Home : Prisoners' Rights

ACLU Presents Closing Statement in Texas Prison Sex Slave Trial (10/17/2005)
WICHITA FALLS, TX- The American Civil Liberties Union presented closing argument today at the civil trial of six prison officials who refused to protect Roderick Keith Johnson, a gay former Texas prisoner who was repeatedly raped and sold as a sex slave by prison gangs.

Colorado Agrees to Restore Jewish Prisoner's Kosher Diet in Response to ACLU Lawsuit (10/13/2005)
COLARADO SPRINGS -- In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado the Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to resume providing kosher meals to Timothy Sheline, a Jewish prisoner whose kosher diet was revoked for one year as punishment for allegedly violating a minor dining hall rule.COLARADO SPRINGS -- In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado the Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to resume providing kosher meals to Timothy Sheline, a Jewish prisoner whose kosher diet was revoked for one year as punishment for allegedly violating a minor dining hall rule.

Men Tell Court They Were Left to Drown in New Orleans Prison (10/06/2005)
NEW ORLEANS -- In legal papers filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union, two men detained on minor charges recount disturbing details of being abandoned without food or water in over-crowded, flooded cells for days at the Orleans Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina. The ACLU submitted declarations from the men, who have since been released from prison, along with an emergency request to allow attorneys to inspect the prison before officials remove evidence.

ACLU Seeks Information on the Fate of 6,500 New Orleans Prisoners (09/28/2005)
NEW ORLEANS - Citing eyewitness reports of locked prisoners being abandoned to drown in their cells in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Civil Liberties Union today demanded access to the relocated prisoners it represents under a longstanding class-action lawsuit over prison conditions.

ACLU and Local Attorneys File Lawsuit Over Quadriplegic Left To Die At DC Jail (09/20/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The mother of a quadriplegic man who died while serving a 10-day jail sentence filed a lawsuit today against District of Columbia officials and Greater Southeast Community Hospital over the deficient care that led to her son's death. Mary Scott, mother of Jonathan Magbie, joined the American Civil Liberties Union and local attorneys at a press conference on the courthouse steps this morning to announce the lawsuit.

Prison Sex Slave Trial Set to Begin in Texas (09/16/2005)
WICHITA FALLS, TX- After enduring 18 months in a Texas prison where gangs bought and sold him as a sexual slave, Roderick Johnson will appear in federal district court Monday for the first day of his civil trial against the prison officials who failed to protect him, the American Civil Liberties Union announced today.

ACLU Sues Major Medical Provider Over Deficient Care in Mississippi Prison (06/22/2005)
WASHINGTON, DC -- Citing the extreme health risks faced by nearly 1000 men confined in a Mississippi prison, the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm Holland & Knight LLP today filed a lawsuit against one of the country's largest for-profit medical providers for prisoners.

Supreme Court's Decision Upholds Prisoners' Due Process Protections, But Limits Their Reach (06/13/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling today that the extreme deprivation and punishment found in ""supermax"" prisons warrant protections for prisoners' due process rights, but the group expressed disappointment that more extensive protections were rejected.

ACLU and PJC Urge Maryland Board to Reject Contract with Company Known for Providing Deficient Medical Care in Prisons (06/01/2005)
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Citing Correctional Medical Services' poor record for dispensing medical care to prisoners, the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Justice Center today urged Maryland's Board of Public Works to reject a proposed contract with the for-profit company.

ACLU Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Protecting Religious Liberty in Prisons (05/31/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded an unusual unanimous vote by the Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of a federal law that requires states to allow prisoners to practice their religious beliefs.