Overcrowding and Other Threats to Health and Safety
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
The Latest
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Half a Mile from the Flames: LA County’s Brush with Catastrophe Demonstrates the Urgent Need to Protect People in Jails and Prisons from Climate Change
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Arizona Violated the Rights of Incarcerated People for More Than a Decade. That Will Finally End.
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ACLU Seeks Court Order Against L.A. County Over Horrific Conditions at Jail Facility
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Rutherford v. Luna
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What's at Stake
Prison overcrowding leads to increased violence, the inability to provide necessary medical care and other essential services, and degrading practices like requiring prisoners to sleep on the floor. Many prisons and jails expose prisoners to dangerous environmental conditions like extreme heat or cold, contaminated food, and a lack of basic sanitation.
Prison overcrowding leads to increased violence, the inability to provide necessary medical care and other essential services, and degrading practices like requiring prisoners to sleep on the floor. Many prisons and jails expose prisoners to dangerous environmental conditions like extreme heat or cold, contaminated food, and a lack of basic sanitation.