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Prison Litigation Reform Act Must be Fixed, Law denies justice to victims (04/22/2008)
Washington, DC – The House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is scheduled to examine reform of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which was originally passed by Congress in 1996 as a way to stem the tide against what were thought to be frivolous lawsuits by prisoners. Since that time, the law has been used repeatedly to deny justice to victims of rape, assault, religious rights violations and other serious abuses.

Breakthrough in Case for Children Stuck in Costly Mental Institutions (09/28/2007)
LOS ANGELES - In a breakthrough ruling that affects more than 25,000 California children suffering from serious mental illness, U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz has ordered an expert to oversee the expansion of home- and community-based mental health services for children who would otherwise end up in costly group homes and institutions.

ACLU Report Exposes Ongoing Civil and Human Rights Violations on the Gulf Coast as Katrina's Second Anniversary Nears (08/20/2007)
NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union today released a report revealing continuing incidents of racial injustice and human rights abuses on the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area two years ago. In its report, Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina, the ACLU exposes numerous civil rights violations that have occurred in Louisiana and Mississippi since the storm, including reports of heightened racially motivated police activity, housing discrimination, and prisoner abuse.

NYCLU Urges City Council to Oppose Jail Standard Changes (06/07/2007)
NEW YORK - In testimony today before the New York City Council, the New York Civil Liberties Union will argue that proposed changes to the Minimum Standards governing New York City jails would erode civil liberties and public safety and unfairly punish pre-trial prisoners who have not been convicted of any crime. Along with a coalition of advocates, the NYCLU will ask the City Council to urge the New York City Board of Correction to abandon the proposed changes.

Court Says ACLU Likely to Prevail on Claims Regarding Immigrant Children Detained at Hutto Facility in Texas (04/10/2007)
AUSTIN, TX - In a ruling issued late Monday, a Texas federal court found that the American Civil Liberties Union is “highly likely to prevail” at trial on its claims that the detention of immigrant children at the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor, Texas is an abuse of discretion by federal officials and violates applicable legal standards.

ACLU of Ohio Demands Department of Justice Investigate Deaths at Butler County Jail (04/10/2007)
HAMILTON, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and Butler County Commissioners urging them to launch an immediate and thorough investigation into a string of suicides at the Butler County Jail. On Sunday, Timothy James Hughes, 19, was found dead in his cell after committing suicide, making him the fourth inmate at Butler County Jail to die in similar circumstances in under a year.

U.S. Virgin Islands Governor and Attorney General Held in Contempt Over Deficient Care for Mentally Ill Prisoners (03/01/2007)
ST. THOMAS, VI - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a federal judge’s ruling finding Virgin Islands government officials in contempt for failing to provide court-ordered mental health care and appropriate housing for mentally ill Virgin Islands prisoners.

ACLU Sues U.S. Immigration Officials and For-Profit Corrections Corporation Over Dangerous and Inhumane Housing of Detainees (01/24/2007)
SAN DIEGO - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined a lawsuit on behalf of immigration detainees at San Diego Correctional Facility, charging that chronically severe overcrowding places detainees’ health and safety at risk and is unconstitutional.

Judge Orders County to End Inhumane Overcrowding in Los Angeles County Jails (10/27/2006)
LOS ANGELES -- In response to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California's concerns about severe overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail system, a federal judge today ordered that the county immediately end its unconstitutional practices in the jail's central processing hub.

On Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, ACLU Sees America's Reputation as Human Rights Leader Diminished (08/29/2006)

ACLU Report Details Horrors Suffered by Orleans Parish Prisoners in Wake of Hurricane Katrina (08/10/2006)
NEW ORLEANS -- As the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project today released Abandoned & Abused: Orleans Parish Prisoners in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina. The report documents the experiences of thousands of men, women and children who were abandoned at Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) in the days after the storm.

ACLU of Colorado Challenges Abuse of Prisoners in Garfield County Jail (07/19/2006)
DENVER, CO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a sweeping class action lawsuit today in federal court on behalf of prisoners in the Garfield County Jail who have been subjected to widespread excessive force by deputies’ misuse and abuse of pepperball guns, restraint chairs, Tasers, pepper spray, and electroshock belts.

ACLU of Ohio Calls for Thorough Investigation into County Jail After Two Deaths (06/27/2006)
HAMILTON, OH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today sent a letter to the Department of Justice and Butler County Commissioners urging them to conduct a thorough and extensive investigation into the apparent suicides of two inmates in the Butler County Jail.

ACLU of New Mexico Demands End to Overcrowding in Women’s Prison (04/04/2006)
SANTA FE, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today asked a state court to force Corrections Secretary Joe Williams to relieve overcrowding at the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility in Grants. According to the ACLU, inmates are being housed in public communal areas that are not designed for long-term custody, causing increased tensions and fighting among inmates as well as the backup of sewage into living areas.

Advocates Urge Accountability for U.S. Abuse of Power and Hurricane Katrina’s Human Rights Crisis (03/16/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Human Rights Network today urged the U.N. Human Rights Committee to hold the U.S. government accountable for flagrant and repeated violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

ACLU of Wisconsin Seeks Further Court Action to Remedy "Appalling" Jail Conditions (01/31/2006)
MILWAUKEE, WI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee today asked a court to levy fines against Milwaukee County for failing to correct what experts described as “unacceptable, if not appalling” conditions at the Milwaukee County Jail.

ACLU Urges New Orleans City Council to Review Conditions at Prison (12/08/2005)
In response to reports that hundreds of prisoners have returned to Orleans Parish Prison, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today urged the City Council to conduct a full and thorough review of the conditions within the facility. In letters to each council member, the ACLU expressed concern that Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman re-opened the prison despite the lack of adequate evacuation plans or medical staff and equipment.

Men and Women at Orleans Parish Prison Detail Chaos Following Katrina (11/17/2005)
NEW ORLEANS -- In legal papers filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union, 45 men and women formerly detained at Orleans Parish Prison recount disturbing details of being abandoned without food or water and abused by guards after Hurricane Katrina struck.

Sheriff Illegally Withholding Records on Orleans Parish Prison, ACLU Lawsuit Charges (11/10/2005)
BATON ROUGE, LA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed a lawsuit charging that Orleans Parish Prison officials are violating state law by refusing to turn over public records that would shine light on why prisoners were abandoned when Hurricane Katrina struck.