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2007-2008 National Prison Project Litigation Docket ACLU Investigation Reveals Grossly Inadequate Conditions On Federal Death Row A letter sent today by the ACLU to Harley Lappin, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, reveals that prisoners living in the Special Confinement Unit (SCU) of the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute – home to the more than 50 men living on federal death row – are denied access to basic medical care, basic mental health care services, timely and adequate dental care and are subjected to incessant noise that causes sleep deprivation and psychological and physiological stress. More >> ACLU Challenging Conditions At Maricopa County Jail The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to rebuff an attempt by Maricopa County and its sheriff, Joe Arpaio, to terminate a federal consent decree mandating that he maintain conditions at the Maricopa County Jail that meet constitutional minimums. More HIV-positive prisoners talk about their incarceration Alabama Department of Corrections Continues to Deny Programs to HIV-Positive Prisoners Despite ongoing negotiations with attorneys and staff from the ACLU's National Prison Project and the ACLU of Alabama, the Alabama Department of Corrections continues to be the only correctional system in America that denies HIV-positive inmates access to its work release program. Learn more >> > ACLU Calls on the Alabama Department of Corrections to Expand Programs for HIV-Positive Prisoners (12/11/2007) > Letter to ADOC Commissioner Richard F. Allen from the ACLU (9/28/2007) Landmark Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Challenging Conditions at Hutto Detention Center On August 27, the ACLU announced a landmark settlement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that greatly improves conditions for immigrant children and their families in the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor, Texas. Learn More >> > Landmark Settlement Announced in Federal Lawsuit Challenging Conditions at Immigrant Detention Center in Texas (8/27/2007) TOOLS > Voting in Jail: An Advocate's Tool Kit > Know Your Rights: Going to Prison

ACLU Defends Prisoner Punished For Writing A Complaint (11/10/2008)
NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed an appeal on behalf of a prisoner given additional time in prison simply for filing a complaint about his confinement. Under both Louisiana and United States law, a prisoner must file a written complaint (called an "ARP grievance") before taking legal action to challenge the conditions of confinement. Last spring prisoner Ernest Billizone submitted a written complaint about his confinement, following guidelines set out by the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Judge Calls Maricopa County Jail Conditions Unconstitutional (10/22/2008)
PHOENIX - A U.S. district court judge today ruled that the grossly inadequate conditions at the Maricopa County Jail, overseen by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, are unconstitutional and jeopardize the health and safety of prisoners.

ACLU Investigation Reveals Grossly Inadequate Conditions On Federal Death Row (10/15/2008)
TERRE HAUTE, IN – Existing conditions on federal death row are grossly inadequate, fail to meet constitutional standards and jeopardize the health and safety of the men who live there, according to an American Civil Liberties Union investigation.

Man Arrested At Home After Katrina Allowed To Proceed With Lawsuit (10/10/2008)
Today the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal allowed James Terry to proceed with his lawsuit against Warden Cornel Hubert of Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, for damages resulting from his treatment during and after Hurricane Katrina.

ACLU Calls For Independent Audit Of South Carolina Department Of Corrections (8/26/2008)
CHARLESTON, SC – The American Civil Liberties Union's South Carolina Office today called on state officials to ask the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to perform an independent audit of the South Carolina Department of Corrections in the face of charges of lax security, inmate abuse and a politicized, hostile work environment. The Legislative Audit Council last week scrapped a plan to survey the department's employees after the department's director charged that the effort was politically motivated.