Home : Prisoners' Rights

Federal Court Rules WY Prison Officials Have Duty to Protect Inmates in their Custody (11/27/2002)
CHEYENNE, WY-Setting an important new standard for prisoner safety, a federal court today ruled that state prison officials have a duty to protect prisoners from violence at the hands of other prisoners, the American Civil Liberties Unions announced.

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.

ACLU and Cook County Agree on Plan to Improve Chronic Conditions at IL Juvenile Detention Center (10/02/2002)
CHICAGO--Young persons detained at the nation's largest juvenile detention center should see marked improvement in the conditions of their confinement as a result of a court-enforceable agreement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois announced today.

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.

Citing Expert Reports on Inhumane Prison Conditions, ACLU Asks Court to Speed Review of MS Prison Case (09/06/2002)
JACKSON, MS--The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal court to speed review of a lawsuit over prison conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, citing reports by court-appointed experts detailing inhumane conditions that have directly contributed to psychiatric problems in the prison population.

ACLU Calls Prison Rape Reduction Bill Positive Step, But Says More Needed to Protect Current Victims (07/31/2002)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today gave its qualified support to a prison rape reduction bill, which it says is a positive step, but said also that the problem needs more comprehensive reform.

ACLU Challenges Arizona Law That Censors Anti-Death Penalty Web Sites (07/18/2002)
PHOENIX-Acting on behalf of anti-death penalty and other advocacy groups, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in Arizona federal district court seeking to invalidate a state law that bans all information about Arizona prisoners from the global Internet. 

ACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Iowa Inmate Denied Medication to Control Mental Illness (06/13/2002)
DES MOINES--The Iowa Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit on behalf of a schizophrenic prisoner who was punished for misbehavior that occurred after prison officials withheld medications that would have controlled her illness.

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.