired inmates.
Mississippi
New York Times: Death at a Mississippi Jail: Brutal Beating or a Fall From Bed?
This article from The New York Times examines the death of William Wade Aycock at the Rankin County Adult Detention Center in Mississippi. For years, Aycock's family suspected that he had been murdered rather than dying from injuries sustained in a fall from his top bunk. Those suspicions gained credibility when another man who shared Aycock's cell came forward and confessed to killing him—but his confession was ignored. Reporting by both Mississippi Today and The New York Times has uncovered evidence supporting the confession and suggesting that guards took steps to hinder the investigation following Aycock's death. In addition it has been reported that some officers relied on certain incarcerated people as an informal "attack squad" to maintain order and retaliate against perceived troublemakers.
Montana
KRTV: Lawsuit claims that inmates tested positive for hepatitis C due to blood-tainted food
At least three inmates at the Cascade County Detention Center (MT) tested positive for hepatitis C for the first time after they were served food contaminated with a kitchen worker's blood in September, according to a lawsuit. The lawsuit names the food service vendor, Summit Correctional Services, and five unnamed employees as defendants.
New Jersey
The Jersey Vindicator: New Jersey prison death rate rose as population fell, state watchdog finds
New Jersey's prison watchdog says 336 people died while serving state sentences between 2018 and 2024. The state's prison population dropped by about one-third during that period. With overall deaths staying relatively steady, the rate of deaths behind bars rose, and one in seven deaths was from unnatural causes such as overdoses, suicides, homicides, or accidents. Most suicides happened in disciplinary housing units, white incarcerated people died at higher rates than Black and Hispanic people, and 15% of those who died had less than a year left before they were scheduled to be released. The Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson argues that making this kind of data public is critical to understanding what is happening behind prison walls and to preventing future deaths.
North Carolina
WFAE: Iryna's Law aims to improve public safety — but it may deepen jail and health care strains
A law that took effect this month tightens North Carolina's pretrial release rules, making it more difficult for people accused of violent offenses to be released before going to trial. The changes are expected to keep more people in jail for longer, which would add pressure on county jails across the state — many of which are already near or at capacity. The Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 307, known as Iryna's Law. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden held a media briefing on Dec. 8, 2025, to talk to reporters about his concerns related to Iryna's Law. "This law will cause our detention center numbers to rise," he said.
Pennsylvania
PA House: Pa. House approves bipartisan update to medical release system
The Pennsylvania House voted 111-92 to approve H.B. 150, a bipartisan bill streamlining the process for medical release for Pennsylvania's rapidly aging incarcerated population. Advocates say Pennsylvania's existing compassionate release process is challenging and time consuming for the more than 27% of the prison population classified as geriatric. Over the last 15 years, only 54 people have been granted release under it, and 11 people died waiting for a hearing.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Council passes bill instructing medical examiner to prioritize jail deaths
Allegheny County Council passed a resolution that instructs the county medical examiner to prioritize investigations into deaths that occur in Allegheny County Jail. The ordinance passed unanimously and establishes a protocol for expediting county detainee autopsies, which will be shared with the warden, members of the Jail Oversight Board and the county manager within three days. Under the new resolution, the county medical examiner also will prioritize investigations into deaths in the jail if at the time of the death was not due to a medical condition.
South Dakota
Agus Leader: South Dakota outpaces neighbors in fatal prison overdoses
No state that borders South Dakota has publicly confirmed a lethal overdose in a state prison in 2025. South Dakota has reported eight. Most of the suspected or confirmed overdose deaths are thought to be tied to a synthetic drug known as K2, which typically arrives in prisons on sheets of paper soaked with the chemical and dried out for smoking. With 25 total in-custody deaths for the year, the state outpaces every neighbor but Iowa, which has logged 29 deaths for an inmate population more than twice the size of South Dakota's.
Tennessee
NewsChannel9: Addiction treatment targeting recovery, safer reentry starts at Hamilton County Jail
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett announced the launch of a new medication assisted treatment program at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center. The program is paid for through a $1.2 million federal grant. The program will be run with medical care from Quality Correctional Health Care and therapy services from the McNabb Center.
Texas
Houston Chronicle: Harris County Jail fails state inspection over medical delays, continued fire alarm issues
The Harris County (Houston, TX) Jail failed to pass a state inspection after inspectors found that inmates were occasionally not taken to doctors' appointments or the emergency room. The jail was also penalized for having fire panels in trouble mode, indicating a problem with the fire alarm system. The jail was cited for the same issue in June and again in October of 2024.
Utah
KUTV: Mia Bailey initially housed with men in prison after Utah murder convictions
Mia Bailey, a transgender woman who pleaded guilty to killing both her parents, will be housed in a men's housing unit, at least initially. A Utah Department of Corrections spokesperson said Bailey will be in the intake unit while various needs are assessed, adding that it can take a few weeks to make the housing assignment, depending on availability within the unit that best fits the person's needs.
Technology
Pew: Court Reminders Have Broad Bipartisan Support
Each year, state courts handle about 66 million cases, many of which require people to go to court for at least one hearing. Although most people show up for court, no-shows in even a small percentage add up to millions of missed hearings that slow court operations and can result in severe consequences for individuals, including financial penalties, driver's license suspension, and even jail time. But courts have a proven way to reduce these missed hearings. Research suggests that sending someone a reminder about an upcoming court hearing via text, email, or phone call—just as a dentist's office or hair salon might do before an appointment—is a consistently effective way to reduce missed court hearings.
Arizona Capital Time: Arizona prisons to digitize inmate mail, citing concerns over contraband
Effective Dec. 15, Arizona's Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry will no longer deliver inmates' physical general mail, meaning all handwritten letters, drawings, photos and greeting cards must be sent to a processing facility for scanning, transcription and delivery digitally. The department makes the case for safety and security by switching from physical mail to scans, which blocks one entry point for contraband and illicit drugs. Meanwhile, criminal justice reform advocates and those close to people currently incarcerated brace for the change, carrying concerns over complete, timely and correct delivery of correspondence and inmate access amid limited tablets and kiosks.
Correctional Healthcare Vendors & Private Prisons
CoreCivic
NewsChannel9: Family sues CoreCivic for $15M after inmate left with brain damage, head disfigurement
A family is suing CoreCivic for $15 million, alleging the private prison operator failed to protect and properly care for 32-year-old Christopher Hatcher who was left permanently disabled with brain damage, after being attacked in Hardeman County Correctional Center (TN). Hatcher was stabbed multiple times by another inmate. The attack left him with severe brain damage. Hatcher can no longer speak and must write to communicate. Doctors were also forced to remove part of his brain during an operation, leaving his head disfigured. Hatcher was released on parole without receiving a scheduled neurosurgery, and that CoreCivic has since refused to provide the operation, now that he is no longer in custody.
Centurion
Chicago Sun Times: Lawmakers, reform advocates call for more oversight of prison health care
Illinois lawmakers and reform advocates are calling for stronger oversight of the state's new prison health care provider following a Chicago Sun-Times report. Centurion Health, one of the nation's largest correctional medicine companies (Centurion), was recently hired by Illinois officials despite having a record of providing inadequate health care. Lawmakers and prisoner advocates say that then Illinois Department of Corrections needs to be held accountable for ensuring the roughly 29,000 people locked in Illinois prisons are given adequate health care.
Prime Care Medical
WJAC: Inmate sues Blair County Prison, alleges lack of medical care led to multiple miscarriages
A Blair County (PA) inmate has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging that jail officials and Prime Care Medical failed to provide adequate care during a high-risk pregnancy, resulting in a miscarriage of twins. Amanda Horner says she informed medical staff -- upon her arrival -- that she was pregnant and at high-risk due to prior complications. She alleges she repeatedly reported bleeding, cramping, and pain over several weeks, but her requests for medical care were delayed or ignored despite multiple sick call requests and grievances.
Mediko
KREM: More to Every Story: Spokane County approves new medical provider for jail, promises expanded care
Spokane County commissioners unanimously approved a new contract with MEDIKO Correctional Healthcare, clearing the way for a new medical provider to take over care at the Spokane County Jail after years of lawsuits and multiple inmate deaths. Under the new contract, MEDIKO will deliver medical, dental and pharmaceutical services at the Spokane County Jail and Geiger Corrections Center. Another major focus of the new contract is the expansion of medication for opioid use disorder, also known as MOUD. NaphCare was the previous medical provider at the jail
VitalCore
WCSC: Mary Brucato's family plans suit against jail, medical provider, attorney says
An attorney representing the family of Charleston County inmate Mary Brucato says they will be filing a lawsuit by the end of January to hold those accused of wrongdoing in her death accountable. Attorney Mark Peper said the Charleston County Sheriff's Office and its medical provider, VitalCore, will be named in the lawsuit related to Brucato's August death inside the county jail. The Charleston County Coroner's Office ruled Brucato's death a homicide on Dec. 8, listing the cause of death as complications of fentanyl intoxication, recent cocaine use and medical neglect.
Quality Correctional Care (QCC)
Editor's Comment: In this very last story of an already long Weekly Update (corrections, of course, does not shut down for the holidays), we once again see the persistent belief that hiring a correctional healthcare vendor—here, Quality Correctional Care—somehow magically shields a jurisdiction from liability. Correctional healthcare is inherently complex, and it is a rare case indeed in which a jurisdiction is not sued alongside its contracted healthcare provider, see the preceeding VitalCore article. As we emphasized in the Shelby County story, with reference to an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision, a county may still be liable if its policy of retaining an incompetent contractor amounts to deliberate indifference to incarcerated people's constitutional rights.
The Republic: County hires provider for inmate medical care at Bartholomew County Jail
The Bartholomew County (IN) commissioners finalized a one-year agreement with Carmel-based Quality Correctional Care (QCC) for $1,036,334.86 to provide medical care to inmates. The county has been using QCC since June 2024. Enlisting the medical services provider is also a matter of protecting the county from liability. When the original agreement was signed, the commissioners made reference to a $7.25 million settlement the Jackson County government paid to resolve federal civil rights lawsuits filed by the surviving relative of an inmate.
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