Mayor Seeks Answers to DC Jail Shootings. CBS - W*USA 9 News. 21 December 2003.                      "Doug Sparks is a DC lawyer . . . currently suing the city on behalf of the family of Givon Pendleton, a 24-year-old inmate who was stabbed to death . . . last December. . . . Sparks says based on clients he has represented such as Pendleton, he [is] not surprised by Saturday?s shooting."

Jailhouse Gunfire. Fox 5 News. 22 December 2003.                                                                                   "One year ago, a folding knife was smuggled into the jail and used to stab Givon Pendleton. Sparks says that the DC Government has yet to explain how the knife entered the jail, but that he intends to get some answers through the lawsuit filed less than two weeks ago."

Questions About Gunfire at the DC Jail. Fox 5 News. 22 December 2003.                                                "One year later, tears still flow for Givon Pendleton?s mother. Her lawyer, Douglas Sparks, describes the conditions at DC Jail as a disgrace."

DC Jail Itemizes Smuggled Weapons. Washington Post. 23 December 2003.                                              "Doug Sparks, an attorney for the family of an inmate who was stabbed to death at the jail last December, said the weapon in that case [may have been] smuggled by a corrections officer."

Weapons Found in City Jail. Washington Post -District Weekly. 29 January 2004.                                   "Douglas R. Sparks, a Washington lawyer who has represented inmates assaulted and killed in the jail, said. . .[the jail] is extraordinarily dangerous . . . .?These numbers illustrate that the DC Jail is a facility full of armed inmates . . . When inmates fear for their lives, they will arm themselves for protection. It is cruel that inmates at the District?s jail, most of whom are awaiting trial, are forced to live in these violent conditions.?"

DC Jail Crisis 2002- 2004

District Paid $12 Million in Settlements. Legal Times. 1 July 2002.                                                      "DC lawyer Douglas Sparks, who has represented inmates in thousands of personal injury cases over the past 15 years, says stabbing cases became an easy win because the District did nothing to keep inmates from injuring one another.  The District was so obviously neglectful, time after time that these cases became easy,? Sparks says."

Business From Behind Bars. Legal Times. 8 July 2002.                                                                              "The District settled quickly...because DC government lawyers noted that Howie?s lawyer, Douglas Sparks, was prepared to show prospective jurors a photo of the 12-inch knife jutting from his client?s back.... Sparks is one of a handful of local lawyers that have made a living representing prisoners.... The most prolific firm in 2001 was Allen & Sparks."

Question and Answer with Pamela Chase, Fraternal Order of Police-Department of Corrections. Washington Post. 28 December 2003.

In Danger in the DC Jail. Editorial. Washington Post. 1 January 2004.                                                  "To be in the DC Jail is to be unguarded and unprotected . . . . The DC Jail, as the recent shooting and countless other beating and stabbings illustrate, is a very dangerous place for inmates and staff alike."

Clueless at the Department of Corrections. Washington Post. Colbert King Op-Ed. 3 January 2004.       "Want to know why it?s hard to take city officials seriously? . . . [T]wo weeks after a small-caliber handgun was smuggled into the prison and fired in broad daylight, [Director] Washington and [Union Spokesperson] Chase are clueless about how the gun got there and who used it."