Some of the more recent decisions indicate that a sheriff's department may be held liable under negligence theory for the release of an indigent person and that liability sometimes hinges on prison administrators' prior knowledge. Other decisions indicate that State statutes preventing lawsuits during confinement may be unconstitutional, that punitive damages may be assessed against prison guards, that a city is not necessarily liable for prisoner suicide, that officials may be held liable for acts of escapees, and that police officers may be held liable for beating mentally ill arrestees. The U.S. Supreme Court has limited municipal liability for police acts, has denied absolute judicial immunity to members of disciplinary hearing boards, and has ruled that prisoners may not use civil rights actions to sue prison officials for negligence. A total of 39 case law summaries are included.