Home : Prisoners' Rights

Michigan Judge Orders an End to the Use of Restraints on Prisoners (11/13/2006)
KALAMAZOO, MI - Today Judge Richard Alan Enslen ordered that Michigan prison officials must make significant improvements to mental health care and cease the use of in-cell non-medical restraints for punishment, just one month after he heard arguments from the ACLU National Prison Project and local civil rights attorneys that mental health care in Michigan was a failure. The decision affects several prison facilities in Jackson, Michigan.

Judge Orders County to End Inhumane Overcrowding in Los Angeles County Jails (10/27/2006)
LOS ANGELES -- In response to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California's concerns about severe overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail system, a federal judge today ordered that the county immediately end its unconstitutional practices in the jail's central processing hub.

Federal Court to Hear Challenges to Deficient Health Care in Michigan Prisons After Prisoner Dies in Restraints (10/13/2006)
KALAMAZOO, MI- At a hearing tomorrow before U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Enslen, the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project and two Ann Arbor civil rights attorneys will argue that some of the state's oldest and largest prisons do not meet constitutional standards for medical and mental health care, and that Patricia Caruso, Director of the Department of Corrections, should be held in contempt for the Defendants' non-compliance with court orders to improve medical services.

New Jersey Citizens on Parole and Probation Bring Plea For Right to Vote to Human Rights Body (09/14/2006)
NEWARK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutgers Law School Constitutional Litigation Clinic filed a petition today urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to rule that denying New Jersey citizens on parole and probation the right to vote violates universal human rights principles.

On Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, ACLU Sees America's Reputation as Human Rights Leader Diminished (08/29/2006)

ACLU Report Details Horrors Suffered by Orleans Parish Prisoners in Wake of Hurricane Katrina (08/10/2006)
NEW ORLEANS -- As the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project today released Abandoned & Abused: Orleans Parish Prisoners in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina. The report documents the experiences of thousands of men, women and children who were abandoned at Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) in the days after the storm.

ACLU of Colorado Challenges Abuse of Prisoners in Garfield County Jail (07/19/2006)
DENVER, CO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a sweeping class action lawsuit today in federal court on behalf of prisoners in the Garfield County Jail who have been subjected to widespread excessive force by deputies’ misuse and abuse of pepperball guns, restraint chairs, Tasers, pepper spray, and electroshock belts.

ACLU of Ohio Calls for Thorough Investigation into County Jail After Two Deaths (06/27/2006)
HAMILTON, OH -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today sent a letter to the Department of Justice and Butler County Commissioners urging them to conduct a thorough and extensive investigation into the apparent suicides of two inmates in the Butler County Jail.

Supreme Court Limits Lawsuits By Prisoners Challenging Cruel and Inhumane Treatment; (06/23/2006)
WASHINGTON -- In light of a Supreme Court decision giving a broad interpretation to a Gingrich-era law restricting prisoners’ ability to vindicate their right to be free of torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment, the American Civil Liberties Union today called on Congress to amend the law.

ACLU Condemns U.S. for Failing to Uphold Civil and Political Rights (06/20/2006)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today released a report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee condemning the U.S. government for failing to comply with its treaty obligations to protect and preserve a range of human rights protections at home and abroad. Drawing attention to some of the most vulnerable members of society, including women, children, minorities, immigrants and the accused, the ACLU offered detailed recommendations to bring the U.S. in line with universally recognized human rights standards.

Women at Wisconsin’s Taycheedah Prison Suffer Medical Neglect and Receive Worse Mental Health Care Than Men (05/02/2006)
MILWAUKEE -- In the first class action lawsuit on behalf of women prisoners in Wisconsin, the American Civil Liberties Union is charging that the state prison system puts the lives of women prisoners at risk through grossly deficient health care and provides far inferior mental health treatment as compared to men.

ACLU of New Mexico Demands End to Overcrowding in Women’s Prison (04/04/2006)
SANTA FE, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today asked a state court to force Corrections Secretary Joe Williams to relieve overcrowding at the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility in Grants. According to the ACLU, inmates are being housed in public communal areas that are not designed for long-term custody, causing increased tensions and fighting among inmates as well as the backup of sewage into living areas.