American Civil Liberties Union

Prisoners' Rights:
The ACLU's National Prison Project is the only national litigation program on behalf of prisoners. Since 1972, the NPP has represented more than 100,000 men, women and children. The NPP continues to fight unconstitutional conditions and the "lock 'em up" mentality that prevails in the legislatures. Learn more about our project and take action to protect the rights guaranteed to all Americans.


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Prisoner Rights : General : Press Releases

West Virginia High Court Rules for Fundamental Fairness in Implementing State Prisons' 'Good Behavior' Policy (06/19/2003)
CHARLESTON, WV--In a victory for the due process rights of prison inmates, the state Supreme Court today ruled that prison officials here could not deny an inmate the possibility of earning "good time" credit that could reduce their sentences, the American Civil Liberties of West Virginia announced.

ACLU of West Virginia Calls for Fundamental Fairness in Implementing State Prisons' 'Good Behavior' Policy (04/09/2003)
CHARLESTON, WV--The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia today argued before the state Supreme Court that prison officials here violated the due process rights of an inmate when they denied him the possibility of earning "good time" credit that could reduce his sentence.

Ignored by Officials, TX Prisoner Secretly Collected DNA Evidence on Guard Who Raped Him, ACLU Lawsuit Reveals (10/08/2002)
WASHINGTON--The American Civil Liberties Union today filed its second lawsuit in recent months over prisoner rape in Texas, charging that a guard who repeatedly raped a 22-year-old man was not punished until after the prisoner provided DNA evidence of the assaults.

CA Court Says Prisoners Have First Amendment Right To Receive "Snail Mail" Printed From the Internet (09/11/2002)
SAN FRANCISCO--In a case that affects prisoners throughout the state, a federal judge today upheld the First Amendment right of a California prisoner to receive mail that contains material printed from the Internet.

ACLU Warns Arizona Officials on Law That Punishes Prisoners Whose Names Appear Online (06/11/2002)
PHOENIX, AZ--The American Civil Liberties Union today sent a letter to Arizona prison officials demanding suspension of a state law that bans prisoners from contacting groups or individuals who may post information about them online.

People Cleared of Wrongdoing Were Held in Jail, Treated Like Criminals, ACLU of Hawai'i Charges (12/11/2001)
HONOLULU-- Prolonged detention of individuals cleared by a jury of wrongdoing is a travesty of justice, according to legal papers filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai`i in a class action lawsuit. 

Federal Court Sanctions Government Attorneys Who Secretly Read Prisoners' Legal Mail (09/15/1999)
BOISE, ID -- In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal court has ruled that government attorneys here violated "ethical and professional obligations" when they secretly read prisoners' confidential legal mail.

Jail Inmates and Their Families Protest Video-Only Visits (07/20/1999)
TAMPA, FL -- The tiny hand of his 14-month-old daughter pressed against a glass barricade was the lifeline that kept jail inmate Michael Barfield connected to his family and the outside world.

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