Home : Prisoners' Rights

ACLU Releases Expert's Report On Nightmarish Conditions At Men's Central Jail In Los Angeles (04/14/2009)
LOS ANGELES – The American Civil Liberties Union today released an expert's report documenting how brutally overcrowded conditions cause or contribute to violence and serious mental illness in Los Angeles County's aging Men's Central Jail, and demanded that county officials swiftly implement changes to prevent unnecessary deaths or serious injuries.

ACLU Says Bureau Of Prisons Again Attempting To Illegally Ban Religious Material (03/17/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed formal comments opposing a proposed rule by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that would illegally empower prison officials to ban vital religious works from prison chapel libraries, despite a law passed last year prohibiting them from doing so. The proposed rule, which would allow material to be banned based on a mere determination that it "could…suggest" violence or criminal behavior, directly contradicts the Second Chance Act which places strict limits on what material BOP officials may outlaw.

ACLU Files Lawsuit On Behalf Of Wyoming Prisoner Retaliated Against For Reporting Abuse (02/24/2009)
CHEYENNE, WY – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Wyoming today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a prisoner at the Wyoming State Penitentiary who was forced into solitary confinement for nearly two months in retaliation for reporting the abuse of a fellow prisoner by prison guards.

ACLU Of Louisiana Fights For Catholic And Muslim Prisoners' Right To Worship Freely At Angola State Prison (02/09/2009)
New Orleans - Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed lawsuits on behalf of a Catholic and a Muslim prisoner at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, each being denied the right to practice his religion freely.

ACLU Urges Investigation Into Conditions At Texas Prison (02/05/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas today strongly urged the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the conditions at a federal prison in West Texas after a riot broke out there over the weekend.

Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff Relents In Attempt To Get $1.75 Million For Public Records (01/28/2009)
In light of the recent deaths and continued reports of deplorable conditions at Orleans Parish Prison, today the ACLU of Louisiana sought public records from Orleans Criminal Sheriff Marlin Gusman, including copies of the Sheriff's contracts and reports on prisoner deaths at Orleans Parish Prison. The ACLU of Louisiana initially made its request last year, but the Sheriff's office requested a $1.75 million deposit for copies of these public documents. After nearly a year of negotiation, including persuading the Sheriff to release some of the requested documents electronically and curtailing the scope of the request, the ACLU was able to reduce the requested deposit to $1,007.25. The ACLU of Louisiana still believes that this amount is excessive and unreasonable, but in view of the urgent conditions at Orleans Parish Prison, has decided to post the deposit in order to obtain the information.

ACLU Says Failure To Properly Administer Medicines At Wisconsin Prison Puts Women's Lives At Risk (01/23/2009)
MILWAUKEE – The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Wisconsin and the law firm of Jenner & Block today filed a motion in federal court seeking an immediate halt to the dangerously dysfunctional system of ordering and administering medication to prisoners at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, Wisconsin's largest women's prison.

ACLU Calls On Sheriff Gusman To Improve Medical Intake (01/15/2009)
Today the ACLU of Louisiana calls on Sheriff Marlin Gusman to conduct better medical screening in connection with the intake of prisoners, in light of the two deaths that have occurred at Orleans Parish Prison in the past week. "Unfortunately, many people in custody of Orleans Parish Prison have serious health conditions that are untreated," said Marjorie R. Esman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana. "This results in deaths that could be prevented with better medical attention."

Law Court Will Consider Prison Phone Rate Case (01/14/2009)
PORTLAND – The issue of jurisdiction over the phone rates that are charged to Maine prisoners will be considered by the state's highest court in oral arguments set for Thursday, Jan. 15. The state Department of Corrections is appealing a ruling by the state's Public Utilities Commission that the phone system is a utility under the PUC's jurisdiction.

ACLU Lawsuit Gets Prisoner's Extended Sentence Reduced (12/16/2008)
NEW ORLEANS- Today the ACLU of Louisiana confirmed that the Louisiana Department of Corrections has partially relented in its punishment of Ernest Billizone, a prisoner whose sentence was lengthened by nine months simply for writing complaints to prison officials about a prison employee's behavior.

ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit To Protect Religious Liberty Of New Jersey Prisoner (12/03/2008)
TRENTON, NJ – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Jersey today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a New Jersey prisoner, an ordained Pentecostal minister, who is asking the state to respect his religious freedom by restoring his right to preach.